Despite winter weather conditions, MYP4 sport & study student Kyan has been training hard indoors to prepare for the next cycling season. He managed, however, to find some time to tell us a bit about what he’s been up to.
After a season filled with races but no extreme training, I have started a new training programme to prepare for the upcoming season and race-specific training sessions.
How do you train to ensure you are in top form for a season?
I planned my training with an app called training peaks, which provides thousands of different training plans designed by professional coaches and riders. My training plan was made by Dylan Johnson, a cycling coach and elite ultra-endurance mountain and gravel racer. I chose this training plan because Dylan Johnson knows a lot about the science behind training and what a rider should be doing between and during race season.
I will therefore train for three weeks before taking a week’s rest to recover and prepare for the next block of training. At the end of every rest week, I have to do a ramp test in ERG mode to determine by Functional Threshold Power (FTP), in other words my current cycling performance based on the power I can maintain for 1 hour.
How does a ramp test work?
A ramp test provides riders with an estimate of their FTP by gradually increasing the power they need to put into the workout. It starts with a 5-minute warm-up and then increases the power needed by 20 watts every minute. It may sound easy as it’s only 1 minute of effort each time, but it gets tiring.
Given my weight, I begin to fatigue a lot when I reach the 300 watts section. And once that happens, it gets harder to turn the pedals until the bike eventually grinds to a halt because of the ERG. The ERG is what gives you the most accurate results because when you can no longer turn the pedals at the power it wants you to, it stops the test.
As a rider, why is it important to know your FTP?
A rider’s FTP is one of the most important factors to a rider's race and training performance because it dictates the power you need to put out during an endurance or an interval session. Without an FTP estimate, a rider cannot tailor their training to their needs and will therefore not necessarily improve their performance.
Kyan demonstrates the level of commitment to training we should all strive towards. In addition to his work ethic, he approaches his training with a clear focus, using the knowledge of the experts in his sport. Thanks for taking the time to update us on your progress, we look forward to hearing of your achievements in the future.
James Flavell
Student Athlete Coordinator