Cigala Cycling - Testimonials

Matteo's #TrainSmarterRideFaster ethos is the definitive way to train if you don't have the time or appetite to train for endless hours. Following a plan tailored by Matteo will cut out "junk miles", avoid over training and illness to get you stronger & riding harder than ever before.
Your personalised plan and training sessions will be easy to follow with clear concise explanatory notes and tips. Matteo will be watching your sessions and mapping your progression providing continuous communication along the way.
The big revelation for me has been how fresh I feel following a full winter training and spring racing schedule tailored by Matteo...Much less fatigued than everbefore with less hours of training! Transitioning into the remainder of racing season feeling mentally and physically prepared to achieve success is testament to Matteo's ability to provide his coached riders with balanced training programs which can be integrated with daily life commitments.
What's the catch? ...be willing to stick to your personal training zones and stick to the plan formulated for you by Matteo. This may challenge your current training habits and approach to cycling but it will work for you regardless of your age or current fitness level.
Highly recommended.

I'm an ex-triathlete turned amateur cyclist who's been racing on and off in both disciplines for about 8 years. At the moment I live in Doha, Qatar and have not long completed the race season where I placed 1st in the Ladies B National League.
With the daunting task of moving up to the A League in September, I made the decision to seek out Matteo for some professional advice and coaching.
Like many of us on here, we all have busy lives so I don't have the time or motivation to carry out junk millage.

I've been on Matteo's programme for 7 weeks and I absolutely love the sessions!! The mix of intervals are fun, interesting and the sessions fly by. Within 24 hours he replies to every message and session, he must be surgically attached to his laptop!!
In Qatar the race season is now finished so I'm on Base and Build training. After 7 weeks of following his programme, which is mainly working in Z1/2 with bits of Z3, I've managed to get a PB FTP of 207W. I would never of thought this gain was possible from a base/build period of training.

I'm delighted with this progress and can't thank Matteo enough

"I had provided a testimonial in May to Matteo after reaching what I beleived would be the pinacle of my first season of open racing, but decided to do one for him again at the end of the season. I had competed in 4 open A4 races and won 2 of them and been promoted to A3. Seasons objectives complete.
But chatting with Matteo, we decided not to settle and see how far I could go, could I get some points in A3. We set about adjusting the plan, shedding some kilos and building on power and stamina for the longer races. I competed in 3 open A3 road races, getting dropped in the first, finishing 6th and picking up 5 points and then going winning my 3rd race, picking up 10 points and securing promotion to A2 in 3 open races.
I suffered in a big way in my first couple of A2 races, but Matteo encouraged me to trust in my training and race smart and enjoy myself as I had achieved by 2017 and 2018 goals before in my first 5 months racing.
As the season closed, I began to find form and am going into 2018 confident that with my coach and my desire I can secure more results in the season ahead.
Thanks Matteo and looking forward to working together into 2018!"

"A massive thank you to Matteo Cigala at #cigalacycling for all your help over the past year. I can remember it was exactly a year ago that I was struggling to finish with the A3 bunch. In June last year Matteo started coaching me and it was something of a revelation. Up until then I thought training meant cycling for miles at a steady pace. Matteo made me reconsider how I was training and to set manageable goals. He also informed me about the importance of training according to heart rate zones and how to develop a strong core. In addition, I learned about what to eat before and during a race. It was not long before I started to improve and by August I finished as the first A3 rider in the Wexford 2 Day Race.
During the Winter months I had the privilege of training with a strong group of riders who inspired me to improve further. Our training sessions were sometimes tough but it provided me with an opportunity to gauge my progression. Before commencing the racing season I was asked to set goals, identifying my weaknesses and my strengths. I commenced the cycling season in February as an A2 and by March I had gained my first points finishing 2nd in the Lucan GP. I felt myself improving from week to week as I followed Matteo's training plans. Finally last week I achieved one of my goals for the season : I won the Connor Coombes GP.
This weekend I will compete in my first A1 race, and in May, Ireland's top event, the An Post Ras. I may find the pace difficult at first but with Matteo's support I am certain that this season will be my best yet. For anyone considering working with a coach I could not recommend Matteo highly enough."

