Pleasures of the Pre-base Phase - By Tyler

There is nothing easy about training correctly this time of the year. Most racers battle fatigue and the sensations of burn out, while recreational riders begin to face inclement weather. Motivation to ride during the first part of fall can be at best, decrescent. I have always viewed this as Mother Nature's request to stop battering your body, to take a step back, and rediscover why you do that to yourself in the first place. For most of my athletes and even myself, late October and early November can be just that, a time of renewal for the body and spirit. But as the old adage goes, all good things must come to an end. At some point you will need to start to focus your training again, right!? What is the best thing to do when you have so many forces pulling you in so many directions? Do you try cyclcross, mountain biking, running,et cetera?

Every magazine you pick up or cycling related website you read will give their two cents, which will always makes it sound like there is a linear solution for everyone. Everyone undoubtedly has read at least one of them over their cycling careers. My favorite, Crush your first century next summer by trying cyclocross! What does that even mean? Sure there can be benefits derived from riding off road, but the likelihood of dramatic gains they insinuate will not be as obvious.

Personally, I have never found that going from discipline to discipline in the winter has lead to many gains physically, but I certainly have athletes who are the complete opposite and thrive off the cross training. It has always rekindled my drive to be better on the road, however (if you have seen me flail on and off a cross bike you would agree). The ability to sort of do whatever you feel like doing is what makes this time of year the most enjoyable, in my humble opinion.You can experiment all you want to find something new or unique, without ruining your season or having a pressure to quantitatively improve your FTP.

Those that are strictly roadies such as myself can take solace in knowing that staying on the road is OK. What is more enjoyable than riding a road bike in 20 degree weather, anyone agree (slightly facetious here)? After all, isn't the best way to be able to crush your first century come from riding your bike in general? If you do it properly (tutelage from these men help), you will be able make it through the winter without all of the cycling fads or trends, while rediscovering your passion for a simple bike ride. Having a little structure and knowing your desired ends helps, but taking a step back also goes a long way. You can go ahead start this process by going for a bike ride! Remove all pressures to go fast or to produce xyz wattage for xyz time. This time of year and the lack of pressure accompanying it does not last long enough, so enjoy autumn while it is here.