In The Crosshairs

For the final installment of our coaches interview series, we get the opportunity to pick the brain of Athlete Development Group and Charm City Cycling boss Kris Auer. Along with coaching several top East Coast cyclocrossers, Kris is also an accomplished racer. His one request to me in doing this interview was “make me sound cool.”

If you have ever seen Kris or his black-and-blue C3 cadre at a race, you know this really isn’t an issue. Kris and C3 exude coolness. Case in point: late this past season he outfitted his squad in Karate Kid-inspired skinsuits and still had the most badass looking team on the block. 

I first met Kris after having a complete meltdown following the 2007 Charm City Cyclocross race. I finished pretty high up in the cat 4 race but my name was dropped from the final result. In the grand scheme of things, I realize this is not the most pressing issue for a race promoter but Kris took the time to talk me down, apologize for the screw-up, and ultimately set things right. Not everybody that puts on a race is going to do that. For me, that shows he cares not only about the sport as a whole but also for the small fries like me that show up to try their best. 

In my interviews with podium finishers, Kris has appeared as an interviewee and also a recipient of many a shout-out from athletes he coaches. During our Capital Cross coverage he provided one of my favorite pieces of advice: “Always hit the line with a good attitude. You don’t need a smile on your face but be excited to race.” For more from Kris, let’s go to the interview. 

CXHairs: When did you start cycling?  

AUER: I always rode but started competing in 1987.   

CXHairs: How did you get interested in the sport?  

AUER: I always had a fascination with bikes, but only learned from a friend about the sporting side. The two of us and a third started the first public high school cycling team in New England racing in the Prep school league. 

CXHairs: Did you come to cycling from another sport? 

AUER: I was playing soccer but nothing serious. 

CXHairs: Anybody in your family race bikes?  

AUER: Not a one. 

CXHairs: Did you grow up following professional cycling?  

AUER: From the age of 15 on. I followed it religiously. 

CXHairs: What made you decide you wanted to coach?  

AUER: I never thought of it until a few people asked me if I would consider coaching them. 

CXHairs: What training/education/experience did you draw on to prepare for coaching clients?  

AUER: I draw mostly on experiences racing as a professional, a short stint in Europe and years riding, reading and learning. I do have some formal training but most is self taught through trial and error.   

CXHairs: Do you coach only cyclists? Only CX? Any triathletes?  

AUER: I coach, cycling with a cross specialty but also coach runners and multi-sport athletes. 

CXHairs: Are most of your clients serious racers or do some come to you just to get in better shape or maybe finish a century? 

AUER: Most are racers but several are just looking to do a good event such as a century or hill-climb. 

CXHairs: Do you have any Web-only clients? 

AUER: yes 

CXHairs: For clients that you see face-to-face, is most of the coaching relationship online? For me, it’s nice to be able to upload files and chat via e-mail with my coach, but it’s also nice to know that if I want to borrow a wheelset he’s not across the country.  

AUER: A healthy chunk of it is, but I have the added bonus of seeing many of my clients at local events.  I’m not one to say no if I can lend an additional hand. 

CXHairs: Do you have a coaching philosophy? What is it?  

AUER: I call it a “Guts” philosophy.  I back it up with science and experience but it’s the “soul” of the rider that makes it great. 

CXHairs: Do you focus just on workouts or do you also give your clients advice on race strategy, nutrition, technique, etc?  

AUER: All of the above. Hitting on just one, won’t give you a complete picture.   

CXHairs: What, if any, are the main differences between coaching road and cyclocross racers? 

AUER: It’s the type of efforts and length of time. The basics are the same, it’s the application of those basics that make the difference.  

CXHairs: What is the biggest misconception people have about a coach’s role? 

AUER: That a coach will make you faster.  A coach can facilitate better training and better racing but the lions share of the work is still upon the rider.   

CXHairs: What do you believe is the biggest benefit a coach can provide?  

AUER: Focus. If I had to pick one. It also gives them someone to bounce their own ideas off and provide support when it’s needed. 

CXHairs: The people reading this most likely race cross. What is one thing they can do for next season that will make them faster? 

AUER: REST 

CXHairs: Is it just me, or do most clients say things like “geez I absolutely suck on the bike” hoping you will tell them how great they are? 

AUER: I don’t get that too much.   

CXHairs: Do most of your clients train with power? What are the benefits and the pitfalls? 

AUER: It’s a mixed bag on clients with power vs. those without.   The benefits would be the specificity and analysis of each workout. The pitfall would be too much emphasis on power and numbers. There is a whole lot more to riding and racing a bike than watts per kilogram. From a pure training standpoint it is the most specific but we can get the job done with or without it. 

CXHairs: During the race season, how much feedback do you get from your clients and are you able to successfully modify or fine tune training to optimize results? 

AUER: The clients that maintain their logs daily get the best benefits. I have some folks who are religious and some who send me huge blocks all at once and others that don’t send anything. Funny thing is it often seems to work with all three. I would say that the daily updates let me key in to a riders need for rest a little quicker than I would otherwise.  

