SANDRA EAGER
Recreational cyclist who went on to cycle Italy from coast-to-coast.
ACHIEVEMENT HIGHLIGHTS
FTP IMPROVEMENT
+ 43 watts over eight weeks. Highest female FTP Improvement score.
POWER-TO-WEIGHT
0.91 watts per kilo improvement in just eight weeks.
AVERAGE POWER
Improved 1 min average power output by 13% over the eight weeks group indoor training programme. Increased from 183 to 207 watts.
ITALY COAST-TO-COAST
Cycled 185 miles in 3 days with 12,000 feet of climbing.
Before Njinga
I had signed up to a cycling challenge following a talk at my children's school about setting a good example. The talk emphasised how you need to set a good example to your children and if you don't challenge yourself, you can't expect your kids to follow suit.
The challenge was cycling coast-to-coast across Italy, from Rimini to Pisa. Three days, ±185 miles. Not so concerning until you add in the 12,000 feet ascent which, for me, was going to be hard. I was more of a recreational cyclist. The further I'd ever cycled before was around the Isle of Wight in one day. But I'd never done back-to-back days on my bike. I was genuinely terrified.
Sandra Celebrating FTP improvement with fellow Njinga programme riders.
Sandra at the end of her coast to coast ride of Italy - Covering 185 miles in 3 days.
Sandra with fellow Njinga riders at the end of our 8 Week Fire Starter Indoor Training Programme.
Njinga came recommended to me by my partner and I immediately enrolled in their eight-week Fire Starter group indoor training programme. I'd never done a spinning class before let alone been on a wattbike! I had no idea what I was capable of.
The Fire Starter programme
We started the programme off with some nutritional and pedal technique advice. In the second session, we did our FTP test to give us a baseline and numbers to target to improve. In hindsight, I probably went too easy on my first test. I didn't know what I could sustain for 20 minutes and didn't want to burn out and embarrass myself before the end.
Togo, our coach, pushed us to achieve, coaching us not only physically but also mentally.
As a group, we bonded and supported each other, and shared the healthy snacks we'd made to go with the class protein shake to boost recovery.
In the final session, we repeated our FTP test and everyone's scores had improved!
My own score had increased by 43 watts and, as a result, I was made the 'most improved FTP female of all time', putting my name up on the leaderboard.
'Sandbagging' was not my intention but I must have been holding something back in the first test to be able to improve that much. Either way, I had certainly become stronger and fitter!
The big challenge: Italy, here I come!
And Italy? I did it! It was still hard – harder than I thought it would be – but having built up my strength over time, it was all achievable.
And being mentally prepared for anything also came into play as we embarked on a ten-mile descent in a hail thunderstorm.
Njinga certainly delivered.
Next stop: Ride London!
Sandra and fellow programme riders receiving their Tribe Nutrition complimentary boxes.
Sandra and her fellow programme rides celebrating their successes.
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– Togo Keynes, Head Performance Coach at Njinga Cycling Academy