Why I Started the Ride Harder Academy

I got hooked on cycling in 2005, and I have been trying to get better at it ever since. What I learned from coaching other people is that almost nobody is taught to ride a bike properly. We are taught to pedal, and then we are left to it.

So riders go looking for answers. And the internet gives them thousands, most of which contradict each other. One article says ride slow, the next says ride hard, the third says lift weights, the fourth says do not bother. It is exhausting before you have turned a pedal.

That problem has changed shape since. You can now have a full twelve week plan written for you, free, in about ten seconds. Ask any AI and it will hand you periodised sessions with your zones worked out. A decade ago that would have been worth real money.

And it still will not get you out to the turbo on a wet Tuesday in February.

That is the part nobody has automated, and it is the part that actually decides whether you are faster in the spring. Information was never really the problem. Finishing is the problem.

I wanted one place to go. Simple, straightforward, all in one voice, with real people behind it. That is the Ride Harder Academy.

Why did I start it?

Honestly? Because of the enquiries I had to turn away.

Back in 2016 I kept getting messages from riders who wanted one to one coaching and, once they saw what that costs, could not make the numbers work. They were not unserious people. They were exactly the sort of rider who would have thrived with some structure behind them. They just could not justify the price of a coach to themselves, and I do not blame them.

Their other option was a downloadable plan. And I had watched enough of those get abandoned to know how that story usually ends. Someone starts strong in October, life gets in the way in November, a session does not make sense, and by January the plan is a PDF nobody opens.

So the Academy sits in the gap between the two. Coach a group rather than an individual, keep the cost sensible, and give people the structure, support and accountability they need to actually finish the thing.

What I did not expect was the community. That turned out to be the part that made it work. Riders started holding each other to it in a way I could not manage on my own, and the ones who finished were almost always the ones who felt part of something. I went in solving a price problem and came out with the answer to a much bigger one.

Investing in yourself is the best investment you can make. It is not a waste of money. What is a waste is buying kit you do not need.

What is the Ride Harder Academy?

A structured 12 week cycling training programme, delivered to one group of riders at a time, built on three words: train, learn, belong.

Train. A progressive plan that fits round your life, indoors or out, and works with TrainingPeaks and any smart training app you already use. Every session has a purpose.

Learn. Education is the core of it. Training, nutrition, strength, mindset and recovery, explained in plain language. No jargon, no fluff.

Belong. A private group of riders all on the same block at the same time, with group sessions, check-ins and the accountability that comes with other people noticing whether you turned up.

Train smarter for better health, longevity and mental wellbeing.

Who coaches on the Academy?

It is not just me, and that matters more than it used to. Several of the team have worked at the top of the sport.

James Walsgrove, Head Coach. I lead the group and write the training plans. I am a UK cycling coach based in Norfolk and I have run the Academy since 2016.

Peter Gascoigne, Strength and Conditioning. Peter holds a Bachelor's and a Master's in strength and conditioning and has worked with the UK Sports Institute and the Great Britain Cycling Team, where he led S and C for all the Olympic endurance squads and played a part in a string of medal successes. He is strength and conditioning coach to the World Tour team Bahrain Victorious.

Kate MacLeod, Nutrition. Kate is an elite cyclist and our resident nutritionist. She covers fuelling on and off the bike, and takes on the question riders ask more than any other: losing weight without wrecking your energy or your performance.

Lexie Williamson, Yoga. Lexie literally wrote the book on it. She is the author of Yoga for Cyclists, runs the yoga sessions, and answers the mobility questions that most riders do not know who to ask.

How the twelve weeks are structured

Three months, three physiological targets, in the order that actually works.

Month one: economy

Aerobic and muscular endurance, efficiency and technique. We set your personal training zones, build the aerobic foundation, and clean up your pedal stroke so you go further on less. Basic strength work starts here, and so does the mindset side.

Month two: lactate threshold

FTP and sweet spot. We lift your threshold power and extend how long you can hold it, which is the single biggest lever on how fast you ride a long day. Intensity and volume both step up, and we work on riding in a more aerodynamic position, which is free speed.

