We cyclists are an obsessive bunch. There’s always a few more watts that can be churned out, a few more seconds that can be dropped. Instead of celebrating a hard effort with rest, it’s often easier to just continue to work yourself into the ground. With no end in sight, it can seem like training is an endless pursuit without definitive victory.
Luckily, there’s the offseason. Having raced for the last six months, I’m ready for some downtime. I’m ready to be- at least temporarily- done.
At first I felt bad about taking time off the bike. After all, cycling is just about my single favorite thing. Period. Without my bicycle, I feel not quite complete, like Calvin without Hobbes, Butch Cassidy without the Sundance Kid, or, perhaps more aptly, Andy Schleck without Frank Schleck.
However, the more I talked to other cyclists and coaches, I began to realize how important this break can be. Cycling is an incredibly demanding sport, and after many months of physically and mentally demanding training, nothing will help your training more than, well, not training. It’s important to come back to the main season of training fully rested.
So, for those of you who have been on the bike for the winter, the spring, and the summer, think about taking a couple weeks off. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t bike at all, but just have fun, and don’t even think about intervals. We’ll have plenty of those later.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some training to do. This box of Fig Newtons isn’t going to eat itself.