Sportstest #2 - The Results (Part 1 of 2)

After my diatribe on the benefits of the chosen training methods it's only fair that I pen the review of the first set of the Team's re-tests with Dr Garry Palmer.
The running order for the day was Alan, me, Manuel (a friend of the team), and Simon. Simon and I popped in half-way through Alan's test to offer some 'encouragement' to find that he looked to be making light work of the test that he found significantly more difficult back in October. Alan completed his test to found that the hard work he had put in since October had paid dividends - max power 288W up from 231W!, power to weight 3.66W/kg (target for July - 4W/kg), VO2max efficiency looks good, and down to 17.8% body fat which means a loss of 3.7kg of fat since mid-October! Impressive stuff considering that there is more training to come in preparation for July, Alan now embarks on the second phase of endurance training to increase his mechanical efficiency and power when riding at this intensity.
Alan also provides the first photo for our caption competition -

I was next up after Alan had set the bar so high. I felt comfortable during the endurance and threshold tests. Apparently I was trying to wrestle the cycling rig by the end of the ramp test which showed that my peak power has increased since October, which wasn't expected as my training plan wasn't targeting that. My mechanical and VO2 max efficiencies are improved significantly and Garry says that I'm in better shape now than I was at the end of last race season (which should have been my peak) so I'm well set for the coming season. To facilitate this Garry has designed a particularly unpleasant Threshold training programme for me. My contribution to the caption competition:

Manuel was introduced to the ramp test next, I won't publish his results here but if he could develop more power without putting on weight he would make an awesome climber!
Simon was the last test rider of the day, I hope he won't mind me saying that he was feeling the pressure of the improvements of the other tests that day. Alan was on hand to provide moral support and capture an unfortunate gurn at the end of test. Despite Simon's concerns his results showed that he too had made impressive gains since his last test point in October. Max power up by 10%, mechanical efficiencies look good, power to weight 4.13W/kg!, VO2max efficiency looks good, and 17.1% body fat down from 18.9% (although some dietary changes required - Simon can update you with these later). These results are especially impressive considering that Simon's recovery rate revealed that he is actually heavily fatigued and run down at the moment, the Dr P has ordered rest and recovery until he feels better at which point he can continue his training.
Simon's entry into the caption comp will be entered shortly.

The remainder of the team will be tested in March, I will be taking a day off that day so I don't have to enjoy the wrath of Nick should his results not show that he can now rip up tarmac with every pedal stroke....
Overall, the results of the team so far have been really pleasing and bode very well for a rewarding ride in July!
The next major event in the team's calendar is the Mad March Hare Sportive on the 4th of March, 75 miles and 1100m of climbing, keep your eyes peeled for the blog entry on that one.