off-season or just keep going?

eortiz said:

I live in sunny San Diego, CA (but not right now, it's been pouring rain) and we pretty much have the same good weather all season round. Should I keep riding/training during the "off-season" or get off the saddle for a couple of weeks (is 2 weeks good enough or too long?) ? What do you guys do (those who live in the East or other countries where there is snow) during the off-season? Thanks

5-10 days is about the longest (depending on the individual and your level of fitness) you can completely take off the bike before you see any noticeable drop off in fitness.

By all means mix in some X-training...running, x-c skiing, gym, trail running etc etc to freshen up and relieve the boredom, but be wary off taking too long off the bike not doing anything.

Do you WANT to take time off? There is certainly no NEED to take off for a manufactured off-season. I live in Austin, Texas. We certainly have year-round cycling here. I don't know any serious cyclist here that takes time off just because it is the off-season for the majority of the country.

You will certainly benefit from a few days off here and there during the year but there is no need to take off for the winter if you live in San Diego or Austin. I ride year-round and I am a much better cyclist because of it. During the course of a year I take several multi-day hiatuses from cycling. I even take off a week once in a while. I always ride well after a short hiatus from my cycling routine.

I hope this helps answer your questions.

🙂

DownTick said:

Do you WANT to take time off? There is certainly no NEED to take off for a manufactured off-season. I live in Austin, Texas. We certainly have year-round cycling here. I don't know any serious cyclist here that takes time off just because it is the off-season for the majority of the country.

You will certainly benefit from a few days off here and there during the year but there is no need to take off for the winter if you live in San Diego or Austin. I ride year-round and I am a much better cyclist because of it. During the course of a year I take several multi-day hiatuses from cycling. I even take off a week once in a while. I always ride well after a short hiatus from my cycling routine.

I hope this helps answer your questions.

🙂

It definitely does. Thanks! I actually remember an article (or I guess someone saying) why loose what you trained for (off-season) when you can just keep going. Or something to that effect. I agree that a couple of days off the saddle will make a big improvement in your training. If I can only just discipline myself in riding easy 😠 , then maybe I wouldn't feel so tired. I know...I know.... take it easy then 😄

I ride all year long. The weather's been pretty crappy the last few days so I haven't been out. Hopefully it will be dry enough this weekend to put some miles under my knobbies.

If the weather is bad for a prolonged period, I head for the gym. I'm not a big fan of the gym. It's too crowded and I'd much rather be outside.