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Cycle racing - your winter training plan

Training phases.
The 2004 races are over and you have taken time out for mental recovery. At this point your thought start to turn towards the next season. You are wanting to make best use of the time you spend training through the winter.
The year ahead divides into periods which are designed to maximise the gains in the different components of performance.
Working by periods has a posh name - periodization.

Planning for the whole year

This divides into four parts
* base/preparation phase
* pre-competition phase
* competition phase
* recovery phase

The aims of the phases:

Base/preparation phase: to prepare for the demands of competition. Most of the gains in physical, technical and mental aspects will be made during this phase.

Pre-competition phase: to develop specific fitness components needed for competition. During this period you are making a transition from base/preparation to the competition phase that follows next.

Competition phase: to maintain the gains of the preparation period and to peak all aspects of performance for major competitions.

Recovery phase: to recuperate from the demands of the competitive period, both mentally and physically.

Example: prepared for a road racer

The base/preparation phase

In general this phase is characterised by a large quantity of training at low intensities… so you should find yourself doing high-volume, low-intensity work

NOTE: Practical experience shows that a cyclist's performance in the competitive phases is substantially determined by the training in the base/preparation phase.