Winter Cycling Training

To cycle in winter often requires extra
motivation; the weather is bad, there’s no racing to look forward to
and in the UK it is often dark by 4pm. However a good training schedule
during winter is important for laying a good foundation to the rest of
the year. These are some of the key areas to focus on during winter
training.

1. Rest. If you have had a long racing season you should not feel
guilty if mentally and physically, you feel like a period of complete
rest. Many of the top pro’s like to take 3 weeks off, often at the end
of the racing season in November. Personally I take 3 weeks off in
December. Hopefully at the end of 2-3 weeks you will begin to regain
the enthusiasm for going back on the bike. This is a good sign to
restart training. I wouldn’t advise taking much longer than 3 weeks off
as you will start to lose your base fitness, making it more effort to
catch up when you start.