The Road Cycling Performance Manual

ALONG WITH SCHEDULING IN ADEQUATE REST DAYS AND EASIER RECOVERY WEEKS IN YOUR TRAINING PLAN, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PRACTICAL STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO MAXIMISE YOUR RECOVERY FROM TRAINING AND, IN DOING SO, MAKE GREATER GAINS FROM IT.

‘Training is bad for you! Training followed by rest and proper nutrition is good for you and will make you better prepared for the event you are training for.’
GRAEME OBREE, TWICE WORLD HOUR RECORD HOLDER AND TWICE INDIVIDUAL PURSUIT WORLD CHAMPION.

WE’VE ALREADY DISCUSSED AT THE START of the book how one of the main differences between full-time riders and those who have to juggle their riding with work, family and other commitments isn’t necessarily the amount or quality of the training they do. The key factor is what they don’t do when they’re not riding. They’re not sitting at a desk all day, they’re not having to ferry kids to school and they’re definitely not up on their feet. When not training, professional endurance athletes are probably some of the laziest creatures on the planet. The old adage for pro cyclists was: ‘Don’t stand when you can lean, don’t lean when you can sit and don’t sit when you can lie down.’ Along with optimising their nutrition, it’s this ultra-laid-back approach to non-cycling time that allows their bodies to cope with and adapt to the huge volume of training they routinely do. If you’re not a full-time cyclist, fitting in this quality recovery time can be a real issue, but you can’t just plough on with training regardless. If recovery is neglected, you’ll compromise the gains from the session you’ve just done and the quality of your next ride and possibly risk burnout, illness and injury. If you notice that the quality of your training or racing is starting to diminish, you’re no longer making the progress you were, you’re constantly tired and low on motivation or you keep picking up illnesses, it’s likely that your training and recovery balance is out. Many coaches like to talk about overtraining but, for many non-full-time riders, it’s not the training that’s the problem, it’s everything else in their life. A better expression would be under-recovering, and if you’re not giving your recovery the same priority as your training, you’ll never reach your full potential as a rider.

In Chapter 3 we talked about the importance of scheduling in regular recovery weeks, where training volume and intensity are reduced in order to allow your body to adapt to the training block you’ve just been through. We also talked about having some down time away from structured training each year, normally post-season and before you start your off-season training in earnest. Both of these are vital to success and longevity as a cyclist, but it’s also important to do all you can to maximise recovery from ride to ride.

‘A normal day for the riders when they’re at home is to get up, have breakfast and then be out on their bikes by about 10:00. When they get home, eating is a priority and then resting the legs. Many will have a sleep, as that’s important for recovery, and most will also have massage at least once or twice per week.’
ANDREAS LANG, TEAM PHYSIOLOGIST, CANYON/SRAM

Before moving on to evaluating recovery techniques, it’s important to be able to recognise warning signs that you may be under-recovering.

The very nature of structured progressive training is to provide your body with an overload stimulus that forces it to adapt and become stronger. This means that, at times, you’re going to feel tired and you’re going to have sore legs. However, if you’re training is well planned and balanced, you’ll recover and progress. The process of creating an overload stimulus, recovering from it and improving performance is known as functional overreaching.

However, if you under-recover, the balance between your training load and recovery is insufficient and performance gets worse. This is referred to as non-functional overreaching and, due to that tricky balancing act of life and training, is a state that many riders find themselves in. There are a number of indicators of non-functional overreaching that you should be aware of.

One of the surest indicators is a tailing off in your performance, either in races or in training sessions. You’ll fail to hit the power numbers that you know you should be capable of and might also struggle to elevate your heart rate. Obviously, at the end of a training block, you will have accumulated a significant amount of fatigue and some ‘blunting’ of your form is to be expected. However, if your performance is consistently falling off, even at the beginning of training blocks or after a recovery period, it’s likely your recovery and training balance isn’t right.

