It was a busy night. All the bikes were booked and the profile I was teaching was very challenging for the riders. It was also cue-rich and required my careful attention on the responses of everyone in the room. My heart sunk when I realized that two of the bikes had been reserved by newcomers to my class. They were female friends and, in a typical pattern, one of them had developed the plan to attend class and the other had acquiesced. I set them up in the front row so I could get off my bike quickly for individual coaching and cautioned them not to follow my cueing for the rest of the group.
Things were going well until it became obvious that Katie, the planner, was very uncomfortable on the bike. In contrast, her friend Ann looked terrific. I gave them a lot of basic instruction on form and technique but nothing seemed to help Katie. I could see her become more and more anxious and uncomfortable. I then offered some more ‘advanced’ guidance about anchoring into her saddle.
You made a real difference with this student. Congratulations. It must have felt great.