CXHairs: Have you ever had a client willing to pay you but not do the work? How did you or would you handle that situation? At what point do you consider firing a client? Ever had to do it? 

AUER: I have had one for sure maybe a few.  Some people want the coach but really just want someone validating the training they really want to do even if it’s not going to be a big help to them. I try to work it out if I see someone not responding but at the end of the day it is again on them. I do my best to help and in the one case I absolutely had, we worked it out and the results really started happening.  

CXHairs: Other than being interviewed on “In The Crosshairs,” what is your proudest coaching achievement?  

AUER: Every time someone gives me a positive update. If I had to pick one it was a junior rider who was going through a real tough time hitting the podium at nationals one year. I knew what he had to go through to get there. I couldn’t have been prouder than if he were my own son. 

CXHairs: Does your coaching and racing ever conflict? How do you balance your own goals with those of your clients? 

AUER: Not too much.  I race for fun mostly even though I always try to throw down as much as I can.  I personally only focus on a few events each year. The rest is gravy.

 I have turned down one coaching request from a peer in my own age category. We’re good friends and tough competition for each other, I didn’t want to mess that up and he is one of the few who drive me to do better. 

CXHairs: POP QUIZ: I consistently finished between 15th and 20th of every race I entered this past CX season. My goal for next year is top 10s. What do you need to know about me to help me reach this goal? 

AUER: I’d need to know what you’ve been up to prior to the season and whether you’re trying to have a successful summer and autumn season or just cross.   I’d also want to know what you feel your strengths and weaknesses and where you see yourself improving.   Hooking up for some face-time and ride-time would move things along. 

CXHairs: How are the preparations for the ’09 Charm City coming along? 

AUER: So far so good. Work started the day it ended. We did upgrade to UCI status for 2009. There will be some new stuff coming your way. We’re trying to take it up another level. You’ll see Rockburn flying the C3 flag this year as well.

For more information about Athlete Development Group or Charm City Cycling, contact Kris at ADGCROSS@gmail.com.

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”

-Albert Einstein 

To select the coaches featured on ‘In The Crosshairs,’ I looked through past race interviews and noted the people credited with helping podium finishers succeed. One name that kept cropping up was Mike Birner. An accomplished bike racer and successful coach, Mike is president of Mid-Maryland Coaching.

If you obsess over how to improve every aspect of your racing, or even if you are just looking to toe the line of a race for the first time, it would not hurt to read this interview. But if you really want some insight on how to train for and ultimately find success in cyclocross, Mike’s nuts-and-bolts training articles in Cyclocross Magazine are mandatory reading. Ninety percent of what you need is right there in plain English. For the other ten percent? Well, that may be where hiring a coach comes into play.

As you work through the second installment of the ‘In The Crosshairs’ coaching series, you may notice that the questions I ask Mike are eerily similar to those I asked Chris Mayhew. To be perfectly honest, they are identical. Although that may expose a lack of creativity on my part, the nuanced responses I received give me confidence that I made the right choices in picking coaches to interview. These guys are not going to give you stock or cookie-cutter answers. (You will see the same thing later this month in our third installment.) The coaches are serious about what they do and they put a lot of thought into their methods and their athletes’ needs. The core principles followed may be similar, but the art is revealed in the subtle differences of the execution. To see what exactly that means for Mike Birner, we go to the interview.

CXHairs: When did you start cycling? 

BIRNER: Roughly, sometime around ’88. I started to ride seriously on a Schwinn Super LeTour. By late 1989 I hopped into my first race-The Tour de Crofton-and proceeded to get dropped. 

CXHairs: How did you get interested in the sport? 

BIRNER: Looking back, I think it started when I was kid and my Dad took me to see the Wheat Thins Pro Criterium in Baltimore. I don’t remember a lot about that day but I do remember sitting on the curb watching these riders speed past us in a blur. It was pretty amazing at the time to see the speeds they were traveling on a bike. 

From there, I seem to remember following the sport through what marginal coverage there was. That typically meant watching 1 hour of wrap up coverage of the Tour at the end of July. Once I started riding seriously I met Jay Murphy, a lifelong teammate that got me further into the racing scene. It’s his fault. 

CXHairs: Did you come to cycling from another sport? 

BIRNER: Junior level golf as a kid, but otherwise no other organized sports. 

CXHairs: Anybody in your family race bikes? 

BIRNER: No-no real interest at all. 

CXHairs: Did you grow up following professional cycling? 

BIRNER: Yes, following the minimal coverage that there was which usually meant reading the Baltimore Sun to find the top 3 in the results for the European races then waiting a month for Velonews to find out what actually happened. 

CXHairs: What made you decide you wanted to coach? 

