Video: Introduction to winter training for cyclists
Take advantage of techniques that will have you ready for spring
The weather outside is crummy so we wanted to focus on what you can do during the winter to continue to improve your riding. Those cold temperatures, icy roads and short days can really put a damper on your motivation and your mileage. However, training through the winter is important to help you develop as a rider. You don’t want to lose the benefit of all the work you did in the previous season. So, a simple training routine can really boost your confidence, motivation and fitness.
Training
First, did you take a break at the end of your cycling season? It doesn’t have to be long, but a week off the bike to hit reset is good. You don’t want to be fit all the time; the body and mind can use the break.
Now that you are into your winter training block, what to do? This is a great time to get back to doing some of the core stability work to help rebuild your body. Cross-training is also great. Get out on your mountain bike, go for a run or jump into the pool. Just do some of the other activities that you enjoy beyond cycling. These can work some of your neglected muscles, help you maintain your fitness and keep your mind fresh so that your motivation doesn’t wane.
Make sure you have an appropriate winter bike setup as well. You can keep getting out on the roads to do some longer endurance type efforts on the weekend to maintain your base.
As we get deeper into winter, at least here in the Great White North, we get pushed indoors onto the trainer or rollers. While you may not be able to get the same amount of hours on the bike as you do in the summer, a trainer provides a great chance to work on some specificity. Doing defined efforts of various workouts helps keep the riding interesting. An hour can go by pretty quickly when it is broken up into targeted segments.
I don’t recommend big long rides on the trainer – they are just too mentally taxing. An hour is doable and repeatable. Yes, you might be excited to ride now and want to put in three hours on the trainer, but if you use up all your motivation to make sure you are fit in January and February, you won’t have much of a season.
