Saddle Up Cycling

Always humbling, no matter how many times you come back.

Have I trained for this? Nope. Running on patience and a few years of knowing how to pace a climb.

But this one’s for my riders heading out L’Etapes this year. You’ve done (or are doing) the work. The blocks, the sweaty heat sessions, the days you didn’t really want to. If I can drag myself up these cols on experience and stubbornness alone, you’re more than ready!

Find your rhythm. Hold it. The top comes.

Saddle up.

The classic club ten runs on open lanes during the summer throughout the UK, but that’s a little difficult in central London. Which is exactly why a closed circuit works so well.

Four Tuesday nights I spent watching a couple of the youth riders I coach. Seeing them learn the quiet lessons in pacing and effort. Even with almost 90 other riders signing up, they only ever raced themselves, and got quicker every time.

Thanks Lea Valley Cycling Club, see you next year. And well done to all those that raced!

I wanted a better way to show riders why position matters, beyond pointing at a chart and saying because it’s faster. So I taught the aero tool on the website to draw air around the position you pick.

It’s only two dimensional, not three. A picture, not a measurement. Two versions, illustrative and a live solve cfd.

Much better than waving my hands about on a web call.

Maybe one for your desktop, not a phone browser.

Have a play. Link in bio. Nestled amongst the other aero tools.

saddleupcycling.co.uk/aero

If you saw a TT bike shaped blur along the high road this morning, that was probably Julia. Fantastic ride out to Mott Street with Julia Gagliardi who made the climb look remarkably comfortable, staying in the extensions all the way to the top.

Still one more event to go this evening, but so far it’s been a very successful Masters Championships for Yewande Adesida. Plenty of progress across multiple performance markers throughout the week, and to come away with a couple of jerseys as well makes it even more rewarding. Everything is heading in the right direction!

Asma is leaving British Cycling, which means I’m the responsible one on the City Academy track project now. Terrifying. But it’s ok, they are good kids.

She’s seen these kids come on leaps and bounds from the original BC hubs, to racing Nat Series on the track and the road, and some turning to become coaches themselves.

Thank you for everything. Go smash some projects!

Session 2. Race Craft. Done.

Through and off. Back to front. Surges and attacks. An elimination race to finish.

The race is information. Patience is a tactic. Commit, all the way. Brave racing gets the chance of more. Train what others won’t. Things happen. Race for progress. There is joy in it.

Two Saturdays of this has been a proper joy to coach. I hope it has given some of you the confidence to pin a number on for the first time. Or to try a tactic you would not have tried before. Or just to see racing differently.

To those who have entered the London Academy GP. Chapeau!

To those still unsure. Give me or London Academy a shout. We will help.

And even if you do not fancy racing yourself. Head down anyway. It is one of the biggest celebrations of women’s racing that London, or the whole of the UK has to offer. They do not get better than this.

Saturday 6 June. 3/4 race and E/1/2/3 race.

Saddle up!

Thanks to all those that came along last Saturday. And to the expert riders from London Academy. Here’s a little recap.

Eighteen riders. Three hours. A lot of progress.

Another session this Saturday. 2 spots left currently. Race tactics. Moving up, Pace lines, lead-outs, and race simulation.

Get Signed Up to the GP!

Saddle up.

Final places. Women’s Race Skills Training with London Academy.

Two Saturdays at Lee Valley. Built to work together.

16 May builds the foundation. Wheel-following, cornering, group riding. The handling that makes everything else possible.

23 May builds on it. Pacelines, attacks, lead-outs, mock race finish. The race craft that turns a rider into a racer.

One without the other is half the picture. Together they take you from solo rider to race-ready in two Saturdays.

Theory and classroom time each week. 90 minutes on circuit. Plus Q&A.

Different content each Saturday.
You do not need to have raced. You need to want to start.

£20 per session. Link in Bio
saddleupcycling.co.uk/race-training

How do you train for a multi-day ultra? Consistency. Six months of it. Greens on greens. Strength. Mobility. Week after week.

This time next week Montron will be at Lost Dot 101. 1200km across Spain. Dirty Reiver 200 last weekend was the tune-up. She’s ready.

Full-time working the whole way through. No magic. No big training camps. Just turning up. Day after day.

Saddle up and go get it!