BIRNER: I had worked with juniors and beginners on and off for a number of years and finally decided it was time to give it a shot as a real business. When I started out in cycling there was not a lot of information on how to train properly or even how to race. I’ve always wished that I knew then what I know now as I think I could have been a much more successful rider. I enjoy being able to pass that information on and give newer riders the opportunity to see what they are fully capable of achieving. 

CXHairs: What training/education/experience did you draw on to prepare for coaching clients? 

BIRNER: Years of getting dropped! As a former category 2, I spent many weekends in the early-mid nineties traveling up and down the east coast racing the big money pro/1/2 events and hanging on for dear life.

We were way over our heads at the time but it brought a whole new level of, shall we say, ‘getting schooled’. You learned how to corner, how to paceline, how to draft really quickly because if you didn’t you came off the back. It was mostly survival but the education was irreplaceable. 

In addition, I have had many coaches in years past ever since I raced collegiate for the University of Colorado, Boulder. I have experienced many different coaching styles, what works and what doesn’t and how some things work for one rider but not another. 

CXHairs: Do you coach only cyclists? Any triathletes? 

BIRNER: Duathletes. Currently no triathletes but some new associates might change that in the near future. 

CXHairs: Are most of your clients serious racers or do some come to you just to get in better shape or maybe finish a century? 

BIRNER: A mix of both. While most seriously race I do have a few that are serious recreational riders as well. I say serious because they also have goals and show just as much determination in achieving them. 

CXHairs: Do you have any Web-only clients? 

BIRNER: I have a couple clients that I have not had the opportunity to meet in person yet but most are local and I see on occasion. My preference is to handle clients that I can ride with from time to time to have a better idea of other variables-fit, technique, etc. but as we grow the business we have more and more requests for web-only coaching. 

CXHairs: For clients that you see face-to-face, is most of the coaching relationship online? For me, it’s nice to be able to upload files and chat via e-mail with my coach, but it’s also nice to know that if I want to borrow a wheelset he’s not across the country. 

BIRNER: Most of the coaching is handled online through email and the online training calendar and log. But my athletes have my phone number as well and know that they can call when needed also and often do. 

CXHairs: Do you have a coaching philosophy? What is it? 

BIRNER: Primarily: balance. I see so many people that try to put in too many training hours and yet can’t seem to make the gains that they are expecting. By emphasizing quality training time and reducing wasted hours on the bike you are left with more time for family, career, etc. If your girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband is sick of you being gone all weekend because you are out training, the stress that’s going to be created from this will be detrimental – more than most ever realize. For everyone this balance means something different but finding the right number of hours you can attribute to training vs. family vs. job will lead to greater gains in the long run. 

CXHairs: Do you focus just on workouts or do you also give your clients advice on race strategy, nutrition, technique, etc? 

BIRNER: It’s all encompassing. These other elements are critical components as well. Our goal is to help our athletes become better cyclists and this means looking at the entire picture. If they have poor fit on the bike or poor decision making during a race the greatest fitness in the world may not overcome that. Why stop short and be physically prepared for an event but not be mentally, technically or nutritionally ready? It takes mastery of all aspects. 

CXHairs: What, if any, are the main differences between coaching road and cyclocross racers? 

BIRNER: In general, I believe the cyclocross racers tend to be a harder bunch. They are much more willing to get through the short hard workouts where roadies still try to rely on duration over intensity. Not that the roadies don’t need more duration-they generally do-it just seems to be harder to push the quality over quantity concept through to them. 

CXHairs: What is the biggest misconception people have about a coach’s role? 

BIRNER: I’ve had riders tell me that they look to me for motivation. My take on this is if you REALLY need motivation from me you don’t want it bad enough. There is a certain level of motivation that does exist from having a coach and someone walking you through the steps. But the riders who are successful have an inner drive that only comes from themselves. It may not exist every single day – the coach may need to intervene from time to time and re-emphasize the goals but the real driving force needs to come from within. 

CXHairs: What do you believe is the biggest benefit a coach can provide? 

BIRNER: Accountability. Honestly-most of my athletes are experienced and smart enough to put together a reasonable training program for themselves. What I think they benefit the most from is that they have someone else to answer to beyond themselves. The fact that someone is looking over their shoulder and following their workouts day by day gives them some additional motivation. 

Also, while a rider may be smart enough to put together a proper training plan, I’ve found that self coached athletes tend to prescribe workouts that they are already good at and ignore the weaknesses because those are the workouts that they don’t enjoy. A good coach is going to pinpoint those weaknesses, focus in on them and make it an issue to improve them-much to the dislike of the athlete. 

CXHairs: The people reading this most likely race cross. What is one thing they can do for next season that will make them faster? 

BIRNER: Prepare earlier. Most riders I know don’t start training for cross until September-with races following shortly after. Training for cross really begins in June or July if you are not also racing a full road or mountain bike season. Once the racing starts it becomes hard to get the high level aerobic workouts in without driving yourself into the ground. In June or July, workouts like these can be done with consistent repetition allowing for a strong base of fitness. As soon as you start racing it takes a tremendous amount or recovery time during the week and workouts like those become hard to accomplish. 

