"Jesus, that's a grand car."

Walks over. Kicks the tyre. Nods appreciatively. Walks away. Never drives it.

You know the type. Someone sees a nice bike at a sportive. Walks over. Squeezes the tyres. "What pressure are you running?" Nods at the answer like it contains profound wisdom. Asks about the groupset. The wheels. The power meter. Never asks about the training that got the person to the start line in the shape they are in.

The tyre kicker. Deeply interested in everything except the thing that actually matters.

I see two versions of this constantly. The athlete version and the enquiry version. They are the same person wearing different clothes.

THE ATHLETE VERSION

This person has read everything. They know about polarised training and pyramidal distribution. They understand periodisation. They have opinions on block training versus traditional base. They can explain the difference between FTP and critical power. They own a lactate meter they used twice.

Their Strava bio mentions their power to weight ratio. Their Instagram highlights include screenshots from TrainingPeaks. They have a dedicated shelf for supplements and a spreadsheet tracking their resting heart rate.

They also train maybe three times a week when life allows. They have not completed a structured training block in months. They skip sessions when they are tired and add extra sessions when they feel good. Their consistency over the past year looks like a heart rate trace during a sprint finish.

But they can tell you exactly why their current power meter might be reading 2% low.

The amount of time spent researching training is inversely proportional to the amount of time spent actually training.

I have watched people spend three weeks deciding between training plans instead of just picking one and starting. I have seen athletes delay a training block because they wanted to get a new bike fit done first. Then delay again because they were waiting for a new saddle. Then again because they wanted to do a metabolic test. Three months later they still have not started the block.

The preparation becomes the activity. The research becomes the training. The gear becomes the performance.

Meanwhile, someone else with half the knowledge and twice the consistency is getting faster every month.

THE ENQUIRY VERSION

I get emails every week from people interested in coaching. Most of them follow a pattern.

First email: detailed questions about methodology. What training philosophy do I follow. How do I structure a training week. What platforms do I use. Do I provide nutrition guidance. How often do we communicate. What are my qualifications.

All reasonable questions. Happy to answer.

Second email: more questions. Can I see a sample training week. What does a typical month look like. How do I handle travel and disruption. What happens if they get sick. Do I adjust for life stress.

Still reasonable. Still happy to answer.

Third email: even more questions. What results have my athletes achieved. Can they speak to a current athlete. What is my cancellation policy. Do I offer a trial period.

At this point I know how it ends. They either disappear completely or they reply saying they are "going to think about it" and I never hear from them again.

They were never going to sign up. They were kicking tyres.

The questions are not about gathering information to make a decision. The questions are the activity. Asking is easier than starting.

Then there is the version who does sign up. Two weeks in they have more questions. Is this the right session for today. Should they do the intervals at 95% or 100%. What if they only have 45 minutes instead of an hour. Their heart rate seemed high on the last effort, is that a problem.

Three weeks in they miss a session. Then another. Then they go quiet. A month later they cancel, usually with a vague explanation about life getting busy.

They were never going to do the work. They just wanted to feel like they were about to do the work. The sign up was the tyre kick.

THE COMMON THREAD

Both versions share the same underlying behaviour. They substitute the periphery for the core. They mistake preparation for progress. They focus on the 5% that is interesting instead of the 95% that is boring but actually works.

Signs you might be a tyre kicker
→ You have changed training plans more often than you have completed one
→ You own more recovery tools than you have consistent training weeks this year
→ You can explain lactate dynamics but cannot remember your last threshold session
→ You have asked a coach for a sample week before committing but never committed
→ You spent more time choosing your current bike than you have spent riding it
→ You know your FTP to the watt but not your average weekly training hours
→ You research supplements before you have nailed sleep and basic nutrition

The fitness industry enables this. It sells optimisation before foundation. It promotes marginal gains to people who have not made the major gains. It creates endless content about the details because the basics do not get clicks.

Nobody wants to hear that the answer is just consistent training over months and years. That is boring. It does not sell products. It does not generate engagement. But it is true.

HOW TO STOP

Pick something and start. Not tomorrow. Not when the new shoes arrive. Not after the bike fit. Today.

Commit to a period of time where you do not change the plan. Four weeks minimum. Do not read training articles during this time. Do not compare your approach to others. Just execute. See what happens.

Accept that the first version of anything is good enough. Good enough beats perfect every time because good enough actually happens.

Measure consistency, not complexity. Track how many sessions you completed versus how many you planned. That number matters more than any metric your watch can display.

Stop asking questions and start answering them with data. You want to know if five hours a week is enough? Do five hours a week for three months and find out. You want to know if you respond better to threshold work or tempo? Do a block of each and compare.

The information you need is on the other side of the work you are avoiding.

The best training plan is the one you actually do. The best coach is the one you actually listen to. The best bike is the one you actually ride. Everything else is just kicking tyres.

That car is still sitting there. Grand looking thing. Tyres all kicked. Going nowhere.

Maybe get in and drive it.