Give us Five: Riders from Velo29 talk winter training

Alex Bottomley, Matt Kipling, Richard Meadows and lots more from Velo29 talk winter training!

Chris Mark

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?
Chris Mark: I started my winter training on the 1st November, working alongside my Velo29 team management, we have formulated a training plan to carry me over the winter which will consist of endurance work before leading into speed and strength training, with particular focus going into climbing and end of the race sprint type efforts.

The hours I am currently spending training varies each week but it works on a steady build up of hours for a 3 week block before the 4th week being an easier week. November consisted of 13hr, 15hr, 18hr week before dropping down again to 13hr, December is planned to be 15hr, 18hr then 20hr, before again dropping for a recovery week.

This year, I only spent one complete week off the bike when I went on holiday in October, however the riding after my last race in the beginning of October and then until training started on the 1st of November consisted only of very steady spins to the cafe and this was only a couple of times week.

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)?
Chris Mark: As I work shifts, I am sometimes working weekends so it is not a case for me to just get my long rides in on a weekend. At this time of year, my longest rides are between 4 and 5hrs steady, this is done either a Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday.

On the other days of the week, the hours vary from 2hr recovery rides and brisk 3hr rides. Also, if I am not on shift, I will meet up with my Velo29 team on a Sunday when we train all as a team to a set program. Support is also given from one of our team cars that follow us on the ride. Intensity varies but at the moment there is no high end work other than a daft burn up to the cafe at the end of a ride. The threshold work will start in January as per my program worked out alongside my Velo29 team.

VeloUK: Do you ride Xmas day or New Year day?
Chris Mark: I won’t ride Christmas day however there is a planned Velo29 ride on New Year’s day which I will be attending. I will also ride Christmas Eve and Boxing day.

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?
Chris Mark: Alongside some of my Velo29 team mates, I am heading to Mallorca for a training camp in February. Emphasis there will be hours on the bike and some high intensity work. We will also make good use of some of the infamous mountain climbs whilst there. Hours on the bike then will be around 6-7hr max for a ride, the higher end days will be more along the times of 3 -4 hr. It will be planned for approximately a 25-30 hr week of varying intensity and workouts. It will also be a good time to relax and spend some time with my Velo29 team mates.

VeloUK: Finally, what will be your first races for 2012?
Chris Mark: Currently my race program is still under development. Myself and the Velo29 team management will sit down shortly to plan out the year however I will be riding the Velo29 winter series and North East Trophy end of February, then after that my main target will be the first round of the Premier calendar series starting in April.


Alex Bottomley
The bronze medallist in the National Junior Road Race in 2011 fires back his answers via a Blackberry … wasn’t like that in my day!

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?
Alex Bottomley: I started training in November after having two weeks off the bike. I never had a proper rest after the season so this was a bit of a change but I felt rested and motivated to train again soon after. I have limited time to train trying to fit in hours on the bike with college but I don’t think this is too much of a disadvantages it keeps me keen and gives me something to look forward to. I ride about 14 hours a week with a couple of gym sessions mid week to try and improve my power!

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)?
Alex Bottomley: Midweek I do two one and a half hour to two hour rides with a gym session the same day and one midweek day of three hours. Currently the intensity is pretty low, the aim being to build a base that I can build on after Christmas and add some speed work. Saturday and Sunday are opportunities to put in a few more hours in. Saturday and Sunday I do between four and five hours both days and try not to get too carried away with winter racers!

VeloUK: Do you ride Xmas day or New Years day?
Alex Bottomley: I try and sneak out for a sly two hours before Christmas dinner if my mum isn’t looking. New Years day is the day after my eighteenth but there’s no doubt I’ll be out on the bike early doors!

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?
Alex Bottomley: It looks like I will be going to Majorca at the back end of January with the Welsh Development program. No doubt the rides will be epic.

VeloUK: Finally, what will be your first races for 2012?
Alex Bottomley: First race will be the Velo 29 winter series followed by the North East trophy and the Eddie Soens. Then we will be into the Prems, something I’m itching to get my claws into.


