Brrr! Winter has arrived. 3 Pro Tips to Winter Training.

Winter has arrived in most of the northern US.

Temps are dipping.

Maybe there's snow on the ground where you are.

This time of year I remember fondly the training camps in warm climes. Yes, they were filled with a lot of meetings, testing, and hard work on the bike but, there were also long slow coffee shop rides now and then.

It can be hard to get out and ride, and stay warm while doing it. And unless you have the luxury of going to team camp on the Mediterranean you're gonna have to deal with some cold.

So here are my 3 tips for winter training for you:

1. Have the right clothes.

I used to get all the winter training gear I needed or wanted from teams. Sometimes it was really warm, comfortable stuff that worked great. Sometimes not.

There were years when I'd get winter training gear that fit great and felt like pajamas and I was HAPPY to wear them.

Then there were the other times. One year I was given winter training tights that had nothing more than a skimpy foam pad for a chamois. And the butt wore out before winter was over and you could see my arse. Needless to say, they weren't that warm and I wasn't too keen on going out to train in the cold.

Over the years I rode a lot of different brands and came to have favorites. With regard to bib tights, now that I can ride whatever I want, I'm a devoted fan of Castelli Sorpasso bib tights. They're warm, weather proof to a certain extent, and SUPER comfortable.

There's no lack of quality here. Castelli have put their body paint tech to good use in the bib portion so the straps don't bind up under your thermal jacket or vest. They provide just enough compression but not too much. And they have silicon grippers under the ankles rather than stirrups so your shoes will fit normally. 

Plus, you know, they're Castelli AND Italian so they great! Those can be bought HERE.

2. The Pre-ride Warm-up.

This is an old pro's trick. Jump on the trainer for 15-30 minutes before going out the door to ride. You'll warm up your legs AND your core temperature. I have both rollers and a turbo trainer. For this kind of a warm up I'll use my rollers as they allow me to spin my legs easy. Then I can begin whatever structured work I'll be doing when I hit the road. Or just be warm enough to endure that 5 hour ride.

When you see the colorful glossy pictures of the teams at training camps all bundled up in the sun, you can bet more than one of them rode the trainer for a bit before setting off. 

3. When it's just too cold to ride outdoors: INTERVALS!

I was never any good at the marathon sessions on the indoor trainer. The thought of more than an hour on the trainer was torture for me. Multiples hours with no scenery, and not changing position on the bike much was like having teeth pulled.

So I often fell back on interval work. These days many coaches say that winter training should include about 85% base training with the rest being a sprinkling of intensity. And now training is moving in the direction of more intensity in the winter with base being layered in as the weather warms into spring.

In other words, interval work isn't gonna kill you. In fact, it'll bring up that threshold power and allow you to attack your buddies on the occasional group ride, or just make that local hill a bit easier.

Try doing :40 seconds on/:20 seconds off for 6-10 minutes. Then rest 4 minutes, and do it again. Make sure to warm up and cool down. Another good interval scheme is :60 seconds on/:60 seconds off for 10 minutes. Rest 10 minutes, and do it again.

Zwift has made riding indoors a lot easier but, it still doesn't provide much structure unless you program in your own workouts. 

So try a little interval work and get a lot of bang for your buck!

There are my 3 tips. Hit me up with questions or comments any time!