‘Tis the Off-Season

Yeah, I know it’s the holiday season, but once we’ve moved into the holiday season it also means we’ve slipped into the off-season for biking. Bummer.

At least for most of us it’s the off-season. I know there are courageous, tough-minded people who ride all year… I tip my helmet to you. Heck I used to be one of you – riding when it was so cold and snowy/icy that my balaclava would freeze to my face.  Ahhh… those were the days. 

Those days are behind me, I’m not into cold weather suffering, and now after I’ve managed to get in the best shape and condition of the year it’s time to…. what???

Speaking for myself (that’s pretty much all I can do, right? Sometimes even that’s a stretch), I don’t want to let go of all that hard earned fitness (only to work like the devil to get it back next spring), but on the other hand I know a certain break from the “hard stuff” is needed. The question… my question is how much of a break?

For example, we bought a spinner last year and in keeping with my new “stand up and hammer to build power” approach to climbs I spend part of my spinning standing and hammering. Is that okay in the off-season? No pain or soreness afterwards so it seems to be okay but maybe it’s not good this time of year. From what I’ve read the priority in the off-season should be LSD rides building those base miles with the majority of that effort being in HR zone 2. Boring, but easy.

Part of my approach will also be to cross-train by running, yoga and using the elliptical. Also working in strength training too. No wonder I hate the off-season! Biking is fun, except for yoga the other stuff isn’t.

Regardless of the no – fun winter time training some amount of it is necessary or I need to get over my wimpy ways and ride outdoors. Perhaps we’ll have a mild winter and this will all be a moot point.

Just in case I’m researching off-season training and will come up with a plan which I’ll share here. If you have a plan or approach you use how about sharing it. Deal? Deal.