By Dara Smith-Naughton
Luke Smith has represented Ireland on the road and though currently mixing college with his cycling, he took multiple wins on the domestic scene this year. Now that his season has ended, he tells stickybottle in this interview that he takes a very particular approach to the next few weeks and then to his winter training.
The 24 year-old firmly believes in setting aside time for a proper review of his season, saying it is vital towards getting better on the bike and generally continuing to make progress. He also tells us how he sabotaged previous winter training, when the will to improve was too strong; a lesson he hasn't forgotten, having learned it the hard way.
And while this current short period - in between the season ending and winter training starting - is downtime that Smith makes sure to enjoy, he sets out how his coach, Thomas Fallon, still plays a valuable role at this time of year.
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“Reflection is very important in any plan; to look back at the goals you’ve set at the start of the season, reviewing performances and so on," said Smith. "Reflection is massive, it can give you discipline going into the next year. If you’re not doing it, it’s a red flag in my opinion.”
And while this period right now is one where training programmes briefly take a back seat, Smith says his coach, Fallon, is crucial to how he assesses the season just gone with a view to informing the winter ahead and the 2024 racing campaign.
“It’s a two-way process with my coach," he says of his end of year review and reflection process. "In a week or two we’ll talk and we’ll go over aspects of my technique, posture etc. It’s all speed at the end of the day, I’m a tall guy, if you can produce more power in a smaller position then all the better. It’s the finer details that we are trying to tweak.”
The Cavan rider - who won five races this year - also believes it's vital to have a short period at this time of year where anything goes.
“I’ll be eating my bodyweight in croissants and drinking Stella beer, I certainly won’t be watching my diet for the next week, no," he said. "I’d be happy if I didn’t touch the bike for the week and then could come back to it. This will be my final year of my Masters, enjoying the college life is very important to me."
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And even though he will go out on his bike in the weeks before winter training really starts, he says he will take a very relaxed approach, with no real plan.
“It’s a very personal thing, let the mind do what it wants. I am a man of routine so sometimes you just have to let that go but there’s no plan until winter training (starts). I also struggle to just do nothing, I’m my own worst nightmare. My teammates always say ‘would you ever just stop?'"
However, Smith says he became acquainted with stopping one recent winter when he was too eager to have a big winter and paid the price before the turn of the New Year.
“One year I was too keen and came back far too early," he said of resuming proper winter training after only a very short post-season break. "I was thinking of getting to the pro level and I didn’t want to let anyone down. There was definitely an element of me doing too much and I had to tone it back come December.
"I learned from doing too much after that; going for max reps in the gym every other day and then going hard on the bike. I have more knowledge now. Thomas (Fallon) is good at keeping a cap on that. Every junior rider wants to be a pro rider, and they can do that bit too much. The important thing is not to panic. Come five weeks time, everyone’s going to have a sickness, everyone’s going to have college assignments, so don’t ride like an eejit on club runs; enjoy your cakes!”
Likewise, he said when reviewing his season, he has learned not to be overly hard on himself and to take factors into account that may have held him back but which he couldn't really control.
“I wouldn’t be a fan of thinking 'if I didn’t win, it was a bad year'. Results are always going to be up in the air and there’s only a certain amount of a race that you can control. Were there injuries? Were you sick at any point? How did you manage your time? Did you have consistent eating habits? Having consistency across the year is a better way to look at it. Winning isn’t the be-all and end-all.”
Fortunate enough to end the 2023 season without any major injuries, Smith can count his lucky-stars after avoiding serious consequences in a big crash during the Rás.
“I’ve considered myself very lucky with just a grazed knee, there were broken bones in that crash," he said. "I’ve absolutely no injuries at the moment, touch wood. That comes back to the gym work, mobility work and correcting any imbalances."
Under the expert guidance of Fallon, and underpinned by the lessons of his own past mistakes - not to mention knowing what it takes ti win races - Smith is looking forward to a solid winter towards more victories and consistent results in 2024.
