Winter BuildThe 12-week winter cycling training plan for the off-season
Winter Build
12 weeks · 2–4 rides a week · 40–150 min
Turn the winter into next season's form. Twelve weeks from deep base to race-ready VO2 max, with two to four rides a week, real rest weeks, and three FTP tests to track it all.
Turn the winter into next season's form. Three blocks, from deep base to race-ready VO2 max, with two to four rides a week, real rest weeks and three FTP tests.
12
Weeks
2–4
Rides a week
40–150
Minutes
3
FTP tests
01Who it is for
Champions are made in winter.
Winter Build is for experienced riders who ride all year and race, or ride hard, in the season. You use the dark months on the trainer to build form for spring. You can ride two and a half hours indoors.
The plan has three blocks of four weeks: three load weeks, then a rest week. The number of rides follows the load: two in rest weeks, three in test and taper weeks, four in the hardest weeks. The ride names follow the season, from FIRST FROST to FIRST BLOOM.
Less time in winter? Step Up works with two days a week. Only one goal, a higher FTP? Take FTP Boost.
You ride all year
And you know your way around intervals.
Up to four days a week
With two days off in every week.
Two and a half hours
The longest rides, in weeks 7 and 10.
02The science
Plan the winter in waves.
Twelve weeks is long enough to plan, not just to train. (FTP and the zones in full: on the Fit in Four page.)
1. From general to specific
The first block builds the base: zone 2, sweet spot, strength in a big gear. The second builds threshold and VO2 max on top of it. The third turns it into race form: fast starts, attacks and finales. Each block uses what the one before it built.
2. Fitness and fatigue
Every ride adds a little fitness and a lot of fatigue. Fatigue fades in days; fitness stays for weeks. So the load rises for three weeks, then drops. Rest weeks have about a quarter of the load: 105 minutes in week 4, after 305 in week 3. Your form shows when the fatigue is gone.
3. Three tests steer the winter
An FTP test in week 1 sets your zones. The retest in week 5, on fresh legs after the rest week, starts the build block from your new FTP. The test in week 12 shows where the winter took you. Tap the weeks on the right; the flags mark the tests.
4. Easy days stay easy
Every four-ride week has a recovery ride of 40 to 45 minutes. 70 % of the plan's 51 hours is in zones 1 and 2.
Tap a week
Week 1
3 rides · 3 h 51
- FIRST FROSTFTP TEST · 66 min
- DEEP BASEENDURANCE · 90 min
- SNOWLINESWEET SPOT · 75 min
03Week by week
Base, build, race.
Three blocks of four weeks, each with three load weeks and a rest week. Below is every ride as the app draws it: every block as long as it lasts, as tall as its power, in the color of its zone.
Weeks 1–4 · 12 rides · 15 h 01
Base: deep and steady
FIRST FROST sets your FTP. Then zone 2 with tempo, long rides up to two hours, sweet spot from 36 to 45 minutes, strength in a big gear, sprints for leg speed, and one small VO2 max dose. Week 4 rests.
Week 1
Week 1 · Ride 1
FIRST FROST66 min
Your starting point. An FTP test sets the targets for the next twelve weeks. Ride 5 minutes hard, rest, then 20 minutes as hard as you can hold. You set the watts in both blocks.
Week 1 · Ride 2
DEEP BASE90 min
The foundation of the winter: ninety minutes of zone 2 with three strength blocks. Ride them at tempo in a big gear, 55–65 rpm, seated and smooth.
Week 1 · Ride 3
SNOWLINE75 min
Three 12-minute sweet spot blocks. Hold the power steady and keep your cadence in its natural range.
Week 2
Week 2 · Ride 1
COLD FRONT80 min
Three 15-minute sweet spot blocks: 45 minutes of quality. The last five minutes of each block step up to 92 %.
Week 2 · Ride 2
ICICLES60 min
Zone 2 with eight 10-second sprints. Go all-out from a rolling start, then spin easy for three minutes. Speed in winter is power in spring.
Week 2 · Ride 3
WHITE OUT120 min
Two hours of zone 2 with three 10-minute tempo blocks. Fuel it: about 60 g of carbohydrate an hour.
Week 3
Week 3 · Ride 1
GLACIER85 min
Two 20-minute blocks at the top of sweet spot. Slow and huge, like a glacier: hold the power, do not chase it.
Week 3 · Ride 2
THAW45 min
Recovery. Easy spinning with a minute at 100 rpm every seven minutes. The hard days only work if the easy days stay easy.
Week 3 · Ride 3
SNOWBALL55 min
A small VO2 max dose keeps the top end alive in the base phase. Five 2-minute efforts that grow like a snowball, from 108 % to 116 %.
Week 3 · Ride 4
LONG WINTER120 min
Two hours of zone 2 with three tempo blocks and 10 minutes of sweet spot at the end. Long rides build the engine; the strong finish teaches it to work when tired.
