CoachingAnswer

WHAT IS A TRANSITION OR OFF-SEASON PHASE?

By Anthony WalshRoadman CyclingUpdated 26 May 2026

ANSWER

The transition phase — often called the off-season — is 2–4 weeks of deliberately unstructured, low-volume riding after your final A-event of the year. No targets, no intervals, no watching power. Its job is to clear the accumulated physical and mental fatigue of a full season so the next base phase starts from a genuine reset. Skipping it is one of the most reliable ways to begin the new year already depleted.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The transition phase is 2–4 weeks of unstructured, low-intensity riding after your last big event.
Its purpose is recovery — physical and mental — not fitness maintenance or building.
A small amount of fitness loss here is the point; it allows a fresh, hungry restart of base.
Skipping the off-season leaves accumulated fatigue that quietly caps next season's ceiling.

WHO THIS IS FOR

IS THIS YOU?

The rider who never takes a real break

You roll straight from your last event into next year's training and wonder why motivation and form both sag by spring.

The rider who feels guilty about easing off

You see rest as lost fitness and need to understand why a deliberate down phase makes you faster, not slower.

THE ROADMAN VIEW

The off-season has an image problem among amateurs because it looks like the opposite of progress. You've spent a year chasing form, and now the plan is to deliberately let some of it go. That feels wrong until you understand what a full season actually does to you — not just the legs, but the head. The mental load of structured training, the discipline of easy days and hard days, the watching of numbers — it accumulates, and the transition phase is where it gets cleared.

Jonas Abrahamsen described his version of this on the podcast: a genuine de-training period, even some weight gain, before rebuilding the base. That's a pro at the top of the sport choosing to let go at the end of the year, because he knows the next base phase will be better for it. The amateurs who refuse to take an off-season are the ones who arrive at January already a bit stale, training on top of fatigue they never cleared.

Anthony's framing is that this is fixable and the fix is permission. Two to four weeks of riding for the pure enjoyment of it — no structure, no targets, ride when you feel like it, skip days, do something else entirely. The small fitness dip is real and it doesn't matter. You'll rebuild it faster from a rested, motivated start than you'd ever build by grinding through the winter on an empty tank.

EXPERT EVIDENCE

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY

Jonas AbrahamsenProfessional cyclist, Uno-X; Tour de France stage winner
Abrahamsen's described off-season involves substantial de-training from race condition — including deliberate weight gain — before rebuilding through a structured base. The reset is intentional: stepping fully away from race sharpness allows a higher-quality rebuild than trying to hold form through the winter.
Hear it: Jonas Abrahamsen: 18kg Weight Gain & Pro Winter Training
Joe FrielAuthor of The Cyclist's Training Bible; co-founder of TrainingPeaks
The transition phase is a planned part of the annual cycle, not an afterthought. A short period of unstructured, low-stress activity restores mental freshness and allows minor injuries and accumulated fatigue to resolve before the next base block begins. The brief fitness loss is more than repaid by the quality of the restart.
Hear it: Joe Friel's Cycling Training Plan Structure | Roadman Cycling

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

DO THIS WEEK

Take 2–4 weeks of fully unstructured riding
After your last A-event, drop the plan entirely. Ride when you feel like it, for as long as you feel like, at whatever pace feels good. No prescribed sessions, no power targets, no calendar. If you don't want to ride a given day, don't.
Use the time for something different
Cross-training, hiking, a different sport, or simply less of everything. A change of stimulus refreshes the mind more than easy bike riding alone. The aim is to end the phase wanting to train again, not dreading it.
Don't watch your numbers
Turn off the power readout if you can, or just ignore it. This is the one phase of the year where data has no role. Watching fitness metrics fall day by day defeats the entire point of a mental reset.

COMMON MISTAKES

WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG

MISTAKESkipping the transition and rolling straight into next year's base.
FIXTake the 2–4 weeks. Starting base on top of season-long fatigue caps how much you can build over the winter.
MISTAKETreating the off-season as total inactivity for months.
FIXTwo to four weeks of light, unstructured riding is the target — not three months on the sofa. Detraining over a long layoff costs months of rebuilding.
MISTAKESneaking structure back in 'just to stay sharp'.
FIXThe phase only works if it's genuinely unstructured. Adding intervals to protect fitness keeps the fatigue you're trying to clear.

FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How long should the off-season be?

Two to four weeks for most amateurs. Riders coming off a long, hard season or carrying niggling injuries lean toward four weeks; riders who raced lightly may need only two. The marker is mental — you're ready to end it when you genuinely want to train with structure again.

Will I lose all my fitness during the off-season?

No. Two to four weeks of reduced riding causes only a modest dip in fitness, most of which returns quickly once base training resumes. The aerobic adaptations built over a year don't vanish in a fortnight — and the rested, motivated restart more than compensates for the small loss.

Should I stop riding completely in the transition phase?

Not necessarily. Most riders keep riding, just without structure — easy, enjoyable, unplanned rides. Complete rest for a few days is fine, but several weeks of zero activity tips from recovery into detraining. Light movement keeps the body ticking over without the stress of structured training.

When does the transition phase happen in the year?

Right after your final A-event of the season, before the next base phase begins. For most Northern Hemisphere riders targeting summer events, that's typically autumn — late September through October — before winter base training starts.

Can I do strength training during the off-season?

Light, general strength work is fine and some riders use the transition to start an early gym habit before the winter base block. But keep it relaxed and unstructured like the rest of the phase. Heavy, progressive lifting belongs in the winter base, not the recovery transition.

What if I lose motivation during the off-season and don't want to start again?

That usually signals the previous season was too long or too hard without enough recovery, not that you've lost your appetite for cycling. Extend the transition a little, do other things you enjoy, and the desire to train tends to return. If it doesn't after a month, it's worth examining your season structure rather than forcing the restart.

RELATED EPISODES

HEAR THE CONVERSATIONS

Jonas Abrahamsen: 18kg Weight Gain & Pro Winter Training

Joe Friel's Cycling Training Plan Structure | Roadman Cycling

5 Pro Cyclist Winter Habits | Roadman Cycling Podcast