Lockdown Q&A with Tim Torrie

This latest Lockdown Q&A is with Tim Torrie of TBW23 Stuart Hall Cycling P/B trainSharp Cycle Coaching – brought to you by trainSharp

Lockdown Q&A with Tim Torrie
Brought to you by trainSharp

Tim, based in Britain, works part time in a bike shop and recently got a second job with a local charity for disadvantaged children in Essex. But both jobs are few hours and give Tim the ability to work and continue to train 15-20hrs a week. He is also very fortunate that his parents continue to support him to pursue his dream.

Q: Your last race was and how did it go you?
Tim: The last “real” race I did was the Roy Thame. I was really pleased with how I felt for the first 20 minutes of the race. Until I punctured then when I was coming back with the neutral service, I hit one of the many potholes on the circuit lost control and had a pretty unpleasant tangle with the tarmac. There wasn’t much left of my kit or my skin. Such is what happens when toppling at over 60kph! It lead to a DNS at the Betty Pharoh as my cuts were just a little too deep to risk it.

The last “virtual” race was the DPAC climbers day which went up the Alpe du Zwift. I won that which is always nice! My condition is very good at the moment so I’m itching for the races to come back but also fascinated to see how good I can really get during training in this peculiar hiatus.

Q: With racing cancelled, what’s a typical week training wise for you?
Tim: Not much has changed really. My coach (Conor Murphy) and I see it as a great opportunity to get in the best condition of my life. A typical week would be 15-20hrs Easy hour Monday, intervals Tuesday, endurance Wednesday, some longer intervals Thursday, sofa on Friday and then an endurance ride with intervals on Saturday before a longer endurance ride on Sunday.

We mix it up a lot though, throw in a Zwift race here and there to keep me sharp but essentially there’s nothing much different apart from goals have changed.

Tim racing the Jock Wadley

Q: How long have you worked with trainSharp and how has your training changed?
Tim: I’ve been with trainSharp since I was 16 now, through my years on HMT and Vitus. They’ve helped me through the good and the bad. I’ve got a really good relationship with all the guys there and it just works. I have recently changed coaches within the team, which was purely personal for me and it’s given me a nice change and training is going really well.

Having a coach for me is essential because I’ve never struggled with training enough. My issue has always been doing too much too hard and trainSharp are always there to say “what are you doing? You’ll be dead by March if you keep this up” kind of thing. They’re just there holding my leash so I can unleash the efforts at the right time and not be totally knackered for the big events.

Q: Is the coaching just about number and efforts or other parts of the training/racing?
Tim: The numbers are there as a guide really. Where trainSharp have helped me most is actually the mental side of things and learning to believe in myself and trust the training and process that I’m going through. Self doubt is a big part of sport for everyone and I think being taught to manage that is probably more important than whether you did this or that, hit this number or that number. I’ve learnt that the hard way with trainSharp’s help!

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Q: Enjoying the turbo or avoiding it like the virus?
Tim: I’m trying to keep as much of my training on the road as possible. I think there’s a big guilt feeling to doing 4-5hrs on the road but I really want to make the most of it while I can. I’m sticking to very local roads though and it’s amazing how many different loops you can do so close to home. It’s a refreshing way to ride out side, totally different to the normal big loops that I do. I’m reserving turbo for the harder efforts at the moment then we’ll see maybe all the training will have to be on the turbo soon, who knows!

Q: What’s the hardest thing for you about the Lockdown?
Tim: Not being able to see my girlfriend. As I said, my daily routine hasn’t changed drastically. I can’t go to work but I’m doing all the bike shop’s social media. Training regime is pretty much normal. I’m just feeling the distance between me and my girlfriend as she lives in Lincolnshire and with traveling essentially banned, we don’t know when we’ll see each other again, but we’ve been creative and Facetime is really handy for keeping in touch so I’m sure we’ll get through it!

Q: Besides cycling, what’s your biggest distraction as lock down continues?
Tim: I’m reading a lot. I’ve gone through more books than I can remember. I read a lot at the best of times but now more so. I’m also writing and drawing, keeping creative. I’ve been cooking a lot for the family as well as my sister is back from Uni and my parents are a teacher and nurse respectively so I’ve been trying to keep the mood light and happy with some fancy dishes.

Q: What’s the bike that gets the most use by you and what is the best thing about it?
Tim: The Botecchia T1 and as of this year my TT bike (which is a Cannondale Slice). I really like the team issue Botecchia, it handles really well and is super comfy. On my training camp in Mallorca, I racked up a 36hr week (I timed it pretty well, literally just before the world went mad).

Q: What’s the weirdest thing you have seen since this crisis began?
Tim: The volume of people out and about taking advantage of the one form of exercise a day. It’s really great to see and I hope it continues after this has all blown over. It could be really beneficial to cyclists as in my area people have been complaining about how ridiculously people drive on the country lanes (as if I hadn’t moaned about it before) so hopefully it might lead to a change in the car culture in this country and alter the attitude that a lot of motorists have to other road users!

Q: Finally, where you do you enjoy riding the most in this country or abroad?
Tim: Anywhere with smooth tarmac, few cars and pretty countryside, and the UK ranks up there as one of the best!

Thank you Tim for that great insight, take care, stay safe and good luck for 2020 – If you need further guidance or information about anything turbo or training related, please email paul@trainsharp.co.uk.