If I was being ‘coached’ by someone, I’d hope they entered the session with an attitude they might learn something too – and perhaps there is a better/more efficient method than theirs (and possibly the person they’re coaching might show them).
So I’d never pay for coaching – which is different to not learning anything.
I’d like to think that the best coaches would always be learning from their students and vice versa. This was definitely my experience of having tennis coaching as a kid.
That being said, thinking that I could do things better that guys who have raced downhill at the highest level is probably a bit far fetched.
In most other sports coaching and lessons are part and parcel of learning to play to a decent standard. Tennis, swimming, football, rugby etc. Yes you can do it yourself but it will take 4 times as long.
For some reason, cycling and running are two things that many seem to think that once you have learned how to do them, then that is pretty much the end of the learning process . Most learn to run and ride bikes as kids, but as adults many have some sort of ego problem about asking for help and think that shiny kit will make them a better rider.
As people lap up the new shiny bits that industry spits out every year, we have more and more people with this years must have kit, but less in the way of bike skills.
