Recovery Week is not a week off the plan. It is the part of the plan that lets your body absorb the work, freshen up and prepare for the next progression. Keep the scheduled sessions easy where they are meant to be easy, prioritise sleep, eat properly and resist the urge to replace removed sessions with extra training.

There are no coached Tuesday, Thursday or Friday morning sessions this week. That is deliberate. Follow your Recovery Week program and enjoy the extra breathing room. The coached timetable still includes Monday evening swim, Tuesday evening wind trainer, Wednesday morning swim, Thursday evening run, the Saturday rides and Sunday long run.

Monday, 6:15 pm to 7:30 pm: Squad Swim, MSAC Outdoor Pool
Tuesday, 6:15 pm to 7:30 pm: FTP Test Wind Trainer, MSAC
Wednesday, 5:45 am to 7:00 am: Squad Swim, MSAC Outdoor Pool
Thursday, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm: Run at The Tan
Saturday, 6:30 am to 9:30 am: Long Course Ride, Elwood Beach
Saturday, 7:00 am to 10:00 am: Short Course Ride, Elwood Beach
Sunday, 8:00 am to 9:30 am: Fairfield Long Run

No coached Tuesday, Thursday or Friday morning sessions this Recovery Week.

Make the easy work genuinely easy. Recovery improves when training stress falls and the basics stay consistent. Aim for regular sleep, enough carbohydrate to support the work that remains, a useful serve of protein across meals, and gentle movement that leaves you feeling better rather than more tired.

A short walk, easy spin, relaxed mobility or a few quiet minutes with the foam roller can help you unwind. None of them needs to become another workout. Do not cram in a missed session to make the week look complete. The goal is to reach the next build block ready to train, not proud of how much recovery you avoided.

From Head Coach Ollie

It is completely normal for 80 km or 100 km to feel intimidating when 60 km has been your longest ride. The number looks big before the body has experienced it. Your program is designed to build the distance incrementally. If you have been completing the work consistently, you are not starting the longer ride from scratch. You are carrying the fitness, skills and resilience from every ride before it.

Pace the whole ride, not the first hour. Start slightly easier than you think you need to, settle into a conversational aerobic effort and avoid chasing every wheel or hill. On climbs, keep the effort controlled and use your gears. In the bunch, smooth and predictable riding saves energy. The aim is to finish knowing you managed the day, not to prove your fitness in the opening kilometres.

Fuel early and regularly. Eat breakfast before you ride. Once rolling, begin fuelling in the first 30 minutes and use a simple timer if needed. For these developing endurance rides, a practical starting target is 40 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour, plus roughly 500 to 750 mL of fluid per hour depending on the weather and your own sweat rate. That might be a bottle of sports drink plus a banana, bar, sandwich or gels spread across the hour. Practise the products you plan to use and carry more than you think you will need.

Break the distance into small jobs: the next drink, the next food, the next safe turn and the next regroup. Confidence usually arrives after you start, not before. If you have trained consistently and follow the pacing and fuelling plan, you can get there. If anything about your health, preparation or nutrition worries you, ask us before the ride so we can help you make a sensible plan.

Tuesday night’s wind trainer session is an FTP test. Functional Threshold Power is a repeatable benchmark used to estimate the cycling power you can sustain for a hard, steady effort. It helps Ollie set useful training zones, prescribe the right intensity and see whether your cycling fitness is moving over time.

This is not a pass or fail test and it is not a reason to chase somebody else’s number. Arrive fuelled, bring your usual trainer setup and fan, and pace the opening minutes with control. A well-paced test gives the coaches better information than an explosive start followed by survival. The result is a tool for your next block, not a judgement on your ability. Michelle’s FTP guide explains what the number means and how it supports your training.

What a camp it was. Thank you to everyone who has attended over the years and made the Thailand camp such a memorable experience. From the long training days and shared meals to the laughs, roadside surprises and stories that will keep resurfacing.

The photos are a lovely reminder, but the best part was the people. Thanks for bringing such good energy, looking after one another and making the camp feel unmistakably Tri-Alliance. We hope these memories brought back a few smiles.

Five Melbourne race days are now open for entry: Race 1 at Elwood on Sunday 6 December 2026; Race 2 at St Kilda on Sunday 10 January 2027; Race 3 at Sandringham on Sunday 7 February; Race 4 at Elwood on Sunday 28 February; and Race 5 at St Kilda on Sunday 11 April.

A useful reminder for Tri Alliance athletes: club and squad discounts are not active during the opening ‘5 races for the price of 4’ special. The Series Bundle discount becomes active in the next pricing period from 30 August. If you can wait, Michelle will share the Tri Alliance entry password towards the end of August.

ACU research opportunity for eligible athletes

Read the participant information

If you keep hearing the same swim cue but cannot quite feel the change, a one-to-one session with Ollie gives you focused coaching, immediate feedback and time to work on the part of your stroke that matters most. It is suitable whether you want more confidence, better efficiency or a clear technical priority to take back into squad sessions.

You can choose personal poolside coaching or Swimming Stroke Video Analysis. Video captures what is happening above and below the water so Ollie can show you where speed is being lost and give you clear priorities for every session that follows.

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Monday 10 August, 6:15 pm to 7:30 pm: Squad Swim, MSAC Outdoor Pool
Tuesday 11 August, 6:15 pm to 7:30 pm: FTP Test Wind Trainer, MSAC
Wednesday 12 August, 5:45 am to 7:00 am: Squad Swim, MSAC Outdoor Pool
Thursday 13 August, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm: Run at The Tan
Saturday 15 August, 6:30 am to 9:30 am: Long Course Ride, Elwood Beach
Saturday 15 August, 7:00 am to 10:00 am: Short Course Ride, Elwood Beach
Sunday 16 August, 8:00 am to 9:30 am: Fairfield Long Run

No coached Tuesday, Thursday or Friday morning sessions this Recovery Week. Always check the live timetable before leaving home.