Stephen Gallagher was the last Irishman to win the An Post Rás and throughout his career he raced in Europe, Australia and South America. Since retiring, the 35 year-old has become one of the country's most highly-regarded coaches. Here he shares some top advice for riders of all levels looking to improve. Above, in a publicity shot for the visit to Ireland of the Giro, an event he planned the route for.
By Brian Canty
Stephen Gallagher enjoyed a good career as a professional cyclist before setting up his own business DigDeepCoaching after he hung up his wheels.
His philosophy towards training is a very simple one; train right, train hard, but don’t overdo it.
He’s acutely aware of the demands the sport places riders under, so making the most efficient use of time – and not riding for the sake of it, is a key element in his message here.
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Gallagher was the last Irishman to win the An Post Rás and throughout his career he raced in Europe, Australia and South America.
Since retiring, the 35 year-old has become one of the country's most highly-regarded coaches.
His company, Dig Deep, has a huge following and he was the main man behind selecting the route for last year's visit of the Giro d'Italia to Ireland.
In short, Stephen Gallagher is a highly respected coach, was a great rider and generally knows what he's doing.
He's well worth listening to.
Here he shares some top advice for riders of all levels looking to improve.
Gallagher won a lot of races before his move into the business end of the game; his biggest being the 2008 FBD Rás overall triumph.
1) Stay Healthy
One thing that will definitely ruin any long-term ambitions or slow down progression is a poor immune system.
A good rule to keep in mind is to be healthy before you be fit.
It’s easy to always look at gaining fitness and focusing in on doing as much training as possible but generally, this doesn’t bring about the desired result.
Keep your immune system in check and avoid the illnesses that have perhaps plagued you in the past and I’m sure you’ll be a better cyclist for it.
Good lifestyle choices, healthy eating and training that fit in with your availability will help with this.
Taking large amount of vitamins to help will never replace the everyday life choices you can make to help you stay healthy.
2) Learn to enjoy suffering
Competitive cycling is all about suffering; as you go up the ladder of the cycling world you will not only suffer more but your ability to raise your pain threshold will need to increase.
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If you don't 'enjoy' this suffering or if you find it a chore then I suggest you take up golf.
The difference between many riders is not their physical ability but the level in which they can suffer; you either suffer and go fast or suffer and go slow.
Enjoy the pain of bursting a lung on a climb or holding onto a wheel in a lineout!
3) Get organised
One thing my team of coaches at Dig Deep Coaching work hard at is getting our clients into their routine and learning about the time available to train and how to maximise their rest.
Each individual should do this and make the most of their own routine to maximise their time to train and how it is structured.
Plan ahead, use calendars and other formats to structure their availability and stick to a plan as much as possible.
It is never easy juggling work, family and social commitments so trying to focus on being organised will help you make the most of the time available to train.
4) Don't do the same training and expect different results
Over the years, I’ve seen plenty of people expecting different results but failing to change what they do in training or in their lifestyle to help make it happen.
Doing the same thing year after year but expecting different results is surely one sign of madness.
Don't be afraid of change; learn how your body works and look to new and different methods of training to help you bring around desired performances.
Working with a coach or expanding your own knowledge will aid this process.
Not only will this potentially help your performances but also, it might renew your enthusiasm to get out there and train as new methods can again renew confidence and desire to get out there and do it.
5) Don't piss people off
This is probably aimed at riders who perhaps want to make a career in cycling or progress in the sport.
Cycling is a small world and not being a team player or not being respectful to fellow riders/staff/organisers etc. will hinder any potential career in the sport as much as a lack of talent or physical ability will.
You don't need to be best friends with everyone in the bunch but having enemies will not make it easier to get a result or help you progress.
Showing respect for your fellow riders - no matter the level, will only help your results and ability to move up the ladder.
If you find yourself lucky enough to compete in Europe or in foreign lands then having a good reputation will only increase the likelihood of success.
I’ve seen many potentially successful cycling careers ruined because of failing to adhere to these basic principles.
Follow Stephen and his team on Twitter @digdeepcoaching