Training, up to a certain level, has a beneficial effect on your immune system, but push too hard and it can lower your body’s defences. Factor in breathing in large volumes of air, especially if you’re training in a public gym, and you can significantly increase your risk of upper respiratory tract infections. A few colds and sniffles are almost inevitable if you’re training over the winter, but if you find you’re not shifting them or are picking up more than usual, it might be time to back off. Knowing whether to train if you’re feeling a bit under the weather can be difficult but, if in doubt, don’t. A rule of thumb is that light training is okay if your symptoms are above neck level, but if you have symptoms below the neck, such as a chesty cough, muscular aches or a temperature, training is an absolute no-no.

‘The riders will start to say that they’re tired, they might be irritable or have trouble sleeping and you can also tell just by looking at their faces. They will start to complain of increased soreness in the legs, especially when they wake up in the morning before they’ve done any training. Water retention is another strong indicator. They’ll also see a drop in the quality of their training and an inability to hit the power numbers in training that they’d expect.’
JULIA SCHULZE, TEAM DOCTOR, CANYON/SRAM

Getting into the habit of checking your pulse first thing in the morning is an excellent way of getting a heads-up for the early warning signs of non-functional overreaching or a looming illness. Once you’ve got over the shock of your alarm going off, lie back and relax for a minute and find your radial (wrist) pulse. Count the beats in a minute and note it down in your training log. You can just count for 30 or even 15 seconds and multiply by 2 and 4 respectively, but a full minute gives a more accurate reading. After a week or so, you should get a good idea of what your typical resting heart rate is. As your training progresses, expect to see your resting pulse steadily dropping. However, if you notice an increase or decrease in rate from one day to another of more than five beats per minute, take a rest day or only train very lightly.

For many riders, losing a bit of excess fat can be one of the biggest bonuses of following a structured training plan, but too rapid weight loss is a sign of non-functional overreaching combined with under-fuelling and indicates that you might be losing muscle tissue as well as fat. Daily weigh-ins and plotting your weight on a graph is the best way to monitor your weight. Make sure you weigh at the same time each day. Expect to see daily fluctuations of up to or even over a kilogram (2.2lbs), but if the overall trend shows weight loss of much more than 1kg from one week to the next, it’s not necessarily a good thing. Obviously, some people have more fat to lose initially than others and can expect to see more rapid weight loss but any sudden significant increases in weight loss should be viewed with suspicion.

With the saddle time you’ll be logging, you will probably sleep better than you’ve ever slept, but having problems sleeping is one of the classic signs of non-functional overreaching. As sleep is when your body repairs itself and recovers, not sleeping throws you into a vicious circle. Typically, an athlete who’s in a state of non-functional overreaching has problems getting to sleep, complaining of restless legs or just feeling wide awake. As well as maybe backing off your training for a couple of days, look at your bedtime routine and sleeping environment. If possible, avoid training within two hours of going to bed or, if you have to train late, factor in a relaxing mobility session when you get in, followed by a hot bath and maybe some meditation or mindfulness work. Drink some hot milk, but avoid tea or coffee any later than midday. Avoid watching television or going on the computer in the bedroom or immediately before going to bed. Make sure your bedroom is quiet, genuinely dark and not too warm. If you are struggling to sleep, don’t lay there stressing and clock-watching. Get up, make yourself some warm milk, read for half an hour and then try going back to bed.

DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is characterised by soreness in your muscles 48–72 hours after exercise. It’s part of the normal inflammation and adaptation process associated with training, is perfectly normal and is part of how muscles become stronger. Over 24 hours the soreness normally fades and recovery techniques can speed up this process. If you’re consistently overdoing it, though, the soreness will not ease and your legs will feel continuously sore, heavy and tired.

