Peter Hawkins moves clear as the rains pelts the riders on the climbs at the Tour of the Reservoir in the UK in April. His attack took him up to the winning break, and saw him take second on the stage behind team mate Alex Peters; with the pair holding those places through the following stages (Photo: Larry Hickmott – www.velouk.net)


Reigning national criterium champion, Peter Hawkins has been one of the quiet achievers of Irish cycling. An early career in Ireland and then Belgium was followed by two fantastic years with UK-based pro team IG-Sigma before changing to Madison-Genesis for 2014.

He was a regular visitor to the podium at the UK’s toughest one-day events and also put up a great performance at the Tour of Britain against some of the biggest teams in the world.

A great climber but also a very good sprinter, he has represented Ireland at every level at home and abroad.

Now aged 28 years, a move to Belgium could reinvigorate his career again, with stage wins and a classification jersey possible in the Rás, a race he crashed out of whole wearing yellow last year.

His training routine varies a little from week to week so he has focused here on outlining last  week’s workload.


Name: Peter Hawkins
Team: Moving from Madison Genesis to PCT Tomacc
Date of birth: 16-12-1985 (28)
Weight & height: 71kg 175cm


General goals for next year


I hope to be very competitive on the Belgian amateur circuit, win some kermesse races and also get some good results in the bigger races I’ll be doing. I’m also going to be targeting the An Post Rás.


Training goals right now


On the bike I’m working to establish a good aerobic base, increase my sprint power and I’m also starting to do a bit of work on raising my threshold – that level you can ride at before you blow.

I’m naturally a punchy rider but I’ve lost a bit of my kick over the last few years by working too much on threshold and trying to keep my weight down.

Because of the nature of racing in Belgium, my sprint will be even more important next year. So I’m doing a lot of work on and off the bike to make myself stronger and more explosive.


Typical weekly routine


Leading the breakaway in the Tour of Britain when riding for IG-Sigma Sport last year (Photo: Larry Hickmott – VeloUK.net)


Monday


Just two hours in zone 2, which is between 55 and 75 per cent of a rider’s functional threshold power; the maximum level of watts that could be sustained in a one-hour all out effort.

In zone 2, I worked on my aerobic efficiency and 15 minutes easy on the way home. I kept an average of around 220w but varied this depending on the terrain and threw in some flat out sprint efforts of 5-10seconds.

This ride was done pre-breakfast in order to improve my body’s ability to burn fat. In the evening I did some yoga.


Tuesday


One hour including 30mins riding tempo; short but sweet. I rode out in Zone 2 for 15 minutes to a circuit which I use regularly if I want to ride at a constant tempo without any interruptions.

I then did one lap of the circuit (30mins) in Zone 3 which for me is about 280w. Zone 3 is typically 75 to 90 per cent of functional threshold power.

This session is great for developing your aerobic efficiency as it forces your body to process a lot of oxygen for an extended period of time and the intensity is also high enough to help to increase your FTP. In another few months I’ll be doing this ride with an hour and a half in Zone 3.

In the afternoon I did some hill walking which is something I do partly because I enjoy it but also because it’s good for developing leg strength and is yet more aerobic work in the bank. It also helps to keep the bike work fresh.

 

Winning the Des Hanlon Memorial, one of Ireland’s biggest races, two years ago (Photo: Tony Quinn)


Wednesday


Group ride for 3½ hours. I like to do most of my training alone but I try to fit in one group ride per week just to break the monotony of riding solo all the time.

This is usually the easiest ride of the week for me. But it also includes the hardest 10 minutes I’ll do all week as we pick the pace up and race each other for the 30’s on the way into Lisburn on the way home.

Some people avoid doing any intensity at all through the winter but I like to empty the tank once a week.


Thursday


Did four hours steady with two 20-minute sweet spot intervals. The majority of this ride was done at the top end of Zone 1 which at the minute is around 200w.

I included one flat out sprint every half hour and hit any steep rises out of the saddle in a low cadence to improve my strength and power.

I planned the ride to include a 20minute effort on the climb of Spelga Dam in the Mournes and then another effort on a rolling uninterrupted stretch of road on the way home.

I did the efforts at 300w which is in the zone the called the ‘sweet spot’ which sits at about 90 per cent of functional threshold power. It isn’t as taxing on the body as working at threshold but is still effective at increasing functional threshold power.

My TSS (training stress score) for this ride was 250 so it was a good day at the office.

In the evening on Thursday I went bouldering which is essentially indoor rock climbing. I’ve been doing it for the last month and find it really enjoyable as well as a great full body workout.

I’ve already noticed my arms and shoulders are a lot stronger which seems to be helping my sprinting.

 

Winning the national criterium championships on Mondello Park, Co Kildare, this season (Photo: Toby Watson)


Friday


I had a day off; my one day totally off the bike this week. I just did an easy yoga session to loosen out. I find yoga is great because it helps to both strengthen and stretch the whole body.

I follow classes which I find on YouTube and depending on what I feel I need on that day I will either go for an intense strength-based session or a more relaxed class more geared to flexibility and relaxation.


Saturday


I did 4½ hours including sprints and 3 hours zone 2. The first hour of this ride was done in Zone 1 with a flat out 10 second sprint every 10 minutes and then did 3hrs in Zone 2 and 30 minutes easy to get home.

The first two hours of the Zone 2 section felt pretty easy but I started to really feel the effort in the last hour and really had to push the last 15 minutes or so.

This kind of work is tough but it’s great for improving aerobic efficiency and endurance. I averaged 235w and 34kph for the Zone 2 section and my TSS for the ride was 280.


Sunday


One hour recovery spin. I was pretty knackered from the day before so I just did an hour of easy riding and some more yoga in the evening.


Weekly totals


  •  Distance: 510km
  • Time: 16hr10mins
  • Training stress score: 960
  • KJ: 11995

Any other business?


To any developing rider reading this I would urge you to try one or two of the sessions as your weekend ride but please don’t try to recreate the full week. I don’t have to combine my training with a full time job or studies and have over 10 years of hard training under my belt.

Even five years ago this amount of work would have been too much for me at this time of year.

As well as riding full time Peter has been coaching aspiring cyclists for the last two years. Any riders who would like the benefit of his experience can contact him by email at pete.hawk@hotmail.com to arrange a consultation.