Month three: aerobic capacity

VO2 max. Targeted intervals to raise the ceiling on your fitness, with the mindset strategies you need to get through them, because these are the sessions people talk themselves out of.

What are the Train Smart Fundamentals?

The Fundamentals are the five things underneath the training plan. Get these right and the sessions work. Ignore them and the sessions are doing all the lifting on their own.

1. Bike fit. Your position is everything, and a proper fit should be the first step in any cycling journey, new rider or seasoned. It is not just comfort. It is efficiency, injury prevention and power delivery. Keep refining it as your flexibility and fitness change.
2. Training. A smart plan is more than logging miles. It needs a mix of intensities and skills, and regular assessments so you know it is working. Training with purpose, not riding aimlessly.
3. Nutrition. Your body is the engine. What you eat on the bike matters, and so do your pre-ride meals, your recovery and your day to day habits.
4. Mobility and strength. Cycling looks simple and asks a lot. Mobility gives you the range to ride efficiently, strength improves your pedal stroke, posture and resilience. A stronger body off the bike is a faster, more injury-resistant rider on it.
5. Wellness, mind and body. Sleep, stress, mindset and general wellbeing decide how well you train. Recovery is where the gains actually happen.

The five spokes for health and longevity

Alongside the Fundamentals sit five spokes, and the wheel analogy is deliberate. Each one keeps you upright.

• Sleep. The recovery superpower. It repairs muscle, restores energy and sharpens focus, and most riders treat it as optional.
• Diet. Eating for performance, longevity and everyday energy, without overcomplicating it.
• Breathe. The overlooked one. Breathing technique improves endurance, reduces stress and makes you more efficient with the oxygen you have.
• Mindset. Resilience and focus, so you keep going when the novelty has worn off.
• Movement. Not just miles. Flexibility, strength and mobility, so your body still works in twenty years.

What has changed since 2016?

Quite a lot. The Academy that runs today would be barely recognisable to the first cohort of ten.

From seven months to twelve weeks

The first Academy ran for seven months, which turned out to be far too long to keep anyone properly focused. People drifted in month four and never quite came back. So it became four months, then twelve weeks. Twelve weeks is long enough to get real adaptations and short enough that people actually finish.

That change shows up in the numbers. Compliance has improved every year since, and these days roughly 80 per cent of a group stays with the sessions right through the twelve weeks.

From sessions to the whole package

Early on I focused too heavily on the training sessions themselves. Members needed more than that, and said so. The strength work, the nutrition, the yoga, the mindset side and the skills all got added because riders asked for them, not because they made the sales page longer.

From performance to longevity

In 2023 I redesigned a large amount of the content around longevity. The aim stopped being a single good spring and started being a rider who is still strong and still enjoying it in twenty years. That improves your riding anyway, it just does it in a way that lasts.

Who is the Ride Harder Academy for?

Any rider who wants to get faster and stay faster. A first sportive, a big event booked, or five years of riding the same speed and quietly being fed up with it.

It is also, still, for the rider who would like a coach and cannot justify one to one prices. That was the original point and it has not changed.

You do not need to be fast to start. You need to be willing to train smart for twelve weeks.

It is probably not for you if you want a plan you can ignore, or if you only want the sessions and would skip everything else. The riders who get the most out of it treat the strength, nutrition and mindset work as part of the training rather than optional extras.

What does a typical week look like?

Around six to twelve hours, depending on where you are and what you are building towards.

• Two structured indoor sessions of about an hour
• One longer ride, which can be outdoors
• Two or three optional bonus workouts if you have the time
• The weekly group session, if you want it

You can move sessions around your week. Try to keep them in the suggested order, because they are built to progress.

Before you think about the Academy, know your numbers

Whatever you decide, start here. Know your FTP and know your training zones, then train in them. How much time you spend in each zone is argued about endlessly. Knowing the zones and the difference between them is the part that actually matters, and most riders skip it.

