CYCLING TRAINING MASTERY
An alternative to 1×1 coaching
Few would argue that a good coach is the best way to reach your potential on the bike. And no one will argue that reaching your potential also takes years of consistent training.
Do you see the problem?
What if you want to get the most out of your training, but also don’t want to splurge on a coach year after year?
What if you could cut to the chase and just learn how a cycling coach prescribes custom plans?
Here’s the thing… my background doesn’t originate from the world of cycling coaching. I see things very differently from other coaches, and feel the whole process is more complex than it needs to be. I believe you’re smart enough to understand how to coach yourself… if you have the right tools, systems, and support. This is how you reach your potential over time.
I’ve already done the heavy lifting of developing tools and systems that are simple enough that they can be taught. One custom “block” (4 weeks of training) takes me about 15-30 minutes to plan. Yes, you can learn how to do this!
It’s not rocket science, and I guarantee the work you do in your career is 10x harder. Learn it now and your future as a cyclist can really take off! As far as motivation and engagement goes, what sounds better… setting your own challenging goals or having to do what someone else tells you to do?
You’ll have questions along the way, and that’s why this program also includes life-time access to me through a private FB group and weekly live Q&A sessions. Its not my style to leave people hanging.
If this sounds interesting, read on!
2019 was my last real bike season, which involved training very hard and competing at cyclocross nationals. I had a great time, but then the pandemic hit. I stayed really fit through June 2020, but then motivation for riding lagged. At this same time, work responsibilities picked up quite a bit with a new role and has continued to grow in demand. I did the High Cascade 100 in 2021 for a little motivation, but didn’t execute training as years past. I had a good result and a really good time. In 2022, I didn’t sign up for any big events and motivation for riding continued to lag again mid-year. I ended up gaining 12 pounds the latter half of 2022 and now weigh more than I ever had. I somehow became familiar with TRO Cycling on social media and always thought Erik’s philosophies of life and biking fit well with mine. In order to try and get back on track with my fitness reached out and the self-coached piece at the beginning didn’t seem appealing (e.g., to much work), but after talking to Erik more about the program, decided to give it a chance. After completing the course, I feel a lot more knowledgeable about my bike training and much more prepared than any other year going into 2023. Excited to see the results!!
Erik’s passion and purpose for sharing his coaching knowledge shines through. I enjoyed all of the material, but also that some additions were really thoughtful because of Erik being Erik. These additions or knowledge nuggets intertwined throughout include the mental notes and ‘what if’ scenarios that Erik has learned either personally or through his clients.
Talk to Erik! He walks the talk and is passionate about people succeeding. I feel Erik is very honest and if he didn’t think the program was the right fit, he would not suggest it to an individual. I honestly think this will take my cycling to the next level in terms of what I want out of it!
I have been riding for about 25 years. Even when I was younger, I was never a super athlete, but I could hold on in a peloton, and loved the local group rides. As the years passed, I found that I was slowly losing power. I never had a trainer, and just thought that the way to train was to just try really hard every time I rode. It was frustrating to see my watts per kilo slowly slipping away, and I was beginning to convince myself that I was 64 years old, and that was what I should expect. When I spoke with Erik the first time, he offered to teach me how to train. Every week we went over a new aspect of training, and how to evaluate my workouts on a daily, weekly, and ‘over all time’ basis. The program makes sense, and after a few weeks I began to feel stronger and to chip away at my FTP. I’m now planning my workout rides a few weeks in advance, and I’m hitting personal bests on my Zwift and Peloton rides. Erik continues to be available to us weeks after the class ended to answer questions and offer encouragement. I think the class is a great value. I got a lot and continue to benefit from the investment. I only wish I could have started training 20 years ago. I’m turning 65 in a few days. I know I won’t ever push and punish the peloton, but I believe the program will help me explore levels of fitness I haven’t seen for years.
what you'll learn
- How to use the systems, templates, and processes I’ve developed for my 1×1 coaching business. I hold nothing back, and share with you exactly how I do it, without guesswork.
- A proven framework to plan your specific year and each training block.
- How to customize workouts to you. You won’t have to start from scratch though. I share all of the workouts I’ve built, and even show you how to organize them.
- Specifically how to build a big aerobic base, strong anaerobic capacity, and how to overload & taper for an A-priority event.
- Fitting B and C priority races into your schedule.
- What your rides should look like and how to evaluate.
- A comprehensive mental tookkit to assure motivation levels are consistent.
- The basic physiology and purpose behind all of your training. Science discussions are kept to a minimum, just enough so that it “clicks”.
