#116 From an Air-Force Flying Instructor to A Cycling and Triathlon Coach - Volker Maier, Head Coach of Peaks Coaching Group, Germany

<p>Volker Maier is a retired Air-force&nbsp;flying instructor and the head of Peaks Coaching Group Germany. He has been coaching a lot of runners, cyclists and triathletes over the years and has been working with a few Indian athletes as well.</p> <p>I got a chance to sit down and talk to him when he was in Bangalore briefly on the way to a training camp in the hills.</p> <p>In this episode we talk about his journey as an athlete and as a coach over the years. We talked about various aspects of coaching and his views on various topics like the importance of skills, strength training, the role nutrition plays in training effectively among various other topics.</p> <p>It was an insightful conversation with someone with vast experience in the sport and coaching. I really enjoyed this one and hope you too will enjoy this as much as I did.</p> <p>0:00:00 Intro</p> <p>0:03:10 Sport for him growing up in Germany</p> <p>0:05:45 Interest in cycling with MTB touring</p> <p>0:11:30 Managing training with his work/flying schedule</p> <p>0:12:35 Move to the US and journey towards coaching</p> <p>0:23:05 Advantages of power based training</p> <p>0:27:20 Not obsessing about power numbers</p> <p>0:31:30 Importance of developing skills and how to develop them</p> <p>0:43:20 His coaching philosophy</p> <p>0:50:20 Views on fasted rides</p> <p>0:57:00 Fueling for training and racing</p> <p>0:59:00 Mental aspects of training, tips and tricks</p> <p>1:09:55 Helping with motivation levels</p> <p>1:13:30 Race strategies and tactics</p> <p>1:19:40 Working with Indian athletes</p> <p>1:22:20 Tips for working athletes</p> <p>1:27:25 Closing remarks!</p> <p>Some Links Below:</p> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/334744737743027/">Working Athlete Community</a> on FB.</p> <p><a href="https://anchor.fm/bikeyvenky/message">Link to Anchor Voice messages</a></p> <p>About the Podcast</p> <p>The working athlete podcast is a podcast with and for working athletes from all walks of life and various sports. The goal is to provide inspiration,