You can work out your FTP and your zones for free with the Ride Harder FTP calculator. If you want to see how the sessions feel before committing to anything, there are three free structured workouts you can download for Zwift or TrainingPeaks.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the Ride Harder Academy?

Twelve weeks. It began as a seven month programme in 2016, moved to four months, and settled at twelve weeks because that is long enough to produce real adaptations and short enough that riders finish what they start.

When does the Academy start?

The Academy runs as one group, starting each October. Once a cohort is underway the next opportunity to join is a full season later, so places are released before the start rather than on a rolling basis. If you are a week or two late joining, you can still pick it up, because the early sessions are lighter by design and the plan is yours to keep.

How many riders are in a group?

Usually 20 to 25. Around 250 riders have been through the Academy since 2016. The group is deliberately capped, because past a certain size the group sessions stop working and the individual feedback gets thin.

How many people actually finish it?

Around 80 per cent of a cohort stays with the sessions through the full twelve weeks, and that figure has improved every year since the programme was shortened. Completion is the thing I care about most, because a plan nobody finishes is worth nothing.

Why pay for a plan when AI can write one for free?

Because the plan was never the hard part. An AI will give you a perfectly reasonable set of sessions in seconds. What it will not do is notice when you have stopped, adjust when your week falls apart, answer the question you did not know to ask, or make you feel like part of something on the evening you would rather not bother. That is what a coach and a cohort are for, and it is the difference between a plan you own and a plan you finish.

Is this one to one coaching?

No. The Academy is group coaching. I have access to your TrainingPeaks account, but I am not reviewing your sessions one by one. Questions go in the private group, where I answer them regularly, so everybody gets the benefit of the answer rather than just the person who asked.

What do I need to take part?

At a minimum, a bike and a heart rate monitor. Ideally a turbo trainer, a cadence sensor and a power meter, indoor or outdoor. Most smart trainers cover the power side.

Do I need Zwift?

No. Every core session can be followed on TrainingPeaks, your own head unit, or whichever indoor platform you prefer, including Zwift, TrainerRoad and Rouvy. The optional group ride is hosted on TrainingPeaks Virtual.

How much training time does it take?

Six to twelve hours a week. Two structured indoor sessions of around an hour, one longer ride, and two or three optional workouts if you have the time.

What if I miss a session?

Nothing much. The programme takes a long term view and one missed session will not derail it. You can move sessions to fit your week, just keep them in the suggested sequence where you can.

Is the Ride Harder Academy suitable for beginners?

Yes, provided you are riding regularly and are willing to follow a structure. You do not need to be fast. Riders in the same cohort range from first sportive to experienced racers, and the sessions are set against your own zones rather than against anyone else's numbers.

What is the difference between the Ride Harder Plan and the Ride Harder Academy?

The Ride Harder Plan is a downloadable training plan you follow on your own. If you are self motivated, comfortable with TrainingPeaks and happy going it alone, it is a good option. The Academy is the same kind of structured training with a coach and a group around it. That difference is the whole reason the Academy exists, because plans get downloaded with the best intentions and then abandoned when life gets in the way.

I have done it before. Is it worth doing again?

Yes, and plenty of riders do. Coming back each winter is one of the smarter things you can do, because the common pattern is going all in during autumn, burning out by Christmas and losing the lot. The programme is updated every year with new sessions and new content.

What happens after the twelve weeks?

Most riders want to keep going, which is the point. There is normally a follow on block after the Academy for people who want to carry the fitness through to spring rather than let it slide. Details are announced to the group near the end of each intake.

Ready to train smart?

The Academy runs as one group starting in October, and places are released shortly before it begins. The waitlist is how you hear first, and it costs nothing to be on it.

Join the Ride Harder Academy waitlist

Or see what is inside the Academy first.

If you want to read what a year on it is actually like from a member's side rather than mine, this is one rider's account of their first year. And if your goal is a specific event rather than general fitness, I wrote separately about why I started the Mallorca 312 Academy.

Train, learn, belong.

Coach James