"I had entered a seven-day mountain stage race in the USA and contacted Matteo to assist about 8 months before the event. My goal was to first to finish this demanding event and maybe try to finish in the first half of the GC. Matteo gave me a structured training plan with periodization for the winter and spring leading up to the event. The plan dealt directly with the demands of the event which included very long climbs and sustained efforts at altitudes of between 2200m to 3600m. The plan was properly tailored to meet the amount of time that I could realistically spend on the bike each week (8-12 hrs). I was now following a structured routine that only slightly increased the time commitment to what I had done previously, but now it was focused on the whole aspect of the training season both on and off the bike. Matteo's plan emphasises the importance of rest, recovery, gym work and nutrition. In particular Matteo understands perfectly the balance between training at a high intensity to progress fitness and knowing when to back off and not push too hard – something we all tend to get wrong when we are on our own. This was the most eye-opening part of the plan for me. I was not training any harder but getting better results. He understands power and how to use it properly – Matteo’s training plan does not just simply chase higher FTP numbers like other training plans. On one-to-one training rides with Matteo, I learnt huge amounts about racing, pacing, bike control, dealing with attacks, TT strategies and sprinting. The result? It was amazing to see what I could achieve with this proper training regime. During the event, I felt stronger each day of the race and ended up in the top 50 in a highly competitive field which included full time international professional racers. This was a result which was way above my initial goal. I would recommend Matteo without hesitation if you want to reach your potential on a bike. The results will surprise you and you are unlikely to get there on your own."

"I’d been training 14 - 16 hours a week over the winter with another coaching outfit & gettingnowhere before calling Matteo. In March ‘16 I went looking for another coach & gave Matteoa call to see if he was any better to what Id previously experienced (Lots of promises butonly generic training plans). I knew Matteo was “The Man” within 20 minutes of the first call.His knowledge & insight into effective training is astonishing.Matteo managed to raise my FTP from 220w to 260w in less than 4 months & my sprint from600w ish to 920w. I went from being a4 bunch fodder to ending up with being upgraded toA3 with points to spare & county hill-climb champion.This really is one to one coaching; with Matteo on the phone or what’s app every couple ofdays seeing how training is going, what are the “Sensations”  & changing the plan asnecessary based on the at least weekly feedback he requires. It’s a great sign when yourcoach is ringing you to demanding feedback so he can make the plan better.Training sessions are very well planned & interesting. Sessions are tough but not murderwith enough variety that Ive never not looked forward to going out of an evening &importantly you know exactly what each interval is aimed at improving. With no junk miles it’sall killer & no filler & you’ve plenty recovery to go again on the next session.The importance of recovery, nutrition, flexibility & strength are also a large part of the training& very well explained. With a couple of flexibility sessions a week built into the plan I cannow stay comfortably in the drops all day which wasn’t the case before.All in all I could not recommend Matteo’s coaching more highly. It really is one to onecoaching with someone who loves what he does."

"I contacted Matteo after having attempted the Ras Mumhan in 2017 and missing the timecut on day 1. Previously I hadnt known what type of sessions to do and when to complete them which resulted in a poor return on a lot of hours training. Matteo set out month to month the sessions to be followed and through a smart and measured approach i was able to hit the early season races both fitter and fresher than the previous season. The training sessions were very enjoyable, varied and purposeful and resulted in realising a long held ambition by finishing the 2018 edition of the ras mumhan. thanks Matteo!"

Although I’ve been cycling pretty much all of my life I have never raced. However the opportunity torepresent Ireland in the Gay Games (Olympics) in Paris in August 2018 led me to take my trainingseriously. Having been a member of Orwell Wheelers for many years I had been tempted by racing butwas put off by the commitment required. Matteo gave me a tailored programme which allowed me to fit atraining schedule into my busy and active life (without upsetting my wife and family!) Already after sixweeks I feel a huge benefit and improvement to my cycling speed and endurance and it’s a lot of fun tobe working with a professional coach of Matteo’s level. I look forward to seeing how much further I canprogress before the Games in a few months. I would thoroughly recommend him for anyone who feelsthey need to improve their cycling skills.

