Ed Laverack and three other riders are keeping rider journals for The British Continental this season. Ed rides for the new UCI Continental team SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling this season. This is Ed’s second journal entry…
Winter training
My winter training has been full of intensity, but, maybe surprisingly, not full of hours on the bike. I’d prefer to give you as much insight and value as possible from this, my second, journal entry.

From November 2017 to the end of January 2018 I did 19 hours a week training, averaging around 807 TSS [Training Stress Score, measuring the relative intensity, duration, and frequency of workouts]. For reference, a week-long stage race might see a TSS of 1300. In the same months just gone, I’ve slotted in 13 hours a week with 628 TSS as my average weekly stress.
The difference is clear to see, and maybe needs an explanation…
It’s times like these I love. The adversity. It’s made things hard for me, but at the same time, I’ve realised how lucky I’ve been
Condor
It’s important to note that I spent 80% of my weekly training on Zwift, racing and doing high-quality intervals, with hardly any ‘middle ground’ riding.
The reduction in hours would surely have an impact on my performances and overall fitness though right? Well, I thought so, until I did a test. My regular
Date | Power |
25 November 2017 | 335w |
26 November 2018 | 335w |
10 February 2018 | 359w |
19 February 2019 | 350w |
My test came a month before I did the same test in 2018. So we could theorise that those extra 9 watts could be found in the next month of training.
I put a lot of this down to the intensities I am working at. Being very smart about the weekly balance and being very consistent. I guess avoiding illness has helped that.

Team launch
Fast forward a week or two and I’m at the SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling team launch in Leeds [Sunday 24 Feb]. It was an opportunity to meet the sponsors, to see what the riders can do for them in terms of publicity and endorsements. The highlight of the weekend was receiving the team bike. A wonderfully simplistic geometry and deep blue paint job from SwiftCarbon bikes. As you can imagine, due to my circumstances, I am very appreciative of the bike and the sponsors coming on board in light of the climate change in UK cycling late last year.
I always see the positive side though, and as the lightest man by 4kg in the top 15, I produced arguably the best sprint I’ve done on an indoor trainer
The British Cycling
The team launch has come later than most would expect but that doesn’t matter. We all know each other

Championships. Photo: SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling / Carolyn Nelson (@photography_PCS)
Read more
Rider journals: Ed Laverack #1
Rider journals: introducing Ed Laverack
Interview with Ed Laverack by John Smith
Ed’s brilliant vlog is well worth checking out.
Featured photo: John Smith / Same Old Smith Photography
0 comments on “Ed Laverack journal: winter training, team launch, eRacing”