Winter is a great time to build a strong foundation for the upcoming cycling season. A structured plan that balances endurance, strength, and indoor-focused workouts will help you maintain fitness and get ready for more intense training in spring. In this blog, we’ll outline a specific winter training plan for cyclists who can commit to training three times a week.
What Is a Typical Winter Cycling Training Plan?
For cyclists training three times a week during winter, a well-balanced plan focuses on endurance, strength, and intervals. Here’s an example of how to structure your training:
- Day 1: Long Endurance Ride (outdoors or indoors) – 90-150 minutes
- Day 2: Strength Training (gym or at home) – 45-60 minutes
- Day 3: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) or Tempo Ride (indoors) – 60-75 minutes
Day 1: Long Endurance Ride
Goal: Build and maintain aerobic base fitness.
On your first training day of the week, focus on a long, steady endurance ride at a low to moderate intensity (around 60-70% of your maximum heart rate or “zone 2” if you’re using a power meter). The goal is to improve your aerobic capacity and stamina while staying in a comfortable zone that allows you to ride for an extended period.
- Duration: 90-150 minutes
- Intensity: Low to moderate intensity (zone 2)
- Where: Ideally outdoors, but indoors on a smart trainer if weather conditions are poor.
If riding outdoors, choose a flat to rolling route and maintain a consistent effort. If you have to train indoors, use a longer indoor session on platforms like Zwift or TrainerRoad that simulates a steady pace.
Day 2: Strength Training
Goal: Build muscle strength and stability, especially in the legs and core.
Strength training is essential for increasing power on the bike and reducing the risk of injury. Focus on exercises that target your lower body (quads, hamstrings, glutes), core, and upper body stability. Key exercises include squats, lunges, deadlifts, planks, and kettlebell swings.
- Duration: 45-60 minutes
- Where: Gym or at home with weights/bodyweight.
- Exercises:
- Squats (3 sets of 8-12 reps): Builds strength in quads and glutes.
- Lunges (3 sets of 8-12 reps per leg): Improves single-leg strength and balance.
- Deadlifts (3 sets of 8-12 reps): Strengthens hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.
- Planks (3 sets of 30-60 seconds): Builds core stability.
- Kettlebell Swings (3 sets of 12-15 reps): Adds power to your legs and hips.
Day 3: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) or Tempo Ride
Goal: Improve anaerobic capacity and increase speed/power.
For your third session, focus on shorter, high-intensity intervals to boost your fitness and power output. If you’re riding indoors, structured interval sessions work well using apps like Zwift, TrainerRoad, or Sufferfest. If you’re outdoors, you can perform hill repeats or short sprints.
- Duration: 60-75 minutes
- Where: Indoors (recommended) or outdoors (if weather permits).
- Workout Example:
- Warm-up (10-15 minutes): Gradual increase in intensity.
- Main Set:
- 6 x 2 minutes hard effort (zone 4 or 5) with 2-3 minutes easy recovery between intervals.
- OR 4 x 5 minutes tempo effort (zone 3/4) with 3-5 minutes easy recovery between.
- Cooldown (10-15 minutes): Gradual reduction in intensity.
This session will improve your ability to handle sustained efforts and recover quickly, essential skills for cycling in the mountains or in events like granfondos.
Conclusion
For cyclists training three times a week during winter, a balanced plan that includes a long endurance ride, a strength training session, and a high-intensity interval workout will help maintain fitness, build strength, and prepare for the season ahead. This blend of endurance, power, and recovery will ensure you’re ready to tackle any cycling challenge that comes your way. For more inspiration and guidance on your cycling journey, visit Deux Mille to explore high-altitude climbs and routes to aim for in your training.
