"Base training is that beginning of a training course that will allow you to maximally progress throughout the training period leading up to your primary race goal"

In english that roughly translates to "training for sufficient time at a level that allows the body and mind to fully recover from the demands of intensive training and racing so that you can do it all over again". It also allows you to resync your training cycles (peaking) with the new year's target races, as these shift every year.

It doesn't necessarily mean just tootling along, it just means that there isn't much intensity in it. My base training maxHR is 155-160 depending on how I feel on the day. I can 'tootle along' at over 40kmh and still be under 155.

There are other things for noobs like me to work on during base as well. I have developed a little knock in my left leg stroke, so I'm concentrating on working that out before loading up again. Nothing like a bad leg action to tear joints apart once you put some load on them. I'm also learning how to ride down on the drops again now that my back can take it. Sound simple, but it's hard to do after 20 years out of practice!

...but what's that got to do with beer?