Ride to Win: Episode 1 - All about the data

Nic Gill, All Blacks S&C Coach, is in some ways like any strength and conditioning coach - he loves the data. But what sets him apart is knowing exactly which numbers he needs to analyse in order to get the most out of his athletes, each and every session.

Listen to Episode 1 of our Ride to Win miniseries with Nic to learn how he utilises Wattbike data from a biomechanical and physiological perspective, as well as to drive an element of competition amongst his athletes in order to take their performance up a gear.

“There’s no hiding from that data. You might all look the same when you’re working really hard, you might all be putting in the same effort, but the numbers don’t lie. And from that we get to high levels of accountability.

You can’t hide from that, the data is reliable, the data is valid. So, we use this information to raise the bar across positions as well as individuals.”

Utilising the Wattbike data to hold his players accountable, Nic ensures the All Blacks are never sitting still, they’re always looking to improve, and for him, the data is essential to driving each and every marginal gain, allowing him to motivate players to never settle and to always be chasing that next benchmark.

Tune in for Episode 2 of the Ride to Win miniseries next week where we talk to Nic about Match Conditioning.