Caitlin Conyers On Season, Training & More
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Caitlin Conyers believes her maiden season for her American cycling team will serve as perfect preparation as she builds towards the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, this summer.
The Bermudian raced for the first time for California-based LUX/CTS p/b Specialized Team last weekend, finishing runner-up at the Valley of the Sun Stage Race in Arizona.
Conyers placed second in the time-trial – her favoured discipline – third in the road race and ninth in the criterium.
“I was really happy with the way the three stages went,” Conyers told Bernews. “I learned plenty about paying attention to time bonuses and knowing who is off the front.
“I’m not used to being a GC [general classification] rider, and that’s a transition I’m going to be making this year.
“I need to get to know exactly who’s who [in the GC] and be able to do the math in my head of the overall time standings. On the bike, I felt fantastic, so that’s promising. I’m super-excited for the season.”
Conyers, competing in the Women’s Pro 1-2 Division, was bestowed with the yellow jersey – worn by the GC leader– for the final stage in downtown Phoenix after her impressive time-trial and road race.
She admits it felt strange to have the entire team’s game plan tailored to her strengths after the opening stage but believes she grew into her leadership role.
“It’s great to have teammates; it’s a new dynamic for me to have a team supporting me,” Conyers added.
“Because I did so well in the time-trial, it meant the attention was on me, and the team was working for me.
“It’s a weird dynamic, and it’s a strange thing to adjust to, and you have to take on a leadership role.
“In the past, it’s not something I’ve had to do. It will be a learning curve this season to grow into that role and establish some positive dynamics with my teammates.”
The 32-year-old has a hectic race schedule for LUX in the coming months, which she believes will help her hit peak form for the Commonwealth Games, running from July 28 to August 8.
“I could not ask for a better schedule,” said Conyers, who will next compete at the LA Verne Stage Race in California from March 25 to 27.
“Lux are super supportive of me competing at the Commonwealth Games for Bermuda.
“Anything that conflicts with that they understand. They are completely on board with helping me get a good result at the Commonwealth Games.”
Conyers started the year with a ten-day training camp for LUX in San Buenaventura on the southern coast of California before joining fellow Bermuda riders Conor White and Liam Flannery for three weeks of training in the Santa Monica Mountains.
For the next two months, she will train at high altitude in Running Springs, near Big Bear Lake, where the air is considerably thinner, allowing Conyers to increase her red blood cell count and race more effectively at sea level.
“I’ve been feeling excellent on the bike,” said Conyers, who took part in the Zwift Academy final in Mallorca, Spain, last year, competing for a professional contract with Canyon SRM Racing.
“I’ve been doing a lot of aerobic-based training, which is something I’ve been working on, probably because I got into cycling so late.”
Conyers met her new coach, Stephen Gallagher, during the Zwift Academy final and said he is accelerating her development into a more well-rounded rider.
Irishman Gallagher is the co-owner of Dig Deep Coaching Consultancy, which provides coaching services to Canyon SRM Racing, one of the top teams in women’s cycling.
“He [Gallagher] has dived into my physiology, and who I am as a rider with a lot of data and analyst stuff,” said Conyers, who represented Bermuda at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, in 2019.
“I’m, physiologically, an all-rounder. That’s exciting, but it’s also something I need to own.”
