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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 […]
Read More Rat Racer Bike Coaching PlansStructured Training to improve and accomplish goals = COMPLIANCE To perform a scheduled Trainings Peaks workout without having an “agenda” or a description/list of all the “steps” in the work out is like shooting an arrow while wearing a blindfold. As you know, an hour-long workout can have a huge number of steps and changes […]
Read More When Your Bike Computer and your Training Peaks account workouts don’t/won’t sync.Time for me, Pat, to start to share in all the wonderful experiences and knowledge I’ve acquired racing at velodromes around the USA and the World. Plus, I’ve been lucky to have some great coaches encourage and train me to get some personally rewarding results and experiences. I’ll share some of that knowledge as well. […]
Read More Rat Racer Coaching, My PhilosophyFor Cyclists, 2026. Strength training as it relates to cycling, has advocates and some nay sayers. It is my thought that you will not be a competitive racer without some measure of strength training. Also, as we age, strength training is good for our overall longevity, health and well-being. It perfectly matches to my mantra, […]
Read More Strength TrainingWhat really is an annual training plan and is it productive to create one? The term Annual Training Plan, ATP, has been used for years, probably decades when it comes to designing a plan to improve athletic performance. There are training platforms, like the one I use, Training Peaks, that have a semi-automated method to […]
Read More Annual Training Plans (ATP)First you might want to ask, how serious am I related to training and bike events. Like all of life there are almost unlimited levels of commitment to what we decide to do. Rather than get bogged down by all those possibilities, let’s narrow the focus to someone who rides regularly, at least 2000 to […]
Read More How do I analyze my workouts, if I even do that?and Lastly The Goal! This won’t be the first or the last discussion about indoor, off-season sports training. (which for me is mostly some kind of on a bicycle locked into a machine that roughly duplicates riding outside.) I view it as crude substitute for what I really enjoy, riding a bike outside. For some, […]
Read More Indoor Bike Training, why, what, howHey all, Happy start to 2026, hope you all have a great year doing all the amazing things you are planning. Are you planning to ride an early year FTP Test, some may think it is valuable. These efforts are never easy but depending on your bike plans and goals for 2026, they may be useful […]
Read More Key ride metrics for Events & FTP TestsThose of you riding on some kind of trainer through the cold months, this is a great time to think about your “form” on the bike. It’s easy to get sloppy when riding a trainer that locks you into place. How you ride this winter will influence how you position yourself on the bike when the […]
Read More Winter indoor ride techniques I think aboutCan I join? The answer is YES, and I am still offering this as a FREE option for your winter mostly off season. Click the link for details, read the post to see how it all came to be. PJW Racing website link pat@pjwracing.com I get this question often. In my early days of Velodrome […]
Read More What do you do for off season training in Minnesota?