Matthew Kipling
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?
Matthew Kipling: I’ve been training since the start of October. Normally I would wait until mid November, but I stopped racing in July as I was not enjoying it and so I felt refreshed much earlier than previous years. At the moment I’m doing 13-15 hours of training which, in terms of volume is as much as I would do.

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)?
Matthew Kipling: I’ve been training at night mid-week on the cyclo-cross bike around the disused railway lines. It takes a couple of hours, there is usually a group of eight riding, its good fun and it gives me a break from using the same training roads. On a weekend, I’ve been riding for four hours on a Saturday and anything from 2-4 hours on a Sunday depending on how I feel. This year I want to enjoy cycling. I’m not forcing a tired body out of the door just to get ‘my hours in’. Every time I rode last year, I was just grinding away and riding felt like a chore rather than something that I enjoy and choose to do in my spare time. So now the plan is, if I feel good, I ride, If I don’t I rest.

VeloUK: Do you ride Xmas day or New Years day?
Matthew Kipling: I never ride on Christmas day, but New Year’s Day is dependant on the previous night.

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?
Matthew Kipling: This year I’m going to Malaga in February for a week. They have stopped flying to Mallorca from Newcastle at that time of year, but I’m looking forward to going somewhere different.

VeloUK: Finally, what will be your first races for 2012?
Matthew Kipling: My first race will be the North East Trophy at the end of February and I’m really looking forward to the Premier Calendar starting in April.


Richard Meadows
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?
Richard: Yes, I’ve started my winter training. I took about a month off then started slowly building up the hours mixed with a bit of running.

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)?
Richard: A typical weekday ride varies from 1 hour to 4 hours depending on whether I am working or not. All my rides this time of year are just zone 2 rides. On a weekend, I try to do at least one ride of 4 hours or more which I will put up to 5 hours after Christmas and will also definitely train both days.

VeloUK: Do you ride Xmas day or New Year day?
Richard: I used to do the local Christmas day 10 mile TT but haven’t done that for a couple of years. It always meant rushing around with family visits etc so I prefer just to relax and have Christmas day and New Years day as rest days.

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?
Richard: I don’t intend on going on a training camp this year however I will have a week or so in late January where I will do a training camp at home and just eat, ride and sleep. During this week I’ll probably try to do at least four hours a day.

VeloUK: Finally, what will be your first races for 2012?
Richard: My first race will be the Velo29 winter series followed by the North East Trophy.


Jack Rees

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?
Jack Rees: I took three weeks recovery at the end of the season. I still rode to work and to the cafe on a weekend around 6 hours per week at a really low heart Rate.

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)?
Jack Rees: I work 3/4 days during the week so on those days its just an hour to hour and a half with some specific work. I try to get one midweek endurance ride of 4 hours which will increase to 5 hours in January. I have two local training partners for the midweek ride and we tend to head over towards North Yorkshire. Generally I ride 3-5 hours on the Saturday and similar on the Sunday. There’s usually 10-15 out on a Saturday all of a decent standard and we have a team ride two Sundays in the month with the whole team and the following car which is really good.

VeloUK: Do you ride Xmas day or New Years day?
Jack Rees: I might do one hour on Christmas day, but I won’t ride New Years Day.

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?
Jack Rees: I have a training camp with some team members and other local riders in Mallorca during February where we will cover around 25 hours during the week with 2 x 3 day blocks with some specific efforts during some of those rides and a lot of climbing.

VeloUK: Finally, what will be your first races for 2012?
Jack Rees: The Velo29 Winter series during February followed by the Velo29 North East Trophy 25th Feb.


Nick Busst
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?
Nick Busst: Winter training is now in full swing. I aimed to get going at the start of November this year which is a bit earlier than usual for me but the cycling gods intervened and stuck me down with a bout of the dreaded manflu so it was more like mid-November when I kicked off. I think an extended break from the bike is healthy at the end of the season and I usually have 4-5 weeks off. At the moment I am aiming to spend about 12hrs a week training whilst the weather is playing ball.

