By Dara Smith Naughton
Having been one of the best riders in the country for many seasons - competing at Continental level, racing in Europe and representing Ireland - Conn McDunphy has been through it all when it comes to winter training.
In this interview he tells stickybottle how he gained 8kg one winter and why the lessons he picked up while competing at elite level in France have stayed with him. He is very much a believer in taking a complete break from the bike between the end of the season and the start of winter training proper.
However, once his winter training begins, he has very clear views on the work that must be done and how he needs to go about about it. McDunphy was not a sensational junior rider and has instead built his career - which includes an Irish elite TT title and representing Ireland at the Worlds - on incremental improvements over the years.
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In this piece about his outlook to winter training, he says riders must take the emotion out of judging themselves, and deciding what they need to do to get to a higher level on the bike.
McDunphy took the overall spoils at this year’s Cycling Ireland National Road Series after winning two rounds; the Meath Grand Prix and John Drumm Cup. However, he had initially hoped to continue competing with EvoPro Racing in Europe in 2023, though the team stopped and so McDunphy raced mainly at home with Lucan CRC.
He continued to race right up to recent weeks in the hope he may be called up for the Irish team for the Europeans, after being first reserve for the Worlds. And after continuing with his trips to Belgium to compete well into September, he says it is now important to take time off the bike, as he does every year.
“I’ll be taking three weeks off the bike, letting the body come down to a normal level, letting the body reset," he explains. "The level we ride at isn’t good for you, you’re constantly tired. You get to this time of the season and your body is starting to break down, time is essential to let your body recover.
"It’s really big in France, and it’s something I’ve taken from my time over there. Take three weeks off the bike, two weeks no exercise. You are basically beating your body up and you need to let it come back down. It’s a long season, if you never switch off, you never switch back on.”
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After starting his own coaching business in 2020, Pedal Graft Coaching, the former national TT champion took the decision to begin coaching himself. McDunphy described the change and how it impacts his winter training preparation.
“I sit down and plan my own months, I do the exact same for me as I do with my own clients. I try to take the emotional side out of it and just look at myself as another athlete. It’s all psychological.
"I couldn’t justify paying for a coach anymore, you’re paying for a coach so you can be the best that you can, but I had gone out of my way to get coaching qualifications.”
But for McDunphy, there are not shortcuts and says the traditional way in cycling - long winter miles - must be tackled.
“You have to do hard, boring hours and it’s not pretty. When you come back from your time off, you just feel awful. November is all about just riding a bike. December, I’m big on gym work. It’s all very much up to a crescendo when training during the Winter.”
However, while he says riders must have the work ethic and mindset required to get the big volume work done during winter, he has learned not to obsess about his weight too much.
“You will gain weight, I’ve been that guy who’s gone out and enjoyed himself," he says. "One off-season I gained 8kg! But I tend to perform to my best when I’m not over-analysing my diet, and that comes with experience.”
And while he has already enjoyed considerable success, he says he is still hungry for more and uses that to fuel his motivation in winter.
“I won a few races but there were races I’ve always wanted to win and for one reason or another, I wasn’t able to. I’m the harshest critic of myself.”
