Since most of you have been or will soon be taking some time away from the bike after a long, grueling season of racing or club riding, the first thing to do is to figure out just what taking time away means, and then to make plans for your best off-season yet. We start by advocating experiencing life as a couch potato.
We first posted this article October 2006. But the lesson bears repeating!
Serious Couch-Time
True to form, the Giro di Lombardia brought us a fabulous day of racing. Its prestige lies partly in it serving as the finale to the long European campaign that began for many at the Tour of Qatar or Tour Down Under back in January. Faster than the leaves falling and the sunlight fading, the Euro scene will soon be hibernating and we’ll be looking to the Southern Hemisphere for our racing fix.
Thus begins my favorite time of the year - the “Complete Rest” phase. This phase is required to reset your body and your mind so that, by the time you do start training again, you’ve regained all your passion and energy that might have dissipated over the course of the season. It is also designed to allow you to lose a little bit of fitness (this is not a typo!). It’s impossible for the body to maintain a high level of conditioning 12 months a year. Remember the old adage: “The bigger the valley the higher the peak.” It’s also a good time to remind your family who you are again!
The first question you may have is just how long do I spend on the couch? This phase can last anywhere from 2 weeks to a month or even more, depending on how long and intense your season has been. It is typically an inverse relationship – if you’ve been training hard and blowing the peloton apart since February like ProTour victor Cadel Evans or Paris-Nice and Tour winner Alberto Contador, you need to recover from that level of intensity and peak fitness by really letting yourself go for a good long while to completely recharge physically and mentally. On that front, this is exactly why Tour winners like Lance and Contador essentially pull the plug on their season after the Tour and a few August criteriums – the Tour has become so physically and mentally intense that the recovery phase needs to start almost immediately afterwards.
There certainly are exceptions to this pattern. The 2006-retired Viacheslav “Eki” Ekimov’s fanatical devotion to the bike and training is legendary. The same is true of Erik Zabel, who is competitive throughout the road season and then often jumps into the Six-Day circuit. On the other hand, if you’ve just been riding mostly at a moderate or recreational level, taking two months completely off isn’t necessary or helpful, and a shorter rest phase will be sufficient.
How to Do Nothing
The next question is just what does complete rest mean? Do not confuse this with the “recovery weeks” that are planned at the end of training cycles throughout the season. During a recovery week, you will usually ride easy at least 3 or 4 times to keep your muscles moving and the blood flowing. There’s no hidden meaning or euphemisms here – I mean COMPLETE REST! Take wire cutters to the cables and have your friend/spouse hide away the quick releases!
Instead, give yourself as complete a break as possible from the physical and mental rigors of life as an athlete. You deserve it and it will make a big difference down the road. And when you’re absolutely climbing the walls and you don’t think you can wait one more day to get back on the bike…wait three more days. You’ll be glad you did by the time summer rolls around.
During this period, it will be tempting to jump into doing some core work or cross training. You might get bored one weekend and decided to go for a jog or do some sit ups. I suggest avoiding even this. Don’t take this opportunity to run that marathon you’ve been putting off. Don’t get a jump start on your cross-training or hit the weight room yet. All of that will come in good time. As much as possible, try not to even think about your body or even nutrition. I will even take a break from my strict regimen of mental training (See Periodization for the Mind) during this period.
In a few weeks, we’ll catch up again with thoughts about planning the off-season: base/strength building, cross-training, and resistance training. Until then, just be and enjoy the break!
About Josh: Josh Horowitz is a USCF Certified coach and an active Category 1 racer. For more information about his coaching services and any coaching questions you may have, check out his website at LiquidFitness.com. To find out more about the Liquid Cycling club, go to LiquidCycling.com
Roadside St. 14 When you start each new Giro you understand you’re a year older. You feel a stranger to the village approach and for a moment ... More....
Professional cycling has, over the years, attracted only a few documentary film makers. A few, such as Jorgen Leth’s “A Sunday in Hell,” have even ... More....
I’m just digging out from a few days at the BMC training camp, and while I won’t be reporting on doing Jaeger-bombs and Redbulls with Cadel & George, ... More....
As the final Madison got underway the arena was packed to the rafters, all the talk of Six Days in crisis forgotten for now. The finale was ... More....
Six Day racing comes to Berlin for the 99th time on Thursday, 28th January, 2010 with the great tradition of winter track racing in Germany in a ... More....