Week 4
Week 4 · Ride 1
SNOW DAY45 min
Rest week: two easy rides, that is all. Sleep well and eat well. This is when the last three weeks turn into fitness.
Week 4 · Ride 2
FIRESIDE60 min
Still a rest week. Easy zone 2 with four 20-second spin-ups to keep the legs awake.
Weeks 5–8 · 13 rides · 17 h 16
Build: threshold and VO2 max
MIDWINTER TEST on fresh legs, then threshold (three times twelve, over-unders, POLAR NIGHT's two times twenty), VO2 max, and the longest ride: DEEP FREEZE, two and a half hours. Week 8 rests.
Week 5
Week 5 · Ride 1
MIDWINTER TEST66 min
Fresh from the rest week: time to retest. Your new FTP sets the targets for the build block. Same test as week 1, so you can compare.
Week 5 · Ride 2
BLACK ICE75 min
Three 12-minute blocks at threshold. Smooth and controlled, like riding on ice: no surges, no spikes, just steady power.
Week 5 · Ride 3
NORTHERN ROAD135 min
Two and a quarter hours of zone 2 with four 10-minute tempo blocks. Eat and drink every 20 minutes.
Week 6
Week 6 · Ride 1
ICE ROAD75 min
Over-unders: two minutes at 95 %, one minute at 108 %, four times in a row. Three sets. The surges come like cracks in the ice: ride through them without slowing down.
Week 6 · Ride 2
SPINDRIFT40 min
Recovery between two hard days. Light and quick: every six minutes, one minute at 105 rpm with no extra power.
Week 6 · Ride 3
AVALANCHE65 min
Five 3-minute VO2 max efforts at 115 %. Like an avalanche, each one starts hard and does not let go. Full recovery in between, so you can hit every one.
Week 6 · Ride 4
FROZEN LAKES135 min
A long ride with three 15-minute sweet spot blocks. Steady, flat, and long, like a ride across frozen lakes. Fuel it like a race: 60–80 g of carbohydrate an hour.
Week 7
Week 7 · Ride 1
POLAR NIGHT80 min
The key threshold ride of the winter: two 20-minute blocks at 96 %. Long, dark, and steady. Split each block into four 5-minute pieces in your head.
Week 7 · Ride 2
DRIFTING40 min
Recovery. Thirty easy minutes with a relaxed upper body and loose hands. Breathe through your nose the whole time.
Week 7 · Ride 3
BLIZZARD70 min
Thirty seconds hard, fifteen seconds easy, thirteen times in a row. Three sets. The short breaks keep your VO2 high for the whole set: a classic from sport science research.
Week 7 · Ride 4
DEEP FREEZE150 min
Two and a half hours: the longest ride of the winter. Zone 2 with three tempo blocks. Practice your fueling: 60–90 g of carbohydrate an hour, from the first 20 minutes on.
Week 8
Week 8 · Ride 1
HIBERNATE45 min
Rest week. Seven weeks of work are in your legs. Spin easy, sleep long, and let the body catch up.
Week 8 · Ride 2
STILL WATERS60 min
Still a rest week. Easy zone 2 with three 1-minute efforts at FTP, so the legs remember what hard feels like.
Weeks 9–12 · 14 rides · 18 h 21
Race: sharp for spring
VO2 max with fast starts, a pyramid and 30/15s; threshold at the end of long rides; race finales where you set the pace. Week 12 tapers, and FIRST BLOOM, the last test, shows what the winter built.
Week 9
Week 9 · Ride 1
MELTWATER70 min
Five 4-minute VO2 max efforts with a fast start: 30 seconds at 140 % to lift your breathing quickly, then hold 110 %. You spend more of each effort near your VO2 max.
Week 9 · Ride 2
SNOWMELT75 min
Zone 2 with three sets of three 12-second sprints. Sprint seated in the first set, standing in the second, and from a low speed in a big gear in the third.
Week 9 · Ride 3
SPRING CLASSIC135 min
A long ride with the hard work at the end, like a spring classic. Ninety minutes of zone 2 and tempo, then two 15-minute blocks at threshold on tired legs. Fuel well, or you will feel it.
Week 10
Week 10 · Ride 1
EQUINOX70 min
A VO2 max pyramid: 3, 4, 5, 4, and 3 minutes, with as much rest as work. The longer the effort, the lower the target, so every step is just as hard.
Week 10 · Ride 2
SLUSH40 min
Recovery. Easy riding with a focus on the pedal stroke: pull through the bottom of each circle, smooth and quiet.
Week 10 · Ride 3
SPRING ATTACK65 min
A race story. Two 10-minute blocks at threshold wear you down. Then the attack: 6 minutes where you set the watts. Go when you are ready, and hold it to the line.
Week 10 · Ride 4
MARCH MILES150 min
Two and a half hours with three 20-minute sweet spot blocks. A big day of steady work. Fuel it: 60–90 g of carbohydrate an hour.
