5 ways to be fit and fresh for riding this year

Winter cross training tactics to make you faster on the bike this spring

Terry McKall January 31, 2018

Riding outside all year is the dream, but winter doesn’t always make it easy or practical. There’s plenty of reasons to be off the bike this winter, from a busy work/life schedule to short daylight hours or the need from a mental break from the bike, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up on your fitness goals until spring. Spending your winter cross training can help sort through your on bike weaknesses, prevent sport-specific overuse injuries, and fix the flexibility and muscle imbalances that come from limiting your fitness too strictly to hours and hours in the saddle. These activities are fun in their own right, too, which makes waiting for snow free trails easier to handle.

If you want to be fit and fresh when your favorite trails open this spring, here’s a few ideas to keep you moving in the off season. You don’t have to park the bike completely to work these into your winter routine. Mix in days outdoors or in the gym with your regular trainer schedule for an ideal mix of sport specific fitness and functionally fun cross training.

Downhill skiing

You probably don’t need an excuse to head to your local ski hill this winter, but if you’re looking for extra ways to rationalize your next chairlift ride, you can rest assured that hitting the slopes will help you go faster on the bike this spring. Skiing will help build up leg strength, train your speed tolerance, and can help you be more comfortable in the air. Speed tolerance training is the fancy way to say “get comfortable going really fast.” Learn to relax when the pace picks up, get comfortable turning at high velocity, and high speed decision making. This is great practice for gravity racers, but also for XC types too. The race doesn’t end at the top of the climb. Skiing can also ease you into being airborne. Hitting jumps on skis isn’t consequence free, but it’s much nicer sliding on snow than it is on rocks.

With wintery weather in Colorado there was skiing and snow shoeing. Photo: Rally Cycling

Cross-country skiing

If you prefer your snow sports to be more cardio based than gravity fed, cross-country skiing is a great option to build cardio and strength while still getting outside. There’s few winter workouts as good for your spring fitness as cross-country skiing. It’s no coincidence that XC skiers have some of the highest recorded VO2Max scores, as sliding around in the woods is a full body workout. Whether you nordic or skate ski, you can choose long, steady ski days or really push your bodies ability to process lactic acid with shorter, sprint efforts to target the type of fitness you’re looking to build this winter. Cross-country skiing gives a well-balanced, full body workout that will help you be better on the trails when you get out on the bike this spring.

Running

Running is one of the most straight-forward ways to cross train. There’s little specialized equipment required for running beyond the shoes, making it a cost effective cross-training option. You can run right from your front door and you don’t need long to get a proper workout in, compared to cycling, making it a very time effective option for shorter, winter days and busy schedules. Running is an easy way to get outside during winter, or to get a workout indoors when you’d rather not come face to face with the latest blizzard.

Weight training

Winter is the ideal time to hit the gym as part of your plan to reach your summer goals. You don’t have to work as hard as Nino Schurter, and the gym shouldn’t be intimidating. Weight training isn’t just pumping iron, it’s a great way stay warm inside while building strength and power for the upcoming riding season. Adding strength training to your workouts won’t just make you a faster rider out on the trails, it can help prevent injury so you can stay on the trails longer. Building general strength and muscle balance will help you walk away from crashes easier, and avoid overuse injuries that can result from sport-specific muscle imbalances.

Yoga

Yoga is a good injury prevention activity year round, but getting started in the winter is an ideal way to build up a routine, build up your flexibility, and build up the core strength you need for riding. If you do the work in the winter to build up your strength, yoga will be a relaxing way to stay strong and healthy between rides. Yoga is a great way to proactively combat lower back pain, but the balance and mobility you build on the mat will also help you ride faster on the trails.