Testimonial pages are easy to fake. Stock photos, first names only, vague claims about "feeling stronger" — none of that tells you anything useful. This page works differently. Every quote below comes from a named rider. Every number is real. If a member said they gained 30 watts, that gain is in their training data.
The Not Done Yet programme has five pillars: training, nutrition, strength, recovery, and accountability. What you'll notice reading through these results is that the riders who move fastest tend to be the ones engaging all five, not just the training block. That pattern is consistent enough to be worth stating upfront.
These testimonials are grouped by outcome type so you can find the stories most relevant to where you are right now.
FTP gains: the numbers
FTP is a blunt instrument, but it's the number most riders track and the number that most directly reflects aerobic adaptation. Across Not Done Yet members, the average gain in the first 16 weeks sits at 28 watts. That's an average. Some riders gain less. Several have gained considerably more.
Niall Sheridan, 41, Dublin: "I came in with an FTP of 218 watts. Sixteen weeks later I tested at 261. That's 43 watts. I'd been training for six years and never moved the needle like that. The difference was the structure — I was doing way too much in zone 3 and not enough at either end."
Niall's case is common. Prof. Stephen Seiler's research on polarised training shows that recreational athletes chronically underuse both low-intensity volume and high-intensity efforts, spending the bulk of their time in a moderate-intensity range that produces fatigue without proportionate adaptation. Restructuring the intensity distribution is often the fastest legal performance lever available.
Mark Connelly, 38, Cork: "I was sceptical about online coaching. Went from 245 to 289 watts in 20 weeks. I've done every plan on TrainingPeaks. Nothing came close to what happened when someone was actually watching my data and adjusting weekly."
Sarah Doyle, 34, London: "FTP went from 192 to 224 in 14 weeks. I'm a working mum with two kids. The programme fit around my life rather than demanding I fit around it. That was what made the difference — I could actually do the sessions."
Sarah's point about compliance is worth expanding. A 300-watt FTP programme that an athlete completes at 60% adherence produces less adaptation than a 260-watt programme executed at 95%. Consistency is a training variable, not a personality trait. Building a programme around someone's real schedule is a coaching decision, not a customer service gesture.
Tom Riordan, 47, Galway: "I thought 50 was going to be the end of competitive cycling for me. Gained 38 watts in 18 weeks at age 47. Age is real, but it's not the ceiling most people think it is."
If you want to understand what's possible before you apply for coaching, the free assessment gives you a clear picture of where your current training is leaving watts on the table.
Body composition transformations
Weight loss in cycling is a sensitive subject, and it's handled carefully here. The goal is never weight loss for its own sake — it's performance. Riders who lose body fat while preserving lean mass go faster up climbs, recover better, and often feel better doing both. The results below reflect that framing.
Declan Fogarty, 44, Limerick: "Lost 8 kg over one season. Not starving, not obsessing. Just eating in a way that matched my training load for the first time. My w/kg went from 2.9 to 3.8. That's the number that actually matters on a climb."
Declan's 8 kg loss combined with his FTP increase moved his w/kg by 0.9 — a performance shift that would take years of training-only approaches to replicate. This is why nutrition is a pillar of the programme rather than an optional extra.
Claire Hennessy, 36, Belfast: "I'd been stuck at the same weight for three years despite riding 10–12 hours a week. Turns out I was under-fuelling during training and compensating afterwards. Lost 5 kg in 12 weeks once we fixed the timing. More energy, better recovery, faster times."
Claire's pattern — underfuelling during training, overeating after — is extremely common among endurance athletes. Asker Jeukendrup's research on carbohydrate oxidation and gut training is relevant here: athletes who fuel properly during sessions not only perform better in those sessions, they reduce the post-session hunger response that drives overconsumption. The fix is not discipline. It's timing.
Brendan Walsh, 52, Waterford: "9 kg down over two seasons. I wasn't expecting that when I started — I was mainly focused on getting faster. The nutrition guidance changed how I think about food entirely. I don't count calories. I think about what the session needs."
Aoife Moran, 29, Dublin: "I lost 4 kg in 8 weeks and hit my first sub-4-hour sportive time in the same month. The two things were connected. I wasn't dragging the extra weight up every climb."
Body composition work is never isolated from training load in the Not Done Yet structure. To see how the nutrition pillar fits into the broader programme, the how coaching works page lays it out in full.
Racing category upgrades
Category upgrades require consistent racing performance over time, which means the training has to be producing the right kind of fitness at the right time of the season. This is where periodised planning earns its keep.
James Killeen, 26, Dublin: "Upgraded from Cat 4 to Cat 3 in my first full season with coaching. I'd been stuck at Cat 4 for two years. The difference was learning when to go — I was burning matches too early in every race."
