Training Partner - Good for fitness and Racing Tactic?

[toolittle]

GregVA and Oliver Naesen have a big step up this year.
They are training partner.

2017 E3 and Flanders, these 2 partners seems to attack each other. It seems that training partners won't team up.
For me, 2016 version E3 & Flanders, Sagan and Kwiatkowski "WORKED" well together.

Are there any other good example of training partners to share?

 

[RedheadDane]

I'm sure there are training partners who are also teammates, it's just not so notable, since it's pretty common for teammates to train together.

Another benefit from having a training partner - or training in a small group - could also be the motivational one; after all, I guess it's a bit easier to convince yourself to go out and train in the cold and rain if you got someone(s) to pass the time with.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I also think training with someone who is as good or close as good as you (Sagan and Kwito and GVA and Naesen in your example) makes you go that little deeper in training. It gets more competitive and you will probably end up pushing yourself more as its one of your rivals.

Compare that to Contador who can distance Jesus Hernandez on one leg. I'd be very intrigued to know how they train together, is Contador just riding full gas to the top and then proceeding to wait for Hernandez struggling to the top every time?

 

[tobydawq]

Maybe it's a little off-topic but I have heard Brian Holm say a couple of times that Valverde always trains by riding training races against others (I don't know who those others are, though).

I wonder what kind of handicaps he has in those races to make the competition at least somewhat fair (and to make him get anything out of it as training).

But it sounds like a very fun way to train instead of just carefully measuring your efforts through six hours to a predetermined schedule. And you can't really argue with its efficiency...

 

[jens_attacks]

Re:

Maybe it's a little off-topic but I have heard Brian Holm say a couple of times that Valverde always trains by riding training races against others (I don't know who those others are, though).

I wonder what kind of handicaps he has in those races to make the competition at least somewhat fair (and to make him get anything out of it as training).

But it sounds like a very fun way to train instead of just carefully measuring your efforts through six hours to a predetermined schedule. And you can't really argue with its efficiency...

and you still don't have a chance to beat him...

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

I also think training with someone who is as good or close as good as you (Sagan and Kwito and GVA and Naesen in your example) makes you go that little deeper in training. It gets more competitive and you will probably end up pushing yourself more as its one of your rivals.

Compare that to Contador who can distance Jesus Hernandez on one leg. I'd be very intrigued to know how they train together, is Contador just riding full gas to the top and then proceeding to wait for Hernandez struggling to the top every time?

Training isn't always full gas, it's also about the miles and Jesusito can definitely stay on Berto's wheel when he isn't going full gas.

 

[Red Rick]

Truth is that Jesus Hernandez is near useless in race situations. He doesn't have to be on Trek to train with Contador.

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

I also think training with someone who is as good or close as good as you (Sagan and Kwito and GVA and Naesen in your example) makes you go that little deeper in training. It gets more competitive and you will probably end up pushing yourself more as its one of your rivals.

Compare that to Contador who can distance Jesus Hernandez on one leg. I'd be very intrigued to know how they train together, is Contador just riding full gas to the top and then proceeding to wait for Hernandez struggling to the top every time?

Training isn't always full gas, it's also about the miles and Jesusito can definitely stay on Berto's wheel when he isn't going full gas.

Threshold training for one, distance training for the other

 

[WheelofGear]

Re:

Maybe it's a little off-topic but I have heard Brian Holm say a couple of times that Valverde always trains by riding training races against others (I don't know who those others are, though).

I wonder what kind of handicaps he has in those races to make the competition at least somewhat fair (and to make him get anything out of it as training).

But it sounds like a very fun way to train instead of just carefully measuring your efforts through six hours to a predetermined schedule. And you can't really argue with its efficiency...

Maybe they are playing cat and mouse. Valverde starts 10k earlier out (or something like that) and is trying to catch his teammates.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

I also think training with someone who is as good or close as good as you (Sagan and Kwito and GVA and Naesen in your example) makes you go that little deeper in training. It gets more competitive and you will probably end up pushing yourself more as its one of your rivals.

Compare that to Contador who can distance Jesus Hernandez on one leg. I'd be very intrigued to know how they train together, is Contador just riding full gas to the top and then proceeding to wait for Hernandez struggling to the top every time?

Training isn't always full gas, it's also about the miles and Jesusito can definitely stay on Berto's wheel when he isn't going full gas.

Oh I realise that, of course its also good just to get kilometres in, but when he is doing threshold efforts and the likes, he is long gone. And I assume he does that a lot leading up to spring and even more so TdF where Jesus obviously don't have a chance in hell to stay with him.