By Pat Whelan, USAC Level 3 certified coach. (Hereafter “coach”)
Welcome to Rat Racer Coaching and coach Pat Whelan’s coaching offers. If you are looking at this, thank you. An athlete/coach relationship is a significant step in improving your fun, improving your sport goals and improving your overall health. Glad to have a chance on your journey. A coach/athlete relationship will build on sharing a lot of personal information and feelings. As an intro to this process, I would like to share my Blog with you which hopefully will give you a full picture of who I am and my thoughts and goals. Just follow this link. I am always open to all questions, my email is pat@pjwracing.com website http://www.pjwracing.com/
Safety
Is at the top of my list of concerns with any coaching program or athletic performance improvement program. All athletes will be required to sign a contract detailing the desired program as well as signing a Waiver, stating they acknowledge all potential risks. Athletes under the age of 18 will need a waiver signed by parents or legal guardians.
During the program, coach will rely on accurate correspondence from the athlete especially if they are experiencing any potential medical incident. After an initial discussion about any incident, coach will have the right to suspend and/or cancel any contracted program if those medical concerns suggest significant athlete health impact. Refunds of funds will occur for future months of service not used if plans are paid in advance. A doctor “Ok to return to plan” letter may be required to reinstate any program.
All programs are based on the coach creating an Annual Training Plan (ATP) with the athlete selecting a variety of key events to focus on during a season/year.
Definition of Key Events
Key Events is common to all three Programs. Deciding on key events early in the year is crucial in creating the ATP. An unfocused season with no key events will result in an unfocused, hit or miss training plan and inconsistent goal achievement. Until the coach gets at least a general idea of what time of year the athlete will want to produce the goal intensities and durations, the ATP will remain focused on general health and fitness which will probably not be productive for the athlete or coach to reach specific goals.
Coaching Plan Offerings
Basic Plan key events can be less specific than Intermediate and Advanced in that the event may be as general as “I want to be fit to ride a bike occasionally/socially during the warmer months” There may be some more important single events. The overall goal of the Basic ATP is general fitness, health, skills and enjoyment.
Intermediate Plan key events are more specific. General fitness and health remain a focus, but this plan will use the ATP to focus on One or Two “A” competitive events. (Local, State or Regional events for example) There could also be a variety of “B” and “C” level events that are more training in nature leading up to the “A” event. Setting performance goals for “A” events will be emphasized.
Advanced Plan key events are very specific. Maximum bike fitness, health, strength and maximum performance specifically focused on One “A” event/discipline per season. The training will build through the season, tracking TSS levels, Endurance, Intensity and specificity to the “A” event.
See below for links to the details of each plan.
Minimum Requirements for all levels
* Athlete will be required to complete a pre-enrollment survey prior to any signed contract
* Athlete will be required to sign a release waiver.
*Athlete needs to be physically healthy and fit to execute the program selected.
*TP’s Account, access via either phone, tablet, computer (Free version for Basic and intermediate is acceptable, Premium for Advanced is required)
Minimum Equipment required.
*Bikes suitable to perform training and events
*HR monitor
*Smart trainer and/or indoor training equipment
*Ability to perform Strength Training, home or commercial gym suggested for Basic Plan required for Intermediate and Advance Programs.
*Power Meter on bike(s) required for Advanced Level Program and strongly recommended for basic and intermediate plans.
(FYI, as recent as Jan. 2026 Stages Coach Plans, as an example, cost $200, $400 and $600 for their basic, intermediate or advanced coach plans.)
Basic Program, best for…
Noncompetitive, social, group rides, tours. Athlete time commitment approx. 3-5 hours per week.
Athlete must have an active Training Peaks account; Free version works but Premium is suggested. Athlete pays for Premium account.
Two-way Communication required through the Training Peaks Platform. It is imperative that athlete documents and shares training info accurately with coach. Dates, time, description of efforts, RPE, etc. are vitally important to manage the athlete’s health and performance changes.
Bi yearly surveys and a dedicated communication meetup is an important part of making sure the plan is tracking properly.
Athlete should select personal preference events no later than 3-5 months prior to the first event. Earlier choices are recommended.
Coach will create an ATP using the intensity and duration of the key event discipline as the guide. TSS will be a focused element of the training plan. The plan will include a frequency of workouts determined after coach/athlete consultation but most likely will include sessions to be done 3-4 days a week. Athlete should expect to dedicate 3 to 5 hours per week for training.
Fee Monthly $100 Yearly $1100
(due by the 10th of each month) (paid at contract signing)
To see all the Basic Plan details, click here. https://pjwracingadventures.com/rat-racer-coaching/rat-racer-basic-plan-operational-details/
(Contract required)
Intermediate Program, best for….
Competitive, entry level performance events. Athlete time commitment approx. 5-8 hours per week.
Athlete must have an active Training Peaks account; Free version works but Premium is strongly suggested. Athlete pays for Premium account.
Two-way Communication required through the Training Peaks Platform. It is imperative that athlete documents and shares training info accurately with coach. Dates, time, description of efforts, RPE, etc. are vitally important to manage the athlete’s health and performance changes.
Tri yearly surveys and a dedicated communication meetup is an important part of making sure the plan is tracking properly.
Athlete must select high level events no later than 5 months prior to the first event. (Preferably 5 to 7 months prior)
Coach will create an ATP using the intensity and duration of the key event discipline as the guide. TSS will be a focused element of the training plan. The plan will include a frequency of workouts determined after coach/athlete consultation but most likely will include sessions to be done daily. Athlete should expect to dedicate 5 to 8 hours per week for training.
Fee Monthly $150 Yearly $1700
(due by the 10th of each month) (paid at contract signing)
To see all the Intermediate Plan details, click here. https://pjwracingadventures.com/rat-racer-coaching/rat-racer-intermediate-plan-details/
(Contract required)
Advanced Program, best for….
Competitive, experienced with One to Two “A” level competitions for the season. Athlete time commitment approx. 8-10 hours per week.
Training Peaks Premium account required, paid by athlete
Two-way Communication required mainly through the Training Peaks Platform. It is imperative that athlete documents and shares training info accurately with coach. Dates, time, description of efforts, RPE, etc. are vitally important to manage the athlete’s health and performance changes.
Quarterly surveys and a dedicated communication meetup is an important part of making sure the plan is tracking properly.
Athlete must select high level events no later than 5 months prior to the first event. (Preferably 5 to 7 months prior)
Coach will create an ATP using the intensity and duration of the key event discipline as the guide. TSS will be a focused element of the training plan. The plan will include a frequency of workouts determined after coach/athlete consultation but most likely will include sessions to be done daily. Athlete should expect to dedicate 8 to 10 hours per week for training.
Fee Monthly $300 Yearly $3240
(due by the 10th of each month) (paid at contract signing)
To see all the Advanced Plan details, click here. https://pjwracingadventures.com/rat-racer-coaching/rat-racer-advanced-plan-details/
(Contract required)