As I start my working career, I’m beginning to understand what that word means as it relates to bike racing. While I stayed pretty busy these last few years in school, my schedule was flexible enough to be able to wait for a break in the weather and still ride in the daylight. The worst case might’ve been a couple of slow weeks in January and maybe another in July, but otherwise I could generally ride consistently. Now, things are different. Winter has come early, and the days are short. It’s too cold, too dark, and there’s too much traffic to ride after work. Reasonable excuses. But races aren’t won by wussing out. What does it take to train through winter? Discipline, discomfort, trainer/rollers, cross-training, lights, gear… dedication.
As Illinois devolves into a soggy, snowy, slushy mess, trail riding is put on hold and may only resume in sub-freezing temps as I don’t see anything drying out anytime soon. But it’s still important to spend time on the mountain bike to train in that position. My winter training plan consists of a combination of rollers and running during the week and decently long rides on the weekends – rain or shine (or snow) – no excuses. This should keep me competitive, but I’m not sure if it’s enough to really improve. It’s going to be a long winter.
