What do you do during the winter?

There is a big confusion when it comes to winter time and cycling.

Some say you should just ride a lot, some say you should interval all day long, some stick with only gym and some are just confused and eat a lot. The truth is, there are few ways to approach this time of the year but the guide lines are pretty much the same.

If you are a racer, during the spring and the summer you simply want to race as much as you can, while staying healthy and with good recovery (there is a lot to add on the subject of recovery).

If you ride for fun or a "weekend warrior", you probably already know and experienced that the nice weather during the spring and the summer allows us to stay longer on the bicycle. No wet socks or gloves, no freezing temperatures and in some areas of the world, less wind, so we want to be healthy, fresh and fit to enjoy the good conditions.

First thing first, in order to be able to spend more time on the bike during the spring and the summer, we need to get to this time of the year well recovered and with good base.

Let's break the last sentence to two:

1. Well recovered.

2. Good base.

Both, recovery and base, are personal which means it will change from one person to the other.

While some of us need a good day of doing nothing in order to recover well for the next day of hard training, others will prefer one hour of easy spin on the bike or a stretching, yoga or rolling session. You need to find your own balance and be open to experiment and try different things.

Another thing about recovery, it's not just the physical part of it but also the mental aspect.

If you want to spend lots of time on the bike racing or training, you need to be fresh, both physically and mentally. The physical part would be your training and recovery routine and the mental part can vary (more social time, a break from a strict diet, vacation in a new place and more)

As for base training, there is a lot to say about it, but let's keep it simple:

When you were 5 years old and wanted to get rid of your training wheels, you (or your parents) raised your training wheels slightly higher or took it off the bike and then you had to practice balance.

This is base training! You take one component you need to strengthen and you work on it.

You already ride a lot and you don't seem to be smooth enough? Practice riding on rollers.

You have big power but you spin low cadence? Practice keeping higher cadence.

Your technique and skills are good? Gain more power.

These are few examples and ideas for the kind of training you can do on your bike during the winter. It should be high in quality and short, so you have lots of time to recover and do other things (remember: recover physically and mentally)

Big part of being mentally recovered and prepared to spend more hours on the bike later during the season is to give yourself a fair break from the bike.

Take advantage of the winter time and balance your body with different activities and other types of sports that you can't do when racing and here are some examples:

Yoga: apart from stretching and flexibility, yoga gives you the extra dimension of body and mind connection which contribute a lot to better performance.

Gym: work on your legs, this is obvious and a must for everybody, not just cyclists, but also work on your whole body! Back, shoulders, arms and core all of it is extremely important in order to better and perfect your performance on the bike, plus a small reminder that whether we want or not, we might find ourselves involved in a crush and this extra strength can make a big difference when we talk about recovery from injuries.

Run: I know most cyclists believe we should either sleep, sit or ride but seriously....run :)

One more thing about winter time, it is the best timing to try new things!

Whether we talk about a new diet, new bib short, different bars or new cycling shoes. Without the pressure of being at your best, you can take the time to make some changes, adjust and find new ways to get and feel better on your bike and in life.

So the winter is not that bad for us cyclists after all. Make a list of the things you want to check and try before the summer. Make those to be your goals for the winter time and you got yourself a plan to follow.

Don't wait for your new year resolution. Start now and be one step ahead for next year.

For training/nutrition personal plan, contact me: bemore.einatargon@gmail.com