Official photo taken by Etape du Tour by Sportograf

SIMON HATHAWAY

Discover how 1-1 Njinga coaching helped Simon prepare for his cycling challenges: Ride London, Etape du Tour and The Tour of Cambridgeshire.

ACHIEVEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

ETAPE DU TOUR

Successfully completed the Etape du Tour, gruelling 166km and over 4500m of climbing.

RIDE LONDON-ESSEX SPORTIVE

Smashed Ride London 100 mile sportive in a new PB time of 4 hours 15 minutes at 37.6kmph

TOUR of cambridgeshire

Completed the UCI World's Qualifier Road Race in 2 hours, 56 minutes at a pace of 36.5kmph.

FTP SCORE IMPROVEMENTS

Improved FTP score by 31 watts from 271 (December 2021) to 302w (June 2023) to make the 300 FTP club.

"Being told what not to do is sometimes more valuable than being told what to do".

The reason for signing up to Njinga 1-1 Coaching.

DNF is not something anybody aspires too, though most cyclists have been there. For me it was the 2019 Etape, I simply wasn’t prepared for the heat!

After 2 years of Covid event cancellations, my 2022 angst was just about finishing.

Looking for a coach

There is only so much that a training app algorithm and YouTube can do, so I interviewed a few coaches and signed up with Togo.

He told me he would be straight talking, and he was true to his word.

Being told what not to do is sometimes more valuable than being told what to do,

but just having him there to make sense of my numbers, guide me as I learnt about my body, and consult as we tried and tested nutrition and fuelling on the bike was invaluable.

My Achievements

Working with Togo in 2020 saw me destroy my century PB with a 4 hour and 15 minutes for the Ride London 100 miles sportive.

I then felt totally destroyed in hotter conditions over the same distance but with 3 times more climbing metres, as I topped Alpe D’Huez and finished the Etape du Tour 6 weeks later.

Going in to 2023 we decided it was time for my first race, and I signed up for the Tour of Cambridgeshire (TOC). Togo devised a programme focusing on my base over the winter and strength and speed in the run up to the event.

I was the strongest I’d ever been, my FTP was over 300 watts and I was smashing everyone on the club ride,

but on the day I was just not strong enough. I averaged over 300 watts in the first hour, holding the wheel and managing peloton surges that meant I smashed all my power PBs, and set new HR thresholds. It was a tough introduction to racing, then I crashed. A bidon came out of nowhere and hit my front wheel, I went down hard, picked myself up quickly and rode on. I finished, but my bike and I were broken.

What's Next?

King Alfred's Way (KAW) and multiday events are planned for late summer 2023, and on the bucket list, the full 21 days of Tour de France.

Its been an incredible few years working with Njinga and I know I have it in me to continue to achieve new milestones with the coaching and support from Togo.

Simon during the Ride London-Essex 100 mile sportive.

Simon riding in Mallorca.

Official photo Sportograf at the Tour of Cambridgeshire

Simon competing in the Tour of Cambridgeshire

Official photo Sportograf at the Etape du Tour.

Simon during the Etape du Tour.

Official photo Sportograf at the Etape du Tour.

Simon during the Etape du Tour.

Official photo Sportograf at the Etape du Tour.

Simon finishing the gruelling Etape du Tour.

Official photo Sportograf at the Tour of Cambridgeshire

Simon competing in the Tour of Cambridgeshire

Togo's View

"Simon never truly invested in himself. He was always investing his time in others. He buried himself in work and became a successful CEO but he didn’t do that with the sport he loved so much until we started working together.

Since investing in himself, we have managed to ignite that inner flame and its starting to burn bright. Simon has transformed both personally and as a cyclist. He has smashed so many cycling goals and PB’s and I truly believe he has the potential to achieve anything. I’m excited for the next chapter.”

– Togo Keynes, Head Performance Coach at Njinga Cycling Academy

Are you looking for 1-1 coaching to help take your cycling to the next level?

Our bespoke personalised coaching and training plans are designed to suit your specific goals and built around your lifestyle. Benefit from weekly coaching calls and mentoring support via Zoom to keep you on track.

It's the best day I've ever spent on a bike so far. And I can't think of a better bunch of people to have shared it with.

WHERE IS KARMAN NOW?

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A NOTE FROM THE COACH

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– Togo Keynes, Head Performance Coach at Njinga Cycling Academy

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