Consistently one of the strongest riders in the country over the last number of years, Ryan Sherlock outlines his typical training week as he prepares for the forthcoming season. Seen here racing in Belgium this year with amateur team PCT Tomacc.
Ryan Sherlock is a rider who really dedicates himself to the bike 12 months of the year.
The Monaghan man has produced some stunning performances in the biggest races in recent seasons and few can match his ability on the steepest climbs.
He is the reigning National Hill Climb Champion but has said he may not be racing so much on the road next year
That will depend on the course selected for the National Championships in June.
- Name: Ryan Sherlock
- Club: To be confirmed for 2015, Belgian based this year
- Weight and height; 185cm, 75kg
Goals for next year
“I’m not focussing on the road next year, unless the National road race Championships are hard.
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"I'll be doing a lot of mountain-biking but the exact races I’ll be doing aren’t confirmed yet.”
Training goals at the moment
“Training, work, travel and racing means every week is different so I can’t say I have exact training goals, aside from improving in every area.
"I think the last time I had two or three weeks that looked the same together was back in January.
“The only thing regular about my training week is that it is irregular. I just ride because I love it.
“It is all about enjoying riding the bike and not doing anything mentally taxing - no killer turbo sessions.”
Typical training week in recent weeks
Ryan Sherlock is a very skilled mountain biker and has raced abroad with the national team in the past. He has four national marathon titles to his name.
Monday
“Having trained a lot over the weekend, Monday is a day where I focus on the job that pays the bills.
"I have a good understanding of what my body needs to feel the best for the training later in the week so today’s training could simply be a walk around at lunch or 30-60 minutes of easy cycling.
"If cycling, it is really, really easy - people passing me on toy bikes on the Enniskerry road easy; 25kmph average with my average heart rate being around 100 or less.
"My job is an office-type job so I try not to stay seated for more than an hour at a time.”
Tuesday
“This would be a moderate/easy day on the bike. I’ll get up early, have a black coffee and head out on the bike.
"The first and last half hour would be pretty easy with some periods riding endurance/low tempo on the flats.
“The ride would be around three hours and I would do it without any food. Two to three times a week I would do a 20 minute self-massage session with a torture device called 'the stick'.
Wednesday
“I sometimes use the Cyclops Trainer (a Wattbike type indoor trainer) but only if the weather is really, really bad or dangerous.
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"I would typically go out, ride easy for a bit and take in a loop that has many longer climbs.
“Each climb I would ride tempo or sweet spot - basically 80-90 per cent of my threshold power.
"I will be going by feel though. If I feel crap, I’ll take it easier and maybe focus on cadence or some skill.
"If I feel good, I’ll go a little harder. Typically 3½ to 5 hours, depending on the weather and work schedule.”
Thursday
“Similar to yesterday, except I may work a little more on some cadence drills (high or low) and tempo riding on the flats.
"Towards the end I would up the pace, maybe some criss-cross climbing drills; say, two minutes low tempo, two minutes threshold. I repeat that and throw in some sprints.
“If the weather is good I’d plan a long loop and let the terrain dictate the type of riding I do.
"If possible, I would do this on the mountain bike.”
Friday
“Similar to Monday but I would still make sure to move about a lot during the day.
"Having a happy, relaxed day is more important to me than having to ride on a recovery day.”
Sherlock suffering on the kermesse scene in Belgium last year.
Saturday
“Maybe a long, flat ride on empty or a small fat-based breakfast. I’d then start eating carbs - homemade rice bars etc - from about 2½ hours in.
“I would keep the power pretty constant and not too hard throughout; just solid endurance riding with the odd sprint.”
Sunday
“Another big ride with lots of hills and all ridden around sweet spot - for me, around 355-375 watts.
“Maybe a few of the climbs I would up the pace for the last 5 minutes or so.
"I would also make sure to do similar tempo type efforts on the flats.
“Every couple of weeks I’d throw in what is called a 'kitchen sink ride'.
"These are long, hard rides that work through all my training zones and typically takes several days to feel normal from.
“Think of racing the Des Hanlon and then riding back home to Dublin at a steady/fast pace.”
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