Facebook Instagram Twitter Youtube
  • Get Started
    • Create Zwift Account
    • How To Get Started On Zwift
    • Zwift Course Maps
    • How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More)
    • Women’s Racing on Zwift
    • Links Every Zwifter Must Have
    • More “Get Started” Posts
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Training & Nutrition
    • Racing
    • Zwift Hacks
  • Reference
    • How Zwift Works
    • Course Calendar
    • RoboPacer Calendar
    • Climb Portal Calendar
    • Route of the Week Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
    • Game Updates
    • Smart Trainer Index
      • Current Models
      • Exhaustive Trainer List
    • Achievements & Unlocks
      • XP Basics for Riders
      • XP Basics for Runners
      • Kit Unlock Codes
      • Master List of Badges
    • Frames & Wheels
    • Routes & Maps
      • Master List: Routes
      • Master List: Climb Portal
      • Master List: KOMs
      • Master List: Sprints
      • Master List: Rebel Routes
      • Downloadable Watopia Map
      • Printable List of Routes by Difficulty
    • Speed Tests
    • Tiny Races
  • Women
    • Race Calendar
    • Why race?
    • Women’s Teams
    • Racer Spotlights
    • More Women’s Racing posts
  • Shop
    • Watopia Map and Other Posters
    • ZI Indoor Cycling Kit
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Get Started
    • Create Zwift Account
    • How To Get Started On Zwift
    • Zwift Course Maps
    • How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More)
    • Women’s Racing on Zwift
    • Links Every Zwifter Must Have
    • More “Get Started” Posts
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Training & Nutrition
    • Racing
    • Zwift Hacks
  • Reference
    • How Zwift Works
    • Course Calendar
    • RoboPacer Calendar
    • Climb Portal Calendar
    • Route of the Week Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
    • Game Updates
    • Smart Trainer Index
      • Current Models
      • Exhaustive Trainer List
    • Achievements & Unlocks
      • XP Basics for Riders
      • XP Basics for Runners
      • Kit Unlock Codes
      • Master List of Badges
    • Frames & Wheels
    • Routes & Maps
      • Master List: Routes
      • Master List: Climb Portal
      • Master List: KOMs
      • Master List: Sprints
      • Master List: Rebel Routes
      • Downloadable Watopia Map
      • Printable List of Routes by Difficulty
    • Speed Tests
    • Tiny Races
  • Women
    • Race Calendar
    • Why race?
    • Women’s Teams
    • Racer Spotlights
    • More Women’s Racing posts
  • Shop
    • Watopia Map and Other Posters
    • ZI Indoor Cycling Kit
More
    RacingTraining & Nutrition

    The Open Pro: From the Pain Cave to the Team Camp Paceline

    Jordan Cheyne
    By Jordan Cheyne
    March 19, 2018
    LAST UPDATED March 19, 2018
    0

    Editor’s note: Jordan Cheyne’s “The Open Pro” series details his experiences with high-level Zwift training as a rider in the pro Continental ranks. You can read his past posts here.


    Living a Dream

    Sometimes my life as a professional cyclist can feel a bit surreal in depths of winter. Not surreal in a “pinch-me” sort of way but more in the “this could all be a very boring Groundhog Day dream” sort of way. I wake up, eat, stretch, pull on my bibs, log on to Zwift, crank out the day’s requisite pedal strokes, eat, do a bit of coaching work, eat and sleep. That’s not the condensed trailer of my day, that is the whole movie. Many days I venture out into Big White’s snow-covered expanses on snowshoes for some extra aerobic training, but just as many I don’t feel the brisk outdoor air at all. I exist in my domestic bubble in a cycle of stimulus and recovery on top of a mountain with only my wife and a well used PS3 for company.

    For the most part, that’s how I want it. It is insulated, productive and actually a welcome dose of stability in the tumultuous schedule of a professional cyclist. When we made our trip to Tucson for a big block of outdoor training, I kept much the same schedule. I perform well and have loads of fun in the team environment during race season but I think that is only possible because I bank some serious introvert time in my off-season.

    But then, after a few dedicated months of solitude and hard work, that surreal feeling creeps in. I start to wonder what the heck I am doing. With intense internal focus, the bigger picture of the race season can become a little blurry and goals feel farther away than they are in reality. It can throw off preparation as motivation dulls when workouts should be getting sharper. I started to feel this coming on in the first weeks of February even as I began to hit my stride fitness-wise on Zwift’s new Surrey Hills courses. But then just as the mental screws began to loosen, everything tightened up into sharp focus and the 2018 season suddenly came into clear view. It was time for Elevate-KHS team camp in the sunbathed hills outside San Diego.

    Photo credit: Danny Munson

    Team Camp

    Although I am a bit used to it by now, professional cycling team camps are always a pleasant sensory overload: new teammates, shiny new equipment, stacks of fresh team kit and finally, a good excuse to ride fast. Looking at some power files it is easy to see the difference between my steady, solo training on Zwift and the variable, drill-based riding that we did at camp.