Exercise should improve your mood and give you a genuine mental lift. As well as the very real ‘exercise high’ elicited by chemicals released in your brain during exercise, sticking to a regular training plan will improve feelings of self-worth and give a genuine sense of achievement. However, too much training, combined with not enough recovery and insufficient sleep, can really bring you down. As well as feeling irritable, snappy or a bit low, one of the classic signs of non-functional overreaching is genuinely starting to dread training sessions. We all have days when getting out to train is a real effort but, in the main, you should look forward to it.

If a state of non-functional overreaching is ignored, not only will you be failing to get the most out of the effort you’re putting in on the bike, you also risk making yourself extremely ill. Overtraining syndrome is a medical condition, requiring a medical diagnosis, and describes a prolonged maladaptation, the result of a continued too-high training load and too little recovery. This condition is extremely serious and if you think you’re at risk, you should consult with a qualified medical professional.

If you find yourself exhibiting more than two or three of the signs described for more than a couple of consecutive days, you should take action. Give yourself an extra rest day and possibly schedule in a recovery week. Take a look at your training over the preceding weeks. What have you changed? Have you ramped up either intensity or volume too quickly and have you been taking regular rest days and recovery weeks? Equally, look at your non-cycling life. Has work been especially busy or stressful? Has your baby not been sleeping through the night? Remember, these non-cycling factors have to be included in your ‘training load’ and can’t just be ignored. Go back to the basic template of the three essential sessions, two quality midweek workouts and a longer weekend ride, stick with just that for a few weeks and, if you find that the signs of non-functional overreaching diminish, incrementally add some more volume. However, remember the golden rule that quality always trumps quantity and that three workouts consistently done well are always better than five or six compromised sessions. Along with trying to incorporate some of the recovery techniques described later in the chapter, take practical steps to increase the time you have available for recovery. For example, if you’re normally out for 4 hours on your weekend ride and include a significant café break, lose the café stop and ride for a solid 3 hours instead. Use the extra hour you’ve got back for a dedicated off your feet post-ride chill-out and maybe even a nap.

‘It’s all about overcoming that “more is more” athletes’ mentality and realising that a day off can be as beneficial as another day of training. There’s obviously a volume of training that you have to do and it’s normal to feel a certain amount of tiredness but, more and more, the emphasis is on quality rather than quantity. For me, the real warning sign is deeper fatigue. I constantly feel tired, I have no energy when I wake up and I don’t have the motivation to get out on the bike. When I am on the bike, I just can’t produce the power or push my heart rate as high as I know it should go during a particular effort. That’s when I know I’ve got to listen to my body and back off. I’ve got so much better at taking my recovery seriously.’
TIFFANY CROMWELL, CANYON/SRAM

Along with ensuring that you schedule in the appropriate amount of recovery time for the training you’re doing, there are a number of techniques you can use to enhance your recovery.

In Chapter 4 we talked about the importance of warming up and cooling down. Always try to spend the final 10–15 minutes of every ride spinning a low gear in Zone 1. This can take a fair bit of discipline if you’re trying to nudge up your average speed or power for the ride, get sucked into an end-of-ride sprint or are pressed for time, but it really does make a difference to the recovery process. It’s a common occurrence on Grand Tours these days for the presentations to be delayed because the GC leader is completing their cool-down. You should view your cool-down both as the end of your current ride and the start of your next one.

Following the guidelines in Chapter 6 regarding post-ride nutrition will definitely aid the recovery process. Prioritise protein and consider supplementing with a quality fish oil product. It’s not just about post-ride nutrition, though – if you fuel poorly during the ride and allow yourself to become dehydrated or too depleted, this will have a knock-on effect on your recovery and future rides. For hard interval workouts, a good idea can be to have a second bottle on the bike containing a protein recovery drink or, for longer rides with efforts, a sachet that you can mix with some water. You should aim to have this bottle during the final 10–20 minutes of the ride, when you’re cooling down. This ensures that you’re kick-starting your recovery and starting your preparation for your next ride.

