Do You Have a Big Adventure In Mind? Get Ready With Structured Training!

This week we have another guest post by one of THE most positive athletes I've had the pleasure of coaching, Stewart.

I first met Stewart many years ago at my winter cycling classes.  He was always setup in the front row and ready to WORK!  I enjoyed chatting with him and his positive energy was contagious to the group.

Coming into April of 2019, he reached out to me about structured training with a customized plan designed for him for a big, multi-day event he had coming up that November.  As we all know, there are plenty of plans available in cycling magazines, books, and the interwebs.  While many of these plans are fundamental sound, they take a considerable amount of guesswork as to where you're fitness level currently sits and also don't account for your other life stressors.  Additionally, finding ones that fit into your life's schedule and for your specific event is often impossible.  And finally, what do you do if you miss a workout, get sick, feel like the workouts are too easy or two hard, or just want to bounce ideas off an experience coach?

I was very excited that Stewart gave me this great opportunity to develop a plan and work collaboratively for his upcoming event, the Hazon Israel Ride, which benefits the Arava Institute and Hazon.  Find out more here..  This ride would be 350 miles over 5 days across some amazing terrain.  You don't want to travel half way around the world, or even to the next state, and be physically unprepared.  He was ready to get after it.  Fit is not only fast, it's FUN!

Stewart worked smart and hard for those months leading up to the event, giving me great feedback and really listening to his body.  We tweaked his plan as necessary, and made it work around his family, job, and other factors in his life.

​He crushed his ride and it was awesome watching his data and subjective reports come in on a daily basis as I was able to follow his progress from afar. 

I'm happy to say that I am still working with Stewart and he is still one of the most positive riders out there.  Since then, he continues to set PR's, crush centuries, and ride through adversity.  He is one of the many amazing people that I have the pleasure of coaching that have certainly helped me get through the pandemic.  At the end of 2021, he purchased a power meter and has approached this great tool with an open mind ready to learn.  He describes his rides as "gnarly" which is awesome, and has a killer Grateful Dead jersey which is super cool.

All right, enough from me.  Here's his recap of his epic journey::

Hazon Israel Ride

So what's your adventure?  Maybe it's a new group ride, a long one day event, riding over challenging terrain, a multi-day journey, or something else.

BJL Coaching is ready to design a plan to get your ready for challenge.  I also offer personalized training rides for those in the New Jersey area.

Have an upcoming adventure, comment, or question?  Leave your thoughts below!

Go big!

Coach Brian

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