Quote Originally Posted by false_aesthetic View Post
I'm jealous of your ability to do base through Jan. Pre-season crits are happening now and the first races are just about a month away.
Mid-Atlantic schedule vs So Cal schedule :-) You guys finish cross and go right into crits for a never ending season. Was a runner when I lived in San Diego. Was so nice to never need more than a long sleeve t-shirt.

My season is 100% based on time trials which run from roughly April to Sept. We have an early season blast of 7-8 races in our Cup series which run April and May. Crappy weather but for state park and shore courses that is when we can access the roads before it gets too busy with spring. After that block of early races there is a bit of a break in June then another clump of races July and August. We're fortunate to have such a great calendar but it forces decisions on when you want to peak or just try to be good for many months. Depends on talent and goals.

It is easy to get into good shape for June/July/August, but if a rider wants to be "good" for April and May it requires a commitment to base and build November - February. That means a lot of indoor training time to do quality work. Gym / strength work you either just fit in, or need to be hitting the gym Sept, Oct, Nov.

The problem for a hobbyist is wanting to ride and have fun during the fall. That is prime riding time and riding is supposed to be fun so taking that block of time and dedicating it to prep for the next season is a non-starter for most. Some try to do the TT season and the CX season. That is tough to do well.

Last couple seasons I've simply not worried about the March to May events. I race them but with whatever fitness I have knowing I'm working toward a later season objective by targeting races in June, July and August. That works well. Irony is after many years of trying, in 2017 I decided to deprioritize the TT Series. Due mostly to serendipity but some good strategy and race execution, finally won an overall title for the series.

2018 looks like we will have some nice 40 km events on the mid-atlantic schedule. I'd like to finally break into the 55's so thinking about prioritizing those events. 40K events are getting harder and harder to find and I'm not getting younger so it's soon or never for popping that type of result.

The biggest reason I do gym work is health not cycling though. Got tired of being a 60kg guy that struggled to put a bike on the roof rack. Figured that was not good for health later in life and better do something now. It has helped. Plus, I can say "How much ya bench yo"? and only get kinda laughed at.