NEIL ROBERTS
From junk miles to smart training - How rehab and now regular training at Njinga has improved Neil's triathlon performances.
ACHIEVEMENT HIGHLIGHTS
FTP IMPROVEMENT
11 watt increase in just 5 months.
BRITISH TRIATHLON
Offered a GB age group team place for the world championships in Australia with a Sprint triathlon time of 1 hour and 16 minutes in 2018.
richmond park lap improvement
2 minutes 30 seconds in first year at Njinga.
TRIATHLON CYCLE IMPROVEMENT
Improved triathlon cycle from 26km/hour for 40km to 32km/hour for 90km.
Before Njinga
From 2010-2017, I commuted almost daily from Kingston to central London on my bike. I thought this 5-10 hours a week cycling was great training and all I needed to keep fit and get fitter.
One day, while riding in central, I was knocked off my bike and was left with a broken left wrist and torn right shoulder. I had surgery on my wrist and knew I wouldn't be able to cycle again for at least 2-3 months. Plus, the thought of getting back on a road bike made me feel sick.
Enter Njinga
I knew of Njinga at the time but didn't quite understand what it is they did. I just thought it was a spin-type place for proper cyclists! After my surgery, I decided to find out what Njinga actually offered and whether I'd be able to attend their classes with a plastered wrist in a sling. The Njinga team were all super friendly and it looked like what they did was just what I needed.
The team set me up on a wattbike and I attended loads of indoor training sessions over the next 2-3 months while I was recovering. My mistake at the time was not doing an FTP test to set accurate zones right from the start. So, if I was advising someone new to Njinga, that would be my first bit of advice: do a test as early on as you can and don't worry about the results. It's going to help you Train Smart.
At the time, after years of commuting, I was pushing out 150 watts with a heart rate of 150-160 bpm and it felt like hard work. It was almost miraculous that I felt better and better after each class. The power was higher, and the heart rate the same. I could feel I was getting fitter and fitter every week.
Fitness improvements
By September 2017, I had done my first FTP test and got a score of 209 watts which is way better than I could have achieved 5 months prior. I stuck to my training zones and by January 2018, after 2 more operations, my FTP had gone up to 220 watts.
This made me realise that I was now fitter than I had ever been in terms of bike training:
I could now ride at 210 watts with a heart rate of 150. And mostly importantly, it felt sustainable.
Richmond Park lap improvements
I started multi-sports in 2011 with the Richmond Park duathlon. Back then, I was doing one lap of the park in 25 minutes, and I thought that was good. After years of commuting (in early 2017), that number dropped to 22 minutes.
After a year of training with Njinga, I was down to 19.5 minutes for a park lap and I know I'll keep getting quicker.
Transforming and improving my triathlon times
I'm also a triathlete. In 2015, my sprint triathlon bike split was 42 minutes for 20km.
In 2018, that was down to 36 minutes, a massive 6-minute reduction which is hugely important over a sprint distance triathlon. It's very hard to find a 6-minute improvement on a 5km run or a 750m swim. In fact, it's impossible. So lowering the bike split is the place where there is huge opportunity for improvement.
My bike time improvement helped me achieve a sprint triathlon time of 1 hour 16 minutes in 2018.
This was good enough for me to be offered a GB age group team place for the World Championships in Australia.
What's even more important is this: having trained smart with Njinga, I now know where my thresholds are and what will break me in terms of going too hard and not being able to perform on the run part of a triathlon. Before Njinga, I may have put some extra efforts in on the bike but it could have been too much and left me feeling broken and unable to run.
Half iron man-distance triathlons
In August 2018, I moved up to half iron man-distance triathlons for the first time. I managed a time of 5 hours 13 minutes for the 1.9km swim, 90km bike, and 21km run.
Neil completing an indoor training session at the Njinga Lab.
Neil completing the bike leg of a triathlon.
Neil completing the bike leg of a triathlon.
I felt comfortable and confident throughout the whole race.
There's no way I would have been able to do this without my Njinga training.
Neil completing the bike leg of a triathlon.
Neil completing the bike leg of a triathlon.
Neil completing the bike leg of a triathlon.
Neil crossing the line after completing a triathlon.
Njinga training has given me the best triathlon season ever
After a year of training with Njinga, I've had the best triathlon season ever.
I've smashed my previous times and I was able to go up to a half iron man-distance without doing any significant outdoor cycling.
Njinga will continue to be a big part of my training plans, both in the winter and summer months. I've learnt to train smart and I know that every class is set up to build my endurance but also to push me forward in terms of cycle fitness. The whole team is friendly and there's a real feeling of being involved in the Njinga community.
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– Togo Keynes, Head Performance Coach at Njinga Cycling Academy
