TOPICS
John Archibald has clocked one of the fastest 10-mile time trial times in the UK at 17:19, and in this conversation he breaks down exactly how he got there. We dig into the training volume that actually works around a full-time job, the equipment that's worth your money, and the pacing strategies that separate the fast from the very fast.
"If you reduce your frontal area by lowering stack height and saddle and moving things forwards and backwards, you realize you've reduced your CDA but now you can only put out 20 watts less than you were doing last week—you lose power."
"If the intensity is so hard you have to come out of the skis, it's too hard—that's fast."
"It's only as good as what you can put on paper—results are what matter, not who you could have beaten."
“I think there's a training commitment and then is what you're physically able to do so uh I'm quite fortunate in that I don't have a wife and kids and a very demanding job or physical job manual labor job so I'm able to commit something around 15 hours a week to cycling and so that's just unrealistic for some people but I think I also do that because I like to Road Race and do some other things and because I enjoy riding the bike it's not to say that 15 hours a week is the requirement or the Baseline”
“if I was doing a 90minut session I would never spend more than three or four minutes out of the skis at one time um and certainly in the end of won't come out at all because it's you're capitulating really it's if if you're if the intensity is so hard you have to come out skis it's too hard”
“to make a substantial difference you're talking 10 kilos or more okay so for example if you say oh I know I could lose two kilos uh and be and I might potentially lose some power with that I go not bother don't bother two kilos is going to make no difference in terms of your your uh race time because you know once you're up 50k hour the overwhelming things L you down is air resistance”
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The written companion to this episode.
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Holding aero for two hours is a training adaptation, not a stretching test. Here's the progression that lets you stay low without losing pow…
How to Ride a Faster Time Trial: Pacing, Position, and Preparation
Time trialling strips cycling back to its purest form — you against the clock. No drafting, no tactics, just sustained power and aerodynamic…
70.3 Bike Training Plan: 12 Weeks to a Faster Bike Split
Twelve weeks, built to drop your 70.3 bike split by 5–15 minutes while still running off the bike. Week-by-week structure for age-group athl…
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