As the new cycling season moves ever closer, Red Walters will be wanting to hit the ground running with his new team Ribble-Weldtide in 2022. As Walters begins his winter training, he’ll clock three to five hours per day and around 20-25 hours on average per week, but as a self-confessed fair-weather cyclist he’ll reluctantly spend more time on the turbo. “I try to stay outdoor as long as possible and put off going on the turbo because I find doing endurance on the turbo regularly gets a bit grim, it’s uncomfortable. So, I try and go outdoors as much as I can tolerate and then usually by mid to early January I’ve had enough of it when it gets to like two degrees, and it just stays there every day. Walters revealed that last winter he spent the whole of February pretty much indoors on the turbo, which was far from ideal. “I’ve got Raynaud’s [phenomenon] as well, so my hands and feet get really, really cold. But this winter, I’m hoping to go to Calpe in Spain for at least January, so a month there of sunny weather should improve things.” Every year for the past five years Walters has gained two to three kilos of natural weight as his body has matured. This winter, as he combines strength training with time in the saddle, he’ll have to be careful to find the right balance. If he gets it wrong, he’ll gain too much mass and risk jeopardising his race performance. “I don’t necessarily need to get more explosive power in my sprint for example. It’s more about being able to get over the hills, get through the race and then having that sprint. It’s a good question about balancing because it is definitely something I need to talk with my coach about, because I’d rather not put on any more weight. It’s a balance and we just need to figure out exactly where it is.” Over the coming months, with the help of his coach, Walters will work on acquiring the endurance he needs to get through five-hour-plus races next season. Power is his greatest natural attribute, but he knows that power is worthless unless he has plenty left in the tank to utilise it after a difficult effort. “I think I’ve just been lucky, in that I started with a pretty good sprint and high fast twitch muscle fibre percentage. But for the last probably two or three seasons I’ve had a really good sprint, but I just didn’t have the engine to back up.” MONDAY Rest day: 45-60 mins of stretching and foam roller massaging TUESDAY 3hrs riding with some sweet spot (Z3/Z4) efforts, 15 mins core work in the evening WEDNESDAY 4hrs riding steady Z2, 15 mins core work in the evening THURSDAY 3hrs riding with some mixed efforts, 1hr squat session in the evening (typically 8×8 squats as the main session, followed by a few sets each of a couple assistive exercises) FRIDAY Recovery day: 60-90 mins easy spin, 15 mins core work SATURDAY 4 hours with local chain gang. Fast group ride, great for morale and some competitive riding! SUNDAY 5-6 hours steady riding with a group of mates, 1hr deadlift session in the evening Written By Red Walters
