Chris McGlinchey (ChainReaction Cycles) in his downhill racing days - as national champion racing in 2011 - before switching to road. He took his first win of this campaign and below, he outlines the training he did last week so he could be in a position to contend.
Chris McGlinchey made quite a statement last year when he went from A4 to A1 in a matter of weeks while he also wore the leader’s jersey in the Tour of the North.
The 21 year-old Belfast man said all his training sessions in the week are split up into a morning ride and an evening ride as he commutes in and out to work.
As you can see below it's quite a structured plan he's got in place and with some big goals for next year we don't suggest it could be any other way.
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McGlinchey celebrates winning the Danny Boy Races in Co Derry back in March. The Belfast man has really proven his class in the last 12 months. (Photo: Marian Lamb – Cycling Ulster)
Name: Chris McGlinchey
Age: 21
Date of birth: 31/03/1994
Team for 2016: Chain Reaction Cycles/ Vitus Bikes
Weight and height: 73kg, 179cm.
Training goals at this time of year
- To improve both my Functional Threshold Power. This is the power (and heart rate) I can sustain for a full hour.
- To enhance my Z2 power. This is the zone where a lot of my training will be done in but as we near the season it’s important to have this as high as it can be. It’s about raising the threshold, so to speak. ie the higher my zone 2, the higher my zone 3 and so on.
General goals for next season
As far as goals for next year I’ll just be taking it as it comes.
However, the races I’d like to peak for and try and get a good result in would be Tour of the North, Tour of Ulster, the An Post Rás and the National Championships.
My Training Week
Leading Team Ireland team mate Sean McKenna at the AmberGreen Energy Tour of Ulster back in May (Photo: Stephen McMahon - Sportsfile)
Monday
The morning session today was just a recovery ride at around 200 watts.
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The legs were feeling tired after the cyclocross race in Belfast at the weekend so I just took it easy - but not too easy.
The evening session was 40 minutes on the road bike at zone 3 power.
Everyone's power is different and it's all dependent on your weight so the big thing for most riders, I imagine, is getting the weight down and either keeping the power the same - or increasing it.
Tuesday
Morning session today was riding at a specific power of 250 watts and then recording my average heart rate for the session.
This was to be sent to my coach so he could asses where my fitness is at compared to numbers from last season.
In the evening I went for a ride with a few friends from work for a fun spin.
There was no specific training here; it was just enjoying good company.
Wednesday
Today's morning session was 4 x 10 minutes in zone 4. This session is aimed at increasing my FTP.
My evening session was just a recovery ride home after a hard morning session.
I usually go to a Yoga class on Wednesday evenings but it was cancelled this week!
Thursday & Friday
In the morning I rode steady in zone 2.
In the evening I did the same (steady zone 2).
The key here is trying to focus on keeping the average power and cadence as steady as possible.
Saturday
This was just a quick zone 2 spin with 1 x 30 second sprint and a 4-minute effort up a local climb to open up the legs. As I was racing the following day it's important to get a bit of a workout but not tax the body too much.
Sunday
Race day. My legs felt great for this and I felt like I got stronger throughout, which is always a good sign.
I managed to get in the top 10 so I was happy with that, not so much the result but the performance showed I'm getting back to form.
Stats from the week
- Weekly total duration: 12hrs
- Total distance: 216 miles (347km)
- Elevation gain: 11360ft
- TSS – 780
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