Coaching and Training for Cycling and Multi Sport Athletes

January is go time for all endurance athletes of any age and ability. We say this often, if you want to make gains in endurance fitness, it takes 4-6 months of consistency and focus on daily training. Of course, we start preaching consistency in December and look at December as a good Preparation for the January through March winter season. So if you have been training through the last part of the 2025 season, then you are ready to tackle some good endurance focus in January 2026.

The main focus through January and February, for most, is top build aerobic power. The more power and speed you build within your heart rate and power zones 2, 3 and 4, the more aerobically trained you are. This relates to the ability to recover faster from hard efforts and the ability to sustain harder efforts for longer duration's. This is what everyone refers to as base training. For those who live in cold climates and cant log long hours on the bike, its still important to focus on increasing speed and power in the zones 2-4 range. When the weather breaks and you can log longer duration's on the bike, the power you built over the winter will carry through top these rides, and the longer duration's will train your lungs, legs and the ability to sustain these efforts for longer periods. 

Working force or high leg tension efforts on the bike along with long zone 2 and 3 efforts is the key for this time of year. Gym work is great but there are no movements exactly the same as pedaling a bicycle, since pedaling all happens on the metatarsals of the foot. To build specific strength for the bike, force efforts where you shift down a few gears and grind shorter and longer efforts with leg speed in the 50-70 RPM range builds leg and hip strength. Combining these efforts within a workout and within the week with long zone 2 and 3 efforts builds aerobic power. 

Harder efforts over zone 4 heart rate and power are important this time of year but sparingly, such as once a week. Harder efforts above zone 4 incorporates more overall muscle, which also contributes to building power aerobically. Combining hard sub threshold efforts early in a ride and finishing the ride working long zone 3 efforts is a good combo for a winter training ride. Just keep in mind, focused efforts are good through the winter but the number one factor in training is consistency, and that could be 60-90 minutes a day through the cold months.