CXHairs: Is it just me, or do most clients say things like “geez I absolutely suck on the bike” hoping you will tell them how great they are? 

BIRNER: Of course they do-we are all our own worst enemies. But unfortunately you are what you think you are-if you believe that you suck than you probably do. Until you change the way you think you won’t accomplish much. This is why we try to coach this attitude out of our riders right away. 

CXHairs: Do most of your clients train with power? What are the benefits and the pitfalls of the PT?

BIRNER: Most use power though I still have about 40 percent that are heart rate/perceived-exertion only. Power definitely has its advantages in that I think it makes it much easier for the athlete. It’s a concrete number that gives immediate feedback. Most athletes that train with heart rate still tend to do intervals that start out too hard and they suffer for it by the end whereas the power meter users tend to get much more steady consistent efforts that are in their defined range and with this a prolonged interval time. The downside is, of course, some people can get too focused on those numbers and where they THINK they should be. This will often lead to a lack of progress because the athlete believes that they can’t do 10 watts more than they are already doing. I’ve been known to have riders cover up the powermeter computer with electric tape when doing a workout to overcome this. 

CXHairs: During the race season, how much feedback do you get from your clients and are you able to successfully modify or fine tune training to optimize results? 

BIRNER: Some athletes give me very little information-that is their nature and hence I can’t do much more than prescribe the next set of workouts based on what I know. Others give me updates on an hourly basis! While it may be extreme, I certainly know how they are feeling and when I need to adjust accordingly. I suppose you get out of it what you are willing to put into it. 

CXHairs: Along the same lines, how closely do you monitor training and tweak workouts throughout the year? 

BIRNER: Constantly. Most of our athletes are on a ‘custom’ plan, which means we look at data for the week before prescribing the following week. Goals can change during the course of the year (especially when races are cancelled or rescheduled) and so timelines need to be reworked in these cases. 

CXHairs: Weightlifting: good or bad? 

BIRNER: Depends on the athlete. I still am of the belief that most riders up to age 50 will not become faster bike riders because of the training in the weight room. There are exceptions though. First – I believe it can be beneficial for both men over 50 and women as a weight bearing exercise to help improve overall strength and bone density. Second – when an outlying injury persists, core or weight work may be the only recourse to strengthen the areas necessary before the rider is even capable of consistent training. For everyone else, I think the time is better spent on the bike – or for recovery. 

CXHairs: Have you ever had a client willing to pay you but not do the work? How did you or would you handle that situation? At what point do you consider firing a client? Ever had to do it? 

BIRNER: Even when I’ve had an athlete go through a period where they may not have accomplished much it’s usually a short time span. Eventually they return and I feel that paying that monthly bill can be a big motivator to get back on the plan. 

CXHairs: Other than being interviewed on “In The Crosshairs,” what is your proudest coaching achievement? 

BIRNER: I was very satisfied when I put together the series of four articles on “Training for Cyclocross” in Cyclocross Magazine. Nothing I could ever find really outlined a clear-cut program for putting together a cyclocross training program through an entire season. I had a lot of positive feedback from these and I hope they helped a lot of riders out there. They are posted on our website for everyone to view – www.midmarylandcoaching.com. 

Also-I’m certainly proud of all the great results our riders achieved last year as well! 

CXHairs: Does your coaching and racing ever conflict? How do you balance your own goals with those of your clients? 

BIRNER: Sometimes-but usually it’s minimal. Being at the local races and trying to get in a warmup while everyone wants to catch up on the past week can be tough. 

CXHairs: POP QUIZ: I consistently finished between 15th and 20th of every race I entered this past CX season. My goal for next year is top 10s. What do you need to know about me to help me reach this goal? 

BIRNER: Everything! All the details have to come together to make those improvements. So many questions like: What’s your warm-up routine? What’s your starting position? How fast are your starts and what do you do to improve? What’s your base aerobic fitness like? What do you do for race specific training? What is you pre- and post-race nutrition? Should I go on? 

For more information go to www.midmarylandcoaching.com or contact Mike at midmaryland@comcast.net.

Photo credits: Anthony Skorochod and Mike Neary.

The cyclocross offseason is the time to reflect on the highs and the lows of the racing campaign. Now that you are rested and the bumps and bruises have healed, it is a good time to look at what you did right and what needs improvement. For many of us, however, it is not always easy to figure out how to tweak your training and technique to achieve next season’s goals. That is where a coach can be invaluable.

In the first installment of what I hope will be a three part interview series of coaches with successful cyclocross clients, I talked to Chris Mayhew of JBV Coaching. Chris is not only a great coach but an all around good guy. In fact, I first met Chris this past season at the BCA Cross in Hagerstown, Maryland. I was doing the safety-pin tango in my car window, straightening out an uncooperative race number, when this guy (Chris) with sweet muttonchop sideburns offered to help pin me up. I vowed at that moment that “If I ever start a cyclocross Web site, that man will be prominently featured!” To be honest, that last sentence I just made up. But the truth of the matter is that Chris Mayhew is super knowledgeable, knows how to get the best out of his clients, and is willing to help out dopes like me in a pinch.

