ADAM
It was my friend's 50th birthday this year and to celebrate we planned a cycling trip to his home country of Colombia. With flights booked well in advance we decided the trip would include the longest climb on earth - the 80km up to Alto de Letras. This trip clearly required some training.
Training would be through the winter time and I knew I would find it difficult to motivate myself. But equipped with a Black Friday Wahoo Kickr deal I started in earnest. Having talked to a friend on a ride she was talking through how easy it was to manage her training with her cycling coach. So after a few weeks being dragged along by a virtual pacesetter in Zwift I signed up with Velo Performance.
Right from the offset I could see the benefit of having a coach. The quality of my training improved immediately with a range of intense sessions to build strength and aerobic capacity. These appeared in Zwift as if it were my magic. This combined with planned rest days and excellent nutritional advice meant that I never felt really tired or fatigued. Cycling became easy. And the data backed it up - soon my power was up and I was flying up the 20% gradient hill out of my village. Simon also helped with other aspects of my fitness and riding. I had to lose weight to help with the climbing and we talked about what a realistic calorie deficit should be and how I support my recovery with the right diet and protein intake. He also pushed me to get a bike fit which was long overdue. These were all small improvements that together made a massive difference. But the one big thing that really changed was my motivation to get on the bike. There were some dark days during the winter but having a plan set out for me and someone to talk to when it wasn't going so well through the inevitable injuries and illness meant I kept on going.
In the end, I was so well prepared for the trip I was easily keeping up with the local Colombians on the climbs and the long ride up to the 3680m Alto de Letras felt like an easy Sunday afternoon ride with friends. Thanks, Simon, for everything!
ADAM GEE