The off-season is slowly coming to an end for many of the country's racing cyclists and the above two objects will be getting more and more use in the weeks and months ahead.
But before the serious business of winter training starts in earnest, what riders do in the off-season can have a detrimental effect on how things go when the flag drops next year.
Switching off from the bike is a crucial part of the off-season and as we discovered here, this lot have no issues in that regard...
Marc Flavin
Age: Hard to believe it but 35 years.
Category: A1
Club/Team: Dungarvan CC
When did you stop training?: “September 6th”
When will/did you start again?: “I'll be starting back on a programme in December.”
What things do you like to do in the off-season?: “Running, going to the gym and teaching my spinning and core classes at Achieve in Dungarvan.”
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John Horgan
Age: 43
Category: A1
Club/Team: Aquablue
When did you stop training?: “September 6th”
When will/did you start again?: “I started back again on the 7th of October, nothing too serious but I got going properly again around mid October.”
What things do you like to do in the off-season?: “For the off-season this year I did some gym work but mainly took a break and rested up. I just did a few coffee spins and went mountain biking for the first time in maybe 10 years (as part of Russell Treacy's stag).
Michael Crowley
Age: 30
Category: A1
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Club/Team: Osbourne Meats/McCarthy Cycles
When did you stop training?: “I stopped after Rás Kilmallock on August 30th.”
When will/did you start again?: “I took two weeks off the bike and then just started back into it easy. I only started really back into it after the Jazz weekend on the November Bank Holiday weekend.
“I've been on the rollers three nights a week and I try to get out as much as I can around my college hours.
“I’ll keep going steady until January and then I’ll increase the intensity like I did last year.
“Keeping the weight under control is the main thing for me.”
What things do you like to do in the off-season?: “ Just to catch up on the things I missed during the season, like a few nights out with the lads. I went on holiday with the girlfriend and had plenty assignments to be doing.”
Michael O’Loughlin
Age: 18
Club/Team: Nicolas Roche Performance Team/Magnet.ie
When did you stop training?: “I stopped straight after the World Champs in September”
When will/did you start again?: “I started back during my week off college over the Halloween break since my new bike arrived and I had the free time to slowly build up.”
What things do you like to do in the off-season?: “A lot more nights out with the lads and visits to the chipper.
“Apart from that I just do most of the things I do during the season but I've a lot more time to spend at them.
“One thing that noticed that I really do a lot more of is standing up!
“Usually I'm sitting or lying down as much as possible before or at races and it kind of becomes a habit.
"But in the off-season you aren't really thinking of trying to save the legs so I spend more time on my feet especially making my way about in college.”
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