"I had always been into keeping fit and training in a variety of ways ever since I was a teenager but as I got older the usual stuff of going to the gym and playing football just got boring and I lost interest in training and I put on a lot of weight as a result.
This year I decided to make a change and got myself a road bike and wanted to lose weight and become fitter with the goal of racing.
I started going out on my own around my local area but found I wasn't making progress for the amount of time I was putting in so I knew I needed more structure to my training.
I looked online about finding some cycling coaching in Ireland and Matteos name popped up in a video I was watching from another coaching company so I looked him up liked what I saw and decided to contact him.
I also contacted another coaching company but only Matteo got back to me and while he was on the Ras which I knew straight away that he was serious about what he does. We chatted on the phone for around 40 mins or so and got the ball rolling.
Having a structured training plan has brought me on leaps and months in the past 6 months and I've become a lot healthier, fitter, happier.
To date I've lost close to 16 kg thanks to Matteos coaching and support, most importantly I look forward to every session that is planned out for me. I couldn't recommend him highly to anyone thinking of getting the ball rolling with training no matter what your goals are.
Rob Kavanagh"

"Joining Cigala Cycling and working with Matteo took the T out of tedious and put back the M for Motivation. I no longer have the mental stress of racking up hours and hours of junk miles or the stress of creating a program where I constantly think "will or won't it work".
I have gained hugely this season in power and fitness and matteos help getting me from 95kg down to 79kg was a massive factor. I trust Matteo to keep me physically fit, healthy and keep my relationships in tact with the flexibility and time management he provides me.
Every session is different, exciting and more importantly, enjoyable. Its a motto I live by now....Train Smarter, Ride Faster"

"Despite getting to A1 last year and doing several one day A1 races, in Suir Valley 2016 I took a bit of a kicking. The Rás 2017 was my main goal but after failing to finish SV3D I wasn't sure that would be possible.
Matteo met me and a few teammates in Dundrum in October and within 2 minutes I knew he was the man to help me. We started on a training plan straight away and the structure was just what I needed. I'm feeling ready for An Post Rás and have completed Rás Mumhan.
I'd recommend Matteo to anyone who is serious about cycling and is pressed for time. He has a huge wealth of experience for someone so young and is always available with loads of advice regarding every aspect of the training, racing, diet etc."

"As a keen A4, vet and club racer with limited time to train, I felt I wasn't performing to my potential and getting the maximum benefit from the time I put in to training. Things had become a little stale. Working with Matteo has rekindled my enthusiasm for the sport and shown me how to set targets for every session. There are no junk miles, and his plans set different challenges each month. Instead of hanging on in races, now I'm more competitive, getting involved in the action and consequently the racing is a lot more enjoyable. I'm looking forward to some good results before the season is finished. I recommend Matteo to anybody at any level who wants to train smart and ride faster."

"Thanks again to Matteo Cigala of Cigalacycling, for guidance and training Plans and believing in me to my best season yet, hitting almost all my goals for 2018, Meath GP 10th, 2nd unplaced A4 Tommy Brady Memorial, Seamus Kennedy Memorial 11th, Brendan Campbell Memorial 5th, Mount Nugent GP 2nd unplaced A4, Beechmount Cup 1st unplaced A4, Leinster Autumn Classic 4th, meath cycling championship 1st A4, Ronnie Coates Memorial 2nd and upgraded to A3 main goal for 2018 without Matteo’s plans and believe I couldn’t of done it! Looking to 2019 season."

"Since first meeting Matteo at a bike fit organised by Matteo in Dublin, in 2015, Matteos professionalism always shined through. Over the winter months, I had frequent contact with Matteos training crew, in a support vehicle role. Matteo has an ability to inspire his training crew to work with the given plans. Matteos training crew learnt new and different approaches and individual development within the crew was clearly evident over the winter months. No two training sessions with Matteo were the same content with each session highly purposeful. Matteo has an ability to inspire riders and believe in their potential, whilst sharing his own experiences and his own coaching. Matteos training sessions are fun, informative, with an emphasis on learning how to train. Looking forward to a continued developmental association with Matteo into 2017. He is also just sound !!"