[music] Oliver: Winter. Yes, that time of the year
when all you really want to do is curl up under a nice warm blanket and go into hibernation
on the sofa, slop in front of the TV, get unfit and eat chocolate crisps and cake.
Manon: No, but seriously 2020 has been a tough year with races being canceled, sports events
being postponed and those big dreams you've dreamt of just haven't been able to come true.
Oliver: That's where we come in. We've teamed up with Wahoo SUF training in a bid to make
2021 your best year on the bike yet and keep you hungry.
Manon: No, Oli. I don't want to hear any more about your eating habits. We want to keep
you feeling motivated, fit, healthy, and in hot pursuit of greatness.
Oliver: Yes, let's go. Manon: Let's go.
[music] Oliver: Why would you want it here like massive
training volume and big rides and the weather like this?
Manon: Get me inside. Oliver: Let's find a cafe.
Manon: Get me my turbo trainer. [music]
Oliver: I'm so glad to be inside. Manon: That was horrible.
Oliver: Over the next six weeks, myself and Manon will be following the six-week Wahoo
SUF training transition plan which is designed to be the ideal start for your season next
year. Manon: What is the transition plan, Oli?
Oliver: I'm glad you asked that, Manon. It combines structured cycling workouts with
yoga sessions specifically designed to improve on-bike performance as well as strength and
conditioning and mobility sessions too to help you rest, recover, recharge and refocus
ahead of next year and your cycling goals. Basically, the ideal offseason sort of training
plan. Manon: I've never been so motivated for winter
training. Oliver: I know. Me too. After this, I'm probably
going to do an hour record again with perfect launchpad.
Manon: I'll hold you to that, Oli [chuckles]. Big claim.
[music] Oliver: These plans, they're not any old plans.
No. They've been developed by the finest coaches and physiologists at Wahoo Sports Science.
These guys, they went with some of the best athletes on the planet.
[audio scratch] Manon: And us.
Oliver: Don't worry about that. Manon: Anyway, there are two different types
of plans. I'm going to be doing the transition down plan and Oli, he's going to be doing
the transition up plan because, well, he needs a little bit more work.
Oliver: Manon, slow down. Manon: Come on, Oli. Come on.
Oliver: For God's sake, Manon. Slow down. We want to invite you guys along to follow
the plans with us. It'll certainly help motivate us more knowing that you're doing it too.
In case you're wondering, the time commitment is only around two and a half to three and
a half hours a week. It's a case of a little and often. A really important thing to point
out is that the goal is not to give you PB power outputs at the end of the six weeks.
Even the world's best athletes don't try and maintain peak condition all year round. To
do so would likely cause you to burn out physically but also mentally as well.
Manon: The best thing, Oli, you haven't mentioned, it's completely free.
Oliver: What? Manon: You can join along for free. Yes. Let's
get into a little bit more details about the plans.
[music] Manon: I don't know about you, Oli, but I've
spent a lot of time on the indoor trainer this year doing e-races, trying to keep myself
fit and sane during this very strange time. I also normally like to spend a few hours
a week in the gym as I really feel like that benefits me on the bike but the gyms have
been closed and I've lost all my gym gains. I need to start from scratch and the transition
down plan is going to be perfect for this. It's the lower volume plan of the two meaning
I'm still going to have time for life stuff too. The transition down plan focuses on active
recovery, refocuses on foundational strength and mobility. It also has some intensity in
the latter part of the plan to prepare you for the next stage.
Winter, well, it can be pretty grim. Snow, hail, rain.
Oliver: As we've just experienced. Manon: Yes. If you're a fair-weather rider
like us, you'll be very glad to know all these sessions are done in the indoors in the warmth.
Oliver: Yes. Personally, owing to a lack of time traveling or racing this year, I've done
very little intensity, much less than I would have ordinarily. I've just kind of been riding
around my bike, pottering around, having fun, but I'm ready now for some structure in my
life. I'm going to be doing the transition up plan which is designed for athletes who
are coming up-- I'm calling myself an athlete there. Who are coming off a period of little
or no activity but are ready to get into a full training block of structured indoor training.
The on-the-bikes sessions progress from a lower intensity in the early part of the plan
to a higher intensity with a significant focus on pedaling efficiency and neuromuscular development.
The off-the-bike sessions follow a progression from gentle mobility and stability sessions
into functional strength work designed to improve body mechanics, pedaling efficiency,
and help athletes stay comfortable even after long hours in the saddle. To find out more,
let's chat to head sports scientist and coach, Neil Henderson, about the rationale behind
it. Hi Neil. Good to see you. Neil: Definitely, Ollie. It's been a few hours
since your hour. Ollie: [laughs]Yes, just a few, and the world's
changed quite a bit since then. Neil: Just a little bit.
Ollie: You're a part of an incredibly well-qualified and experienced coaching team. Can you tell
us why something like the transition plan is important for cyclists?