American Classic spent the last couple of years reworking their line up and the 420 Aeros are the latest to leave the bench. Take a look at the new ... More....
A couple years in the making, Pez head up to see arguably the top custom builder on the planet. We hit Serotta's NY shop, take a peek at their ... More....
You’ve still got today and all of tomorrow to ‘git ‘er done! Your holiday shopping that is… and armed with the complete set of 4 gift guides ... More....
If the stocking's not full - somebody's not doing their job. Good thing we're here to help with a big ol' bag full of the kind of stuff we'd love to ... More....
Winter riding is almost upon us - except for you lucky Aussies - and that means less riding outdoors. But with an indoor trainer and a Netflix ... More....
Many ergogenic aids, both legal and illegal, have been touted as the magic bullet that will improve cycling performance. What about something that ... More....
Having goals is one of the important first steps in achieving your dreams. They can be small goals or they can be big goals, but without them you’ll ... More....
Is cycling your religion, or at least one of them? If so, you’re not alone. Many people define themselves as “spiritual,” even if they don’t practice ... More....
Post-Giro Roadside: I love Scotland; but there’s no Gazzetta in the morning, most of the coffee tastes like John Wayne brewed it beside the ... More....
Sunday July 20th 1969; that’s 40 years ago now but I remember it clearly as the day that I first became aware of professional bicycle racing – I was ... More....
Roadside Recap: As we make our merry way through the rounds of the PEZ Looks Back, Ed is up for his retrospective on the Tour that was. As the ... More....
Coming on four years ago, Saul Raisin was one of THE big things in US pro cycling. Top 40 in a hard Tour de Suisse and mountain king at the Tour de ... More....
The last time we spoke to Garmin's Steve Cozza was after the 2008 Paris - Tours; where he produced another solid performance from a consistent and ... More....
Just about to start his second season with Cervélo - thanks to strong Classic rides and his first Grand Tour finish, in the Giro - Englishman, Dan ... More....
In October, nine-time Tour de France rider Frankie Andreu announced that he would be Director Sportif of the Ohio-based KENDA Pro Cycling p/b ... More....
With so many (too many?) others looking back to best-of-2009 or decade highlights, why not look ahead? A new decade beckons, after all, so who better ... More....
We first talked with Lostende Bike Tours owner and avid cyclist Allan Reeves about his Pyrenees Cycling Challenge, from the Atlantic to the ... More....
So, riding in Texas is mostly flat, with only tumbleweeds and armadillos to avoid right? Well, not exactly. You see, Austin is situated in what’s ... More....
Roadside St. 14 When you start each new Giro you understand you’re a year older. You feel a stranger to the village approach and for a moment ... More....
Professional cycling has, over the years, attracted only a few documentary film makers. A few, such as Jorgen Leth’s “A Sunday in Hell,” have even ... More....
I’m just digging out from a few days at the BMC training camp, and while I won’t be reporting on doing Jaeger-bombs and Redbulls with Cadel & George, ... More....
Race report: Alejandro Valverde stayed upright to seal his Vuelta victory – the first Grand Tour win of his career. On such a short stage, ... More....
Race Report: Today David Millar won his 5th stage in all his Vuelta’s, he was given one of the swords that Toledo is famous for along with the ... More....
The loss of Franco Ballerini is not one that will be forgotten anytime soon. The sport's best are at a loss and two of the greatest riders of our ... More....
Updated! Hallelujah, they're racing in Qatar, and I just got back from celebrating with every other New Orleanian on Bourbon Street. There's ... More....
It was a dark Sunday morning in Italy when the news services announced that Franco Ballerini, ex-professional, former dual Paris-Roubaix winner and ... More....
The maracas shake, 'Cara mia, mine !' blasts from the PA. Bang! The little cannon fires and the hall fills with smoke. Yes, this is the right place, ... More....
When the K-Mart Classic of West Virginia stormed through the state in the mid-90s, it opened awareness as to just how great the bike riding is in ... More....
After riding the final 17 sectors of Paris-Roubaix yesterday, and typing to you with still swollen, sore, and blistered hands, I understand to my ... More....
Josh Horowitz is a USCF Certified coach and an active Category 1 racer. For more information about his coaching services and any coaching questions you may have, check out his website at 
![](javascript:showpic("http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/tech/amclass/amc420alarge.jpg",900,698);)
![](javascript:showpic("http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/tech/serotta/meilarge.jpg",2000,1244);)
