Baby, It’s Cold Outside

Winter training. Are you doing it? Let us look at the extremes; the diametrically opposed groups. The ’All or None’ group includes those that ride mega miles in the summer and sit on the couch all winter eating ice cream in their footed PJ’s. On the other side are those that ride consistently all year long. Why the difference? Individual variation?  Different goals? Some want to be focused/obsessed/ faster/fitter/thinner/whatever and want to stay in shape in order to ride the next season and others need a long break to create a desire to ride the next season. Yes, there are people who are in between, but we will not dwell there.  Me? I enjoy the act of riding, so I fit in the ‘all year long’ group. The thought of going from ‘out of shape’ back to ‘riding shape’ is prohibitive enough to keep me riding with some consistency. Although to be fair, milage and intensity do decrease.

With the above info in mind, the same person that will ‘ride you into the road/dirt’ in the winter might be the same person that ‘cannot hang’ in summer. Weird how that works. I have been there. Many moons ago I rode with a guy who was a top regional domestic racer. In the summer, I could not hang with him, but in the winter, he could not hang with me. My fitness varied, but not by a great amount. Yes, racing buddy did literally sit on the couch and eat ice cream all winter – no riding (not sure about the pj’s). Then in spring he would emerge with extra weight and poor conditioning, but with the help of youth, milage and tenacity he would be back crushing dreams when the racing season began.  

I agree there is a need for ‘time off’.  ‘Time off’ the bike for me might mean a week off and/or reduced milage. Maybe a forced time off because of work/sick/family/vacation etc. In general – I ride. I ride less in the winter and more in the summer, both milage and intensity, but I ride.  

Health research speaks of the benefits of consistent exercise. Racing training speaks of periodization. They are not mutually exclusive; periodization is consistent training. When I asked a competitive racer if he used the periodization technique he replied, “Yes, but not formally. There are times in life that demand less riding and there are times of more riding. I choose to go with the flow; it is less stressful than trying to force something. It is just the way life is.”  Obviously, his statement stuck with me. I would call it Wisdom. Realism if you must.  

I am not downplaying the intensity and focus of ‘making training happen’; in fact, I admire that resolution. I miss being in that kind of physical condition. That said, I hope we are all resolute and make the ride happen when we need to and in our own ways. Since my last competitive race was in the late 80’s (road) and mid 90’s (mountain bike), my ‘intensity’ or ‘drive’ are for reasons independent of competition.  

Back to winter training. The great Sean Kelly once said, “To know if the weather is too bad for training, put on your gear, go train, and you’ll know when you get back.” I love that quote. I might have subscribed to that thought at one point, and although there are those that say I live by it now – I do not. My goal is not to win a race. I ride for joy. Pedaling in cold and wet (and then the concomitant bike wash/maintenance after) does not bring me joy. Thus, I will skip that day. Cold – no problem. Hot – I like that. Wet – not great, but if I am already on the bike, it is not a deterrent. Cold and Wet – no thanks. I am not Robot.  

I digress. What do I believe? There is something for everyone. Find out why you ride and then make decisions based on that. My friends know that I dislike indoor exercise. Do I do it? Yes. If you see me on an indoor trainer, the weather is definitely bad. If indoor exercise does not bring me joy, then why do it at all? Well, there is a joy in short term accomplishment but the reason I ride indoors is what I call – delayed joy. I ride in ways that I do not overtly love so that when the weather turns great in the spring, I can experience the full joy of putting in the desired miles because I am already fit. Although there is joy in ‘getting back in shape’, that joy is delayed. I prefer to avoid that; we all know how it feels to go back through the process of regaining fitness we have lost. I enjoy jumping on the bike in the spring and riding the distance/pace I choose rather than being limited because of my fitness. Not that there is ever a point where fitness is not a limit – but you understand my point. I endure indoor riding because it keeps me fit so that I can fully enjoy outdoor riding when the weather is good.  Why do you ride your bike? Fitness, Joy, Competition, to look cool (that is another article entirely), for your spouse?  Are you the:  all year rider, the summer rider, the competitor, all weather trouper, fair weather queen or another variation. There is a flavor that fits everyone. Regardless – know thyself and embrace those things that make you distinct. Share with us your actions, motivations and focus – we can all learn from each other…