Neil: I'd say we came to this transition plan idea in two parts. Number one is, people who've
been training a lot and even potentially doing some events and races, we do need a little
bit to have a transition down from a lot of training shifting gears coming inside. As
we know, a lot of times pro-cyclists they're doing 20, 30 hour weeks, they're doing an
immense training load and by the end of the season they just shut off and shut down. For
somebody who only trains more like four or five, six, eight maybe even 10 hours a week,
that same do nothing for a month or so is not necessarily best for their overall health
fitness, and performance. The transition we have for the down is to
basically go from a higher level of training to a lower level of training but addressing
some areas that often are neglected during the season. Some of the things that we have
with yoga and strength training mobility to help you be reset and in a good place and
then start your next training block is what the transition down is.
We also have a transition up for those who haven't been really maybe doing any kind of
training or significant or organized training to basically prepare to have a more specific
training program than beginning. Again, this one is going from expecting not having done
a lot to getting moving and being ready then to really go forward into your preparation
for 2021. Ollie: Many cyclists, I think myself included,
will be interested to what the actual benefits of strength and yoga are and can be cyclists.
Can you tell us a bit more about that? Neil: When we think about the sport of cycling,
it's a pretty like linear and not terribly dynamic activity in many cases. We have these
patterns and movement patterns that just get repeated and repeated and so we're often neglecting
different areas of our body that can actually have an impact on just how we feel day-to-day.
If you have kids and being able to pick them up and move around and play and not get hurt
because you're so linear and one-dimensional. Ollie: How are the yoga sessions and strength
sessions specifically tailored towards cyclists then?
Neil: Exactly. We have Abby Carver who has done all of our yoga sessions. She has a phenomenal
experience in yoga and making it more applicable to cyclists and in the movement patterns that
we sometimes don't do and so being able to address things within the shoulder and upper
body, as well as foot and ankle in ways that again just riding a bike, doesn't necessarily
address. Ollie: Something I'm really interested in
Neil is how did the top athletes do it that you work with. What sort of transition plan
do they do? How is this similar or dissimilar? Neil: There's definitely similarities. For
sure there's some differences and the kind of load that like say [unintelligible 00:08:53]
ended her season a few weeks ago and so she took a week completely off the bike but then
started back with hiking, walking and yoga and did that for a couple of weeks before
then adding back in on the-- She's now on the mountain bike, gravel bike as well as
continuing yoga and now we've added strength training into the mix. Rowan on the other
hand he just finished the Giro d'italia. He did a pretty big last week there, a lot of
work helping teammates, and did okay in that final time trial as well after doing all that.
He hasn't touched the bike yet but he will be getting back into the gym starting next
week to work on strength and stability as the first step before he'll add back into
the bike. Rowan's not much of a hiker or a runner. He doesn't do those things as much
but he'll get back on to the bike then after typically about three weeks but he'll be in
the gym before that and moving getting that strength and stability foundation to prepare
for 2021 already. Ollie: I guess myself and Manon better get
cracking. Manon: Why does the plan include yoga, Ollie?
Ollie: Well, I'm glad you asked that Manon. See, core strength and flexibility are really
important in cycling. I've done a fair bit yoga in the past and I found it was really
useful in helping me get a lower more aerodynamic position on the bike but also be able to maintain
that faster position for longer. Manon: You do look pretty aero with that.
Ollie: Do I? Manon: Yes.
Ollie: Thanks. Manon: Nice.
Ollie: How about now? Manon: Even better.
Ollie: I'm so aero right now. Amazing. Manon: Yoga is something that many pro athletes
integrate into their training as it helps improve strength, flexibility, and helps avoid
injury. This is something that I am really excited to include in my training, as I've
never done it before but I have been told I should. I'm looking forward to seeing how
it benefits me on the bike. The plan also includes strength sessions which is going
to be good for Ollie because he might be able to keep up with me then.
Ollie: Stop doing that. Manon: Just another thing.
Ollie: All right, Colombo. Manon: We're both going to be starting off
with the Half Monty Fitness Test. Now, don't worry. This isn't to see if your numbers improve,
but it's to set the appropriate workout target numbers, so we aren't training too easy or
too hard. Ollie: Yes and both versions of the transition
plan culminate in us doing the SUF 4DP test, which is an incredibly comprehensive fitness
test that determines your full power profile so that it can then tailor all sort of fitness
targets and interval intensities in the Sufferfest app when you do them in the future.
Manon: I've never done one of those before. Ollie: You'll enjoy that. Something to look
forward to, Manon [chuckles]. Manon: Okay.
Ollie: You're probably thinking, "Where do I sign up? This sounds awesome."
Manon: Well, we're going to leave a link in the description below. It will take you straight
through to the Wahoo SUF Training app. Ollie: An ordinarily when you sign up to the
Sufferfest, you get 14 days completely free but if you use the code TRANSITION30, you'll
get an additional 30 days on top of that. Manon: You get the whole six weeks for free?
Ollie: Yes. Brilliant, isn't it? Manon: I love a bargain.
Ollie: Well, we're going to begin the plans on the 1st of November, so make sure you sign
up by then so that you can join in with us. There's going to be updates weekly in the
GCN Show, as well as posting all the workouts we do on Strava as well, and we'll be doing
some longer-form more in detail videos as well.
Manon: I can't wait. Ollie: Right.
Manon: Excited. Ollie: See you later. We better crack on,
Manon. Manon: Yes, get back before the rain.
Ollie: Bye. [00:12:28] [END OF AUDIO]