by Angie Sturtevant, Fitness Education Director for CycleOps Power

As the cycling season is drawing to a close, it is common to see riders either try to maintain their peak fitness or become inactive, both being counterproductive. It is necessary to find the balance between the two. In order for there to be another true peak performance for next season, you have to recover and recharge both physically and mentally now. A limited amount of detraining is a good thing as it prepares your body for transitioning into your ramp up of training that will start in a few months and minimizes the risk of early burn out when you restart your riding season. However, do not become inactive. The idea is to come back next season better, not the same, so you need to stay active. Keeping active without the high training volume and intensity assists blood circulation, circulating nutrients into the body and removing toxins. This will speed up muscle recovery from the season, while still maintaining fitness level. Plus, activity directs food to the muscles, not the fat cells. Inactivity will only enhance weight gain.

The key is to stay active without overdoing it or under-doing, in a manner that will speed up the healing process from the season and prepare the body for the next season. You need to decompress the body from the compressed cycling movements and keep the mind stress free. This means cross training with activities that recruit muscle fibers not used in cycling, elongate those shortened cycling muscles, flush out toxins from high intensity training and fine tune your cycling technique. At the same time, actively train the brain. This is done by enjoying yourself, having fun and reflecting on your season past and the direction in which you're heading for next season.

For the brain, keep your intensity and volume low, all while enjoying the scenery and having a good time. The lower intensity enhances your ability to focus while bathing the cycling muscles with oxygen rich blood. Slowing down means you can take the opportunity to ride with your family or friends who normally can't keep up with you. Revisit and take a slow ride on your race routes, this time checking out the scenery and see what you missed. This is also a great opportunity to go on bike tours and ride purely for pleasure or save some money for next year's event registration fees by commuting to work. Training off the bike provides mental benefits as well, as it gives the body and mind the opportunity to revisit or try new activities. Mentally reflect on your goals for the upcoming season and access your strengths and weaknesses from the past to create a clear understanding of what you need to work on to improve for next season. Focus on and be proud of your athletic accomplishments.

To speed up the regeneration process, correct any muscle imbalance and increase flexibility with a Yoga, Pilates or stretching routine. This is a great cross training activity for both the body and mind. Replacing some of the time on the bike with Yoga sessions, is an effective way to stay active off the bike. While there are many poses and stretches you can incorporate, Sunny Davis, Yoga Instructor from North Carolina, demonstrates 4 unique Yoga Stretches that are specific to cyclists, promoting elongation while eliminating byproducts.

While massage is not thought of as exercise, it actively works and stretches muscles. Manipulating and kneading the muscles and connective tissue enhances function, aids in the healing process, pumps oxygen and nutrients into tissues and eliminates byproducts and promotes relaxation.

Physically cross train the body with activities that enhance the aspects cycling doesn't cover and with activities that strengthen cycling specific movement. As you take away time in the saddle, replace it with hiking, jogging, swimming, climbing, snowshoeing, rollerblading or skiing. They are all fun activities that will provide fitness benefits. Since cyclists have stronger legs and smaller upper bodies, swimming will develop cardio-respiratory strength using underworked muscles. The straightforward use of muscles for the cyclist can be cross trained with rollerblading, cross country skiing and climbing to strengthen the superficial muscles of the body. Plus these activities elongate the muscles and posture, in lieu of the shortening and compressed posture from cycling. Skiing and skating also mimic the non-impact, one-sided muscle motion of the cyclist's pedal stroke, so you'll be working similar sources of power in your legs, but with differences that will reinforce associated muscle groups. Hiking and snowshoeing also mimic the non-impact muscle motion of the cyclists pedal stroke. Since it is done at a slower stride and with the resistance of snow or uphill climbing, muscular endurance is a sure benefit.

While running could be included as a cross-training exercise, cyclists should not choose this option if they are not runners. The impact of running can cause hip/knee injuries. Therefore it is important to be careful if incorporating this activity. However, pool running is a great cross-training exercise, not just for cyclists but for runners as well. The learning curve is easy and the benefits are many. Just throw on a flotation jacket, jump in deep water and start running. It is non-impact and will maintain cardiovascular fitness as well.

There are pieces of exercise equipment that provide great cross training activity for the cyclist. Using the elliptical trainer works the muscles used in the circular pedaling motion of a cyclist. The intensity level of exertion is also similar to that of a cyclist. The upright posture counter balances the cycling posture and optional use of arm levers enhance upper body fitness. A StepMill is also a piece of equipment that simulates the continuous linear, forward leg motion of cycling, while in an upright position. Both exercises promote cardio-respiratory and lower body strength.

Since you are not spending as much time on the bike, this is a good time to incorporate weight training. Weights are a great way to stay active and give your body a new resistance, developing muscle groups that may have been neglected or used in cycling. Lighter weights with high repetitions most replicate that of cycling, adapting the body to resist continuous fatigue or leg turnover. While there are many exercises that will benefit you on your bike, those particularly effective include the Leg Press, Squats, Step Ups, Lunge, Calf Raise, Hamstring Curl and Leg Extension. In combination with weights, use the Physio Ball as it will help develop, maintain and balance your core muscles groups. Your strength training should also include crunches, planks, TRX and other functional core exercises to enhance core strength and stability.

When training on the bike, keep the effort low while keeping the blood flow circulating. This will regenerate the legs so you can enhance optimal performance for next season. Use this time on the bike to work on pedal stroke and cadence drills aerobically, to build pedaling efficiency. This is also a good time to ride a fixed gear bike outside, as you'll be constantly pedaling and learning to pedal through dead spots. This will strengthen pedaling muscles while eliminating wasted energy. By consistently pedaling with no freewheeling you'll also develop muscular endurance. This is also a good time to begin working on your aerobic threshold, which is best determined with a metabolic assessment. Discovering and then riding at your true AeT (aerobic threshold) will keep you paced at the appropriate intensity, ensuring you don't work to hard (or not hard enough in some cases).

Cross training is a great way to stay active as your ride time starts to decrease for the season. Not only are there cardiovascular benefits, but it will help counter imbalances in strength and skills, enhance variety in muscular strength, improved range of motion and flexibility, plus repair and regenerate the body and mind to a degree that is not possible during the season's training regimen. Actively keep the blood flowing to the muscles, without the intensity. Then when your body feels ready physically and mentally, begin your structured training again.

Video Provided By: Sunny Davis Athletic Yoga Trainer

Angie Sturtevant is the Fitness Education Director for the CycleOps Power program. She is the owner of Specialists in Sports Performance, providing metabolic performance testing, athletic coaching and personal training services. She is a certified/licensed USAC Elite Level 1 Coach, USAC Power Coach, USAT Coach, ACE and AFAA Education Provider, Group Fitness Leader and Personal Trainer, ISSA Specialist in Performance Nutrition, Cardiovascular Exercise Specialist and Metabolic Testing Provider.