I asked Chris a range of questions about coaching as well as some specific areas he concentrates on for clients that race cross. Here is what he had to say.

CXHairs: When did you start cycling?

MAYHEW: 1989 or so? I rode to school in junior high. My freshman year of high school I did a 62 mile charity ride. It’s been progressing like that ever since.

CXHairs: How did you get interested in the sport?

MAYHEW: I was sold my first racing bike by one of the local cat 2s who was working at the local shop.

I thought those guys were amazing, and I wanted to be like them. Plus, Greg LeMond was winning Tours de France at the time so I had that to look up to.

CXHairs: Did you come to cycling from another sport?

MAYHEW: If by that you mean “did the outfield sit down when I came up to bat (literally)” then yes, I did.

CXHairs: Anybody in your family race bikes?

MAYHEW: No one at all.

CXHairs: Did you grow up following professional cycling?

MAYHEW: I suppose, to some extent. What that meant in 1989 was me riding down to the library to Xerox TdF results from USA Today. I’ve always followed it at some level although never very closely.

CXHairs: What made you decide you wanted to coach?

MAYHEW: I was raised by two generations of teachers and I’ve always wanted to be one myself. And, being this slow, I’ve had to analyze every aspect of the sport (and continue to do so) and I feel like I should pass that on.  A lot of people have really helped me along the way as well so I’d like to help someone out in the ways I was when I was coming up.

CXHairs: What training/education/experience did you draw on to prepare for coaching clients?

MAYHEW: I’ve been doing this for a long time and have had plenty of coaches and role models along the way. I also try and read 2-3 hours a day on line following various discussions and trends in cycling, especially related to powermeters since there really aren’t any good books out just yet on the subject. Lastly, John was my paid coach from 2002-2006. As it turns out that time was a pretty intensive apprenticeship. It’s a credit to John’s skill as a coach that he was able to create someone who could end up working for him.

CXHairs: Do you coach only cyclists? Any triathletes?

MAYHEW: Only cyclists at the moment. That’s based on experience. The money is going to be in coaching triathletes for the next few years, I think.

CXHairs: Are most of your clients serious racers or do some come to you just to get in better shape or maybe finish a century?

MAYHEW: I object to the term “serious” your honor. All of my clients race, but anyone who rides and wants to hire a coach is ok by me.

CXHairs: Do you have any Web-only clients?

MAYHEW: Most of my clients are Web-only. I do see them in person, especially during ‘cross season, but I typically only have 1 to 2 local clients at a time.

CXHairs: For clients that you see face-to-face, is most of the coaching relationship online? For me, it’s nice to be able to upload files and chat via e-mail with my coach, but it’s also nice to know that if I want to borrow a wheelset he’s not across the country.

MAYHEW: Most of the relationship is online, yes. They e-mail me files, I e-mail training schedules. I like to have a record of it to look back on. I do make a point to talk to them when I see them at local races and try and give them advice there. Of course by that standard most of my clients are “local” during the ‘cross season!

CXHairs: Do you have a coaching philosophy? What is it?

MAYHEW: I try not to be dogmatic. I think of myself as evidence-based coach who wants to use whatever tools are at hand to improve limiters and evaluate performance.

CXHairs: Do you focus just on workouts or do you also give your clients advice on race strategy, nutrition, technique, etc?

MAYHEW: I try to take it all in. For instance, you can’t tell a client to do 2×20 minute intervals on the trainer and then ignore the fact they don’t use a fan and the room temp is 74 degrees Fahrenheit. Another common problem is that clients don’t eat enough while riding. So then you get a powermeter file that is spot on for the first hour and then the rest of the file ends with their power being their heart rate divided by two. You didn’t achieve the goals we set, let’s figure out why.

I’ve always made it a point to try and talk about all aspects of ‘cross with any client. Good tire selection, brake set up and other technical issues. I was a bicycle mechanic most of my life so that comes naturally. If I’m going to be at a race where I have clients I always make a point to talk about the course before hand and do a few laps with them on the day of the race to inspect the course. What to ride, what to run, what sort of start to expect, etc.

CXHairs: What, if any, are the main differences between coaching road and cyclocross racers?

MAYHEW: Cross is a very compressed season, so you go through all the things a road racer does, but in 3 months. That means a lot more monitoring for burnout. Also, daylight gets yanked out from under us in the middle of the season, so a big part of coaching is just making the most of what a client has at that point and not asking them to do workouts that drain the system.

CXHairs: What is the biggest misconception people have about a coach’s role?

MAYHEW: Civilians think that I coach teams or wonder how I coach people I don’t race with, ala basketball.  Most of the clients that come to me think I’m going to tell them they suck and they need to ride more. My philosophy is it’s my job to work with what you give me and not ask for more than that.

