I've worked alongside Liam Holohan at Holohan Coaching for just over a year now. During which time I've coached a mix of athletes, some who ride for and have aspirations to ride for the Great Britain National team and beyond, others who simply want to maximise their own performance for local races - everyone's goals are equally important and precious to them and therefore to me.
The new year is often a great time to reflect and look back across the year, assess strengths and weaknesses and critically analyse all aspects of your athletes and your own work. Something which I am currently doing. But I find this is also a great time to highlight and shed light on some of the great people I work with on a day-to-day basis. Over the past decade, I've competed against and worked with athletes across a range of sporting disciplines, mainly cyclists, but also runners, swimmers, triathletes and rowers. I want to use this space to provide an insight into how I work with my athletes, and how I aim to develop them as athletes, but also as people.
All the athletes I coach are worthy of mention in their own right, something I am planning on making a more regular occurrence. However, here are three examples of athletes I currently work with, a worthy introduction to them but also to the work I do with them day to day.
Will Roberts
You won’t find a harder-working athlete than Will. The level of detail he goes to behind the scenes, his forward-thinking approach, its mighty impressive. My role as a coach with Will is to support, to help manage the heavy training demands and provide the best advice I can to allow Will to perform on the day, when it matters. I’ve learnt a lot from Will over the last 6 + months, and I am fully committed to making Wills's targets a reality this year.
“Holohan coaching works perfectly for me. I’ve had experience over the years with a variety of coaches, from simple old school chaps to well educated physiologists that know lots about training, but not much about cycling. I was nicely setup with my coach Harrison, I feel like I’ve got the perfect balance. There’s honesty, and accountability, interesting fresh training sessions, and importantly for me, little in the way of ignorance. This all helps to get the best out of myself. The improvements I’ve made recently show that I’ve made big gains since working together. It’s definitely been the best 6 months training I’ve had”.
Gaby Homer
Gaby deserves a huge amount of credit for managing her busy lifestyle. A full-time athlete (5 x national champion), full-time student and a dedicated member of the Aerocoach team - the ability for Gaby to balance all of these stresses becomes key. My role as a coach differs with Gaby compared with Will and this is incredibly important. To balance a lifestyle like Gaby’s requires more careful attention to maximise the time she has. This often comes with many adaptions and work arounds, but together we manage this well. A lot of setbacks in 2023, we’re putting these behind us and are working hard to fulfil all that Gaby wants from the sport in 2024.
“Switching to Holohan Coaching was a great move for me. Harrison has been really patient with me and helped me gain my fitness back following a rough time post COVID. He tailors my sessions towards my goals but also adjusts it quickly when there are blips in the road such as illness. Harrison guided me towards a National Title last year which I will always be grateful for”.
Oscar Pratt
Oscar, a younger athlete, but equally committed to his cycling. Oscar's development over the past year has been huge. A lot of learning, and a lot of mistakes he won't mind admitting. But this is what makes him a great athlete and person. He is hungry to learn and improve. Again, my role changes slightly with Oscar compared to other athletes. Curbing his enthusiasm at times, helping with his on and off-bike development, all the big and small parts of the process. We’re learning together, and that's the great thing.
“I’ve loved my time working with Holohan coaching so far. Their detailed and calculated approach to testing, training and racing has transformed me as a rider. My first year with Harrison has been a pleasure with us developing a strong relationship on and off the bike. The support and communication that I receive from him each day enables me to understand my training better, executing sessions to the best of my ability. I’ve loved my first year with Holohan and cannot wait for what the future holds”.
All my athletes challenge me, my knowledge, and my aptitude to learn and adapt. But the most important thing is my motivation to help my athletes succeed - driven by working with great people like these.
If 2024 is the year you look for a coach, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re not just program setters, we’re friends at the end of the phone, we’re mentors, we’re motivators - the relationship between athlete and coach differs with every athlete, and that’s the great thing.