I have a gift certificate that I need to use soon that will allow me to get some testing (LT, VO2, bike fit) and/or several hours with a coach on the bike. I'm leaning towards coach time and away from at least full testing since I'm not a racer and don't see that I'd ever repeat them. (field tests, sure, but probably not an indoor lab type test.) And I had a fit last year and feel pretty good with that.

I'm an intermediate road rider, plenty of experience doing solo rides and events, but certainly no expert. I'm also way less fit than I usually am by now in the season, and plenty intimidated by the idea of riding with a coach, but suspect I'd learn enough to make up for that. I like to climb but am not terrific descending, so that's one area I'd ask for help. I also could see working on tight turns.

Other than that, I'm a bit unsure about what to ask for and how to structure it. In my learning style I tend to take some time absorbing/thinking after being taught something, so I'm considering maybe asking for two (or even three, if they let me schedule shorter sessions) separate sessions so that I can learn, go absorb/practice, and come back with questions and refinements.

Oh, if it matters, this would not be a coach I could keep on with -- the price is out of my range, so I'd be self-coached as usual for the regular day to day training I'll be doing.

Have you ever ridden with a coach? What was most helpful for skills development? What would you do differently? Any ideas, recommendations for my situation? For non racers (but training to improve overall fitness, and OK maybe trying out a CX race this fall ) are there any advantages to formal testing I'm not taking into account? Thanks in advance!