Heading outdoors after the winter: hey, where did my fitness go?!

You have followed your training programs to a T and had a great winter of training. Now it’s time to head outside and put all that fitness to good use! Here we go! Except we hate to break it to you, those first rides outside are not likely to feel very good.

Heading outdoors can be a bit of a shock to the system. How the bike feels, how you feel, having to pay attention and navigate on the road - if you have been on the trainer for a couple of months it will all feel new. Your indoor efficiency, developed across some solid rides on Zwift, will not translate directly outdoors.

Take it easy on your first outdoor rides. With a whole season ahead of you there’s no rush. How your body works biomechanically indoors is not the same as outdoors. Your trainer is static. As you move outdoors think of the variety of movement your body has to adjust to again as the bike sways and you stand up, let alone your brain having to adjust and manage all the new signalling to keep you upright. It’s exhausting.

To help with the transition outdoors a couple of good goals would be to:

1. Try and log a couple of rides that are longer for you - but they need to be done at a true endurance pace (check your VI after to take a look at your pacing);

2. On these initial rides you can finish with some cadence work, say 2 x 5-minutes @ 100rpm on a light gear, nice and smooth (5+minutes rest) - these will help you feel smooth on the bike outdoors;

3. Make sure to eat more than you think you need to - your metabolic efficiency outdoors will not be the same as inside. You need to eat more;

4. Perhaps for a couple of rides just put your Garmin in your pocket and enjoy the sun and wind without worrying about your training - the mental break will pay dividends later.

Plan for something of an interruption in your regular training program as you take the bike back onto the road. As you transition outdoors the main thing is to keep your efforts in check. Don’t make it a shock to the body. Be realistic, be patient, and just take some time to enjoy the feeling of the sun and wind on your face!