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How to Maintain Your Cycling Fitness Over the Holidays

I am a cyclist who loves to eat, drink and be merry during the holidays. So every year I end up gaining weight, losing fitness, and regretting it in January. Here are some thoughts on how to maintain your cycling fitness over the holidays.

Here is why the holidays are the ultimate cycling fitness killer. Your fitness as a cyclist is calculated by what is called the power-to-weight ratio. (how much power you can sustain) to weight (how much you weigh). So eating and drinking more and riding less kills your power-to-weight ratio, making riding in January miserable for obvious reasons.

Here is my plan to not kill my cycling fitness this holiday season:

My Eating Strategy: I’m not going to the holiday party hungry because I’m going to eat a healthy meal before the party whenever possible. If I do need to eat at a holiday party, I will use a small plate at the buffet table. Also, I will not be the guy who closes down the party at the chocolate fountain. I will make an appearance, have a few drinks, and bounce.

My Drinking Strategy: My favorite beer, Sculpin IPA has 240 calories, but spirits only have 100 calories for a 1.5 oz serving. So long, Sculpin, hello vodka rocks.

My Training Strategy: Motivation is always a problem for me during the holidays. “It’s cold,” “I’m hungover,” and “it’s dark” are a few of my excuses. I recently set up an indoor cycling training rig and got TrainerRoad and Zwift accounts. Indoor cycling is just easier this time of year, so I expect my indoor training rig will inspire me to ride more.

Please leave a comment and share your holiday training strategies and good luck this holiday season!

John

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