‘Learning to relax made me faster’
TT ace Hayley Simmonds (CAMSBasso) had a great 2021, which included being awarded the combativity award at the Women’s Tour. Hitting such excellent form she attributes to taking a radically different approach to training over the last 12 months.
“Last November I changed coach, and many of the sessions since have been better geared to helping me psychologically as well as physically. Instead of very specific numbers, we’ve focused on achieving the max possible on that specific day – or ‘more than X’ power. This means I very rarely fail in training – in fact, I can remember every session I have failed, as there have been so few.
“I am still training at a high level but the approach means training feels like a success and I have a more positive mindset as a result. As well as the hard efforts on the bike, I have spent more time chilling, mainly through mobility work. I do online sessions from ex-cyclist Charlene Joiner which are beneficial to training but in a more relaxed way. It helps my body get stronger but is also good grounding time. It is a halfway house between strength work and yoga – stretching and breathing from yoga but while building strength for hips and glutes which helps me on the bike. The relaxation element gives me a bit of headspace and ‘me time’ away from hard training.
“I’ve also been doing more walking. I’ve realised that being more active day to day helps stop bloating and swelling. My husband and I have been walking together and it is a nice opportunity to have ‘us time’ in the fresh air in a more relaxed way. I’ve realised that enjoying time outside doesn’t have to be on my bike.”