Coaching venture

As many of you may have seen by now, I have started my own coaching business to offer one-to-one plans and support anyone who may be interested.

This has been in the works for a while whilst I was completing my coaching qualification with ABCC. I've always had an interest in coaching and training plans as I've been coached myself for many years by various people.  I've a fair bit of experience on a personal level.  I have always been interested in how the body responds to different sessions and how individuals differ in their response to training. I feel I am quite a good judge of an athletes traits and what will work for certain individuals and this is only achieved by having a close coach-athlete bond.

Aside from physically improving an individual, I feel I can offer a lot of useful race/tactical advice as this is a side to racing that in my opinion just isn't looked into enough. Through my personal experiences racing and from all of the people I've met through racing, I've picked up many nuggets of useful information that I'm happy to share.

Doing the coaching side of things is something I've wanted to do for a while and thus far I'm really thankful for the response I've had. I'm running this in parallel with my personal goals with the sport as I've found focusing my energy onto other areas helps to keep me mentally fresh and not so self consumed in my own racing. This helps me stay really motivated for my own training/racing.

With regards to my own training I'm on a build/strength phase of winter training. This is a mix of gym and strength efforts on the bike. I'm also mixing this up with some speed work at the velodrome. The rest of time I'm riding on the roads through whatever weather is thrown at me! At this time of year it is great to mix things up to keep yourself fresh. It's great to get out social riding with friends at this time of year.

I hope to meet a good few of you reading this along the way. Please feel free to get in touch with any coaching advice you'd like; just drop me a message.

Pete

2019 season round up/ general update

It’s been a slow ending to my 2019 season with a lack of racing in September; my last race was Ryedale at the end of August.

For September, I’ve just been ticking along keeping the fitness levels up before heading into October for a few weeks off the bike and some down time to reset ahead of next season.

To sum up the 2019 season for me...

It’s been far from what I wanted and for the work I put in, it’s been a bit of a disappointment. Much of this was down to bad luck with a minor heart issue kicking this off before a heavy crash causing a lingering knee injury.

Prior to this, I was very pleased with my results and performances in races. Obviously the stand out performance for me was retaining the KOM jersey in the tour de Bretagne. It was at this point I felt I was gathering momentum with my racing to properly seal down some of the key results that I set out to achieve this season. Due to the set backs I mentioned earlier, this was just too much of an ask for me and I just couldn't get back up to the level at which I was performing at both physically but also mentally. I found the mid-season period particularly tough to deal with. 

Looking towards next year I've had some good discussions with Welsh Cycling. They have really helped me out in all aspects and especially putting my mind at ease giving me the opportunity to race for their Senior Academy next season. I cannot thank Welsh cycling enough for their support over the years and especially giving me a chance to prove my worth in the 2020 season.

Aside from racing, I’ve just come back from a week of riding + a lot of socializing with an ace bunch of friends in Girona which I’ve super enjoyed. It has mentally rejuvenated me and given me the motivation I need for next season. It’s made me enjoy my riding again.  Post mid-season set backs, I lost the love for riding a little and aspects of my training became a bit of a chore. It was great to feel fully passionate about what I’m doing once more.

This is a sign off to my 2019 season. I fully appreciate all the support I’ve been shown this year and can’t wait to get the wheels turning in anger next season now 💪🏼

Trials and Tribulations

The last month or so since I last checked in here hasn't been plain sailing to say the least. From being on a bit of a high from the Tour of Bretagne, I got a bit of a virus most probably from being depleted from the race . I thought I was over this so decided to rock up at Redditch tour series. This turned out to be a bit of a mistake as I wasn't fully over this and had to abandon with some weird health symptoms. Following this, I went for a load of different tests over the next 2 and a half weeks mostly to do with my heart. This was a very frustrating period of not knowing if I had an issue or not but mostly missing one of my key target races for the year, The Fleche de Sud.

After seeing many different people and finally an expert based in London, I was given the all clear to get back training and racing.  It was actually quite interesting to see the 3D heart scan etc. I was pleased to hear this and dead motivated to regain some fitness which seemed to be going pretty well. Then 2 weekends ago I got back to racing in Belgium in GP Memorial Van Conningslo. However, this race came to a very premature end. Crashing fairly early on, hard onto my face! I was taken to hospital where I had stitches on my lip and nose. I also once again took my front tooth out (3rd time in a race!!!!). Fair to say, I did a proper job..... A few days later now when I've tried to train again but my left knee has been giving me grief from something sustained in the crash. This means even more time off the bike and in rehab to get me back on the road.

This has been really annoying having a vast chunk of my mid season taken away through misfortune. However,  hopefully it won't be too long until this knee is sorted and  stitches are out so my looks aren't quite as dented as last week! Just more scars to add to the collection.... I've been feeling pretty sorry for myself but it could have been worse and I could have ended up like Froome.

I'm doing what I can to get my knee sorted but this is mostly a waiting game. Frustrating as this is, I'm just looking forward to getting back racing once I'm fit again.

