Part two of our client testimonials feature will highlight another two athletes who came on board with Premier Endurance this year. First athlete up is Daire Feeley. Daire is currently racing with Evo Pro Racing, a UCI Continental Team based here in Ireland. He came on board with Premier Endurance in December 2018. Read a little more about Daire below!
Daire Feeley
Give us some background about yourself
I started cycling when I was 12 years old on a local 10k charity cycle and it all started from there. There’s not a huge amount of sporting history in my family. I come from a family of hard workers and that translates into my cycling and commitment to the sport. I compete at continental level, racing against the pros around the world with EvoPro racing Ireland’s only professional cycling team.
When did you come on board with Premier Endurance and why did you choose us?
I came on board with Jamie in December of last year, I was on the search for a new coach and the only one I’ve heard positive reviews about was Jamie and Premier Endurance. I wanted a coach who listened and understood my individual needs, definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made during my time in the sport.
What have you noted about your performance since you started with us?
Everything has been positive so far, I’ve made major improvements in my performance and also some big mental gains thanks to Jamie’s straight forward approach and not over complicating things. It’s nice to be able to develop a training programme together that fits my needs.
Is there anything you noticed major changes in when you came on board with us?
Planning is definitely a big change for me. Many times in the past I was following a training programme and not known why I’ve been doing certain training etc, Jamie gives me the knowledge that helps me understand why I’m doing certain training sessions and recovery periods to help me improve further. Jamie listens and encourages one to give their input and thoughts into their training in order to develop the best possible programme for that individual, something that’s very hard come by in an era of copy and paste training programmes.
What one piece of advice would you give a new athlete joining Premier Endurance?
Listen! You might learn something.
Second up is an athlete who came on board with us through a 16 week individualized set plan. We work with a host of clubs to deliver these and a lot of the time they offer a great taster on how our coaching works. This athlete decided to progress on to one-to-one coaching with new Premier Endurance Coach Thomas Fallon
Athlete B
Give us some background about yourself
As a kid & young adult I had always been sporty across soccer and GAA but abandoned all these at 17/18 when other areas of life took over ( social). I spent the next 13-15 years leading a non active life for health and laziness reasons which led to increased weight, even further health issues etc.
Running started me on my current journey in my early thirties, this led to some knee issues and the bike came next which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Cycling started for me in 2016 with a road bike purchased under the B2W (Bike to Work). I quickly found a passion and keenness for cycling which led to joining a local club then a few sportives. These fast paced sportives wet the appetite for competition so club leagues were next and eventually a progression to road racing in 2017 as an A4.
At this stage I was still learning to race but managed somehow to get a race win and subsequent upgrade to A3. 2018 was a write off for various reasons, injury, lack of fitness and with some less than capable efforts in A3 races I found myself dejected and quite down about continuing to race in 2019.
When did you come on board with Premier Endurance and why did you choose us?
My club engaged with PE to offer the 12-16 week training plan to riders so after previous winters training via online platforms I saw this a step up to the next level. I quickly found that I was improving slowly over the course of the plan with workouts delivered via Training Peaks in a timely efficient manner. The crew at PE were always on hand to answer a query if needed on the plan even though the plan isn’t 1 to 1 based.
My appetite for improvement and a drive to succeed in 2019 led me to going on a 1 to 1 basis with PE. The initial programme was a great base and I hoped the 1 to 1 coaching would benefit me further. The experience and success in both professional and academic levels of the coaches were a driving factor in choosing PE. Of course both the 12-16 week plan and the 1 to 1 are cost effective while providing the service required for all athletes to improve performance.
What have you noted about your performance since you started with us?
My performance in both testing protocols & race day have improved consistently throughout the season to date. My fear of being dropped in A3 as 2018 where quickly dispelled as the hard training hours actually made me competitive at the business end of my chosen target races. My target for the year was to achieve CI points in a race or two but after finding the improvement from training the target was changed to A2 which i feel is well within my level once i continue to engage & trust the process with PE.
Is there anything you noticed major changes in when you came on board with us?
The structure of training via TP with each days training planned well in advance is a big plus for me. I have quite a busy schedule so having this in advance plus flexibility with scheduling has allowed me to complete a high percentage of planned sessions.
What one piece of advice would you give a new athlete joining Premier Endurance?
In joining PE you will find highly qualified coaches who are willing to engage and adapt to you when goal alignment is agreed. The plans are targeted and will change so there is no element of repetitive sessions week in week out. As a first year client I will continue to be involved with PE as I have no doubt PE are the best coaching set up for me to improve further.
