One question we get a lot is, “how do people train in the winter for cycling?” This is interesting because we also frequently get the inverse question of “how you train for cycling in the summer?” If you are already and avid cyclist the answers may seem obvious to you but there is likely some insight to be had by understanding these perspectives.
These seemingly opposed questions can help us understand how we can improve our cycling results. By figuring out year-round cycling we can move from occasional cyclists to advanced cyclists who harness the power of frequent & consistent training.
The Winter / Off-Season Cyclist
Some riders believe that ‘serious’ training can only happens indoors or during the winter when there are no races or group rides and you it is ‘easier’ to do structured workouts. These cyclists may have been introduced to cycling through spin-classes or online platforms like Zwift, Trainer Road or Rouvey.
In summer, these indoor cyclists will either “just ride,” relying on their local riding routes, group rides or events to guide what they do each day. While still others in this group actually stop cycling in the summer and take an extended break to take vacation, focus on family or pursue other sports (paddling, rock-climbing or team sports are common). This approach is fantastic for those who are looking to stay active year-round and who use cycling as ‘off-season training’ for another sport.
This approach does not work well if the goal is to pursue off-road cycling goals that require increased consistency of training and more specific training. In this case the lack of year-round consistency means that it is hard to make progress as you end up rebuilding each fall/winter. When these cyclists start wanting to chase goals in the summer then it’s time to start working on training outdoors and off-road.
For those who use group rides and races in the summer they can often find they end up with low motivation or ‘burnout’ after so much intense riding and a lack of ‘intensity discipline’ to continue to build or maintain their endurance and off-set the intensity of group rides. The weekend warrior mindset of huge rides followed by many days off can result in sub-par results, or needing extended breaks.
The Summer Cyclist
Other riders think of cycling is a summer sport. This makes a lot of sense given that cycling started as something we only did in the spring and summer before settling down for a long winter’s rest. Indoor training and fat biking wasn’t really a thing until recently so for many the winter is still reserved for winter sports and/or off-season where less exercise is done. We believe this seasonality of training is quite good and even for our year-round cyclists we encourage cross-training and embracing the movement options available to you.
The Summer Cyclist can be a great cyclist. They can be quite athletic due to the variety of sports they do and they are used to being outdoors in any weather so they often thrive in rainy cycling races. If their winter sports include a lot of cardiovascular work they can have a great base of fitness coming into spring cycling. However, if their winter sports are less demanding cardiovascularly (e.g. Snowmobiling or downhill skiing) or very intermittent (e.g. hockey) then the spring and summer will be spent building up their cycling fitness.
If you would like to be in peak cycling form, especially in the spring, then it’s time to train in the winter using indoor trainers, rollers, fat-bikes, track cycling and/or any ‘continuous’ winter sport like nordic skiing and snowshoeing. To avoid cramming training into the spring to try and catch up to your year-round cycling friends you can aim to sprinkle cycling into the plan, increasing in specificity as the spring approaches.
The Year-Round Cyclist
When you find yourself trying to upgrade categories or break through a plateau or win races or complete bucket list events (e.g. Leadville 100) or finally keep up on that group ride then its time to consider a year-round, long-term approach to cycling training. The more dedicated cyclists take a year-round approach, adjusting their intensity and volume according to the season. These athletes understand that the focus can shift between endurance, strength, skill development, and recovery depending on the time of year. By staying close to their fitness base, they’re ready to ramp up training or take on big rides when the opportunity arises and never have to spend much time ‘rebuilding’ but can work on improving and building for more periods of the year. This approach is not for everyone but it is for those who are looking for more in their cycling goals.
Tailoring Your Plan for Off-Road Success
When you are getting close to your big event, we’ll target race-specific fitness. That means your training looks a lot like the race. When we are in ‘off-season’ we return to things like cross-training, strength training and building endurance, coordination and skill. These phases of the year build ‘general fitness’ and can be lower structure and focus.
Even for general phases of the year we keep an eye on your ‘A-priority races’ by working on elements required for the race. In our post ‘when should you start preparing for your big race‘ we compare pursuing goals like REALLY needing to get to a destination on time. Would you leave it until the last minute to leave or would you start your journey now? Practically speaking this means you start working on a skill you need for the event or trying out a fueling strategy or equipment in the fall when you can ride outside and then work on tuning a certain type of interval or building strength in the winter time. You keep moving towards the goal but also use the environment you have available to you at a given time of year.
This year-round planning or ‘periodization’ is where a coach becomes a huge asset. You lay out what you want and they help map out the route that will get you there. A coach helps you build strength, endurance, and skill, all while ensuring you recover properly. Recovery is a big reason to follow a plan and work with a coach. We use strategic breaks—whether for vacations, post-race recovery, or simply to recharge between hard training cycles—so that you can get stronger and maintain motivation. Instead of taking the entire winter off these athletes take their weekly rest day, they take a deload week every 3-5 weeks and they take a break after their summer and/or fall A-priority races.
Personalized Coaching for Year-Round Success
Our personalized coaching plans are designed with year-round masters cyclists in mind, offering flexibility while helping you achieve your off-road goals. Whether you’re aiming for a big gravel event, multi-day mountain bike race, or simply want to ride more challenging terrain with confidence, we develop a plan made to fit your schedule, fitness level, and your goals.
We offer three levels of coaching so you can choose the support that’s right for you. Whether you need daily interactions to refine the schedule to your busy schedule and ambitious goals or more infrequent weekly or monthly check-ins and adjustments we have a plan that can help you stay on track all year long.