Week 11
Week 11 · Ride 1
SPRING STORM75 min
The hardest VO2 max session of the winter: three sets of fifteen 30/15s, two more per set than BLIZZARD. Hang on in the last set. It is what makes the difference in spring.
Week 11 · Ride 2
PUDDLES40 min
Recovery in the hardest week. Three easy blocks with a minute of single-leg focus in each: feel one leg do the work, then the other.
Week 11 · Ride 3
FLOODGATES80 min
The hardest over-unders of the winter: five in a row at 97 % and 112 %. Three sets. Stay seated on the overs and keep the rhythm when the gates open.
Week 11 · Ride 4
OPENING WEEKEND135 min
Two and a quarter hours like a season opener: zone 2 and tempo, ten short surges, and then the finale. For the last 8 minutes you set the watts. Race it to the line on tired legs.
Week 12
Week 12 · Ride 1
GREEN SHOOTS60 min
Taper week. Less riding, but keep the engine running: three 3-minute blocks at FTP and three short sprints. The legs should feel light and ready.
Week 12 · Ride 2
BLOSSOM40 min
An easy spin two days before the final test. Short, light, and relaxed, with a few quick spin-ups to stay sharp.
Week 12 · Ride 3
FIRST BLOOM66 min
The final test. Twelve weeks of winter work in one number. Same test as weeks 1 and 5: compare all three and see how far you came. Then go and enjoy the season.
04Then and now
Winter, then and now.
“Champions are made in winter.”
Every generation of riders has known it: the season is won in the months when nobody races. Only the tools have changed.
Early 1900s
Into the woods
French road riders keep fit in winter by riding and running with their bikes through fields and forests. Cyclocross is born from the off-season.
Old winters
Skis, rollers, miles
Riders cross-country ski, ride rollers in the cellar, or put in long, cold miles. Winter is for building; races wait for spring.
1960s
Periodization
The Soviet sports scientist Lev Matveyev describes how to plan a training year in periods: from general to specific, with load and rest in waves. Winter Build follows the same shape.
1975
Fitness and fatigue
Eric Banister models training as two things at once: fitness, which grows slowly, and fatigue, which comes fast and goes fast. Form is what is left when the fatigue is gone.
Today
Camps and trainers
Pro teams spend part of the winter at training camps in Spain, around Calpe or on Mallorca. At home, they ride their intervals on smart trainers, like you.
05In the app
Your trainer does the counting.
You don't need a spreadsheet or a coach to ride this plan. Open AnyMap, pick Winter Build, and ride the next ride. Here is what happens on the way.
Connect in seconds
AnyMap finds your trainer, heart rate strap and Zwift Click over Bluetooth by itself, and connects again next time.
Devices
KICKR CORE
Trainer · Connected
Polar H9
Heart rate · Connected · 84 bpm
Zwift Click
Controller · Connected
SCAN FOR DEVICES
ERG mode holds the watts
In every block, the trainer sets the resistance for the target. Pedal faster or slower: the watts stay. Here is SNOWLINE, played fast, at an FTP of 150 W.
ERG · FTP 150 W
SNOWLINE
90Target watt
Your FTP stays true
After every ride, AnyMap checks your FTP. Ride a new best, and it goes up at once, with every zone. The next ride is already a little harder.
New FTP
156W
+6 W
Your zones moved up. Every workout now uses 156 W.
Watch the weeks add up
Every ride is saved, second by second. Your week shows time in each zone, and your month shows rides, kilometers and time against the month before.
3h 45min
This week
6
Week streak
1417%
Rides
41834%
Km
13h 5021%
Time
Make a ride your own
Copy any ride of the plan into the workout builder and change it. Try it here: tap a block, drag its top for more watts or its side for more time, or tap + for a new block.
New workout · FTP 150 W
My workout
33:3010 blocks
Tap a block to change it, or + to add one.
06FAQ
Before the winter.
Count back twelve weeks from the day you want to be in form: the first race, the first big ride, or simply the start of spring. Many riders start in December or January.
Only the hardest weeks have four, and one of the four is a 40- to 45-minute recovery ride, meant for the day after the first hard ride. AnyMap does not plan your days, so you pick them. Two days off a week is a good rule.
AnyMap shows the result, but never sets a lower FTP by itself; it only offers it. A cold, poor sleep or a hard week at work cost watts. Take a few easy days, and test again when you are fresh.
Yes. A long, easy outdoor ride can replace one of the plan's long zone 2 rides. Keep the threshold and VO2 max sessions on the trainer: in the cold, in traffic, on wet roads, exact intervals are hard to ride, and indoors they are not.
Your season. If a race comes soon, Race Ready sharpens you for it in six weeks. If not, keep two or three rides a week, and enjoy riding outside with the form you built.
Yes. The first ride, FIRST FROST, an FTP test, is free, with no account. AnyMap Premium opens the other 38 rides, and every other plan and workout.
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