You've finished your last road race of the season, now what?

Winter Training

There are 3 basic things you should try to accomplish in the off season:

1) Rest your mind and body make sure you are mentally and physically fresh for the next season (this includes taking care of any nagging injuries you may have)

2) Work on your weaknesses and

3) Build up a base for next year.

One thing to remember is that it is harder to get in shape than to stay in shape and if you completely let yourself go, it will take much longer to get back to where you were at the end of last season. Also, if you gain a lot of unwanted weight over the winter, it will be that much harder to ride well come spring. If you can maintain at least some fitness over the winter then you will be able to step up a level the following year.

Success in cycling takes years to develop. There are always examples of riders who seemingly come out of nowhere and get results right off the bat. In general, unexpected champions have spent years riding recreationally or have come from other endurance sports (and have picked their parents well!).

There are also examples of riders who seem to be able to race year around: undertaking a full road season straight to cyclo-cross or at least hard group rides (like racing) all winter. Generally, riders like these, just love to race and racing does not create pressure for them. They have often been racing for many years and know their bodies well enough to know when they need to back off for a few weeks, whether in January or June, and generally ride at the same level year around - they never really peak, but they never really ride badly either. There is a general principle that you have to have valleys to have peaks.

Your off-season program depends on when you want to start racing well. If you want to be flying in March for some of the big early season road races, then you will have to start going pretty hard by January. But remember, unless you pace yourself and take some breaks, you will not still be flying in July.

The first thing you should do in the off-season is make sure you are rested and healthy. This can mean taking a few weeks completely off your bike, or limiting your cycling training to a couple of times a week with friends. It can also mean trying some other sport such as swimming or running. Personally, I like to get out on my mountain bike in the winter since I don’t get much time to do that during the racing season.

I usually start lifting weights about 2 weeks after my last race. If you have a lot of time to ride, the best thing you can do in the off-season is work on your "engine" by building up a base of aerobic miles. This is what most elite riders do. This doesn’t mean you should completely slow down though. Doing a lot of climbing, even at an easy pace is sort of a natural way of getting some medium intensity in and adding some sprints at least once a week will help your body remember what it is like to go hard without having to put yourself through painful interval sessions. If you have limited time, then you can substitute a bit more intensity for volume.

A weekly off-season program for (say Oct. - Jan) might include the following:

2 long rides (one at least as long as your longest race and one at least an hour longer than your longest race) including 1-2 hours of "moderate" intensity or at a heart rate of 75-85% of max.

You will achieve this pace without really trying if you just go uphill. To do it on the flats takes a bit of concentration. It is somewhat above your "comfort zone" or conversational pace, but a pace that you can handle for long periods of time without really stressing yourself and where you could carry on a limited conversation if you really wanted to. It is a good idea to include time both climbing and on the flats in this zone. Sustained efforts at 10-15 beats below your threshold are the most effective way to increase your aerobic capacity.

1 sprint workout or an easy ride where you just include some sprints along the way. These can be really short: 8-10 sec. or about 100m. Try to get in 6-8 but make sure you are completely recovered in between. You can also just do short jumps in a small gear. For example, you might do 2-3 sets of 5 jumps with 1-2 min. between jumps and 5-10 min. between sets. These should be in your small ring and when you spin out, stop. If you have a cadence sensor, you can try to see what max. Rpm you can get to. For a real challenge, you can try these on rollers.

1 strength workout. This could include some short-in-the-saddle climbs in a big gear. Steep climbs on a mountain bike ride are a way to do this without having to think about it! Standing starts and over geared or uphill sprints are also good ways to build strength. These could be substituted for your sprint workout.

2-3 easy spinning rides or alternative aerobic activity. This can also include something like commuting to school or running errands on your bike or riding to and from the gym. 1-2 hours is plenty here.

The off-season is also a time to just ride the way you like to and enjoy it. If you feel like doing a particular ride do it, if not, don’t! If you want to take a day off, do it. The last thing you want to do in the off-season is feel that you have to do a particular type of ride every single day.

The average person eats about a cup of refined sugar a day. Hard-working and always-hungry athletes probably eat more than that. Endurance athletes also eat more than their share of starches such as bread, cereal, pasta, rice, pastries and potatoes. All of these high glycaemic carbohydrates play havoc with the body, putting you into a fat-storage mode. Replace them with fruits, vegetables and lean meats. You'll lose weight without going hungry.

Finally, now is the time to get Mentally Tougher

How many times did you go into a race last season thinking you didn't stand a chance? Did you ever find your mind drifting to work or school during a race? Were you able to visualize your responses to tough race conditions prior to a big race?

For most, it s a lack of mental skills that hold them back. Winter is the perfect time to change that. Here are some books that may help you race tougher next year. Read at least one this winter.

• Psyched to Win, Nideffer, Leisure Press, 1992.

• In Pursuit of Excellence, Orlick, Human Kinetics Publishers, 1980.

• Psyching for Sport, Orlick, Leisure Press,1986.
  

• Mental Training for Peak Performance, Ungerleider, W.C. Brown Publishers.