WATT WORKS FOR ME: Matthew Holmes

The Lotto-Soudal neo-pro on winning as a rookie, training 'flat-out' and avoiding easy options

- David Bradford

You’ve just made a stunning breakthrough, beating the king of Willunga Hill Richie Porte on his home tarmac to win the final stage of the Tour Down Under. Quite simply: how?

It’s difficult to know because I hadn’t been feeling that great for the rest of the race — a mix of good days and bad days. Over the winter, I’d been unsure whether the training set by my new coach was working for me, and sure enough, in Australia I felt not half as good as I normally would. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time for that last climb.

OK, let’s rephrase: what sort of training usually works for you?