Thanks,
Total Newbie

Dear Newbie,
The joys of winter training. It’ll be dark when you leave the house in the morning, and dark again when you get back home. It’s cold. The roads are icy, or wet, or both. In short, a perfect time to get a leg up on the competition!

Unlike residents of warmer climes, we Northeasterners find plowing through the winter months (excuse the pun) a little more difficult to pull off. Given the early start to ECCC road racing, having a good plan of attack to make the most out of the cold months is key to a successful spring season.

So what’s a guy or gal to do? Before going into specifics of training, here are a few general tips to keep you on track this winter.

Stay on the bike.
It’s pretty simple, really. There’s essentially one thing you should do to get ready for a bike racing… get on your bike. Yes: There is some crossover training effect between different types of endurance exercise such as running, XC skiing, and cycling. However, riding your bike is where it’s at.

Keep it consistent.
It certainly makes sense to take some time off after the last race of the season to recharge – mentally and physically – before easing back into things. That said, one of the first things I look for in athletes who have difficulty progressing through the ranks is how they spend their winter months. Taking large chunks of time off from training is what will hold you back from improving from one season to the next. Try to keep your involuntary training breaks short and as far removed from a period of racing as possible. This also means that you need to recognize when conditions are not safe for riding, move your workout indoors, and live to ride another day.

Streamline your training.
Reading through online diaries of professional riders can be daunting. If you believe what you read, ‘base period’ training weeks of 25-30 hours are not unheard of among the Pros. With classes, work, and other commitments, this would of course be an overwhelming training load for essentially most, if not all, collegiate cyclists – nor would it be a good idea for several other reasons. Realistically, a winter routine of around ten structured hours per week in which a proper mix of exercise intensities is included will lead to good results for most racers out there.

Last but not least … make it enjoyable!
This is probably the most important point. The ability to make it through the hard training weeks, and to go out and do that ride when you really don’t want to is important. If you fundamentally enjoy training for whatever reason, chances are that you are going to stick with it. Whether it’s extending your DVD library to make your trainer sessions more bearable, investing in a good pair of winter riding booties, or finding some training partners – always look for ways to make your training more fun.

So fear not! Gaining or maintaining bike strength needn’t be all that complicated. Adhering to some important training principles and avoiding common pitfalls is what may set you apart from the pack next spring.

Josef

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Josef Brandauer holds a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology and is a USA Cycling licensed coach. He believes training to be a successful bike racer to be pretty straightforward, and always appreciates questions or comments at brandauer//at//g mail//dot//com.