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EXPERT INSIGHT · PERIODISATION

WHAT DOES MATT BOTTRILL SAY ABOUT PERIODISATION?

UK time trial champion, cycling coach

Full profile·1 episode·
Coaching

THE SHORT ANSWER

Matt Bottrill, uk time trial champion, cycling coach, has appeared on the Roadman Cycling Podcast. Here's where Bottrill lands on periodisation. The positions below are drawn from those conversations, quoted directly.

WHO IS MATT BOTTRILL?

Matt Bottrill is one of the most decorated British TT specialists of his generation — seven national time trial titles and a string of British Best All-Rounder finishes — and now one of the country's most respected time trial coaches. His coaching at Matt Bottrill Performance Coaching has produced national, age-group world, and Ironman bike-leg champions. For amateurs trying to translate FTP into actual time trial results, his methodology is one of the cleanest in the UK: pacing discipline, position work, fuelling rehearsal, and equipment selection that earns its weight.

BOTTRILL ON PERIODISATION

Bottrill’s key positions on periodisation.

  • Time trial pacing is a power discipline — the riders who win are the ones who hold their wattage cap when they do not feel like it.
  • Position work is years long — saddle, bar, helmet, position adapt incrementally and reward the patient rider.
  • Aero gains are real but only after fit is sorted — most amateurs leave 30 W on the table by chasing kit before position.
  • Triathlon bike legs are not standalone TTs — they are paced for the run that follows, which fundamentally changes the wattage strategy.
  • Strength and core work are non-negotiable for holding TT position over 25 miles or 180 km.

IN BOTTRILL’S OWN WORDS

Verbatim from Matt Bottrill’s appearances on the podcast.

the fastest ever did was like 45 43 actually should I've done a team time trial slower than that and I think I average over 400 wats that night

I learned at that point that he'd been to the win and all he'd uh you know like he' learned how to train and optimize like his pacing strategy so I thought right either quit the SP now or I've got to get onto that journey

you probably gain another three probably like three or four watts in like a frame set overall uh without without that combination

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What does Matt Bottrill say about periodisation?

Matt Bottrill, uk time trial champion, cycling coach, has appeared on the Roadman Cycling Podcast. Here's where Bottrill lands on periodisation. The positions below are drawn from those conversations, quoted directly.

What is Bottrill's main point on periodisation?

Time trial pacing is a power discipline — the riders who win are the ones who hold their wattage cap when they do not feel like it.

Which Roadman Cycling Podcast episodes cover Matt Bottrill on periodisation?

Bottrill discusses periodisation in this episode: "7 Hacks Pro Riders Use That You Probably Don't | Matt Bottrill".