This article is part of Cycling Weekly’s Love Winter week, guiding you through setting up your bike and yourself for riding through the winter months. There’s plenty to enjoy about riding in winter, and we’ll show you how to get the most out of it. For more Love Winter articles, click here (opens in new tab).
Experienced and young professionals have lauded the benefits of cross-training in winter to improve both physical and mental health.
As the northern hemisphere approaches shorter daylight hours and colder temperatures, it is easy to succumb to the narrative that our cycling experiences deteriorate and so too does our fitness.
While indoor fitness trainers and apps like Zwift have revolutionised the experience behind doors, making a habit of not riding on your road bike every time you head outside can set you up for an even better fitness base and help not just maintain but increase motivation.
Koen de Kort, a veteran of 20 professional seasons, goes out on his motorbike to replicate the feel of road racing, but when he fancies more pedal-powered adrenaline, the Dutch 38-year-old gets his mountain bike out of the garage. “In the winter I do a lot of mountain biking, mainly choosing cross-country over downhill trails,” the Trek-Segafredo rider tells Cycling Weekly.
Mountain biking can be a way of keeping you fresh on your road bike (Getty Images / AzmanJaka)
“The most important part of getting out on the mountain bike is that it’s good, hard training but you feel like you’re doing something completely different. Psychologically, it makes it easier to do the training because it’s not the same thing all year around.
“It’s really good for bike-handling skills too, and on the descents and ascents, you use your core muscles more than you do on the road bike. There are a lot of advantages.”
Briton Gabriel Cullaigh, a neo-pro with Movistar, has raced the Manchester winter track league in recent seasons and highlights its use. “The cyclocross and track guys keep the intensity up all winter long, so there’s something to be said for going out in the winter and hitting it hard constantly,” the 24-year-old says.
“Personally, I would find that mentally taxing, and nice base miles are more important to me, but to keep the knife sharp with intervals, track league is perfect.
“I’m considering doing it again this winter. You rock up, support the scene, get stuck in, it keeps you fresh and it’s basically intervals for free. You’re…