CXHairs: What do you believe is the biggest benefit a coach can provide?

MAYHEW: Off loading. It’s nice to have someone who can be objective about things. To pay someone to worry about all sorts of issues and just spit out a training program, and explain it at the level of detail required. I still consult with my boss John Verheul, for exactly those reasons.

CXHairs: The people reading this most likely race cross. What is one thing they can do next season that will make them faster?

MAYHEW: Attend a ‘cross clinic. I moved up 10 spots attending one. Everyone who attends my ‘cross practices comes back from a race and tells me our practices are harder than the race.

CXHairs: Is it just me, or do most clients say things like “geez I absolutely suck on the bike” hoping you will tell them how great they are?

MAYHEW: If they’re doing that I am too obtuse to pick up on it. I do try and encourage and cheerlead when possible but as my wife will tell you, if you’re fishing for compliments with me you’re barking up the wrong tree. Or something.

CXHairs: Do most of your clients train with power? What are the benefits and the pitfalls of the powermeter?

MAYHEW: Actually, no. Typically only 1-2 at a time. The benefits are an exponential increase in the quality of the relationship between you and your coach. I can see exactly what you are doing each day. Every ride or race is a test and gives me feedback on how you are progressing and what needs work. That seems a lot better deal than “It was hard, my HR was 178, I got dropped.”. With a powermeter I can tell you where and why you got dropped, and what, if anything, we need to do about it.

I think some people find it constraining to train with a powermeter, in that it quantifies things and makes them concrete. That said, I think once you work with them long enough you actually find they are freeing. I haven’t done a structured interval in a couple of years and I’m faster than I’ve ever been.

CXHairs: During the race season, how much feedback do you get from your clients and are you able to successfully modify or fine tune training to optimize results?

MAYHEW: For ‘cross, as much as possible. I typically talk to my clients Thursday or Friday before a race, at the race, after the race and hopefully on Monday as well. As I said, ‘cross is about burnout management to a large degree and the more I can hear from you, the better.

CXHairs: Along the same lines, how closely do you monitor training and tweak workouts throughout the year?

MAYHEW: It depends. Part of it is dependent on the level of coaching the client is paying for. The other is dependent on how much racing the client is doing. I always like to hear from someone on Monday, but if you’re not racing it may be a week or two between updates.

CXHairs: Weightlifting: good or bad?

MAYHEW: Show me one study that demonstrates an increase in aerobic performance via weightlifting.

CXHairs: Have you ever had a client willing to pay you but not do the work? How did you or would you handle that situation? At what point do you consider firing a client? Ever had to do it?

MAYHEW: I don’t know about “willing” but I have certainly had clients who simply ended up not having the amount of time they thought they might. Typically they end the coaching relationship at some point which is fine and hopefully we’ve both learned something during the process.

I have never fired a client. I know some coaches who have. I simply don’t think about it. It’s a job, it’s my job to do it.

CXHairs: Other than being interviewed on “In The Crosshairs,” what is your proudest coaching achievement?

MAYHEW: The clients who have come back from races and told me our ‘cross practice prepared them for a race. I must admit I pretty much live vicariously thru Marc Vettori, so any win he’s gotten I’m pretty stoked about.

CXHairs: POP QUIZ: I consistently finished between 15th and 20th of every race I entered this past CX season. My goal for next year is top 10s. What do you need to know about me to help me reach this goal?

MAYHEW: Your credit card number. [ed. note: nicely played, Mr. Mayhew] In all seriousness, a lot of things. We have a 30 question questionnaire that we send to all new clients. I’d want to inspect any and all power files you might have. I find talking on the phone, or in person, helps bring all that together into one package for me.

On the technical side I’d want an idea of what brakes and tires and tire pressure you’re using. And I’d probably watch a race or two of yours to see what, if anything, you need on the technique side of things.

CXHairs: Thanks, Chris. For more information on JBV Coaching visit www.jbvcoaching.com or FaceBook, or e-mail Chris at chris@jbvcoaching.com

In today’s digital age, if you raced on Sunday there is probably a picture of you somewhere on the interwebs by Monday. Most likely it is out of focus, too dark and cuts off half your face. And we don’t care because we love looking at pictures of ourselves fighting it out for the ultimate prize. But once in awhile you come across some images that make you stop and appreciate the shots for their elegance and precision. Even if they are of somebody else. These are not snapshots from a drunken boyfriend’s iPhone but rather the work of a professional. If the race took place in the Northeast, there is a good chance the man behind the image is Anthony Skorochod. 

Anthony is a full-time paramedic by day (and night) but that doesn’t mean his time behind the lens is that of a hobbyist. This guy is a pro. In fact, take a look at that sweet looking FaceBook profile picture you’re sporting these days. If it has “cyclingcaptured.com” embedded in the image, you can thank Anthony for the shot. 

