WHO THIS IS FOR
IS THIS YOU?
The 40+ amateur planning winter
You're wondering whether to copy the same winter you ran last year — or last decade.
The masters racer with a target event
You want a winter base that holds through April, May and June, not one that peaks in February.
THE ROADMAN VIEW
The Roadman view
Winter is the most undervalued window masters cyclists have. Younger riders can paper over a sloppy winter with summer volume; over 40, what you build between October and February is what you spend through the racing season. Anthony has had this conversation with Joe Friel on the podcast and covered it in the Roadman winter masterclass, and the through-line is consistent — the masters edge is built in the months when no one is racing.
The trap is copying the younger rider's winter: long indoor VO2max blocks, hours of unbroken sweet spot, hero turbo sessions. They cost more than they pay. The masters body absorbs strength and steady aerobic work well; it absorbs grinding sweet spot blocks badly, especially when daylight is short and stress at home and work is high.
The honest masters winter is patient. Strength gets the prime slot. The aerobic base goes long and properly easy. One quality session — sweet spot or threshold — covers the engine. Skip a hard ride before you skip a strength session. Show up in February with the muscle, the base and the joints intact, and the riders who shouted their Zwift wattage in November will be the ones you ride away from in April.
EXPERT EVIDENCE
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
- Joe FrielAuthor of Fast After 50 and The Cyclist's Training Bible
After 40, the winter is when strength training delivers most of its bang. Building a strength base in November–January gives you the muscle and joint resilience to handle the intensity of spring and summer, and there's no other window in the year as well-suited to it.
Hear it: The Training Secret To Going FASTER After 40 | Joe Friel - Derek TeelStrength coach for cyclists (Dialed Health)
Winter is the natural strength block for cyclists. Two to three sessions a week through the off-season build the chassis your spring intensity loads onto. Drop strength in winter and you arrive in April with the same body you ended last season in.
Hear it: Strength Training For Cycling Simplified | Derek Teel - Jonas AbrahamsenPro rider, Uno-X Mobility
Pros use winter for unsexy, foundational work — long easy hours, strength, and the discipline to keep intensity rare. Amateur masters trying to copy a pro winter usually copy the volume and skip the patience; the patience is the part that matters.
Hear it: Jonas Abrahamsen: 18kg Weight Gain & Pro Winter Training
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
DO THIS WEEK
Push strength to two or three sessions a week
November–January is the masters strength block. Heavier loading in the 6–10 rep range, focused on split squats, hip hinges, single-leg deadlifts, presses and core. Progress load slowly; consistency beats heroics.
Anchor the week with one long Zone 2 ride
90 minutes to 3 hours, ridden honestly easy. Outside when the roads are safe, indoors when they aren't. The cold tempts you to push the pace to warm up — don't.
Hold one quality bike session
Sweet spot (2×20 minutes at 88–92% FTP) or threshold (2×20 minutes at 95–105% FTP). One per week is plenty. VO2max work is more efficient when daylight returns in spring.
Book the deload weeks into the calendar now
A deload every third or fourth week — 50–60% bike volume and easier strength load. Schedule them before you start the block, so you don't have to negotiate them with yourself when you're tired.
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG
MISTAKECopying the younger rider's winter — long sweet spot blocks, stacked VO2max sessions.
FIXLower the bike volume, raise the strength volume, hold one quality session and protect recovery. The masters body asks for a different mix.
MISTAKESkipping strength because the trainer is more convenient.
FIXStrength is the masters winter's highest-leverage work. Lift before you Zwift; the session that's hardest to get to is usually the one you most need.
MISTAKELetting 'easy' winter rides drift to medium intensity.
FIXZone 2 in winter still means conversational. The cold and the trainer both tempt you to push harder; the cost of grey-zone drift is the same as in summer, paid in cumulative fatigue.
FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Should masters cyclists train less in winter?
How many strength sessions should a masters cyclist do in winter?
Is indoor training bad for masters cyclists?
Should I do VO2max intervals in winter as a masters cyclist?
Can I race well in spring with a low-volume masters winter?
How do masters cyclists handle cold-weather riding?
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