I worked closely with Rodge for just over two years between finishing my time with the Leeds Triathlon Centre (home of the British Triathlon High Performance Centre) and subsequently becoming self coached. Under Rodge's guidance I made significant improvements as an athlete both physically and in other areas such as tactical race craft, specific event prep and peaking for major events. The latter was demonstrated with the culmination of my 2017 season where I won the Standard Distance AG World Triathlon Championships in Rotterdam, with the fastest overall time. During my time with Rodge I won several events, competed over a range of distances, won my first middle distance race and completed the Alpe D'Huez Triathlon, finishing 3rd Brit.
Rodge's commitment to helping any athlete he works with is unquestionable, and I found he helped me not only by planning and coaching relevant training sessions but also developing my understanding of how to perform to my absolute best on race day. Rodge coaches in a very holistic way, and not just meaning "strength, endurance, flexibility etc".
He always looks to work on both fitness and any other (often overlooked) areas of an athlete's life that could help them perform better, be it improved rest, better nutrition or an area of their life that could help them feel more fulfilled and therefore more motivated to train and race. We always enjoyed fantastic two-way communication so my views and ideas were always heard and I would also understand what was being asked of me in any given session and the reasons or aim of a session or training block.
Before working with Rodge I trained as part of Leeds Triathlon Centre which boasts many of the best athletes in the UK (and world). Whilst it was inspiring (and physically demanding) to rub shoulders and train with such top class athletes such as the Brownlee brothers, Tom Bishop, Non Stanford, Vicky Holland etc, I feel some of my peers and I (part time students/part time athletes) could have got more out of the squad with someone like Rodge being on the coaching team. I feel we could have benefited from his style of meticulously planned, well thought out, group sessions geared directly towards target events. This might include training in areas to simulate the demands of a certain upcoming race or discussing and playing out potential race scenarios so that as athletes we were as ready as possible to face what is thrown at you in a race. In my opinion one of Rodge's best coaching strategies is his ability to plan sessions which don't just benefit the fastest couple of athletes in a group but sessions where all athletes of various strengths and abilities can really gain something.
Rodge's enthusiasm for the sport and competition is massive and in my experience he can find a way to understand an athlete and work out the best way to help them progress and move forward and most importantly he can always find a way to effectively communicate it to the individual. I would highly recommend Rodge as a coach to any individual or group who is serious about improving their performance and really developing as an athlete and a competitor.
Beau Smith