The bleak months of winter are possibly the most important time in a cyclists training regime. With the season often being won or lost between the months of October and March, it has become a pivotal part of both the professional and the Amateurs training Calendar. In the past, the winter off-season was often seen as a time of rest. While this is still the case to an extent, it has also become a time in which that all needed edge can be obtained. For the Pro it’s a few months hard riding in sun soaked Majorca, good food, a personal coach, topped with lots of rest and a Saunier to keep those unwanted injuries away. For the Amateur it’s dark mornings, a mundane 8 hour shift at work, followed by even darker evenings, bad weather, a personal battle with seasonal illness and an on going struggle to find training slots that mimic anything close to what you can achieve pounding those all important road miles. For more and more amateurs, the cold, sterile confines of the spare room or garage have become the new training ground for six months a year. That 8ft by 16ft brick box becomes the miles of road that need to be ridden throughout those cold winter months, and just maybe this is an effective alternative to strapping on those suicidal headlight’s and making that daily gamble against the twilight rush hour traffic. More and more amateur riders are finding solace in their dark rectangular space historically used for storing auto motive’s, and with great results. With the recent introduction of Powermeter’s and Wattbike’s, some top amateurs including a sub 20 minute Time Trialist claim to spend the entire winter on their Turbo Trainers only venturing off when the weather starts to improve around February, and all without damage to precious fitness. With more and more cars on the road and record breakingly cold winters, maybe it is time to trade in those winter lights for a powermeter and a training plan, and hit the garage for those all important winter miles.