Follow the pros’ lead and aim to spend at least some time horizontal post-ride. You’d be staggered just how lazy elite athletes are when not training and how seriously they devote themselves to doing nothing and keeping their weight off their feet.

‘I’ve been retired for about a year and I still won’t stand up. I was a Halloween party last night and we’re all standing in someone’s living room at a bar and I’m desperately looking for a stool. It’s burned deep into me that you don’t stand up, you never stand up. You lean or you sit and if you can you lie down. I wonder how many years I’ll be done racing before that mentality goes away?’

It can be hard if you have a family and have already been out riding for 4 hours or more on a weekend, but do try. It doesn’t have to be hours on the sofa. Grab a pillow for your head and lie on the floor with your backside close to a wall and your legs elevated. Shuffle closer to the wall, keep your legs straight but soft at the knees and you should feel a gentle stretch on your hamstrings. Chill in this position for 5 minutes for every hour you’ve just ridden. It feels great, aids venous return, and gently stretches and relaxes your lower back and hamstrings.

If you have the time post-ride once you’ve showered and eaten, working through some of the exercises in the mobility routine described in Chapter 5 will aid recovery. You can view the TASMT, using a foam roller and a trigger ball, as a poor man’s massage.

Although viewed as an essential part of any pro cyclist’s routine, the actual physiological benefits of massage are far from proven. It definitely doesn’t flush lactic acid, as is often claimed, and the gains are probably as much down to relaxation and a psychological boost as anything else. However, that doesn’t mean that a massage is a waste of time.

If you’re not on a pro team, daily or even weekly massages probably aren’t affordable or practical. However, in the final lead-up to a big event that you’re focusing on, a massage can give you a bit of a boost and make you feel ‘pro’. Also, a regular – say, monthly – appointment with an experienced soft tissue therapist can be useful as a body MOT and can help identify areas of tightness or concern, which you can then work on yourself.

Compression clothing has become incredibly popular with athletes of all levels and, although the performance gains during activity are still debatable, there’s a fair amount of evidence for their role in aiding recovery post-exercise. The earliest manifestation of compression clothing was in a clinical environment. Post-op, patients wearing tights or socks were found to have improved blood flow and a reduced risk of venous thrombosis (blood clots). In more recent times, this ability to help prevent clots has been used to manufacturer in-flight socks that help lower the risk of deep vein thrombosis during long-haul travel. From a post-exercise recovery perspective, it appears that the benefits are due to enhanced venous return and circulation, but the exact mechanisms aren’t fully understood. It’s important that you do some research when buying compression clothing and look for clinical graded products that offer graduated compression. Sizing is also very important – unsurprisingly, they have to be tight. A bit like massage, it’s possible that the main benefits of compression may be psychosomatic but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s not a big hassle to put some on post-ride, especially if you have a long drive home, and they’re certainly not going to do any harm.

As we discussed in Chapter 4, a recovery ride the day after a long or hard ride or race can reduce the sensations of ‘stiffening up’ and DOMS. However, you have to follow the ride guidelines strictly and it has to be super easy. Stray out of Zone 1 or put significant torque through your cranks and you won’t be facilitating recovery, you’ll just be accumulating junk miles and fatigue. If you’re heading out for a recovery ride, leave your ego behind and, if you don’t think you’ll be able to handle being overtaken by nearly all other riders, do the session indoors or opt for some sofa time.

All mammals and birds sleep. Deprive a rat in a laboratory of sleep and it’ll soon start behaving strangely and gaining fat, and will eventually die. However, for such an essential part of our existence, the exact mechanisms and purpose of sleep are still not fully understood. Simple R&R for the body is not a satisfactory explanation and studies have shown that one of the things sleep deprivation does not impair is physical work capacity and is much more of a cerebral activity. This means if you suffer from poor sleep due to pre-event nerves, your physical performance shouldn’t be significantly reduced. However, long-term poor or reduced sleep will result in diminished mental performance and an increase in the body’s stress hormone cortisol. This will impact on your ability both to train and to recover. If you’re constantly having to get up super early to fit in your training, this will have a negative effect and you should consider revising your training plan and expectations. Additionally, as mentioned earlier in the chapter, disturbed sleep can be a sign of non-functional overreaching.