    Indoor Zwift Workout: High average power, low variability
    Training Camp Ride: lower average power, more variability, higher overall load

     

    The type of training we did throughout our week at camp was thoroughly planned and may surprise the average rider. It wasn’t constant pedal to the metal slugfests, nor was it hours of sedated base miles. Rather, there was a big focus on cohesive work as a group, well-calibrated sprint lead-outs and race simulation both uphill and on flatter terrain. It was about specific, fitness-sharpening efforts but also about perfecting the fundamentals as a team so that no opportunity is wasted in a race due to technical miscues. Our team is brimming with sprint talent and proven GC threats, so practicing a dominant sprint train or a smooth breakaway chase isn’t a pipedream, it is a dress rehearsal.

    This kind of positive, process-oriented thinking and planning is a big theme at Elevate-KHS and it was reinforced at camp daily. The season began to feel real in a hurry as we broke down race footage in nightly meetings. What might have been vague expectations and abstract pressure on other teams was laid out in concrete goals and clear game plans. While Zwift racing has its tactical nuances, it requires a small fraction of the team coordination and buy–in needed to win as a team on the road. Those details can make or break a race finale regardless of watts/kg and there are no aero power ups to fall back on when your sprinter comes unhitched from the train around the final bends. With all the riders together in a low-pressure environment, team camp is the perfect time to put a big emphasis on this kind of preparation. We certainly did that and the team is already proving its cohesion, winning small races in Socal and Texas ahead of bigger goals this month.

    Ready to Race

    After all the sponsor talks, photo shoots, equipment tweaks, training rides, massages, team meals and strategy meetings team camp had me back firmly grounded in the reality of the 2018 season. My racing schedule kicks off in a matter of weeks with a couple of California staples, the Chico and San Dimas stage races. From there it is onto the bigger stage of the Pro Road Tour for the Joe Martin Stage Race, Tour of the Gila and Redlands Bicycle classic in April and May. I am capping off my preparation with a couple warm weeks in Tucson before a brief detour home and likely back on to Zwift before it all kicks off.  Now, I can almost reach out and touch what I’ve been working so hard and it is time to go get it.

     

    Photo credit: Danny Munson

    Related Posts

    Facebook
    Twitter
    Pinterest
    ReddIt
      Jordan Cheyne
      Jordan Cheynehttp://www.peakformcoaching.com/
      Jordan is a fifth-year professional cyclist with the Continental team Elevate-Webiplex. He lives in Kelowna, British Columbia, and has been racing bikes and writing about it for the last six years. He also helps cyclists and triathletes take their racing to the next level at Peak Form Coaching. Follow his adventures on Twitter, Strava, and Pro Cycling Stats.
      Subscribe
      Notify of
      guest

      guest

      0 Comments
      Oldest
      Newest Most Voted
      Inline Feedbacks
      View all comments

      Get Started on Zwift

      Sign Up (Free Trial)
      Buy Zwift Ride
      Buy KICKR CORE One
      Read More...

      Newest Featured Posts

      Zwift Offers Free Play Controllers To Level 85+ Riders

      Hardware/Equipment

      Join the CommuniTTTy: On-Demand Zwift Time Trialing!

      Racing

      Support This Site

      Write a post, shop through us, donate or advertise. Learn more

      NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

      Zwift tips and news every 2 weeks! Click to subscribe.

      More Posts

      Zwift Will Not Be Hosting an Elite Zwift World Series This Fall

      Racing

      Zwift Charts: Climb Portal Growth

      Routes & Maps

      Friday Night Fun Races Announced

      Events

      Zwift Releases Fitness Trends Charts on Companion App

      Game Updates

      This community-driven site is maintained by Eric Schlange and a team of Zwift enthusiasts. Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs.

      This site contains affiliate links to Amazon, Wahoo, and other brands. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts.

      Terms of Use/DMCA Copyright Policy

      Privacy Policy | Privacy Consent

      [email protected]

      Latest articles

      Zwift Route of the Week Schedule

      Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of July 12-13

      Tiny Race Series – July 12 Routes – Lazy Race Organizer

      Popular Categories

      • Racing1509
      • Events1014
      • News833
      • Training & Nutrition712
      • Interviews564
      • Routes & Maps446
      Comment Author Info
      :wpds_smile::wpds_grin::wpds_wink::wpds_mrgreen::wpds_neutral::wpds_twisted::wpds_arrow::wpds_shock::wpds_unamused::wpds_cool::wpds_evil::wpds_oops::wpds_razz::wpds_roll::wpds_cry::wpds_eek::wpds_lol::wpds_mad::wpds_sad::wpds_exclamation::wpds_question::wpds_idea::wpds_hmm::wpds_beg::wpds_whew::wpds_chuckle::wpds_silly::wpds_envy::wpds_shutmouth:
      0
      0
      Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
      ()
      x
      | Reply
      You are going to send email to

      Move Comment

    • Related Posts