CyberCo@ch

Through CyberCoach I have evolved my coaching method since the mid-1990s. We began with the landline telephone and fax machine but now rely heavily on email and whatsapp as our communication tools. Training schedules are designed from the ground up, based on the individual's levels of experience, goals, and available time. We always work the training around the rest of our lives, never the other way around. The beauty of this is that we never need to be at a training session or to meet a training group on a specific day or time, although we can certainly work in group sessions when they suit. We can make the most of limited time when it is tight, but also make any extra available time count. Although the training approach is always consistent, everyone's training plan and the communication method will vary and evolve depending on need and suitability. I don't utilise third-party coaches and I don't limit communication so, the method is consistent and I am always available for last minute changes, advice or just to hear about a success or setback, big or small. Analysis and feedback vary from the latest software and training apps, powermeters and heart monitors all the way to 'rate of perceived exertion' and written, descriptive feedback.  I still pride myself on being an old-school coach who values communication with his athletes above all else, but we would be silly to not utilise all that we have available in modern times although this is totally up to the athlete and what they have at their disposal. I adapt my method accordingly. We have no compulsory equipment.

The Coach : Donovan van Gelder

I did my first triathlon as a 15-year-old in 1986. Since then I have competed in swim, cycle, run, and the various combinations and disciplines that these endurance sports make up, and continue to do so now, into my 50s. I have been fortunate enough to race in Europe, North and South America and of course Africa. Throughout this time I have been self-coached, although I have had the opportunity to work with, and be advised by, some of the World’s top coaches. As a full-time athlete between 1998-2003, I utilised my spare time to further my knowledge in endurance sport training and nutrition, both formally and informally, and continue to keep up to date with the constantly evolving techniques and trends. The most significant contributors to my coaching knowledge however, are the hundreds of athletes that I have worked with since hand-writing my first training program for someone in 1991. Everyone is different and endurance events that I have coached people for, are so varied, that these present an incredibly wide range of challenges when designing training plans but, it is also a fantastic learning opportunity as a coach. It is this knowledge that I credit most for the longevity and success of CyberCoach, which began formally in 2004 and continues with athletes all around the World.