Hannah Barnes
The week: 13-19 December 2021 Location: Rotorua, New Zealand Training for: Spring 2022
After six years with Canyonsram, Hannah Barnes has signed for the newly launched Norwegian Women’s Worldtour team Uno-x alongside fellow Brits Elinor Barker and Joscelin Lowden. The 28-yearold had a busy year of racing in 2021, which she opened in style with fifth place at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. With her wealth of experience, she is sure to be a highly valued leader at Uno-x. Barnes spoke to Cycling Weekly on the day before she was due to fly home from New Zealand, having spent Christmas with her Kiwi partner, pro rider Sam Bewley.
How long have you been in New Zealand?
I flew out on 13 November and had to isolate in a hotel until 23 November. Though it has meant I’ve missed out on our team’s first training camp in Spain, I’ve been able to follow the same training as them, set by the team’s two coaches. I’ve done some really good base training here.
Is having team coaches a big change for you?
Yeah, as I always had my own personal coach in the past. This year it’s really good; I quite like how the team coaches are also planning the race calendar and talking with each other. They know when each rider needs to peak and needs their recovery break.
Uno-x took you all away on a teambuilding army boot camp in the autumn – what was that like?
It was really good! We were flown to Norway, then taken on a track day in GP Nissan cars, which was cool. We had to hand in our phones and watches, and didn’t get them back for 48 hours. The next day we were called at 7am in the hotel and were taken to an army base camp, divided into teams, given a backpack that contained just two bars of chocolate, a potato and an onion, and that was it for the next 36 hours. We had to do crazy obstacle courses; we lit a fire, had to sleep outside in the cold in sleeping bags, and it ended with a fivehour hike. It was a pretty cool experience.
So first impressions of the new team are positive?
Yeah, I’m really happy. We’ve got a nutritionist, the team coaches are great, and having Lars Bak as the general manager and director is cool, as he’s a respected veteran in the peloton. Alex Greenfield is my coach – I remember looking up to her at the track Nationals when I was 15 years old, so that’s cool.
Any specific aims for this season?
My race calendar is similar to previous years. I tend to go into the Spring Classics in my best form of the whole year, which the team wants to try to avoid, as it’s going to be busy – racing pretty much every week for two months.
MONDAY ENDURANCE RIDE WITH GUT TRAINING
In the morning I did 20 minutes of my own physio and rehab work, which I try to do three times a week, before heading out for my ride. My physio in Girona set me a programme to do while I
was out here [in New Zealand]. The ride was four and a quarter hours, just endurance in Zone 2 with some gut training. The aim is for us to consume 80g carbs per hour in races, so this is to build up to that, starting with 30g per hour. It’s good for me, as I’m not exactly known for fuelling well!
TUESDAY AM: TEMPO BLOCK & SEATED SPRINTS PM: GYM
On Tuesday morning I did two hours 20 minutes with a 30-minute Zone 3 effort followed by six times sixsecond seated sprints in a big gear. Three hours after getting back, I went to the gym. Because this is early in my gym training, I’m not doing much weighted work, just squats, leg press and lunges.
The team sets us a schedule, with a little bit of cardio and some core activation exercises. I don’t do heavy weights; I prefer more reps with lighter weight.
WEDNESDAY THRESHOLD INTERVALS
Today was a three-hour ride with five minutes in Zone 4, then five minutes off, which I repeated three times. I was surprising myself a little bit with these efforts, maybe it was thanks to the improved fuelling! I don’t usually do efforts in December, so I wasn’t sure how it would go. My body is a little bit confused – normally I’d be in tights and jacket, whereas here the sun is really strong. And there are no water fountains; you have to stop at schools to refill.
THURSDAY REST DAY
Thursday was a rest day, a full day off – complete rest. I took the opportunity to do some Christmas shopping. There was no gym or active recovery – I quite like rest days to be full rest.
FRIDAY AM: ENDURANCE RIDE WITH GUT TRAINING PM: GYM
This was a four-hour endurance ride in Zone 1, again with gut training – the same as Monday. I followed the same fuelling guidelines. It’s quite hard, as I always lose my appetite when it’s hot. I love bananas but after an hour in the heat, they turn to mush. Fuelling is not something I’d usually be thinking about in December, but actually your body has to get used to it ahead of racing. In the afternoon, I did a gym session.
SATURDAY ENDURANCE RIDE
This was another four-hour 15-minute endurance ride just in Zone 2, which for me is around 190 watts. I’m known as someone who likes to ride fast, but I enjoy this type of riding too. That evening I did another physio session in front of the TV while watching the cricket.
SUNDAY TEMPO BLOCK & SEATED SPRINTS
Sunday’s ride included a 30-minute Zone 3 effort, and then six times six-second seated sprints – a pretty straightforward session. I did the 30-minute effort up a 4% gradient, and it felt pretty good, as it’s the kind of gradient I enjoy. My power for the Zone 3 effort was 240 watts. That was the week done, with a day off the following day.
NO LET UP TILL CHRISTMAS
This seemed a big week of training during what was essentially her Christmas holiday. “It’s pretty typical for me around this time of year – I do train quite a lot,” laughs Barnes. “Overall, I’ve not done more than I should have, though.” Did she get a rest over Christmas? “The first block was pretty hard, then I did four hours on Christmas Eve, but I took Christmas Day and Boxing Day off.”