Pete

Polka Dots in Bretagne

Tour de Bretagne

So last week saw me off to France to race what is one of Wales Racing Academy’s highest level races of our season, the tour de Bretagne. All of us were pretty nervous but really excited to be exposed to such a high level of competition. There was an element of heading into the unknown against this competition.

Personally, I was really up for just getting stuck in and seeing what I could achieve as I was happy with my condition going into the race.

tour de Bretagne in brief

This is a 7 day UCI 2.2 stage race. With the list of teams entered incredibly strong being either hardened, continental level or the cream of the crop world tour development teams. The tour was also aired on french national TV.

Heading into the first stage, the weather was pretty inclement with pouring rain and a fairly strong wind off the sea. My goal of the day here was to get up the road which I succeeded in very early on. I was brought back after around an hour but later in the stage I claimed some first category mountain points which put me in the polka dot jersey.  I was really pleased with this! 

Then onto stage 2 with the weather still being pretty grim I managed to some how slope off into the break of the day. This enabled me to gain plenty of valuable mountain points to distance myself from my rivals in the KOM competition. This was a long day out front with my 2 break away companions. We lasted out front for 150km so it was a taxing day on the legs.

Heading into the remaining stages of the tour now I was in a tricky situation as I was only 8 secs back on the general classification and I had a big white and red target on my back so wasn’t allowed much leeway to go on the attack.

 This made gaining points to retain my jersey pretty tricky. I tried my best to pick up some minor points where I could but with riders sloping up the road gaining the maximum points, this was a tough ask. And after 4 days in the jersey, I was dethroned. Just to add, on the day I lost the jersey, me and the rest of the team did everything in our power to keep the jersey and to bring back danger men. It was a super tough ask and eventually we were done over. It was a little gutting but we did everything in our power to hold it. I was made up with how selfless the lads were for me so the favour will definitely be re-paid further into the season.

The last few days I tried to ride very aggressively again to gain points back to re-gain the jersey but it just didn’t happen. I came home second in the King of the mountains jersey just 6 points off the eventual winner. On the last day I had a pretty unfortunate mechanical putting me out of any contention of the dying embers of the race. 

I pressed on hard to the finish to complete what was on the whole a great weeks racing in Brittany. Now onwards to the next races with the form hopefully being furthered by

racing at such a high level.

It was great to have plenty of support for us welsh boys roadside from both Bretagne residents and Welsh alike. Also got to add a big thanks to everyone who messaged me support throughout the week I really appreciated it!

Totnes and Klondike

Racing season is now well under way. The last two weekends have been spent on the road. First up was Totnes - 2 day stage Race followed by Klondike the first National Series race of the year.

Totnes
After a pretty savage hill-climb up Haytor I finished in the bridesmaids slot to Steve Lampier of St Piran by the narrowest of margins (2 tenths of a second...). The next 2 days, me and the team tried hard to gain an inch on 'Lamps' but it wasn't to be. I finished up 2nd on GC after the 3 races. Teammate Josh took a 2nd in the crit and a 3rd in the final stage. Good weekend riding by all of the team. This set me up nicely going into Klondike the following weekend.

Klondike
It was an attritional but controlled day for the most part until the last hour when a flurry of attacks occurred. The first attack occurred up the Saltburn bank which was a short but punchy kick off the seafront. This split the race to bits!  From then on in there was a constant wave of attacks whittling down the field until there was a select few remaining to contest the win. I remained with the leaders through the series of big moves until my legs completely fell over with about 14k to go. It was survival mode until the finish when I rolled in 24th. There were positives and negatives to take from this race. Digging so deep to stay with the moves until I was no longer able. I was disappointed not to be able to stay with these riders to get a result. This will have done the legs some good. Onwards now to the upcoming races.

Next up is the Tour of Bretagne which I'm very much looking forward to. The Race starts on 25th April and it's 7 tough stages with the highest level of U23s and conti riders in Europe competing.

Kicking off 2019 'bit late...'

Sorry guys it’s been far too long since I’ve kept you in the loop of what I’m up to. I’ll kick things off from the start of 2019 where I headed off to Girona to get some good consistent training in the bank to take into the rest of the season. I had a great time out there riding with a good group of lads and I had a fair bit off fun off the bike there too. On a rest day, I had a super cool day out in Barcelona looking round the Sagrada Famila. Massive thanks has to go to Sophie for putting up with me in Girona and making the stay ace. 

I got back to Wales in early February to what was a ‘mini heatwave’....well for the U.K. anyway. It was good to get training with the Wales Racing Academy boys once again with some grippy weekly group rides where Rob tested us, whatever the weather! So I managed to continue some good quality training heading into the first few Nat B’s of the year. My legs were feeling good in these but I was a bit race rusty. 

Last weekend saw the Betty Pharaoh Memorial Road Race which had a stacked field of conti riders along with other strong guys. I was real chuffed to come away with 2nd place to Connor Swift, the current national road race champion,especially on local roads. 

I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season with the team as we’ve got a great European race calendar that’s been put together. 

Promise I’ll keep the updates more frequent from now onwards into the race season.