Following a week of hard training, Jan had a choice: start the season with an FTP test in the garage, or a TT – it was a tough decision.

Jan – It is never easy for me to switch from winter, off-season mode, to race mode and I always put it off as long as possible. For my first race of 2016 I had all the excuses lined up well in advance, with the fact that I had flown back from a heavy training week in Mallorca just the day before being top of the list. Anyone who had seen me beasting myself on long rides, including a threshold interval on the climb to Lluc (thanks coach!) would have laughed at my decision to race. However, I was loath to waste the entry fee and the alternative was an FTP test on the turbo, in the garage – if that isn’t choosing between a rock and a hard place! I felt dreadful during warm up and worse out on the course, but I banked a good training effort and broke my (racing) duck for 2016. As if that isn’t enough, I have almost certainly given myself a time that I can better next time out!

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