Data can reveal powerful truths about your athletes—but only if you know how to read it. In this online CEU course for USA Cycling coaches, “Interpreting Athlete Data,” coaches will explore how to translate heart rate, power files, and subjective feedback into smarter, more personalized coaching decisions.
You’ll gain the skills to analyze performance trends, identify weaknesses, and know when to trust the numbers—or set them aside. Whether you’re coaching data-driven road racers or time-crunched beginners, this course helps you determine what matters and make better calls, every time.
You’ll master how to:
- Interpret fitness and fatigue trends using metrics like TSS, CTL, and heart rate-to-power ratios.
- Pinpoint weaknesses through 5-second to 20-minute power tests—and tailor training to improve them.
- Monitor training with what Dr. Stephen Seiler calls the “Holy Trinity”—external load, internal load, and perception—to track progress while keeping your athlete’s unique physiology and feedback front and center.
- Avoid what Neal Henderson considers common data traps, like overestimating FTP, relying too much on peak numbers, or mistaking fatigue for fitness—and know when to toss a bad test.
Not sure if your athlete is underperforming or just fatigued? Lost in charts, graphs, and data? This course shows you what matters to make smarter coaching decisions.
How to Enroll
All USA Cycling courses are offered exclusively through USA Cycling’s online learning management system at learn.usacycling.org.
Questions? Contact Suzy Sanchez, Director of DEI and Membership Programs, at ssanchez@usacycling.org.