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)?
Nick Busst: Unfortunately, living in London, a typical weekday ride for me goes nowhere as I am on the turbo trainer. Last year, I got through all six series of the Soprano’s on the turbo which proved a great training partner. This year I am taking on The Wire but I’m still getting into that at the moment. Everybody raves about it so let’s hope it does help me through the winter. At the weekend, I try to fit in 3-5 hour group rides as much as possible but I’m dreading the arrival of the ice! Intensity is largely in endurance tempo zones at this time of year with time at either end of the intensity spectrum getting thrown in more regularly as the winter goes on.

VeloUK: Do you ride Xmas day or New Years day?
Nick Busst: Absolutely not! Christmas morning is taken up with foraging under the Christmas tree squishing presents in a bid to guess their contents and experience tells me that recovery seems to offer the marginal gains on New Year’s Day rather than a training ride so I tend to work that into the schedule.

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?
Nick Busst: The last few years I have been to Mallorca on training camps in late Feb/early March run by www.rutrainingtoday.co.uk which have been great. A week of 4-5 hour rides every day is a good boost to the start of the season and Mallorca is a great place to do it with some epic rides and usually decent weather. This year though I am not yet decided on my approach so I’ll be looking to firm that up over Christmas depending on my early season race calendar.

VeloUK: Finally, what will be your first races for 2012?
Nick Busst: The North East Trophy on 25th of February is looking like the opener. A great way to kick off what is shaping up to be a very exciting year at Velo 29!


Rob Carter

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?
Rob: I took four weeks off completely from cycling and started winter training early November. I am now five or six weeks into winter training and doing between 10-12 hours a week which includes some gym work and circuit training. I will drop the circuit training and some of the gym work in the New Year and fully concentrate on the bike, with a maximum weekly training hours topping out at 16 hours January/February.

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)?
Rob: I aim to get in three good long endurance rides in each week throughout winter , three to three and half hours mid week normally Wednesday and maybe three to five hours on Saturday and Sunday.

VeloUK: Do you ride Xmas day or New Year day?
Rob: I don’t ride Xmas day but will maybe go out New Years Day if the hangover’s not too bad!

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?
Rob: I am going cycling in Gran Canaria mid January for a week. Its my favourite place to go and ride the bike. The terrain is extremely challenging, high mountains, very steep climbs and wonderful scenery. So the roads do a lot of the hard work for you anyway. Will spend a minimum of 20 hours training over the seven days. Got to be sensible though as it’s so easy to get carried away when on a camp and ride for 5 or 6 hours each day and come back wiped out.

VeloUK: Finally, what will be your first races for 2012?
Rob: Velo29 are holding a short winter series at Croft in February, then some local handicapped races in March. Then I’m hoping to be selected for a UCI Tour in March that Velo29 has been invited to ride in 2012.


Thomas Timothy

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?
Thomas Timothy: I started winter training at the start of November. I took about three weeks off the bike during which I went on holiday with some friends for a week to make sure I got a proper break. Currently I’m aiming to ride about 15-20hrs a week, depending on how much University work I have on.

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)?
Thomas Timothy: A standard weekday ride will be about 3hrs around the Northumberland countryside with some of the other cyclists who race based around Newcastle. At this time of year, I try and keep it fairly steady, although still end up occasionally racing up the hills when someone decides to attack! At the weekend I try and do some longer 4-5hr rides.

VeloUK Do you ride Xmas day or New Year day?
Thomas Timothy: Maybe ride Xmas day but not normally in a fit state to ride on New Years day!

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?
Thomas Timothy: I’ll be going to Majorca for a week in February with some teammates. We should hopefully get a decent weeks training with a mix of long steady rides and also some harder shorter rides with some structured efforts. We will probably do about 25 hours riding.

VeloUK Finally, what will be your first races for 2012?
Thomas Timothy: My first races will be the Velo29 winter series and North East Trophy around the Croft motor circuit. These are a good start to the year and an ideal way to get used to the speed and efforts needed while racing.



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