Coaching and Training for Cycling and Multi Sport Athletes

The month of December is the official start of off season training for the 2026 season. For the majority of cyclists and runners we work with who train all year long, December is a time to focus on consistency, building strength on and off the bike, and building more power aerobically. This is considered building your base. The more power you can push, for longer periods of time, while maintaining heart rate in the zone 2-3 range, the more efforts you will be able to handle in the zones 4-6 range the more often during the main part of the season and the faster you will recover from any hard effort or race. 

Its important to keep harder efforts in the zones 4-6 range in the mix all year long but this time of year hard efforts are incorporated minimally each week, focusing the majority of the week on aerobic gains in power. When harder intervals in the zones 4-6 range are incorporated, they're sometimes best focused on working more force on the pedals, or high tension intervals, with slower leg speed to build good leg strength. Sub threshold efforts in the zones 4 and 5 range, with a faster leg speed are also important. 

Strength training each week plays a key role this time of year. Lifting heavy, focused on the 3-6 repetition range, with heavier weight builds foundational strength. It builds stronger tendons and ligaments and it incorporates more overall muscle, building assistance muscles, to your prime cycling muscles, stronger. Before you venture into a heavy lift phase, make sure you work though an adaptation phase with Olympic lifts, working the 12-20 repetition range to get the muscles, ligaments and tendons to adapt.

The most important thing you can do this time of year is to dream about goals in 2026, whether its to win a national championship or to feel great at a regional event you are eyeing up. Make sure your goals are fun and if they are, you will work harder towards them.