•Use the bedroom only for sleeping and sex. Associate the bedroom with relaxation. Get rid of the TV.

•Avoid/reduce caffeine, nicotine and alcohol before bedtime. Drink warm milk as it contains the natural sleepy chemical tryptophan.

•Avoid arguments, work-related material, discussion of/dwelling on problems near bedtime. Have a cut-off time and stick to it.

•Practise muscle relaxation and mindfulness techniques. There are number of audio guides available.

•Go to bed only when sleepy. Don’t try to force it until a regular sleep pattern is resumed.

•If unable to sleep, get up. Write down thoughts in a sleep diary (if a problem keeps you awake or you remember something you need to do/have forgotten to do, write it down, then forget about it until morning – you have written your reminder).

•Keep the bedroom at a comfortable, well-aired temperature. Check that your pillows and bed linen are comfortable and if not, change them.

•Get up at a regular time, even if still sleepy, and avoid napping. This will aid in the return of a normal sleep rhythm.

•Don’t lie in bed worrying that you cannot sleep. This will overstimulate the brain to further awakening. Do not watch the clock, as this encourages a stress response. Not everybody needs 8 hours – give your body the chance and it’ll find its own perfect sleep pattern.

‘A recovery day has to be just that and, if you do ride, it has to be super easy. You’re barely pressing on the pedals. A lot of riders don’t understand this. I’ve met friends for a ride, have said I’m on a recovery ride and they’re surprised how seriously I take riding easy!’
TIFFANY CROMWELL, CANYON/SRAM

There are a couple of recovery measures that, although used by some riders and even recommended by some coaches, you should avoid.

Ice baths are often touted as being beneficial for recovery but their value for cyclists is very limited. Players of contact sports use them to reduce bruising and, for this, they’re very effective. The reason you shouldn’t be subjecting yourself to ice baths, aside from them being extremely unpleasant after a long winter ride, is that you don’t want to reduce the body’s inflammation response to training. It’s the healing and recovery from this response that leads your muscles to become stronger and thus to performance gains. The only situation when an ice bath may be beneficial is during a multi-day event, where you wouldn’t want muscle soreness to inhibit your performance the next day. However, with the research jury still out on the benefits for endurance recovery and it not being used by pro teams on Grand Tours, you should save the ice cubes for your post-ride shake.

Similarly, popping a few painkillers during or after a hard ride to prevent soreness the next day may seem like a good idea. As mentioned above with regard to ice baths, trying to alleviate the inflammatory process can result in reduced training gains. Studies at Ironman Brazil and the Western States 100 Mile Trail Race showed no benefits of taking ibuprofen with regard to perceived discomfort either during or after the events. However, there are also potential health implications. Worryingly, the Western States study showed signs of kidney impairment and endotoxemia (bacteria leaking from the colon into the bloodstream), and also higher levels of tissue inflammation. Painkillers should only be taken under doctor’s orders for a specific injury. Research has also shown that risks of hyponatremia (dilution of body salts leading to potential death) in endurance athletes increases significantly when taking painkillers, so it’s not worth the risk.

It’s often said of Grand Tours that it isn’t the best rider who wins, it’s the best recoverer, and if you’re taking on the challenge of a multi-day event, doing everything you can to maximise recovery is your number one priority. Everything that we’ve previously covered regarding pacing, fuelling and hydration are even more pertinent for multi-day events, as any mistakes you make will be compounded day on day. In the same way that, on a single day ride, you’re not eating and drinking for that moment but for 15–20km (9–12 miles) down the road, everything you do on a multi-day ride will impact on subsequent days. Post-ride recovery techniques will definitely help but what you do on the bike will have the biggest impact on how you’ll perform the next day.

