The cycling off-season can last anywhere from 1-2 months to nearly 6 months. Exactly what you do with your training during this time will largely determine the success of your next season. So spend your time wisely.
Your first step is to critically assess your cycling weaknesses. Are your sprints weak? How about your climbing ability? Are you able to push big gears on the flats, especially when it’s windy? Are you able to accelerate quickly and powerfully, pull away and stay away?
Once you know your weaknesses, think about the events you’ll do next season. Are they compatible with your strengths? Or is success in these events determined by the cycling abilities which happen to be your weaknesses? If the races are incompatible with you abilities, you might want to re-think these events and enter those in which you’ll have the best chance for success (whatever success means to you). For example, if you’re a weak climber you might not want to compete in events which are dominated by climbing. You might be saying “duh, that’s common sense.” And while this is true, some of us don’t always use great rationale when deciding our event schedule.
When you have these 2 pieces of information, then it’s time to start training! Your weekly template should still include the 3 key training rides, including:
- 2 interval rides, each of which focuses on your weaknesses.
- At least 1 “long” aerobic workout to continue to develop your aerobic capability.
Once you have your key rides plugged in, the rest of the week is fairly easy, and should include the following:
- At least 1 “off” day. Completely off. Allow your mind and body to relax on this day. No training allowed!
- At least 1 active recovery day. This can be cross training or a very easy day on the bike.
- This leaves 2 days. The key workouts are planned, so these can be more flexible. Again, cross training is ideal and they should be aerobic in nature (NOT hard intervals).
There, your week is scheduled. Now you just need to fill in the blanks with the type of intervals, the duration of your workouts, what you’ll do for your cross training days and you’re done!
I train cyclists indoors in the off-season. We focus on top quality, high intensity intervals which are guaranteed to improve your cycling speed and power. 2 key markers for cycling success are VO2 Max power and Threshold level power, and our training challenges us in these critical areas.
You can join us! I have 2 options:
- If you’re local, you can join us for “live” training if any spots remain. We fill quickly, so contact me right away if you’re interested. Go to the “GROUP TRAINING” tab for more details.
- If the session is full or if you’re not local, I can provide you the workout specifics and guide you through the off-season via the internet. Let me know if you’re interested in this option.
Train hard this winter and train smart. Use the template I’ve outlined above and you’re well on your way to a great season. And contact me right away for “live” or “distance” training. Do this then GET OUT AND RIDE!
How’s your off season going so far? Have you been able to step away from your bike for a while in order to recharge your mind and your body? If you haven’t yet, I highly encourage you to do so. Maybe you’re competing in cyclocross this fall. If so, great. Just be sure to take a break when the season wraps up.
I harp on this constantly, and I realize this. But I can’t overemphasize the importance of a post-season transition period. I can’t tell you how many athletes I talk to at this time of the season that are just screaming for time off. And they may or may not realize it. If you’re an athlete who’s been riding, training and competing all year, force yourself to take a break.
This break can be anywhere from 2-4 weeks. Of course you don’t stop training altogether, but rather you back off significantly on both your training time and your intensity. And ideally, much of this transition period exercise is off the bike completely. It may be running, swimming, stair climbing, rowing, yoga or early phases of strength training. Do something that’s fun and different. You’ll enjoy the break from your bike!
During this transition time, begin your planning process for next season. The steps I recommend include:
- Recap and critique your season.
- Determine your weaknesses.
- Create a plan to address your weaknesses.
- Begin planning your race/event schedule for next season
Look critically at this past season. Compare your goals with your results. Did you achieve them? If you did, raise the bar for next year. If you didn’t achieve your goals, dig deeper to determine exactly why you fell short. Was it due to a lack of endurace? Power? Climbing? Sprinting? Strength-endurance (otherwise known as muscular endurance)? Mental toughness?
In whichever areas you fell short, begin to plan how you’ll overcome these next season. Most likely, you can address these areas during the off season. So be honest with yourself as you uncover your weaknesses and really think hard about where to begin.
Spending time and effort on your weaknesses is hard to do, so it’s important to be disciplined as you go through the off season and “keep your eye on the ball” so you don’t slip back into your old habits of training your strengths.
It’s also helpful to lay out next season’s events and races. These are not cast in stone, of course, but it’s helpful to plan ahead and revise as you move through the winter and into next spring.
Each phase of the seasonal calender is useful and serves a purpose. The main purpose for this transition phase is to recharge your batteries so that you’re eager, anxious and looking forward to training when it’s time to start up again seriously.
In addition to R & R, the transition period provides the opportunity to step back from the training and plan your season. And while most of us would much rather spend out time out on the road than sitting with a pen and paper in our hand, planning will help make your training time much more productive.
So relax, recover…….and plan. Add your questions or comments below. Then when you need a break, GET OUT AND RIDE!
Fall has arrived in the north land, and this change in seasons generally means a change in attitude, outlook and training.
