Winter Training (Cycling)

Depending on where you live in the world, winter training can be easy or virtually impossible. Those who live in tropical or temperate areas may only have to deal with a little more rain and slightly colder temperatures. If you live in the northern hemisphere or at higher altitudes you can be looking at icy roads and bitterly cold winds. Let's be honest, most people tend to put on a few kilos over winter and spend a lot more time inside.

However, we don't have to give up completely. It would be a shame to lose all the fitness gained from an intense race season or from all the hard work you put in over the warmer months. Generally we aren't looking to build higher levels of fitness during winter, unless you are traveling for an event. But it makes sense to keep a regular maintenance routine. Winter is a great time to build strength in the gym or try out new bike positions on the wind trainer. Depending on your existing level of fitness, you will be looking at spending anywhere from 2 - 5 hours a week on an exercise bike or wind trainer, so I hope you have some good movies or TV programs to watch. Or even a good book.

To maintain cardio fitness levels, three sessions per week is the minimum. You should choose the lengths of these sessions wisely. If you are an endurance rider, as most are, you should include a "long" ride for up to 3 hours. The intensity should remain relatively easy, with a maximum of 1 shorter session per week where you can push yourself. Remember we are looking to maintain fitness here. If there is no race to peak for, then why put your body through it? It is unreasonable to expect your body to keep up the high levels of intense training you may be undertaking during a race season. Let's take a month or two off from that and make sure we are 100% fresh for the next season.

A winter program should include the following components. This is only a general outline and you may find, depending on your normal training volume, that you have to adjust this either up or down by adding or removing a session or two. But try to keep the weight training in. Winter really is the best time to build muscle as there is no race any time soon and it's no big deal if your legs are tired from a major workout in the gym. And the strength gains will be much appreciated when you hit those hills next season.

A winter training week

  • 3 medium length sessions on the bike - Try to get outside for as many sessions as you can, keep the intensity moderate and the length moderate to long.
  • 1 long session on the bike - This is your real endurance maintenance, so it's an important one not to miss.
  • Maximum 3 Gym Sessions - With heavy focus on the legs, push to failure at least once a week.
  • 2 Sessions of quality - These sessions should be for technique or flexibility improvement. A few Yoga or Pilates classes wouldn't go astray here.
Also try to take some time to assess your goals for the coming season and to review your successes of the previous one. By noting what areas you can improve on, you can plan out a new training schedule. With a good maintenance period, you will be fit and raring to go when the days warm up and it's time to get out on the road and ride.

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