- All of the metrics and tests that are critical (and fun) to monitor your progress.
- How to fuel your rides correctly.
- A proven process for shedding pounds.
Who this is for
- You’re career-focused and want to get the most out of your training now and for years to come.
- You’re not sure of what you should be doing and think you might be leaving something on the table.
- You’d rather not have to depend on other people or programs, but wish you could enjoy professional level training.
- The idea of hiring a coach is intriguing, but you can’t see doing it for the long haul.
- You trust your own judgement.
- You’ve gotten off track in the past when life gets in the way of training and you aren’t sure how to get back on track.
- You consider yourself growth-oriented and like to work on improving yourself.
- You realize that training plans, apps, AI are not as ideal as you first thought (you can finally see through the marketing hype). These are good places to start, but not sufficient for the long term.
- You need flexibility in your schedule and the ability to throttle up or down depending on life events, like work travel and family.
- You like data and the challenge that comes from training, but also realize you’re not getting paid. In the end this is a hobby and outlet for you.
- You want to be a part of a group of cyclists learning and implementing this same material.
- You ride mountain, road, or gravel.
Outcome
- Long term motivation and engagement. The process of thinking through your plan and assessing progress has an incredible way increasing motivation. As cyclists we’ve been conditioned to believe that we need to follow someone else’s plan (or app) to see success. This is absolutely not true, and it robs us of the tremendous benefits that come from setting and achieving our own goals.
- Never again wonder what you should be doing or if you’re maximizing your time.
- Confidence knowing your plan is solid – you have a coach that’s always there to check it out.
- The freedom that comes from full autonomy in your plan. We all fell in love with cycling when were kids because of the freedom it gave us, right? It’s time to get back to that.
- Increase in sprint, 1, 5, and 20 minute powers. If you stick to the process, these numbers should keep climbing year after year.
- You’ll begin to understand what works best for you, then tailor your training in subsequent years accordingly.
- Race results like you may not have experienced before as well as strava PR’s!
- Stronger mentally than you may have been before, and able to manage through ups and downs.
- The satisfaction that comes from learning the art of training.
- A full understanding of all the metrics and tools at your disposal to measure progress.
- Weight loss if you chose to take that path.
- The ability to coach your friends or kids if you want. There will be a point where you’ll realize that you’ve become quite an expert.
- A genuine passion for the sport that should last a life time. This is my sincere hope for you!
why I'm doing this
- I absolutely love helping cyclists with their training. To truly realize your full potential, you need to be consistent year over year. This is when 1×1 coaching becomes less practical, and learning the systems yourself makes a ton of sense. I believe I can help you more through this course than I can with 9-12 months of 1×1 coaching.
- It took me years to figure all of this stuff out. And then it took a few more years to dial in the processes to make planning efficient. I want to share it rather than keep it for myself.
- In my own riding, I’ve done it all… self-coaching, apps, plans, coaches. I’ve found that self-coaching is by far the most enjoyable. If you think like I do, there’s not a great solution for you, especially if you don’t have years to waste on “experimenting”. I want to support self-coached athletes because I am one myself.
- It’s fun!
if you want in
Acceptance into the program is based on an application/interview. The intent is to make sure this is a good fit for both of us. Click the button below to set up a time that works for you. I’m looking forward to meeting you!
A little about me...
I’m Erik Knudsen, the guy behind this program. I’ve been an every day cyclist for about 19 years. For most of that time I was a corporate professional (engineer & program manager), constantly balancing riding with work travel and family. I didn’t transition into cycling coaching until much later in my career.
I have good genes, but nothing out of this world. This forces me to be precise and disciplined with my training. I cannot just go for a ride and expect to get faster/leaner. I have to work for it. If you also have to work for it, welcome to the club!
I’m also passionate about innovation and doing things better. This program is my idea for making a big improvement to the standard 1×1 coaching model (and way better than apps/plans!). I’m giving you all the tools you need to have a rewarding and successful cycling career. It’s based off of this quote: “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.”
As far as riding history goes, I was a cat 2 roadie until last year (’22), when I decided to focus more on mountain and gravel. My achievement of the year was being one minute off a podium spot at the High Cascades 100 MTB race. I managed to shave off 2 hours from my previous result (10 years ago). And yes, at the end of this program you’ll understand exactly how I did it:).
I live in beautiful Eagle, Idaho and have been married for 20 years to my wife, Elisha. We have two boys, Jakob and Aaron. We also have a gigantic golden doodle (Charlie). I’m originally from the east coast (NJ and NC), but wanted to “live out west” after grad school so that I could live and play in the mountains all the time!