For many athletes, the race and event season is winding down. It’s been a long season and by this time many riders are tired – both mentally and physically. The toll is often heavy and many riders are more than ready for the season to end. Training requires a huge commitment in time and energy, and races are accompanied by stress and anxiety, especially when travel is involved.
Bodies are tired, training isn’t as much fun as it was earlier in the season and it’s harder to get out as the weather becomes colder and more unpredictable.
If you have any of these feelings, don’t fret. Understand that this is a typical phase of the training year and that it’s now time to move into the next phase. And that phase is: Ride for the fun of it! Remove all stress and expectations from yourself and your riding. Just ride. Remove your heart rate monitor or your power meter. Ride with your friends purely for the social aspect.
Some people call this the “Transition” phase of the training season. And it’s appropriately named. Regardless of the label you put on your training at this time of year, the end result is the same. It should be a period of rejuvenation, of doing different things, of not feeling bound by a schedule and generally taking a very low-key approach to training.
This is a perfect time to cross train, to keep active but to keep your outlook fresh by engaging in different activities. For example, running, hiking, stair climbing and rowing will keep you fit but will challenge different muscles.
The actual length of this transition period may be different for each person, based on several factors. But one month is a good starting point. The bottom line is that at the end of this transition period, hard off-season work will begin in earnest for next season. So make sure you’re totally rested and refreshed before moving into any more heavy training.
So the bottom line goals for the next 4 weeks include:
- Reduced training volume
- Low intensity workouts
- Cross train
- Take time off the bike
- Enjoy the season!
Add your comments below, then GET OUT AND RIDE!!! (Or cross train)
I saddled up this morning to a cool 62 degrees and breeze out of the north. While it felt great to experience weather conditions other than hot and humid, this was certainly a harbinger of things to come. Fall is coming to the north land. The sun lacks strength, the days are getting shorter and some of the leaves are starting to turn. This was the first cool north wind we’ve had in quite some time, but will be the wind du jour for the next several months.
Fall is my favorite season of the year. The changing seasons is one of the best parts of living in MN, and cool weather, the changing colors and the anticipation of snow are all good things.
Another sign that fall has arrived is the Chequamegon Fat Tire Fest MTB race. Our Tues/Thurs rides have focused on sharpening the legs and metabolic systems required for the race. The course is comprised of a relentless series of 100+ foot climbs, meaning that the successful rider will be able to power up these hills and recover quickly.
The race also includes stretches of forest roads, so the rider must be able to ride at a high power level for long periods as well.
Our training has focused on these areas, and yours should as well. While last night’s ride was interrupted a bit by lightning and the threat of storms, we were still able to accomplish our goals. Our training ride included the following:
- Thorough warmup
- 5 x hill repeats. The hill is short (1:00 to climb) and steep (12%). Recovery was limited to about 1:00.
- 10:00 threshold level interval (would have been longer but lightning changed our plans)
- 5 additional hill climbs on short, steep hills. Again, recovery time was limited.
- Cooldown.
You can see the ride graph by clicking on the following link:
https://www.trainingpeaks.com/sw/L4PBMS5OGWHYT3YSE7W3L6QEQI
Check it out and use this or a similar workout as you prepare for your fall events. Contact me with questions, then GET OUT AND RIDE!
In the last post I highlighted the Chequamegon Fat Tire Fest MTB race in Hayward/Cable, WI, and discussed some key training issues to keep in mind as you train for this race.
This post is the second in the series which will take us right up to race day. Keep tuned in for continued ideas and workouts that you can incorporate into your own training to prepare you for this or other upcoming race.
And keep in mind that the most effective way to train at the highest level is to ride with other similarly dedicated cyclists. We train on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and you’re welcome to join us. Contact me for details or with questions.
Last night’s ride consisted of 6 repeats of a fairly short (.4 miles) but very steep (8-17%) hill. It takes between 3 and 4 minutes to climb. We immediately followed these climbs with a 20 minute threshold level interval.
This climb is similar to one that you may very well encounter in this or a different race. The steep grade forces muscle recruitment and any time you climb and fight gravity it’s a challenge – both physical and mental.
To make these climbs even more race-specific, we limited the amount of recovery. We basically got to the top of the climb then turned around immediately to the base of the hill to begin the next climb. This gave us a recovery of only about 1 minute.
As previously mentioned, we went right into a 20 minute threshold level interval at the conclusion of the final hill climb. This simulates riding on forest roads or similar areas where it’s more open and the terrain allows you to hammer. And the short recovery before beginning this threshold interval forces your body to adapt to riding at a high level while fatigued.
Here’s the graph of the ride:
https://www.trainingpeaks.com/sw/QRSOTLABCJOBAKERHYXXN3L2W4
We’re riding as a group on Thurs, and we look forward to you joining us. The interval ride will be similarly intense but with a different makeup of intervals.
Check out the chart, let me know if you have any questions, then GET OUT AND RIDE!
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