Constraints lead approach(CLA) session 1
Session 1 involved a group of women, new to cycling. The session plan for Sept 30 is shown below.
The session plan above details what was to be done at the first session
In the session on 30/09/2018 I used CLA to advance some riders' skill level. I was working with a group of women all of whom were very new to cycling, having started in the month of August.(They had ridden a Ladies Only sportive on Sept 23)
The focus was on getting the riders close, tight together, in 2 straight lines, communicating with each other and looking after each other.
I set up two groups and asked them to ride in a bunch along a closed road, 750 metres long. I observed each group on the first pass and awarded them points as to how well they performed according the the criteria above. It was a simple game/competition between the groups as to who did best in the skill.
After the first pass I asked riders in each group for feedback as to how they tought they had done in riding as a compact group. The f/back was:
- it was difficult to keep compact when going slow;
- a few riders felt unstable when riding slowly;
- on picking up the pace the group began to break up;
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I then asked them to think about how they might improve the skill based on the f/back above. They gave some comments on how things might improve and agreed to go again.
I also awarded each group points on their performance(!)
On the second pass the groups went very well:
- they were much more compact;
- they held held straight lines;
- they rode more quickly;
- they talked to each other in their groups;
After this second run I asked for more f/back. They said they could have pointed out road hazards to others in their group. Otherwise thing went well.
I then awarded points to each group and found they were tied in performance(!)
From my point of view I felt the game might have lasted longer. I was struggling on how to make it more interesting as I feared boredom. It was also a cold day and I felt riders might get cold.
I thought CLA was applied in this session as the riders did work out areas for improvement themselves. I helped by giving a few pointers but much of the improvement was lead by the riders.
Challenges as a coach: there were different ability levels in the group and it was hard to maintain interest; when group went out on main road some old habits returned. The skill would need to be practiced repeatedly.
Constraints lead approach session 2
In a session on 7/10/2018 I took the same group(above) out to some more traveled roads to reinforce some of the CLA learning from last week's session.
I first took the group to a local dirt running track to refresh last week's learning. However, the track was a mess as there had been a heavy trucks' driving derby on it which had made it unsuitable for bikes. Refresh was therefore all by word of mouth.
Focus was on cycling as a compact group with the emphasis on getting up and down small hills in group formation.
As we went round the roads we had several stops to verify what riders were finding as they put their new skill into practice and also to give feedback on how they were going.
Session progress:
- group was usually very compact on flat, level terrain;
- the group's pace was good throughout;
- the group talked to each other pointing out hazards, traffic, looking for pace changes, etc.
I gave the group some f/back on areas they might reflect:
- I asked them to anticipate the hills and the requirement for gear changes;
- I suggested that as the day was windy they ensured the pace was correct for all riders, especially the two at the front;
- I spoke to one woman quietly as she was struggling with the pace and might need to think of overall fitness.
At the end of the session 80% of riders had improved their ability to ride as a compact, co-ordinated group.
Challenges as a coach: I was a little fazed out when the session didn't work out as I had planned. I really wanted to reinforce what we had done the previous week and we were unable to find a suitable area to do this. This did frustrate me!
Constraints lead approach session 3
In a session on 13/11/2018 I was working with a mixed group of older riders that I coach throughout the year to develop fitness, cycling skills and motivation. Below is the session plan.
The session objective was to improve rider's consistent performance on a hill, i.e. I wanted to work on their ability to keep a steady pace throughout the ascent of the hill and not "die" as they worked their way up the hill.
We rode to a hill near Derry which in places rises to 8% and I marked out two sections each about 300 m long. Between each 300 m there was a reasonable length of road, sufficient for riders to recover from previous effort.
I asked the riders(3 of them) to "attack" the 300 m sections at 30 second intervals(between each rider) and to ride them at a pace which allowed them to be consistent. I recorded the times for each rider on the second section(I was too far from the first section to record times there!). The second 300 m section was slightly steeper and I felt riders might be slightly more challenged on this section.
At the end of each timed run I reviewed the time taken with each rider. I mentioned again that the objective was to be consistent for each run.
Times were:
| Evelyn | Joe | Aideen |
| 35 sec | 33 sec | 28 sec |
| 28 sec | 29 sec | 37 sec |
| 32 sec | 33 sec | 32 sec |
| 33 sec | 32 sec | 32 sec |
| 36 sec | 34 sec | 37 sec |
Session progress: the riders worked well off each other. They were motivated by each other's effort riding the hill. If a rider was close to another during his/her effort he/she increased the pace.
The riders found the hill a challenge and needed several minutes to recover after each attempt.
At the end of each attempt I gave each rider positive encouragement on how I felt he/she had attacked.
Results: the strongest rider of the 3, Joe, produced the most consistent results.
Rider feedback: the riders thought this was a good exercise and would improve their ability to climb hills. They felt that if they concentrated during the hill ascent they might be more consistent.
Challenges as a coach: because of physical distance I was only able to measure time on one of the 300 m sections. Thus I do not know how consistent riders were everywhere on the hill.
The distance (300 m) might have been longer to give the riders a longer challenge.
Rate of perceived effort(RPE)
Following on from the week-end session in November at Tollymore, I have asked athletes I am working with to use RPE to indicate how hard they are training every week.
However, after chatting to my mentor Aidan H I asked athletes to give me an RPE for the all past week's training. The athlete summarizes how hard he/she has worked during the 7 days' of sessions and then determines an overall number from 1 to 10 for perceived effort.
In having an overall weekly figure the athlete can get an idea of whether the week has been easy or hard. Also, it takes pressure off the athlete to fill a figure in daily.
The f/back from the 4 athletes who do this has been positive and they find it helpful in measuring their advancement.
