Debunking the infamous “off-season” – Coming out of cycling hibernation

Bikes are packed away, wheels are hung up and the buzz and organised chaos of the competitive professional cycling calendar finishes for another year in the month of October.

While behind the scenes within teams there is plenty of work ongoing for the following season, this is the period of the year where the riders get to experience the infamous “off-season”, after which they slowly begin their return to training.

In combination with the newly published rider diary, where we heard of multiple fun holidays, sun-chasing and plenty of activities, we also wanted to find out from our experts what the next steps are after the fun and sun. Therefore, we caught up with Trainer Coordinator Steve Benton who shared his knowledge and insight into what exactly goes on around off-season planning and how the riders return to training.

When is off-season?

Ironically given its name of “season”, there is no concrete and set time period where all riders in the peloton stop racing and training, before picking it back up again. As Steve explains, there are a few main factors which decide on this time.

“The first thing we consider and look at is the last race of the rider, and when that is. Obviously, it differs not only between our three programs (Men, Women and Development), but also within the programs itself. For example, this year we had riders who raced in Lombardia as their last race while others continued their campaign into China.”

Alongside the ending period of their previous season, the start point of their next campaign also is a factor too.

“If a rider starts their season at the Australian races, then we tend to, where possible, accelerate that training. We will be on a slightly faster build-up with those riders to allow them to be ready to travel to Australia but also to be in the right condition to be competitive there.”

Likewise, if a rider starts their next campaign a little bit later, they might even continue training for a week or so after their last race to then be able to take their off-season and build-up after from there.

So to sum-up, off-season comes at a variety of times and is dependent on when racing has stopped and when it is planned to start again for a rider. Now that is out of the way, let’s dive into what actually is off-season!

‘Tis the season to recharge

When looking to the off-season planning, the team likes to split the whole period up into a four-week block as Steve explains.

“The first two weeks are really completely off the bike and a full break away from cycling in a lot of cases. It’s not that we don’t let the riders jump on a bike or something different like a mountain bike or whatever, but generally we tend to encourage or recommend that there is a full two-week break, when riders have had a full season.”

Taking this time allows the riders to recharge their physical batteries but it’s also an important time of year to allow them to refresh mentally too. Professional cycling is a demanding sport that builds up fatigue not only of the body but of the mind as well.

“The second two weeks are then what we call a restart of physical activities. That might start a lot earlier for those who had a longer break due to illness or injury because they don’t need the same mental and physical break the others need.

“It is also important to bear in mind that a rider might have had some challenges getting over an illness or an injury and trying to get ready for races, which can also be quite stressful mentally.

“It’s not always the case that you think that riders have only done a certain amount of training and racing, so you also must look at the bigger picture. We work together with all the experts and the coaches to work out, what might be a good period for them to get fully recharged mentally and physically to start the training for the new season.”

Move your body

As mentioned, in the second block of two weeks the team encourages the riders to do different activities to get back into the swing of things and become more physically active.

“It’s not structured full training and there is flexibility with it so that they slowly get more active again. That might be going for a jog, swimming, hiking, walking and so on; we just encourage them with a guideline of the amount of activity they should be doing to get the body back moving again.”

Unlike what could be perceived, the off-season period is unlikely to see the riders transform into couch potatoes as Steve jokes, and that “they are professional athletes so even in the two weeks of complete rest, they won’t sit still.”

Keeping things open, the team sees it as an opportunity for riders to do sports and activities that they did when they were younger before they came professional, but Steve says that there should be a bit of common sense applied to things.

“For instance, if we have a rider who wants to go skating and they want to do that because they used to skate, then it’s not a problem. Yet, if it’s something new and they’ve never done it before then we will have a chat and discussion with them to see if there is a degree of unneeded risk.”

No one wants to make front page news on their favourite cycling website pictured in A&E or a hospital bed after trying their hand at downhill skiing for the first time.

Conversely though, Steve also does insist that the team “would like to see them try something new as that might help with the mental recharge, which of course is very important.”

Getting back into the swing of things

Once the original four-week block is over, then the riders will begin with a progressive training program on the bike to then get them up to speed, and it’s helped by having the previous two weeks of different physical activity in the tank.

“Those weeks help bridge being able to get back to a reasonable training week, which will be at least ten hours, sometimes a little bit more. Overall, that will gradually build primarily in volume in the first, second and third week; although of course the rates of progression will differ between riders.”

“The main question we aim to answer with our approach is what helps us to achieve the best possible base as we then move into fully structured training.”

As a result, this often then means that by December then everyone is basically back onto fully road-specific training; mixed in with time trial efforts and gym sessions focused on strength training too.

From there, it’s almost time for December camp where the riders meet up once more. It’s also where Steve and the rest of the experts conduct the “majority of tests and assessments” which then provide the basis of the rest of the year.

“This informs us where their level is and allows us to calculate the appropriate intensities for their training and the training zones.”

Although Steve is quick to point out that the team also has historical data from all of the current riders, and also almost all of those who are new, so even before these traditional tests the training can be tailored as best as possible.

New year, new chances

Heading into 2024, the off-season period is well and truly over and those doing the Australian races in January will already be well on their way to some great form, while those who start racing later will be building up more gradually.

As a result of a nice off-season where they’ve been able to recharge both physically and mentally, the riders will be able to tackle the 2024 campaign with the same verve, vigour and gusto that they always show as we push for more success together as a team in the coming year.

We hoped you enjoyed this look behind the curtain as we debunk what “off-season” is and that you learned something interesting and insightful as to how we approach this not so often talked about part of the season.