How To

Winter training: tips from the pros

Four pros share advice on how to make the most of the off-season

Vary your training

The stunning backdrop of the Teesdale and Weardale moors feature on the Roof of England Sportive
Yanto Barker enjoyed a fine season with Raleigh in 2014 and has joined now One Pro Cycling (Pic: Lloyd Images)
Russell Downing uses November to get the miles in and enjoy his riding (pic: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
Interval sessions aren't for everyone but can be used to great effect (Pic: Deborah Malin/Media-24)
Russell Downing ensures his rides contain a mix of both flat roads and hills (Pic: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
Madison-Genesis rider Tom Stewart is a firm believer in keeping things fun (Pic: Joolze Dymond)
Ian Field believes cyclo-cross can have many benefits for road cyclists (Pic: Balint Hamvas)
Field's cyclo-cross training is designed to replicate what he would otherwise be doing in a race (pic: Balint Hamvas)
Tom Stewart will spend time on Madison-Genesis training camps but also goes to Gran Canaria alone (Pic: Joolze Dymond)
Stewart enjoyed a successful 2014 and believes his coach has allowed him to make the most of his time in the saddle (Pic: Tour Series)

Vary your training

Where you ride is largely dictated by where you live and the roads you have access to in your free time.

But it’s important not to just repeat the same routes until they are ingrained on your mind and become a chore rather than a pleasure. Instead, winter is a time to explore.

For Downing – whose training plan is designed to help him hit form, and hold it, from the spring – breathing life into his ride means mixing up the flat roads which allow him to ride at the low intensity required at this time of year, with a lap of the local hills.

He explains: “At this time of year I’ll be looking at the flat roads, but half-hour’s ride away is a loop with a few pretty steep climbs that I used to use when I was training for the Classics.

“I’ll do a few of them at the end of the day. I can do a four or five mile lap with a couple of good hills in it and then I’ve got half-an-hour riding back from there.

“It adds another lap to my ride and a bit of variation, just to keep things interesting.”

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Winter training

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How To

Winter training: tips from the pros

Four pros share advice on how to make the most of the off-season

Vary your training

Vary your training

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