I had a teammate out in France who stopped racing at the end of July. He took two or three weeks off. By the end of August he was back in winter training.

By the start of October there was no stopping him. He was on course to be the greatest winter world champion of all time.

Then April came and his motivation was waning. By Nationals in June he was toast.

I have seen this so many times. Guys go into October with huge motivation. Intervals everywhere, no break, the real racing not until next summer. I call them Christmas champions. They burn out, and I have seen it every single time.

The worlds finished last Sunday. For most of you the season is done or nearly done. So here is the question: do you need a break before the next block starts?

Pro riders take one for two reasons. Physical, because they have trained and raced hard. Mental, because of the travel and everything they give up. Ask yourself the same two things. Do you need to recuperate? Do you need to recharge?

Here is how I would count it up.

How much have you trained? 15 to 20 hours a week is a tick for a break. A casual four is not. Are you carrying an injury? Is the bike starting to feel like a chore? Have you been racing every week? Add up the ticks on each side.

Is it worth it? Detraining is real. Mujika and Padilla reviewed it in 2001. In highly trained athletes a lack of training brings a rapid fall in VO2max, but it stays above untrained levels. Blood volume drops fast too. That is why I say two weeks off the bike, up to four. Not two months.

During those weeks, put the bike away until you are dying to get back on it. Walk if you want to. Don't if you don't. Get a swim in, do some running, go climbing. If you have a partner who never got to ride with you this year, this is the time to catch up.

And if you are the rare rider with unlimited motivation? Then skip the structure. Ride a different bike. Go gravel, go mountain biking. Don't ride when the weather is bad, or when you don't feel like it.

Either way, set a date. Tell your coach, or a friend, the day you are coming back. I have seen two weeks turn into two months. Then you arrive at Christmas heavier, and in January you are using your first races to shed the weight.

Use the time to look back, too. If last season did not go to plan, don't do the same thing again. And get the winter bike fixed now. Nobody wants a broken chain on the first day of the build.

So when does your break start, and what is the date you are back?

P.S. New on the podcast: How Elite Athletes Manipulate Fuel To Get Faster, with Dr John Bartlett. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/roadman-cycling-podcast/episodes/How-Elite-Athletes-Manipulate-Fuel-To-Get-Faster-With-Dr-John-Bartlett-e3pik6n

P.P.S. Applications are open for our Not Done Yet coaching program: roadmancycling.com/apply

Anthony