How to Survive a Race Season

In the last 12 months I’ve raced for over 115 hours on my bike. In 2023, I raced 11 out of 12 months of the calendar year. I often get told that I need to “slow down,” “take a break” or simply “race less.” While these sentiments might not be entirely wrong, it’s a lot harder than it sounds. I absolutely love racing my bike, and second to that, I love finding my limits and you never discover your limits unless you are pushing up against them.

I’ve been racing in some fashion or another for 19 years. It’s safe to say I’ve put in well over my 10,000 hours. When I’m not racing, I’m training for the next race. The hours are long and much of the time, I’m supposed to be tired. Being tired means that you’re working to expand what you’re capable of doing. That said, I’m not superhuman. Nobody is. Everything in life comes with balance. If you push too far into the red you risk being overly fatigued and burning out and if you don’t push hard enough then you risk never reaching your full potential. I think most athletes are actually more afraid of that latter, but both come with consequences. Here is my guide on how to strike your perfect balance.

Build Slowly

Over the years I’ve built up my ability to tolerate large amounts of volume and training. Someone with more experience will have a higher “starting” point than someone who is newer to the sport. Where you start will be largely contingent on your history with the sport, but regardless you need to build appropriately. When the new season rolls around, I always take several weeks just doing fun, low leverage aerobic riding before starting to tack on intensity and intervals. This helps to build your aerobic foundation. As you build your training, aim to only increase volume 10% week over week.

Train Intentionally

During the year I have intentional “overreaching” periods in which I temporarily push my body further than it can recover from one day to the next. These periods usually last 3-4 weeks. If you never intentionally challenge yourself then you risk a plateau. In order to improve your body needs novel stimulus so these overreaching periods may be increased volume or increased intensity. Then I ease off for a week to let those training gains materialize.

COROS Training Status provides information on your recent training load compared to what your body can handle. An "Optimized" status requires an intensity trend between 100% and 150%

Take Breaks

If you never rest, your body will force you to rest. There are many signs that this is coming, but you may just simply notice that despite training harder than ever your workouts are actually becoming less successful. After periods of overreaching, you need to recover in order for your body to heal and come back stronger. If you never rest then you just continue to break down. My recovery weeks often follow periods of overreaching and are about 60% of the volume that I would typically do in a week. In addition to recovery weeks, I also usually try to find a place in the calendar for a mid-season break. I think this period off and away from the bike is critical to healing the nervous system from the continued allostatic load that training requires.

Recover Hard

The harder you train, the harder you have to recover. The further you push your body the more food you need, the more sleep you need, the more stretching and body work you need, etc. It’s true that you can only train as hard as you can recover, but if you can become a master of recovery then you unlock the opportunity to train more or harder. I’ve seen this shift a lot in my career as I’ve gone from a student-athlete to a full time professional. I’m really only half joking when I say that I’m even working when I’m sleeping.  

Finding Motivation

As much as we like to think that motivation is a constant, it will inevitably ebb and flow. Part of finding motivation is understanding that it often follows action. I write all of my goals down on a piece of paper so that I can see them and remember what I’m chasing. Even if I don’t feel like doing a single workout, I always feel like chasing those goals and I remember that doing that work will get me there.

Surviving to the Finish

Despite all of our best efforts, sometimes we get tired. Sometimes our bodies start to run down before we want them to. As a chronic “over-doer” I know all too well what it’s like when my body cries mercy before my mind does. In these instances, we have to reframe the work. The work becomes healing our bodies. Off days are not a weakness and finding things that bring you peace and joy can be superpowers. In most cases when we reach the end of the season, we have all of the fitness we will gain for the year and the goal no longer becomes gaining more fitness, it becomes finding the freshness equation needed to express what you have. When you reach the end of the season, don’t try to keep hammering away, find workouts that make you feel fresh, motivated, and sharp.

Coaches Tip: When dropping training load at the end of the season, Base Fitness will also decrease. This is a normal part of training and ultimately leads to freshness and peak performance at the end of the season.

Sample Workouts:

Sharp Efforts:

This workout is designed to help wake up the legs and body. Think of it as an extended openers workout. This workout can help the neuromuscular connections so that you are left feeling snappy and fresh. Push to the point of feeling the effort, but leave a little on the table for each interval. Lots of recovery in between should allow you to feel strong for each effort.

20 minute warm up

6 x 20 seconds @ 90% effort

5 minutes easy in between

10 minutes cool down

Add the "Sharp Efforts" workout to your training calendar by clicking here.

Aerobic Endurance:

Aerobic endurance at 60-70% of your FTP can be great for late season fitness. More intervals can be fatiguing both mentally and physically but long slow aerobic days can allow you to keep fitness high without adding in unnecessary fatigue.

Add the "Aerobic Endurance Ride" to your training calendar by clicking here.

The Confidence Builder:

This workout is about feeling good. It touches in the lower aerobic zones of sweet spot and tempo which should allow your heart rate to raise, but it should feel extremely doable which will add confidence in your abilities before race day.

20 minute warm up

2 minutes @ 88-92% of FTP

2 minutes @ 76-82% FTP

2 minutes @ 60-65% FTP

Repeat 5x through without additional rest (30 minutes total)

10 minutes cool down

Add the "Confidence Builder" workout to your training calendar by clicking here.

Finding the perfect balance in training and racing is a dynamic and deeply personal journey. It requires a combination of strategic planning, intentional effort, and mindful recovery. By building your training volume gradually, incorporating purposeful overreaching periods, and prioritizing recovery, you can push your limits safely and effectively.

Remember, motivation can fluctuate, but staying connected to your goals will keep you moving forward. Ultimately, learning to listen to your body and making adjustments as needed is key to surviving a long season. Keep these principles in mind, and you'll be well on your way to achieving your full potential while maintaining the love and passion for racing that fuels your journey.