Mayonnaise

As winter approaches I've started to think about time off the bike. I know how important it is to recharge batteries this time of year and to take care of other duties: honey-dos.

I had a few injuries this year which kept me from the racing form that I trained for all Spring but I did well enough to be happy. Sometimes just lining up with kids 25 years younger than me is reward enough.

Knowing that I only have a couple more cyclo-cross races left and that Winter is coming, I set up the trainer in the basement and even gave it a go today to see how it felt. Not bad.

With a solid season behind me I'm in pretty good form. Form that I don't want to lose. As I've gotten older I've noticed (and I'm sure you'll all agree) that the fitness you worked so hard to achieve falls off rapidly if you stop training.

I know I have to surrender some of my fitness to the cycle of the seasons and there is plenty of stuff to keep me busy off the bike. Still, I don't want to spend all of February building back up what could have not been lost by thoughtful planning.

I write to ask you how you have managed to balance life, age, fitness, and the off-season into your lives. Anything you've learned that you can share to help me/others stay fit.

Given your experience, how long is too long to stay off the bike? I will involve myself in cross training of some kind but my eye is always on my fitness as it relates to the bicycle. Seems to me I've lost my fitness after about 21 days (not that I'm not fit any longer but that the high end sharpness is gone).

I am 49, racing age 50. Offically an old fart.

Hermes

Racing age of 50... nice. I like the zero numbered years since you just aged up into an older racing age category for championship events and theoretically have an age competitive advantage in the 50 to 54 age group.

I started racing on January 1st this year and competed at Masters Worlds Track at the end of October. So I am resting and taking the month of November off. I will get back into training in December.

Next year, I do not plan to start so early. I will do a few more track races and not do any early season stage races that I did last year. So when I get back to training, I will do mostly endurance and then begin to step it up.

Shifty

I ride outside here all winter when I can, we have mild temps, but lots of rain so I have to work around that. I have to supplement with spin classes at the gym 3 times a week, ride as hard as I can for the hour I'm there. If I feel I need to, I also have a bike set on a trainer at home and I'll ride an hour or two on that in front of the tv, or with music.

I also cross country and telemark ski, that helps keep legs and lungs in good shape, plus it's a hell of a great time.

B. Carfree

When I have taken time off the bike and wanted to maintain cycling fitness, I found that aerobic weight training was quite helpful. I would spend much more time on my leg extension machine than on my rollers. Keep the weights low, alternate legs, and don't rest between sets (just change legs). I usually do 5 sets of 50 with each leg working up by 5 lb increments until I can't go anymore, and then work back down in weight. After each weight change I roll over and do 50 curls. Maybe I should return to that activity this winter. Since I live where there is no weather-induced cycling break, I tend to just keep on riding.

cyclinfool

I have sturggled with this issue for several years. Last year my plan was spin classes once the ice came in, but I fractured my shoulder so this put the breaks on that plan. The previous year I tried the trainer but I could not keep up the motivation beyond January. I ski a lot so that helps but is not enough. This year if all goes well I will spin and do core weight training (a personal trainer laid out a plan for me). With the weather here, riding doesn't start back up until the end of March so my down time is longer than yours and my one and only competitive event is in late June and it takes a lot of training to get ready for it.

Allegheny Jet

My road race season peaked in August with the Masters Nationals and our State Masters Road Race Champs. My fit season came to an end on the last weekend of Oct. I raced two cyclocross races that weekend then began a 1 month rest from training and hard sustained efforts. During November I rode the mtb and did fun rides with my buddies totaling around 8 to 10 hrs/week. I did race a cross race last weekend with the intention of waking up my body after a week in Cancun. I finished the B race 51st of 59 riders and didn't put in any killer efforts (I don't think I could have anyway). I may race our state Masters Cyclo Cross Champs next weekend. That will be my first hard effort in 30 days so my coach should not be too pissed. On December 1st the indoor cycling classes start and I'll begin the process of doing pedaling drills and progressive intervals in the class. At home I'll be riding on the trainer, rollers and getting out on the roads whenever possible as well as getting back to doing core and resistance training. Time on the bike and core/resistance exercises in December will be around 8-9 hrs/week building over the winter to 15 to 17 hrs in April and May.

I’m unable to do any cross training as running is not possible. Last Dec 1st I had one of my ankles fused and didn't get on a bike until January. That gave me a nice recovery time. I slowly built up time and effort on the trainer, then rollers by early February and even rode my age on my birthday on 2-26. I competed in my first road race of the season on March 3rd. On March 10 my doctor gave me permission to begin riding.

bobbycorno

24 hours. But seriously, if you maintain a good fitness base over the winter, and maybe ride the trainer once or twice a week (just so you don't forget how to pedal), you can take a couple months off without any great harm. And you'll be amazed at how much enthusiasm you have for those long, cold, wet early season training rides.

SP
Bend, OR
...where there's a foot of snow on the ground, and the roads are packed snow and ice.

Hermes

What is your race category?

I think most racers know that it is impossible to constantly improve. One has to rest, recover, surrender some fitness and then go at it again to achieve even more. The theory for a two peak season is a rest interval between peak 1 and 2.

The key is what are you doing when you are off the bike. Right now, I am working on my strength limiters, flexibility and rebuilding those muscles that cycling does not. What is bad is eating too much. So do not eat very much, ride your rollers and work on strength and flexibility. There are always limiters to work on off the bike. When weather and time permits get back on the bike.

stapfam

If you are that keen on retaining your fitness during the lay-off--------You will find something that works to keep you fit.

If cycling is out altogether- then you have the Gym--You have the snow clearing or chopping logs all winter. There will be some activity that you can find that will keep the Cardio side going even if you have to stay off the bike. For me it is time to get the MTB out on those days when road riding is out altogether. And heavy snow just means that I have a harder workout in a shorter time. (Mainly from picking the bike up and carrying it through the drifts)

RonH

It isn't quite winter here (global warming?? ) but some days it looks like winter, like today (dark and overcast all day). If I don't feel motivated to ride I just go for long walks and enjoy the late fall colors. And my wife can always find something for me to do. Tonight I get to hang some curtains. Oh joy.

Mayonnaise

Next season will be my first in the Masters 50+ category and would like to do well (well means accepting that there are about 6 locals that I will never beat as they are ex-pros and former olympians).

I believe my problem is reluctance to accept Winter. I've got all this training in my legs and want to keep it but that simply can't, and probably shouldn't, happen. Going to try to let go and let Winter happen. I would rather approach Spring with an spirit to work hard again rather than trying not to burn out.