Race intelligence is trainable. James's upgrade didn't come from a higher FTP alone. It came from structured race simulation work in training, reviewing race files with his coach, and rebuilding his pacing instincts over six months of targeted sessions.
Eoin Daly, 31, Cork: "Made the step from Cat 3 to Cat 2 after 18 months in the programme. I honestly didn't think that was possible when I started. I was just trying not to get dropped. Now I'm finishing in the front group consistently."
The Cat 3 to Cat 2 transition is one of the hardest in domestic racing. The power demands increase, the field tactics become more complex, and the margin for error in race-day preparation shrinks. Eoin's 18-month timeline reflects what that upgrade actually takes — not a quick fix, but a sustained build.
Sinead McCarthy, 33, Galway: "Won my first ever road race this season. I'd been racing for four years without a win. The work we did on VO2max intervals in the winter was directly responsible. I had a bigger top end than I'd ever had, and I used it."
Pádraic Nolan, 39, Tipperary: "Moved from sportive rider to Cat 4 racer in one season. I never thought I'd race. Now I'm looking at upgrades. The structured training made the idea of racing feel manageable rather than terrifying."
Pádraic's story is a reminder that category upgrades aren't only about moving up — sometimes the first upgrade is deciding to race at all. That shift in identity often produces the largest performance leap.
Comeback stories
Comebacks from injury, illness, or long training gaps are disproportionately represented in the Not Done Yet membership. The programme's structure suits riders who have lost fitness and need to rebuild without blowing themselves up in the process.
Kevin O'Sullivan, 43, Kerry: "Eighteen months off the bike with a knee injury. Surgery, rehab, the full thing. Came back through coaching and hit a new FTP within 14 months. The structured return-to-training approach was the only reason I didn't re-injure myself. I would have gone too hard too fast on my own."
Kevin's case highlights one of the more underappreciated aspects of coaching — restraint. The hardest sessions to prescribe are often the easy ones, because motivated athletes resist them. A coach provides the external authority to keep intensity where it needs to be during re-adaptation phases.
Fiona Brady, 37, Dublin: "Took two years off for family reasons. Got back on the bike feeling like I was starting from scratch. Gained 55 watts in my first year back. I'm faster now than I was before I stopped."
Fiona's 55-watt gain reflects something worth noting: returning athletes often have better neural efficiency and structural foundations from their previous training, even after significant deconditioning. The comeback often moves faster than the original build — if it's managed correctly.
Colm Ryan, 49, Limerick: "Cancer treatment finished in early 2025. Started coaching six months later. I needed a programme that would work with my energy levels and build gradually. A year on, I'm back racing local events and feeling strong. I'm not done yet."
Colm's situation required a fundamentally different approach to load management than a standard athlete. His progress over 12 months, from post-treatment fatigue to racing again, is the result that means most to everyone involved in this programme.
Rachel O'Brien, 28, Wicklow: "Burnout. I'd overtrained for two years and hated cycling. Took eight months off. Came back through coaching and actually enjoy riding again. My FTP is higher than it ever was. The structured approach removed the compulsion to do more."
Rachel's comeback is from a different kind of damage — not physical injury but chronic overtraining and loss of motivation. The 7-day free trial gives riders in her position a low-pressure way to test whether structured coaching feels right before committing to a full programme.
The common thread
Across every category above, the pattern is consistent. The riders who got the biggest results were not the most talented or the most time-rich. They were the most consistent, and they were consistent because the programme was built around their actual lives rather than an idealised training week.
Joe Friel has written extensively about this in The Cyclist's Training Bible: training stress only produces adaptation when recovery is adequate. The riders above improved not because they did more, but because they did the right amount at the right intensity with the right recovery. Coaching is what enforces that equation.
The accountability pillar matters more than most athletes expect before they experience it. Knowing that someone is looking at your data every week changes behaviour. Not through fear — through commitment. A rider who has a coaching check-in on Thursday morning trains differently on Wednesday evening.
None of the results above came from a secret protocol or a novel approach to training science. They came from sound principles applied consistently over time, by riders who showed up and did the work with a programme that gave those efforts direction. That's what coaching produces.
Ready to write your own result?
The free coaching assessment takes 10 minutes and gives you a clear picture of where your training currently stands and what's holding your results back. No obligation to go further.
If you already know coaching is the right move, apply for coaching and Anthony will review your application within 48 hours. Places are limited to keep the 1:1 model functional — there is no point coaching athletes who don't receive genuine individual attention.
The riders on this page are not exceptional. They are working adults with jobs, families, and limited training hours who decided to do the work properly. The only question is whether you're ready to do the same.