TO SHAVE OR NOT TO SHAVE

Making massage and the treatment of road rash easier are two of the most common reasons given for cyclists, both male and female, shaving their legs. There’s no doubt that smooth legs are more pleasant to massage – there’s less hair pulling and you’re not as likely to suffer from folliculitis – but a few massage therapists have confirmed that unless the legs are freshly shaven, stubble makes it like massaging a cactus. Also, if you’re not having regular massage, that reason just doesn’t quite stack up. Treating road rash is also far easier with shaved legs. You can clean the wound more effectively and dressings stay put and aren’t excruciating to remove. However, how many times do you fall off and have to treat road rash?

Fortunately, if you do like to keep your legs smooth, the wind tunnel has come to your rescue. We already mentioned in Chapter 1 that Specialized ran a series of tests and, using six riders with varying degrees of pre-shave hairiness, found an average saving of 50 seconds over 40km (25 miles). To put that in perspective, it’s a similar saving to upgrading a traditional round-tubed bike to a highly aerodynamic design.

However, if we’re honest, we shave our legs because it identifies us as cyclists and, when you’re in good shape and have a bit of a tan, it looks great.

Shaved legs won’t make you a great cyclist but they’re definitely part of the image!

If you’re preparing for a multi-day event, your training should reflect this and you should plan a number of 2–3-day blocks where you ride consecutive days that mirror the demands of your event. This will give you the opportunity to test your pacing and fuelling strategies and see if you need to tweak them. It’s not necessary to do back-to-back long days every week, which due to the fatigue that this would develop, would in fact be counterproductive. However, putting some in at the end of a 3-week build will be a good test of how your body responds and, with the build weeks in your legs, mimics the feeling of a longer multi-day event well. Also, as you’ll have an easier recovery week afterwards, if it doesn’t quite go to plan you won’t be impacting on important future training sessions.

Many riders find that if they pace, fuel and recover well during multi-day events, they seem to become stronger as the ride goes on and this ‘riding into form’ is a commonly observed phenomenon. Obviously, this might just be relative to the riders around you becoming weaker or because other stressors in your life such as work and family are removed but, whatever the reason, enjoy it!

Balance recovery and training

Training smart and effectively isn’t about simply ticking off training sessions each week. If you’re not allowing adequate recovery from your training and racing, you’re compromising your gains and potentially risking illness and injury. For non-full-time riders, non-cycling factors have to be considered in your training load and if, for example, work is especially busy or family life demanding, it might be necessary to back off training and place more of an emphasis on recovery.

Functional vs Non-Functional Overreaching

At the end of a 3-week build period or even after an especially tough session, you’re going to feel tired and that’s okay. You can expect to see a slight dip in your performance but, with recovery, you adapt and bounce back stronger. This functional overreaching is the basis of any structured training plan. However, if you have a ‘more is more’ mindset and just keep piling on the training without adequate recovery, there’s no bounce back, gains stall and performance will start to fall off. If this occurs, you are in a state of non-functional overreaching.

Watch for the signs

There are a number of warning signs of non-functional overreaching and if you start exhibiting more than a couple on consecutive days, you should take action. The key signs to look for are a drop in performance, persistent illness, change in resting heart rate, unexpected sudden or extreme weight loss, poor or interrupted sleep, excessive muscle soreness and irritability or poor mood.

Rest, recovery and time off

Rest and recovery has to be as structured as training and factored into your plan. You should have at least one full rest day each week; a recovery week, with significantly reduced training load, every fourth week; and ideally you should have 4–6 weeks off from structured training at the start of the off season each year.

Maximise rest and recovery

There are a number of techniques that you can use to maximise your recovery after each ride and on rest days. You won’t be able to do all of them all of the time but, at the very least, prioritise always having a good cool-down, your post-ride nutrition and doing everything you can to get enough quality sleep each night.