The Cycling Winter Training Guide

As the days get colder and shorter, I thought it would be fitting to discuss training in the winter. A coach once told me that bike races are won in the Winter. I didn’t know it at the time, but she was absolutely right! Peak fitness in the Summer can only be achieved from the long monotonous rides of the Winter. 

As a basis, the majority of training from November to March usually consists of long endurance rides that build the foundation for higher intensity power in the Spring. In my opinion, cyclists should simply try to accumulate as many kilometers as possible in the Winter for success later in the year. A strong aerobic foundation can only be developed by riding thousands of kilometers at low-intensity. Just like about everything in life there are no short-cuts, and of course there is no way to avoid the hard-work. 

As cyclists, I think it is also important to understand and define goals for the upcoming season. The winter training plan of a rider, who wants to race at an elite-level, will of course be much different than a rider, who wants to ride mostly for fun and maybe join a few Grand Fondos in the Summer. So before planning for training in the Winter, I think it’s important to ask the following:

1. Am I training to build fitness or maintain fitness? 
2. Which races / events do I plan on riding in the upcoming season? 
3. When exactly in the Year do I want to reach my peak form? (For example, Classics riders peak in the Spring and Tour de France riders peak in July) 

Below, I will share two different winter training plans that I have used at different times in my cycling development. Depending on your goals as a cyclist, I have found these Winter training plans to be the most effective. The first is planned entirely for optimal performance and building the biggest aerobic capacity possible in the winter months. The second is designed purely for maintaining as much fitness as possible in the Winter.  

1. The Winter 2-3-4 Plan 

The 2-3-4 Winter Training Plan is structured for the ambitious cyclist by riding 3 days on, 1 day off, and 3 days on again to finish the week. In other words, riders train from Monday to Wednesday, have Thursday off, and train again from Friday to Sunday. The 2-3-4 is structured as the following: 

• Monday and Friday: Torque Workout - 2 hours with 3 x 10’ torque efforts (9’ at high Zone 3 with big gear and low cadence from 50-55 rpm; 1’ at Zone 5 (V02 max) with lower gear and high cadence 90-95 rpm) the rest of the ride is ridden in low Zone 2 
• Tuesday and Saturday: Foundation Workout - 3 hours with 2 x 45’ in low Zone 3 and the rest of the ride low Zone 2 
• Wednesday and Sunday: Endurance Ride - 4 hours Zone 2 with 1x10” sprint every hour 

2. The Winter Maintenance Plan 

The Winter Maintenance Plan is designed for hobby cyclists, who want to maintain their fitness and lay a good foundation for the next season. This plan is much more flexible than the 2-3-4 and is more dependent on when and how long a cyclist can ride during the week. In Summary, it consists of around 6-8 hours a week with 4 days of training. 

• 1x a week Torque Workout: 1,5 hours with 3 x 10’ torque efforts (9’ at high Zone 3 with big gear and low cadence from 50-55 rpm; 1’ at Zone 5 (V02 max) with lower gear and high cadence 90-95 rpm) the rest of the ride is ridden in low Zone 2 
• 1x a week Foundation Workout: 1,5 hours with 1 x 45’ in low Zone 3 and the rest of the ride low Zone 2 
• 2x a week Endurance Ride: 2 - 3 hours Zone 2 with 1 x10” sprint every hour 

If I’m being honest, I never looked forward to training in the Winter. Unless you’re living in California or Southern Europe, riding in the Winter is often times cold, miserable, and monotonous. For my friends in the Northern Hemisphere, who know what it’s like to ride 3 or 4 hours on Zwift or alternatively in sub-zero temperatures, maybe you know what I mean. However, I think there’s something to be said about following through on the things that are not enjoyable and miserable in life and on the bike. In the end, there is much to learn from being consistent in sub-optimal conditions and less than ideal circumstances. Nevertheless, as the Winter approaches in Europe, and the days shorten and darken, I hope you can take this Article as a basis for your training in the upcoming months.