Why Take an End of Season Break?

     As the 2015 racing season comes to a close it is good time to start thinking about preparations for the next season. A common misconception is intense training is the most beneficial part of training. It could be argued that recovery is the single most important part of a training program. I have already had most of my athletes take at least 1 week off the bike. At minimum one week to 10 days off is necessary for all athletes. Elite cyclists (cat 2s to professionals) need a good 2-3 weeks off the bike before they can begin building for the next season. Some racers take up to one month off, but I have found 2-3 weeks works best for me. It is a long enough amount of time off without totally losing all fitness.
     It's common for athletes to question why they need to take this time off before building for the next season. Cyclists are a competitive breed by nature. Their reasoning is, they have built up so much fitness, and do not want to see it all go away by taking time off. It is somewhat true that taking a few weeks off will make that preciously built up fitness fade. Getting back on the bike after time off may feel a little strange and uncomfortable. You huff and puff to make it up some tiny hills that you may only see as a bumps in the road when fitness is good. A snails pace may feel like trees are whizzing by at a Formula 1 pace. Sit bones become super sore from being back on the saddle. Then, after a couple days the bike no longer feels foreign, and after a week or two to you begin to feel physically fit again. It may take a month or six weeks for fitness is back to where it was before the break.
      Still why would you want to take time off to only be back at your current good fitness six weeks later? At the end of a season riders struggle with being broken down, tired, inconsistent, and mentally spent. After some time off, motivation is a lot higher than it was at the end of the year. Motivation helps you to train more consistently and to push deeper through your hard workouts during winter training. During time off your body completely recovers, making you able to manage consistent and hard work. Without that recovery the already long road season, will seem much longer. If you are tired in December, just imagine how you will feel when you do more intense work in March. The peaks in fitness for your goal events will also be at a lower level if you forgo taking an offseason break. Taking one to three weeks off mid-September to early-October will eliminate fatigue and allow you to be mentally fresh, at a time when your fitness does not matter. Only after taking these breaks, can you achieve a higher level of fitness the following year. If taking a few weeks easy right now and being faster the next year is appealing to you, then I would suggest taking an offseason break. You will be glad you did it, and so will your family and friends. Year round, cyclists can seem neurotic, obsessive, and a little selfish with their time. This is a perfect time to make it up to your loved ones and remind them why they allow you in their lives. Trust me on this one!