Give us Five! Ciaran O’Grady

Toachim House Veterinary Surgery RT rider Ciaran O’Grady tells us how his winter will preparing for the 2012 season …

VeloUK: Have you started your winter training and if so, how long did you spend off the bike post season and how many hours a week would you spend now training?
Ciaran: I went straight from the road season into the cyclo-cross season as my training and racing load during the summer was not enough to require me to take too much time off the bike. I focused on cyclo cross training until mid-way through November where I then shifted my focus to 2012 and the looming road season.

This allowed me to get some good results in the London Cyclo-cross League, in which I am currently ranked 3rd overall. At the moment I’m spending 15 hours a week training for the first three weeks of the month and then for the last week of the month, I will reduce my training load to about 10 hours training in total. In my next training block, the training load will increase to further build my aerobic engine and get me more accustomed to longer road races. I also undergo fitness testing every few months at the University of Kent which is a great way for me to get some scientific feedback from my training and also helps my studies towards my Sports Science degree.

Photo: Dave Hayward.

VeloUK: What is a typical weekday ride for you (how long and what intensity) and what sort of rides do you do on a weekend (how long and what intensity)?
Ciaran: My average ride length is about 3-4 hours, mainly completed in a heart rate zone that will build up my endurance base which I will definitely need in the upcoming season. I mix this with some specific lactate threshold intervals to push up my threshold and allow me to ride harder without causing a build-up of lactic acid. I am quite fortunate to have a timetable at University which allows me to train during the week without worrying about light conditions and it would be possible for me to complete a four hour training session on any day during the week.

VeloUK: Do you ride Xmas day or New Years day?
Ciaran: I will most likely go for a mess about on the cyclo-cross bike on Christmas day, especially if it’s snowing, which is always a good way to justify over-indulging yourself at the dinner table! On New Year’s Day, I will be doing a five hour training session, it’s not nice but if you start skipping training sessions on the first day of the year it’s not a very good start!

VeloUK: Do you intend to go to a training camp abroad and if so, what would be a typical training camp there in terms of the time spent training and the type of training rides they would be?
Ciaran: I’m hoping to be able to get out to Spain in February and again in early April for a couple of weeks, which will be my first time going on a training camp abroad, as previously I haven’t had the opportunity with a heavy school timetable. During the training camps, I hope to be able to fine-tune my fitness ready for the races during the following months, especially the SERRL Stage Race and the Toachim House Grand Prix.

VeloUK: Finally, what will be your first races for 2012?
Ciaran: As I will be defending my position in the overall standings of the London Cyclo-cross League, a few more cyclo-cross races are in order, as well going for the win at the London Team Championships in February, which was a major goal for the team at the start of the season. My first road race looks like it will be the first round of the South East Road Race League on March 4th.

Links:
http://www.thebigchainring.com/ (@ogradyc)
http://www.thvs-rt.blogspot.com/ (@thvs_rt)

 

YOUR TURN!
Is the weather better down south of England? Perhaps riders down there would like to fill in the following like Ciaran and let us know how they are faring during the Christmas period. Share your winter training schedule and early season programme with others in the cycling community by answering the following and email back to VeloUK

1. Have you started your winter training and if so, how long did you spend off the bike post season and how many hours a week would you spend now training?

2. Tell us about your winter training bike — type of bike and is there anything special about it compared to your summer bike — mudguards, lights, etc

3. What is a typical weekday ride for you (how long and what intensity) and what sort of rides do you do on a weekend (how long and what intensity)?

4. Do you ride Xmas day or New Years day?

5. Finally, what will be your first races for 2012?

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