What your Coach Actually Need from You
What Your
Coach Actually
Needs From You.
"A coaching relationship is only as good as the information flowing through it. Data tells me what happened. You tell me why."
Most athletes think the hard part of working with a coach is the training. It isn't. The hard part is the communication — specifically, the honest, timely, specific communication that allows a coach to actually do their job.
I have worked with athletes at every level, from first-time amateur riders to UCI-licensed professionals racing on the Asian circuit. The single most consistent differentiator between athletes who improve quickly and athletes who plateau is not talent, not training volume, not commitment. It is how well they communicate with their coach.
This article is about that. What a coach actually needs to know, when they need to know it, and why most athletes systematically withhold the most valuable information they have.
What Your Data Doesn't Tell Me
Your power file tells me what you did. Average power, normalised power, heart rate, cadence, time in each zone. It is useful. I look at it carefully.
But it cannot tell me why your power dropped at kilometre 45. It cannot tell me that you had a terrible argument the night before, or that you slept four hours, or that work has been overwhelming. It cannot tell me that you cut the session short because you were scared of pushing too hard, or stayed on the bike an extra 30 minutes because you felt guilty about missing yesterday.
"The gap between what the data shows and what actually happened is where bad coaching decisions get made. Only you can close that gap."
You are the only instrument capable of reporting on your internal experience. When you withhold that information — even unintentionally — you force your coach to work with an incomplete picture. The prescription they write will be based on incomplete data, and the results will reflect that.
Two Types of Athletes
Tells You the Truth
Reports when sessions felt wrong, not just the numbers. Flags stress, sleep, life disruptions proactively. Asks questions when they don't understand the plan. Admits when they deviated from it and why. Progresses faster.
Manages the Impression
Only shares results that look good. Doesn't mention the context behind bad sessions. Follows the plan even when something feels wrong, then wonders why they got injured. Progresses slower despite equal effort.
The closed athlete is not dishonest by nature. They are usually highly motivated people who are afraid of disappointing their coach. This is understandable — and counterproductive. Your coach cannot help you with problems they don't know you have.
The Five Things I Always Need to Know
How the Session Actually Felt — Not Just the Numbers
Perceived effort, mental state, motivation, any physical sensations that were unusual. A session that looks fine in the data but felt terrible is a signal. So is a session that looks terrible but felt fine. Context changes everything.
When Life Is Heavy Outside of Cycling
Work stress, relationship difficulty, poor sleep, travel — all of these affect training capacity. I don't need the details. But I need to know your load is high so I can adjust training accordingly. Hiding it means carrying twice the load you should.
When Something Doesn't Feel Right Physically
Pain, tightness, unusual fatigue, anything you are managing around — tell me immediately, not after it becomes an injury. Early information saves weeks of setback. Late information costs months.
When You Deviated From the Plan — and Why
I am not going to judge you for going off-plan. I am going to use that information to build a more realistic plan going forward. What I cannot use is silence. If you did something different from what was prescribed, tell me what and why.
When You Don't Understand or Agree With the Plan
A confused athlete cannot execute well. An athlete who disagrees will not execute at all — or will do so resentfully. Ask the question. Push back if something doesn't make sense. This is a conversation, not a prescription.
What Good Communication Looks Like
A short message after each session. Not an essay — three sentences is enough. What you did, how it felt, anything worth flagging. That habit, maintained consistently, gives your coach everything they need to do their job well. It takes two minutes. It changes the quality of your training entirely.
The best coaching relationships feel less like a service and more like a collaboration. The athlete brings honesty and effort. The coach brings structure and expertise. The combination produces something neither could achieve alone.
You hired a coach because you wanted expertise applied to your situation. Give your coach your situation. The more honestly and completely you share what is actually happening — in training, in life, in your body — the more precisely the expertise can be applied.
The training plan is only as good as the information that shapes it. You are the primary source of that information. Use that responsibility well.