An inside look into how UCI Continental team, Ribble Weldtite are training this spring…
Whether your mission is snatching that elusive Strava KOM, or getting stronger on the bike, we’re all looking for ways to get ahead this summer! With the cycling season well underway, the SunGod pros are hard at work, but how do they keep the momentum and what are their secrets to getting race-ready? We caught up with Jack Rees, member of British based UCI Continental team, Ribble Weldtite who shares an exclusive day-in-the-life look into their latest training camp…
7.30
For any day in training, a good night's sleep is really important, so we try to balance not waking too early with ensuring we've got ample time to fuel up. For racing, we try and ensure we're awake 3 hours before, so there is plenty of time to fuel, but today is a training day so 2 hours is plenty!
7.45
Breakfast is porridge with a variety of berries, firstly for the taste and secondly for antioxidants to help with recovery and decrease inflammation. Breakfast is pretty personal but most of the team go for something fairly solid, with maybe a couple of eggs if it's a big day. No full English fry-ups or Coco Pops sadly however!
9.20
It's time for the pre-ride briefing! We’ll talk about what’s coming and the plan for the days ride. The routes are all stored on our Wahoo cycle computers so we know the plan for the day: 6 hours steady as a group, with some efforts in the final hour to simulate the fatigue of racing.
9.30
The day's ride starts and we roll out at 9.30 am! Everyone is excited to get on the road and we ride in pairs, rotating round so you get a chance to talk to different people, which is important for building team morale and cohesion. A typical 6 hour ride right now is about building volume and team morale. We're not doing training blocks within this, instead, we're practising the other skills of bike racing, such as using the team radios, getting bottles from the car, simulating (hopefully) punctures and bike changes etc... This is all to help us feel comfortable in the bunch and have that skillset alongside fitness.
12.30
A quick stop to refuel and a chance to get some protein in. Our nutrition partner, OnePro, offer both bars and powder, so you can pick what you fancy which is great. Personally, I go for the strawberry powder as I like the taste! Then we crack on to finish the ride!
15.30
The days ride finishes and we’ll have a debrief in the evening before dinner. The next few hours are spent recovering, stretching and chilling! We’ll also use this time to consider any prep that’s needed for the next day. For example, making sure the mechanics have been informed of any minor niggles, such as slow gear shifting so it can be sorted for tomorrow. During a normal evening at home, we undergo our own individual stretching and massage routines, but at the camp, we use the evenings for team bonding. With everyone having been isolated for so long it's important to build cohesion within the team!
17.45
Before dinner we do a full debrief about what went well in the day's ride, what can be improved and discuss the plan for tomorrow. The post-ride debrief is an opportunity for the entire team to share their opinions - it's great to be part of a team with lots of motivated riders, all with good thoughts.
19.00
For dinner, it’s rice! Despite the stereotype that cyclists eat loads of pasta, a lot of us find it's easier to digest rice and get carbs in that way, so tonight is chicken, mixed veg and rice. It's important to stay fuelled up for the next few days otherwise, performance suffers.
20.30
I’ll usually double check I have everything I need for the next day and that the bike is clean and ready to go! Luckily with the Weldtite lubes the bikes don't get too dirty however, we use a light ceramic lubricant to avoid trapping dirt.
21.30
By 9.30pm I’ll start thinking about going to bed and what’s to come for tomorrow. It will be another tough day, with TT efforts, so this is why today was a bit steadier. No matter what is on the cards each day, we try and make sure that the load is manageable so that every session is beneficial.
We’re excited to see Ribble Weldtite riders go from strength to strength and the team are already confirmed to be racing at the Tour of Britain this year. Join the team LIVE in training THIS SUNDAY the 2nd of May on the @we_are_sungod Instagram as they take over our stories. This is your chance to put your own questions to the team and see how they train together!