MATTHEW COLE

Overview

All round rider, a bit more of a diesel engine as I can climb well, have a strong TT and good in breakaways too.

PROGRAM 2023

• Valli del Soligo UCI 1.1 TTT in Italy (17/6/23) Anexo

• Trofeo G. Dorigo UCI 1.1 in Italy (18/06/23) Anexo

• National Championships TT (1/7/23)

• National Championships RR (2/7/23)

• Tour of the Basque Country (13-16/7/23)

• Spanish National Junior Road Race (23/7/23)

• Aubel Stavelot UCI 2.1 (4-6/8/23)

• Ronde Des Vallees UCI 2.1 (12-13/8/23)

• Wales Stage Race National Junior Road Series (25-28/8/23)

• Trofeo Buffoni UCI 1.1 (10/9/23)

• Giro Di Basilicata UCI 2.1 (14-17/9/23)

• Phillipe Gilbert Juniors UCI 1.1 (7-8/10/23) Fensham

• Chrono Des Nations TT (15/10/23)

BELOW ANALYSIS

FROM SIMON BELDON - MATTYS COACH

I am a Level 3 ABCC accredited cycling coach and British Cycling coach with experience across various disciplines and working with riders ranging from youth racing to current Great Britain athletes at the highest elite level. My specialization lies in the development of young riders in road cycling, time trials, and track racing.

Over the past two years, I have been coaching Matty Cole, who transitioned from being a triathlete with limited road racing experience. During this time, he has made remarkable progress in the sport. Starting as an under 16 rider with limited success, he has now reached a level where he can compete with the world's best cyclists. Recently, he achieved his first UCI stage race victory.

Matty has been using a power meter for the past two years. However, we rarely incorporate maximal efforts into his training, except for occasional critical power tests during his winter endurance phase or at the beginning of the season if necessary.

In October 2021, Matty underwent a 3-minute test, where he achieved 457 watts. However, due to his lack of experience, he was unable to complete the 12-minute test. In November 2022, we conducted another critical power test, and he improved his performance to 485 watts for 3 minutes and 386 watts for 12 minutes, demonstrating progress.

Since then, we haven't conducted any further tests. However, analyzing his race data from the past 90 days using WKO5, Matty achieved 464 watts for 8 minutes and 415 watts for 12 minutes. I am confident that with a fresh effort, he can surpass these numbers.

Matty has become a highly skilled time trialist over the past two years, securing multiple wins in local and national events. This is an area where he continues to develop and excel. His proficiency in time trials also translates into his performance in road races, especially on longer climbs and during breakaway attempts. These strengths have contributed to his success in winning races.

While Matty's ability to attack and sustain a maximum effort is a key strength, we acknowledge the need for further work on his W prime/FRC. However, his talent lies in executing a maximum effort attack and then settling into a sustainable effort to distance himself from other riders, which has proven successful.

Matty is equally adept at short, punchy climbs, demonstrating his prowess in this type of racing as well.

According to recent research, utilizing the Compound Score in Elite Road Cycling (Leo, P., Spragg, J., Wakefield, J., & Swart, J. (2022)), Matty has an estimated score of 3013.

Durability is another key strength for Matty during races. Analyzing his data, we observe that after 1500Kjs, his 5-minute power drops from 459 watts to 456 watts, while his 20-minute power decreases from 384 watts to 365 watts. It's important to note that these values are based on race data rather than maximum tests within his training program. 

Although Matty is still relatively new to cycling, he remains an athlete in the developmental phase. With consistent training, increased volume (so far this has been achieved on around 12 hrs per week) , and more experience in race tactics, I strongly believe that he possesses tremendous untapped potential.

COACH : SIMON BELDON - simonbeldon@yahoo.com