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Many people assume you should be riding long and slow over the winter. But is this right? <\/strong><\/p>\n Strict, steady winter base training can be effective for professional riders, who can log 30-hour plus weeks. The sheer volume they\u2019re able to do provides the training stimulus and gives them the deep base of endurance fitness<\/strong><\/a> they require for the heavy racing load they have to contend with in-season.<\/p>\n However, even for pros, the concept of just doing steady work over the winter has largely fallen out of favour.<\/p>\n For non-pros, who are having to juggle work, family and other commitments and can only probably manage 5-15 hours weekly, sticking purely to low intensity is a waste of precious training time \u2013 especially for triathletes who are also having to find time for swimming and running, too.<\/p>\n Training load is a combination of volume and intensity and, if both are low, you\u2019re not going to be giving your body any significant training stimulus to adapt to. The only way to create training load on limited time is by including some intensity<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n By taking this quality\/less-is-more approach, you\u2019re also far more likely to stay healthier over the winter<\/strong><\/a>, train consistently rather than binge and bust and, by not heading out for hours on end no matter what the weather, can keep your training a pleasure rather than a chore.<\/p>\n So, what should you be doing on the bike through the winter assuming you can probably manage three bike workouts a week?<\/p>\n You should aim for two higher intensity mid-week rides, which, as the nights draw in and the weather gets worse, can be on the turbo<\/strong><\/a>. You can do structured workouts or, if you need the added motivation, try a Zwift race.<\/p>\nShould I do low-intensity sessions?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How should my bike training be split in winter?<\/strong><\/h2>\n