Ride with Sam Proctor on Zwift tonight

The TRI247 ERDINGER Alkoholfrei Pro Series

Wednesday, 24th February 2021 – 7.05pm UK time on Zwift

(ZWIFT LINK >>> https://www.zwift.com/events/view/1787414)

Our popular Wednesday group workout series on Zwift has had a different feel each week during the month of February, for a special series of Pro athlete lead workouts, as we’ve linked up with ERDINGER Alkoholfrei.

Having ridden alongside Nikki Bartlett, Tom Davis and Lucy Gossage already this month, this week’s set will be lead by Sam Proctor.

As an extra incentive, each week two riders, at random, will win an ERDINGER Alkoholfrei bandana. Oh, and there might be a case of ERDINGER going too… but you’ll have to be on the ride to have a chance of winning. Prize winners are announced DURING the ride!

Not only that, every rider who completes a TRI247 ride, will now unlock the bespoke TRI247 kit to their Zwift garage, to wear online whenever they choose!

As always, the sessions are free to join and open to ALL abilities. Enjoy an hour of structured training with the added motivation of a virtual group training environment.

Sam Proctor

Sam has made rapid progress since taking part in his first triathlon in 2011.

In 2018 he made a significant mark on the domestic scene, when he won the Outlaw Half Holkham Triathlon. That win helped raise his profile and in 2019 he joined the Team ERDINGER Alkoholfrei UK team.

With perhaps an indication of where his future in sport is, in 2019 he showed his potential with a fantastic 8:14:17 finish for 8th place at IRONMAN Texas, the North American Championship. That was his first attempt at the distance too, making him, at the time, the second fastest British debutant ever.

Like all athletes, 2020 plans were hugely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but that didn’t mean Sam wasn’t busy. He set about a mammoth six-week cycling challenge to raise money for the The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn Charitable Fund.

With racing – we hope – back on the schedule at some point during the year, Sam is training hard for the season ahead. As if to further display the global connectivity of Zwift, Sam will be leading the session from Dubai, where he is currently training with Joe Skipper. That means he’ll also be finishing the set at midnight!

Join Sam, along with athletes joining us virtually on Zwift from around the world, for an hour of quality training and chat – and you may win a prize too. Remember, ALL abilities are welcome!

The Session: Sam Proctor’s VO2Max Preload

First up, we have to say a big thank you to Sam’s coach, Mark Pearce, Head Coach of Intelligent Triathlon Training (www.itt.world), for setting this weeks workout.

The main set comprises of six, three-minute intervals at VO2Max effort (approx 110% of FTP power). The ‘Preload’ element of the session name comes from the first 10-seconds of each interval… where you’ll go HARD! Mark’s notes, “This can be performed in the saddle or out of the saddle but needs to be sharp acceleration and sustained power.”

That (short) effort will thus ‘preload’ the system… which will then add an extra challenge as you settle back into a rhythm for the remainder of each rep.

It should prove a great way to finish up the fourth week and our special February Team ERDINGER Pro Series.

[To set your reminder, click here: https://www.zwift.com/events/view/1787414]

If you are new to Zwift and are not sure how it all works, it’s well worth checking out these recent articles we’ve published to find out more:

• Getting started with Zwift Cycling
• Five ways to train on Zwift
• Using Zwift for iron-distance training: what do Pro athletes do?
• Zwift RUN: It’s not just cycling…!
• My Zwift Experience: Laura Siddall

[TIP – It is always worth having the (free) Zwift Companion app to hand on your mobile device. Within the workout screen you can toggle your FTP by +/- 10% ‘on the fly’, which will immediately change your power targets during the session. Legs feeling heavy, can’t quite hold your power targets? It happens! Rather than can the session, how about moving your targets down 5% first, before giving up completely? Alas, the body isn’t a machine and can’t always deliver as you hope/think it should, so a bit of flexibility and not getting too obsessed with the numbers can be a good thing!

On the flipside, perhaps you are having a good day or increasing the overall training stress of the session better meets your own training goals for that day? In that case, you have the option of nudging your baseline up in the same way.]

The session is genuinely open to everyone of ALL abilities. Group workout mode works fantastically in Zwift and ensures that the power targets are tailored to YOUR level. It makes no difference if your FTP is 400 watts or 100 watts, the targets you see will be specific to you – all while being part of the on-screen group.

[To set your reminder, click here: https://www.zwift.com/events/view/1787414]

Joining Instructions:

The workout will begin promptly at 7.05pm UK time, Wednesday 24th February 2021. It is worth logging in 5 or 10 minutes before the session to make sure you are set up and ready to go, where you will be able to warm up in the virtual ‘holding pen’.

Look for the TRI247 Workout Series event in the list on the right of the screen once you have paired your sensors. Click to JOIN and you will be taken to the start line ready to begin the workout.

Make sure you have set your FTP level correctly before you join the workout as all the intervals are based on a percentage of FTP so it is important to get that right. If in doubt, dial the FTP number down 10 or 20 watts as it is better to finish the session than to feel like it is too challenging.

If you have never used Zwift before but don’t want to miss out, head to the Zwift support page for tips on how to get the most out of your setup.

After the session head over to the TRI247 Facebook page for some post ride chat.

Zwift Group Rides: TRI247 Workout Series

The cool thing about a group workout on Zwift is that varying levels of ability can ride together in a group and all finish the session together having done the same relative effort, even if the actual watts are significantly different. It is not a race, but a shared goal to get a good session in the training log.