Mountain bike coach Andrew Watson says it’s ‘very rewarding to see athletes progress through the sport’ and encourages people to give the sport a try<\/p>\n
Oro-Medonte’s\u00a0Andrew Watson was recently named\u00a0coach of the year by Cycling Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nice. It was a bit of a surprise,\u201d he says about the national recognition.<\/p>\n
Watson, passionate about mountain biking since he was a kid, started competitive racing at 13.<\/p>\n
He then developed a career as a professional athlete and raced internationally on Canada\u2019s team. He has won four Canada Cup championships, and multiple provincial championships in mountain biking, road racing and cyclocross.<\/p>\n
About a decade ago, Watson transitioned to\u00a0a coaching career, training athletes who had similar ambitions. He has run programs for various ages, including learn-to-ride which is geared toward children.<\/p>\n
Partnered with Hardwood Ski and Bike, he now runs a youth development program for teens interested in competitive cycling.<\/p>\n
The world of coaching differs from being an athlete with racing goals. Watson compares being a coach to a Jack-of-all-trades.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to be knowledgeable in physiology, but we\u2019re not a physiologist. We have to be knowledgeable in nutrition, but we\u2019re not a nutritionist. We have to be knowledgeable about how to fix a bike, but we\u2019re not necessarily bike mechanics,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Although he still participates in races himself, as a coach Watson is aligned with the goals of his athletes. This is true whether it\u2019s the groups at Hardwood Ski and Bike or the one-on-one training he does through his business, AWI Coaching.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs an athlete, you have to almost be a little bit selfish,\u201d he says of the personal sacrifices made in order to excel at a professional level.<\/p>\n
Life events might be missed by athletes who spend a lot of time travelling, he explained.<\/p>\n
As a coach, the opposite is true. The role flips to one of selflessness.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not my training ride, it\u2019s the athlete\u2019s. So sometimes that means going harder than I want to go, or faster, and sometimes that means I\u2019m going a lot slower than I would normally go on my own,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
A piece of advice he has for his athletes is to put the work in.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no shortcuts,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
He does his best to meet each athlete where they are, he explains, and strives to ensure his athletes are on track to reach their goals. He blends their feedback with the type of training they\u2019re doing, making adjustments to intensity and focus area.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can be a lonely sport … It serves a person who is very intrinsically motivated,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Despite the team environment, cyclists typically race individually. He helps them balance this dichotomy.<\/p>\n
One challenge, Watson says, is the misconception that mountain-biking is an extreme sport. He compares it to skiing or snowboarding. Instructors teach their students how to prevent falls,\u00a0thus eliminating the dangers. But the fear of harm or injury is what makes some people not allow their kids to mountain bike, he explains.<\/p>\n
Due to the technicality of the sport, Watson also says there is a need for more coaches.<\/p>\n
Often, students who age out of the development program will return as coaches. The ratio, at most, is five students per coach. Currently, there are more kids wanting to learn than there are coaches who can teach.<\/p>\n
In general, cyclists face other challenges, he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cCycling in Canada isn\u2019t accepted from a societal level,\u201d Watson says.<\/p>\n
He explains that once training professionally, athletes aren\u2019t on bike paths in parks but on roadways.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can be a hostile environment if you\u2019re not in a very bike-friendly place,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
In his experience, \u201c99 per cent of motorists are awesome,\u201d and pass with ample space. Others are either nervous and don\u2019t know what to do, or they are angry.<\/p>\n
Defined as a vehicle in Ontario’s\u00a0Highway Traffic Act, cyclists must obey the same rules as motorists. They also deserve the same rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a big hurdle for cyclists, I\u2019d say, and even for our programs when athletes get to the age where they almost need to start riding on the road to get the volume in. Parents and families are very hesitant about it, and I don\u2019t blame them. I am too,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
At the same time, Watson counts himself and his athletes lucky. Oro-Medonte has 300 kilometres of single track mountain bike trails, he says. Along with places like Hardwood Ski and Bike, Horseshoe Valley, and the Copeland Forest, there are plenty of safe options for people interested in the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne way I’d love to see the sport grow and help where we can is to have more programs like ours in different areas of the province. It’s a tremendous amount of work to get off the ground and keep running smoothly but very rewarding to see athletes progress through the sport,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n