jusrt curious as to how long everyone takes off the bike after the long season. how long are you off the bike? i heard from a pretty good racer, that as you get older, its not smart to take off longer than a week or two, cause it takes so long to get back in the shape you were just in...of course, thats his opinion. i'm off going on 3 weeks, but really hitting the weights hard..maybe i'll ride in another week. my other leg muscles are killing me from the weights and certain leg work i'm currently doing.. whats everyones opinion on how long to stay off te bike after a hard season.. thanks steve
jusrt curious as to how long everyone takes off the bike after the long season. how long are you off the bike? i heard from a pretty good racer, that as you get older, its not smart to take off longer than a week or two, cause it takes so long to get back in the shape you were just in...of course, thats his opinion. i'm off going on 3 weeks, but really hitting the weights hard..maybe i'll ride in another week. my other leg muscles are killing me from the weights and certain leg work i'm currently doing.. whats everyones opinion on how long to stay off te bike after a hard season.. thanks steve
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Well, if you're taking time off from a hard season why aren't you resting? "Hitting the weights hard" seems like a waste of good rest, which should be both physical and mental.
FWIW, I'm 42 and I'm currently "detraining" by riding easier than previously (nothing structured or long unless I feel like it would be fun), but still roughly 5 days/week. Riding without pressure gives me the mental break necessary without losing too much fitness. I suspect that in a few weeks I will not feel like taking any time off as I'll probably be longing for more structure. OTOH, had I raced all the way through mid-October, I'd probably take 2 weeks completely off.
One week off, with pre-base training and spin classes tossed in. Spin classes are always a welcome relief for the mind and the eye candy is always nice
i'm 41 and at the end of a long season i take 1.5 to two weeks off... don't touch or think about my bike... then after that i take the odd week off then take another 2 weeks off at chirstmas then after christmas i start my build again for the next season... i'd say for my self i try to keep it to a week but never more that two weeks... immediately after a long hard season that two weeks doesn't really affect my fitness wise much at all and the freshness actually makes my fall rider pretty killer. with the lower volume during winter though two week can result in major detraining... i try to keep winter rest/recovery week to max one week... but usually 3-4 days...
if you train 5+ days per weeks all season then 2 weeks off is not a problem, other exercise is ok, but if you go right into slamming your other muscle groups I agree with another poster; thats not rest. perhaps a couple more weeks of easy pedaling would be a good transition as the muscle soreness works its way out...
this year I only rode 3 days a week, almost every ride was work, so when I rest I still ride 3 days/wk but just easy touring, fireroads on the cross bike, sightseeing... ride an hour, eat lunch, ride home... this kinda stuff
