Fitness
Winter base miles plan
Twelve weeks of easy indoor and outdoor riding to arrive at spring with a real aerobic base.
The idea
Most of the winter riding should be easy: a pace where you can talk in full sentences. The commute counts. Add one longer ride on the weekend and one short session of harder efforts on the trainer.
The week
Monday rest or walk. Tuesday trainer, 45 minutes with 4 × 4 minutes hard. Wednesday and Thursday commute. Friday rest. Saturday long ride on the Neuse River Greenway, building from 90 minutes to three hours. Sunday easy spin or a hike.
Progress
Build for three weeks and ease off on the fourth. Watch the morning recovery score: two red days in a row means swap the hard session for an easy one.
Strength
Two short kettlebell sessions a week. Cyclists lose bone density and hip strength without it.