Winter Training and Base Miles

Tips read and heard from coaches such as Carmichael, Ferrari, and Boryswicz, as well as local coaches and seasoned racers.

Why base miles?

From experience, I think base miles are key to a fitness level that can sustain heavy loads and recover quickly (coaches know that base miles are key by looking at case studies and data from racers and athletes). Last Season at this time due to college and then in the Spring due to work and volunteering I did not have a solid base. I noticed that I had better recovery in previous years with more base miles than I did this past season. This past season my legs would not feel that great even though I was doing low volume. So, instead of doing base miles and compromising my success at a local BBC Thursday race series and my performance at Tuesday night track racing with the BBC and my performance at USCF regional races I decided to recover more. Although I don’t have the data to show that my training and racing this year has given me the equivalent of a base into next year, I patted myself on the back and told myself that my training won’t go unnoticed. What I can’t do now is negate the importance of that pat on my back by taking too much time off and losing my base from my seasons training…

…The important question was how much time off do I need? I did not even really do organized block training to push myself into a peak. There was no indication of even minor burn out this year. I decided that my season ended in early November after I rode hills in Olean with Ron. It just seemed right…no planned day for the end of the season, just an epic hill ride to end on a high note. I also had to replace a broken speedometer so I did not even have to reset an odometer. The cyclocross season was over (cyclocross racing is great for the right amount of intensity while backing off on the rest of the week to recover from a long season). These were all great indications to finish a season and start another. What does this have to do with base miles? Well, why take a month off and lose all your base from the previous season? Instead, you can taper (back off on training intensity) at the end of your season while continuing to do base miles, then only have to take a week off before starting again.

What to do with time off? (other than reading and work and blogging and having more time to be with friends)

I went running and lifted mild weights on my week off. Anytime off is usually recommended as active time off. You should be vigorously cross training if you take weeks or months from your bike. Just use morning heart rate to make sure you aren’t too stressed.

How much time should be devoted only to base miles?

Even if you are an all base miler from October until the start of training races in March, you should probably at least mix up your base miles with some high cadence drills to improve your efficiency.

I have read from a coach online that racers that aren’t pros typically don’t have enough time to do base miles only for a few months and to do enough of them to make significant gains. So, they should keep on doing intervals once they are rested a few weeks after the end of a season. I agree with this. If you wait too long to do high intensity and anaerobic training you lose your high end, sprint, power at threshold, power at max, and lactate tolerance. One interval session a week may be sufficient for maintenance until February or March when you need to ramp things up. I have been doing hill climb training as well.

How much volume can you do?

I heard of a racer with knee trouble who only upon completing significant base miles would reduce or eliminate that annoying knee pain (lowest endurance aerobic zone, low intensity base miles). However, endurance miles put on a significant amount of wear on your legs and they cause a different type of fatigue than interval training. Just be careful not to push yourself with too much volume. You can get injured or feel an injury going say 30 mph or 15 mph especially if you are riding 15 mph for hours on end. So you may have to do base miles for your base miles (no that’s not an error). This can be called the Preparation phase in which you gradually increase your volume and power output to prepare for more rigorous base miles. If you are riding high volume (for example 100-300 miles a week) on a bike that has a poor position and alignment of your legs, you may likely have issues with your tissues (muscle, ligament, and tendon tissues that is).

I read from a famous coach; that a trained cyclist who does about 10-20 hours a week can ride about 7, 3-5 hour rides and 3, 1-1.5 hour rides spaced out over the course of about 10 days (do several long rides and then a shorter ride and repeat for 10 days). This gives a sufficient training load to stress your endurance systems and would be an excellent block to build at the end of a preparation phase and/or to do in the early season. Granted you would probably want a week off afterward.

What type of racing are you specializing in and how does that effect your base miles needs?

I’ve heard that 1.2 times the distance that you have to ride in a race for a day of endurance training. If you want to upgrade, say from category 3 to category 2, then schedule your training according to the distance that a category 2 racer races at.

I like to try to be a racer of all trades; sprint, time trial, hill climb, and endurance. So, I do an endurance road race amount of volume for base. Even if you are a sprinter you need enough endurance to get to the end of a race.

I’m not sure about the needs for track racing.

What is your best base training tool?

Probably a power meter or a heart rate monitor depending on your budget or level of seriousness. It is critical to stay in your endurance zone that you can sustain for a given period of time and then to ramp up your intensity as the ride progresses to make sure you push yourself. It is best to stay in your zone since you need to stress that zone and not rest up in a lower zone.

What if I don’t have a lot of time for base miles?

Increased intensity on a shorter ride can cause physiological adaptation that also occurs with longer rides of less intensity.

You will need to ride continuously for an hour and then ramp up the speed (power output) for the last half hour to last fifteen minutes. I have done this before after a coach recommended this. The result is that you end a ride as tired as you would a much longer ride. This increase in intensity needs to be at the end so that you stress your endurance system as you get fatigued. If you have only 45 minutes or less, I’d do a time trial interval workout, or perhaps a steady ramp increasing intensity every two minutes as I go.

Can I substitute cross training for base miles?

Base miles on a bike are better but you may need some cross training to correct muscle imbalances and to get a variety to keep interest in training.

I read on one well known coaches website that running is recommended but of course not to excess or to a very serious level of racing that may lead to fatigue by the time cycling season is on the way. Another well known coach does not recommend endurance running since it is too intense.

I’ve heard plenty of coaches and racers say that if you’re not pro and you aren’t paid to ride your bike and don’t have to be only great at biking, then why not run too? I recommend running to those who are good at not getting running injuries.

I also recommend cross country skiing. Endurance distances can be covered to build a strong cardiovascular system and this is a great all body workout. And…there is drafting involved! I plan on racing on cross country skis this winter! However, base miles on a bike can not be replaced entirely by cross training.

“Ride your bike, ride your bike, ride your bike.” -Fausto Coppi (said to a reporter who asked him what it takes to be such a great champion)