The 3 Off-Season Training Mistakes That Ruin Your Spring

You've done your MAP (maximal aerobic power ramp) test. You know your zones. You're ready to train smart.

But here's where most riders blow it - they make one of three off-season mistakes that undermine all that preparation. I see this every November: half my inquiries are from riders who stopped training completely in October, the other half are from riders who kept hammering group rides and are now overtrained and injured.

Both made the same mistake - they didn't have an off-season plan.

Here's how to avoid ruining your spring before it even starts.

Mistake #1: Complete Rest

What it looks like: "I'm taking November through January off to recharge. I'll start training again in February."

Why it's a mistake:

You'll lose 10% plus of your fitness in the first 4 weeks of complete rest. By 12 weeks off, you're looking at significant detraining - reduced VO2max, decreased mitochondrial density, lower capillary density, reduced lactate threshold.

The aerobic adaptations you spent all year building? Gone.

What happens:

Spring group rides feel terrible. You spend March and April just getting back to where you were in October. Your mates who trained through winter are already ahead, and you're playing catch-up until June.

Complete rest is fine for 1-2 weeks after your last event. But 8-12 weeks off? That's sabotaging your next season.

Mistake #2: Keep Hammering

What it looks like:

Three hard group rides per week. Zwift racing whenever you feel good. No structured periodization. Just "staying sharp" through winter.

Why it's a mistake:

You never recover from your race season. You never build your aerobic base. You plateau or regress. And by February, you're either injured (knee pain, overuse issues) or mentally burned out. Your body needs a proper base phase - lower intensity, higher volume, aerobic development. Without it, you hit a ceiling.

What happens:

You feel okay in November and December (you're still carrying fitness from summer). But by January-February, everything feels hard. Your power numbers stagnate. You develop niggles that turn into injuries. You lose motivation because nothing's improving.

Meanwhile, the riders who backed off intensity and built a proper base? They're fresh, injury-free, and ready to layer on intensity when it matters.

Mistake #3: Random Training

What it looks like:

"I'll just ride when I feel like it. Maybe a long ride on weekends. Maybe some Zwift during the week. I'll see how I feel."

Why it's a mistake:

Random training produces random results. No progression. No periodisation. No systematic stimulus. You maintain fitness at best - and probably regress because there's no progressive overload. Training adaptations require consistent, progressive stress. "Riding when you feel like it" doesn't provide that.

What happens:

You stay roughly the same fitness level all winter. Maybe you maintain 90% of your autumn form if you ride enough volume. But when spring comes and your structured-training competitors start building intensity? You get left behind.

You spent 4 months riding but made zero progress. It’s a wasted opportunity.

What to Do Instead: Structured Base Phase

Duration: 8-16 weeks (December through February or March)

Structure:

A proper base phase isn't "ride easy and do nothing." It's structured, progressive training with specific goals:

60-70% Endurance Work (Zone 2)

This is your aerobic engine. Long, steady rides at conversational pace. You're building:

• Mitochondrial density (more power-producing capacity in muscle cells)

• Capillary density (better oxygen delivery to muscles)

• Fat oxidation (ability to burn fat at higher intensities, sparing glycogen)

• Aerobic efficiency (more output for the same energy cost)

Zone 2 feels easy. It's supposed to. The adaptations happen at the cellular level over weeks and months.

20-30% MIET Training (Sweetspot)

MIET - Moderately Intensive Endurance Training (my name for sweetspot). It sits between tempo and threshold, building aerobic capacity while maintaining intensity tolerance.

This isn't random "ride hard when you feel good." It's periodised sessions with specific durations and recoveries, progressing week to week.

Race Pace Intervals

FTP efforts that progress from 30-second bursts (early in the plan) to 3-minute sustained intervals (later in the plan).

Early weeks: Short 30-second efforts develop neuromuscular power and lactate tolerance without excessive fatigue.

Mid-plan: 1 minute efforts build FTP endurance.

Late plan: 3-minute sustained efforts prepare you for race-specific intensities.

This progression matters. You don't jump straight to 3-minute FTP intervals in week 2. You build systematically.

Sprint Work

Short maximal efforts (5-15 seconds) within endurance rides maintain neuromuscular power. You don't want to lose your top-end snap while building base.

A few sprints per week keeps the high-force neural pathways active without adding significant fatigue.

20-30% Strength Training

Gym-based strength work (or bodyweight if that's your preference) 2-3 times per week. Focus on:

• Squats and deadlifts (posterior chain, power production)

• Single-leg work (imbalance correction, injury prevention)

• Core stability (power transfer, position sustainability)

• Upper body (bike handling, fatigue resistance)

Strength training in base phase builds force production capacity that translates to more watts on the bike.

This should be periodized to match your cycling progression: strength endurance early (3×12 reps), max strength mid-plan (4×6), maintenance during higher cycling load.

Why this structure works:

Early weeks: Heavy Z2 volume with occasional MIET sessions builds aerobic base.

Mid-plan: Race pace intervals enter, starting with 30-second FTP efforts (neuromuscular + lactate tolerance) and progressing to 3-minute sustained efforts.

Late plan (weeks 12-16): You're holding longer FTP intervals with strong aerobic support underneath.

Sprint work stays throughout to maintain neuromuscular power.

This is proper periodisation. Build aerobic engine first, then layer intensity progressively. Not random "hard days when I feel good" training.

