Preparing for autumn and winter without losing fitness

1Why this period matters as much as summer

The temptation, once autumn arrives, is to ease off completely until spring. That's a mistake: this is exactly when the base your whole season will rest on gets built. A cyclist who keeps a minimum of consistency between October and February heads into spring several weeks ahead of someone who stopped altogether.

2The foundation: base endurance

Most of your volume during this period should stay in endurance — a pace where you could hold a conversation. This discreet, unspectacular work is what develops your body's ability to use oxygen and burn fat as fuel: the real foundation of performance.

• Most of your volume in base endurance (zone 2), not intensity
• Consistency over volume: three short, reliable rides beat one big, uncertain one
• Gravel and E-MTB are particularly well suited to this season — less demanding than road riding in bad weather

3Keeping a bit of edge

There's no question of chasing peak form in the middle of winter — save that for competition season. But one session a week with a bit of intensity (tempo or sweet spot) is enough to maintain your upper-end capacities, without draining your recovery reserves.

• 1 session/week with a bit of intensity, no more
• The rest of the time: endurance and technique, without pushing

4Strength training

This is THE window to work on what gets neglected in full season: strength, core stability, muscular balance. Two to three sessions a week are enough to reach spring with stronger legs — exactly what my Programme + Strength package covers.

• 2 to 3 sessions/week of strength training (legs, core, muscular balance)
• Goal: correct imbalances built up during the season, not overdo it and risk injury

5Agility and kinaesthesia

This is a point too often neglected, and yet it's worth — I'd even say necessary — working on from winter onwards. Agility and kinaesthesia (awareness of your body in motion) directly improve your abilities, whether you ride MTB, Gravel or road. This can be trained both on and off the bike.

• On the bike: handling, balance, reactivity on varied terrain
• Off the bike: proprioception, coordination, dynamic core work
• Goal: react better to the unexpected — a pothole, a root, an obstacle — and stay safe on the road as well as on the trails

6Home trainer and structured plan

When the weather doesn't cooperate, the home trainer lets you keep precise content without depending on it. This is where my 4-step method — assessment, profile, structured plan, follow-up every two weeks — really comes into its own: a programme that adapts to your actual sessions, delivered via Garmin or Polar.

7A real break

Adaptation happens during rest, not during effort. Plan one to two weeks of a real break during winter — on the bike or off — rather than forcing yourself out of guilt. That's what keeps you from arriving in March completely burnt out.