Over the past six months In The Crosshairs has concentrated on what goes into placing at the top of a cyclocross race. The offseason is a great opportunity to “think outside the tape.” To kick things off we tracked Anthony down to learn what it is like being a professional cycling photog. 

CXHairs: When did you first pick up a camera?

SKOROCHOD: I was never really in to photography in my younger years, I was too focused on doing what young folk do, i.e. having fun. I first started shooting after I had my first child.

I got in to cycling photography back in 2004 when my oldest son first started racing with the Air Products track cycling program at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome, which is now the Valley Preferred Cycling Center. I started with an Olympus Zoom point and shoot camera. Needless to say, my shots never came out very well, that’s when I realized I needed to upgrade. 

CXHairs: What got you interested in shooting cycling?  

SKOROCHOD: After my son’s first year of cycling at the velodrome, he realized he loved the sport. I didn’t know a thing about cycling, but I did realize I wanted to support my son in his endeavors.  My wife and I were his biggest fans and I wanted to photograph him coming up through the ranks. In 2006 he joined team Vortex and began coaching with Bob Biese. He went on to racing road as well as track, and I followed him everywhere with my camera. This is when I upgraded my point and shoot camera to Canon’s Rebel line, the Digital Rebel XT was my first DSLR camera. 

CXHairs: Have you ever raced a bike? 

SKOROCHOD: I myself have never raced a bike, I am too out of shape [laugh]. I do plan on getting myself in shape over the Spring and Summer and I would like to race cyclocross this coming season. 

CXHairs: Do you do other sports photography? Weddings? Bar Mitzvahs? 

SKOROCHOD: No, cycling photography is what I specialize in. I am a Paramedic by trade and have been working full-time in EMS since 1990. Needless to say, one cannot physically or mentally work in the field for their entire EMS career, it’s just too stressful and not to mention dangerous. I am lucky after all these years I have not been in an ambulance wreck, shot at, or stabbed. I’ve come close a few times, but have always emerged unscathed. Eventually I plan on retiring to “desk duty” and after that I’d like to fall back on photography as a career after retiring completely from the EMS field. 

CXHairs: It looks like you shoot Road, CX and Track. What are the main differences for a photographer among these disciplines? 

SKOROCHOD: They are all pretty similar, but do have some differences. Shooting Track and criteriums are probably the easiest. On the track, you are confined to the inner part of the “concrete crater” if you will, or even indoors at some of the other indoor event centers. At criteriums, the race is more or less in a short circle.

The similarity is that the racers pass by you often and you get the opportunity to get a lot of great shots and can focus on different riders every time they come around. However, at Road races, the Peloton comes around only a few times (or even at some road races, if you are not riding in a car or on a motorcycle- you will only get one photo opportunity). What stands out about cyclocross is probably the weather. Cross is probably the most challenging to shoot. Unlike track and sometimes road, a Cross race isn’t cancelled due to inclement weather. The photographer AND his gear need to be up to the challenge. 

CXHairs: How do you choose your spots to capture race images? I’m assuming for track you are pretty limited. But road and CX must present certain challenges. 

SKOROCHOD: A lot of photographer’s images start looking the same after a while. You see a lot of tight crops on mainly the upper portion of the riders body and not too much else. It doesn’t matter what spot you choose to shoot from, after a while all the shots start to look the same. By just looking at the image and not knowing where the race was held, the shot could have been taken anywhere.

Shooting cycling, I’ve had the opportunity to see parts of the country I would have otherwise never seen. Yes, tight crops are required but also I like to get the background into a lot of my shots. By looking at my shots, I like to be able to recognize the venue.

As for Cross, every CX race has common elements. Shooting the sand pit, run-up, and barriers are required. My favorite, as well as my customers favorite shots are shots of the riders in the mud. The muddier the rider is the better! 

CXHairs: Do you have a favorite cycling discipline? 

SKOROCHOD: Absolutely. Without question, hands down it’s cyclocross. 

CXHairs: Do you find the personalities of the racers different from discipline to discipline? 

SKOROCHOD: Yes. You have your “Roadies” and your “Trakkies.” I’ve seen somewhat of an “Elitist” attitude in these two disciplines and competition is extremely fierce not only between riders, but also between the parents of the younger riders. I follow dozens of rider Blogs and I see road and track riders trashing each other every day. But in cyclocross, it’s mainly about the Cross community as a whole. Yes, Crossers are fierce competitors as well, but they seem to be more of a “Family.” I can approach Tim Johnson and Ryan Trebon and have a casual conversation with them a lot easier than Lance Armstrong, ha! 

CXHairs: Canon or Nikon? What model? 

SKOROCHOD: Currently, I shoot with Canon 1D’s. I have a Canon 1D and a Canon 1D Mark II. The 1-series is Canon’s professional line. 

CXHairs: What’s your go to lens for cyclocross? Is it different for road or track? 

