BACK TO BASICS
Why success comes by conquering the core stuff
The school of thought that says ‘take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves’ has become the unwritten code for pretty much every successful racing team: the pursuit of ‘marginal gains’. In essence, it’s about not running (or riding) before you can walk.
“Pro riders do not have some magic intervals or training sessions,” explains coach Liam Holohan. “Their secret is no secret at all – they ride their bikes a lot.” They get the work done, day after day, week after week. “This is one of the key aspects to any training plan.”
It’s crucial then to cover the basics. In time, make refined additions to your diet and introduce higher-end accessories to your bike and kit, but be sure to build on solid foundations. Here’s how...
01 BUILD A BIKE BASE
“Your bike station is where you should keep all the ride gear that you need for the day – snacks, helmet, glasses, shoes etc. Having to search round the house for all those bits can really eat into your training volume if you’re having to do it every day. It’s also a great idea to keep all your chargers there. When you return from a ride, make it a habit to put your lights, groupset and GPS unit on charge. Also, jot down a note of any maintenance jobs that need taking care of in your phone or in a notebook.”
02 WASH AND GO
“A major disruptor of training consistency is poor health. As we now all know, good hand hygiene will help prevent you coming into contact with viruses. Paying attention to sleep and nutrition – hitting the basics at least in terms of nutrients and rest – will help maintain a fully functioning immune system. Plus, a well-structured, progressive training plan and a bike fit will both go a long way to preventing injury.”
03 TWEAK THE WEAK
“Once you’ve made the time to train, you need to know what session you’re going to do. This will come down to the demands of the event and your unique physiology. It’s important that every session has a purpose, fitting into the grand plan of getting you from where you are now to where you need to be in order to achieve those goals. The biggest mistake that I often see is too much midzone intensity – those workouts that are not hard enough to really increase your fitness, but leave you fatigued for when you need to push the limits.”
04 LEARN TO ADAPT
“Training doesn’t make you faster. Training + recovery = adaptation – this is what makes you faster. Training depletes you, temporarily decreasing performance and putting a stress on to the body. That stress combined with a recovery period will lead to super compensation. This is where the body adapts to the training load, growing stronger and more capable of coping with the demands that you have placed upon it.”
05 BUILD STRENGTH
“YOUR DIET SHOULD BE HIGH IN NUTRIENTS, VITAMINS AND MINERAL RICH FOODS”
“Pros take recovery very seriously. As soon as they step off the bike, the use of any extra energy is greatly frowned upon. There’s a famous saying: ‘Don’t stand when you can sit, don’t sit when you can lie down.’ The vast majority of adaptation will take place when you’re
asleep. This is one of the reasons for Team Ineos bringing riders’ mattresses and pillows with them during the Tour de France. Good-quality sleep speeds up the body’s recovery and adaption.”
06 UNDERSTAND NUTRITION
“Your diet should be high in nutrients, vitamins and mineral-rich foods. Fuel for hard or intensive sessions with carbohydrate, consume protein with each meal, eat lots of different fruits and vegetables and avoid overly processed food that is high in sugar and trans fats.”
07 EAT MINDFULLY
“The body has a remarkable system in place to tell you how many calories you need: it’s called hunger. Eating when you’re hungry – slowly and mindfully – and stopping when you’re satisfied should work for the majority of athletes.”