Sample Week (Mid-Plan, Week 8)

Monday: Rest or active recovery (30-min spin)

Tuesday: 90-min endurance ride, Zone 2, with 3×10-second sprints

Wednesday: Strength training (45 min, gym-based)

Thursday: MIET session - 3×12 min MIET with 4-min recoveries

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 2.5-hour endurance ride, Zone 2, with 4×1-min race pace intervals (FTP)

Sunday: Strength training (45 min) OR social group ride (easier pace)

Total: 5.5-6 hours cycling, 1.5 hours strength

Common Questions

"Won't I get dropped on group rides?"

Probably, yes. Temporarily.

If you're doing proper Zone 2 base work and everyone else is hammering, you'll get shelled. That's fine. You're building your engine for spring, not trying to win November group rides.

By March, when you start adding race-specific intensity on top of your massive aerobic base, you'll be the one riding away from the group.

"Won't I lose fitness doing all this easy riding?"

No. You'll maintain and improve your aerobic fitness. What you might lose temporarily is your ability to suffer repeatedly at VO2max intensity.

But that's not fitness - that's specificity. You don't need VO2max repeatability in December. You need aerobic capacity. Build the base now, add the sharp end later.

"How do I know I'm in Zone 2?"

Use your MAP test results to calculate zones. Zone 2 is roughly 50-65% of MAP.

Alternatively: talk test. If you can hold a conversation in complete sentences without gasping, you're in Zone 2. If you can only speak in short phrases, you're too hard.

RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion): 3-4 out of 10. Feels easy. Should feel almost boring.

If you're not sure about your zones, use the free MAP calculator on my site - just enter your MAP result and it'll give you all your training zones.

Get Your Off-Season Right

Off-season is where spring fitness is built. Get it right now, and you'll crush next season. Get it wrong, and you'll spend March playing catch-up.

Three ways to structure your off-season training:

1. Structured Training Plans ($95-$225)

Perfect if you're self-motivated and just need a proven structure to follow.

16-Week Base Training Plan ($95)

Everything I described above, structured week-by-week:

• Progressive endurance work (Zone 2 volume increases systematically)

• MIET sessions (sweetspot intervals with specific work/recovery ratios)

• Race pace intervals (30-second efforts progressing to 3-minute sustained FTP intervals)

• Sprint integration (neuromuscular power maintenance)

• Recovery weeks built in (every 3-4 weeks, reduced volume for adaptation)

You get the complete 16-week plan in TrainingPeaks. Load it to your device, follow the workouts, tick them off. No guesswork.

12-Week Strength Training Plan ($95)

Gym-based strength program designed to run alongside the cycling plan:

• Periodised to match your cycling progression (strength endurance → max strength → maintenance)

• Exercise demonstrations and coaching cues

• Rep/set schemes that complement your cycling load

• Progressive overload built in

Run this alongside the base plan for complete off-season development.

Bundle: All 3 Plans ($225 - Save $60)

Get the 16-week base plan, 12-week strength plan, AND the 10-week gravel base-to-race plan for $225.

That's 38 weeks of structured training for the cost of one month of 1-to-1 coaching. If you're self-directed and just need structure, this is the obvious choice.

[Shop Training Plans on TrainingPeaks →]

2. The Collective - Group Coaching ($75/month)

Training plans are great if you just need structure. But what if you want:

• Monthly video content explaining training concepts

• Community support (forum with other riders, shared accountability)

• Monthly Q&A calls (ask me anything about training, pacing, nutrition, equipment)

• Multiple training plans to choose from (not just base - build, race prep, event-specific)

• Ongoing education (not just "do these workouts" but "understand why")

That's The Collective.

You get structured training plans (including the base plan above) PLUS the coaching support and education that helps you understand what you're doing and why it works.

7-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

If you're someone who benefits from community, education, and accountability, The Collective is £75/month well spent.

[Try The Collective Free for 7 Days →]

3. Personalised 1-to-1 Coaching (from £125/month)

What if you want everything above PLUS:

• Custom training plans built specifically for your schedule, limiters, and goals

• Power analysis (I review your ride files and tell you what's working, what's not)

• Video feedback (upload videos of your position, pedaling, technique - I'll analyze and provide feedback)

• Direct access to me or my coaching partner Glenn (questions answered within 24 hours)

• Plan adjustments when life happens (missed sessions, illness, travel, schedule changes)

That's 1-to-1 coaching.

You're not following a pre-made plan. You're getting a plan built for YOU, adjusted as needed, with expert feedback on your execution.

Silver tier: £125-150/month (depending on whether you want structured S&C included)

Gold tier: £250/month (more frequent touchpoints, with Coach Ric)

Higher tiers available (Rainbow, Platinum) for athletes with more specific needs.

Spots are limited. I only take clients I genuinely believe I can help. If you're serious about your 2026 goals and want personalised expert coaching, let's talk.

[Learn About 1-to-1 Coaching Tiers →]

Not Sure Which Option Fits You?

Choose training plans if:

• You're self-motivated and disciplined

• You just need structure and proven programming

• You don't need ongoing coaching support

• Budget is a priority (one-time payment vs monthly)

Choose The Collective if:

• You want structure + accountability + education

• You benefit from community support

• You want multiple plans to choose from as your goals change

• You want ongoing access to a coach (Q&A calls) without full 1-to-1 cost

Choose 1-to-1 coaching if:

• You want complete personalisation

• Your schedule is complex or variable

• You want expert analysis of your training execution

• You're serious about specific performance goals and want the best chance of achieving them

Pick your level. Just don't make the three mistakes above.

Off-season training matters. Get it right, and spring is where you reap the rewards.

Ric Stern CycleCoach

P.S. Not sure about your training zones? Use the free MAP calculator - enter your ramp test result and get training zones, FTP estimation, power profile analysis, and training recommendations: [MAP Calculator →]