SKOROCHOD: My “go to” lens for all disciplines is the world-famous Canon 70-200L f/2.8 IS. This is the lens (or some variant of it) that most cycling photographers call their favorite. You can get close enough, yet at the same time have enough zoom to get just about any shot. The f/2.8 wide aperture is an absolute must for low-light shooting. The IS (Image Stabilization) is an added bonus. 

CXHairs: Jpeg or RAW? 

SKOROCHOD: I mainly shoot Jpeg. My cameras usually get the White balance right and the only thing I have to worry about is exposure. Depending on the conditions, I’ll either shoot in Shutter or Aperture-Priority Mode. Depending on what the sun light is reflecting off of (this confuses the camera), I’ll go full Manual and use the “Sunny 16″ Exposure Rule or meter with a hand held light-meter. For night races, I’ll shoot RAW so I can have +1 or -1 stop of exposure flexibility in post-processing. Also, for indoor events I’ll shoot RAW so I can correct White-Balance in post-processing. 

CXHairs: My strategy for shooting CX is to find either a run-up, barrier section, or mud bog because I know the guys will be going slow enough for me to get a sharp image. As a pro, I’m guessing your strategy involves some more sophisticated thinking. 

SKOROCHOD: Yes. Generally, for moving subjects a faster shutter speed is required for sharp images. I like to use flash for most of my shots. Flash lights up the rider and just makes all the colors stand out and “pop.” When using flash, your shutter speed cannot exceed your camera’s maximum x-sync speed. This varies from model to model. On my Mark II, it’s 1/250^th of a second and for my mark I, it’s 1/500^th of a second. If I want to use a faster shutter speed, I have to switch the flash over to “High-Speed Sync” Mode, which significantly reduces flash output.  Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO are all tied in to one another and the trick is to find the best combination of ALL three to get the best image. This does require some thought, that’s one of the reasons why professional photographer’s don’t use point and shoot cameras. 

CXHairs: What is your favorite race to shoot? 

SKOROCHOD: It changes from year to year and my opinion is somewhat biased. For me, weather conditions make the race memorable. My favorite Road Race last season was the Univest Gran Prix in Souderton, PA. The remnants of a Hurricane rolled in half way through the race and I got some fantastic shots in the rain.

Last year my favorite race was the USGP Mercer Cup in NJ. The course was wet, thick, deep, sloppy mud from start to finish. I got my best shot of the year when Tim Johnson won Day 1 of the race and got off his bike and raised it above his head to cross the finish line. Tim is using a few of my images on his website, including that image. 

CXHairs: Any favorite racers? 

SKOROCHOD: Tim Johnson. I met him at the Whitmore’s Landscaping Super Cross Cup out in Long Island. He’s one of the coolest dudes you’ll ever meet. 

CXHairs: Ever been crashed into or inadvertently become part of the race? 

SKOROCHOD: Nope, one of the jobs of the photogs is to stay the hell out of the way. I won’t jump in front of a racer or impede a race just to “get the shot.” I see photographers do that all the time. That just annoys me and pisses the racer off. 

CXHairs: Craziest thing you’ve seen at a bike race? 

SKOROCHOD: I’ve seen a lot of crazy things at races, especially Cyclocross races. That’s one of the reasons I love Cross so much. The crowd is just as much part of the race as the race itself. One of the crazier things I’ve seen was a guy dressing up in a gorilla suit and beating on a plastic bucket running up and down the course cheering up tired and muddy racers. 

CXHairs: So we know when to put on the pain mask, what CX races do you plan on attending in ’09? 

SKOROCHOD: I’ll be at most of the local CX races in the Eastern PA, NJ, and DE area. I’ll definitely be back to Whitmore’s and Mercer. Granogue and Wissahickon are a no-brainer. But, I’d like to venture a little further this season and shoot at Gloucester. I won’t travel all the way out to Oregon for Natz just to shoot (unless someone pays my way!) but if my son is good enough and if he wants to, then we’ll make the trip. 

CXHairs: Cyclocross is such a great spectator sport. Any tips for the point-and-shoot or enthusiast photog when shooting cross? 

SKOROCHOD: Yes-GET LOW! Don’t be afraid to bend down and get your knees dirty getting some low-angle shots. Those are the best! 

CXHairs: Where can we see your images?

 SKOROCHOD: www.cyclingcaptured.com 

CXHairs: Any thoughts on folks grabbing your images and using them without attribution? 

SKOROCHOD: I watermark all the images on my web site. I provide the download of smaller images (usually 640×480) free of charge- that’s my way of giving back to the cycling community. I don’t mind people re-posting the images elsewhere (like on their blogs, MySpace, FaceBook, etc) just don’t crop out my watermark. I’m giving you the image for free, the least you can do is advertise for me [laughs]. I do charge for larger-resolution downloads and prints. 

CXHairs: Anything else you would like to add? 

SKOROCHOD: Yes-Keep up the good work at ‘In the Crosshairs.’ I love hearing what all of my cyclocross buddies have to say!