I’m following a plan builder plan, and as I add events to my calendar I just let plan builder update and extend the plan. I’m already adding events for the middle and end of 2026. Is there any problem with running a plan like this perpetually?
Hey @Delta9 
No, not really, it will just ask you to accept the recalculation every time you make changes.
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It does seem like that this will cause you to have no off season. I know that both @Caro.Gomez-Villafane and the podcast crew have advised against that in the past, but I’m not sure what the current guidance is. I guess you could add an annotation to your calendar to break up your training?
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@Caro.Gomez-Villafane I was not planning on taking time off. However, if it’s recommended, I have no reason not to take time off other than I don’t like taking time off. What would you suggest?
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Man, I feel that. Coming to the end of my plan as well and not really looking forward to time off.
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Time off doesn’t have to mean zero biking or zero exercise. I think a week of full rest is a good idea, but then another couple weeks of easy rides, maybe something a bit different (e.g. try gravel or bikepacking or something) but just a lot less volume and intensity can work as an offseason.
I often like late October/early November to rest and reset, as the weather where I am is usually pretty crappy plus work tends to occupy a lot of time then. Then I do a resistance training/base block, then the Festive 500, then start the new year with a structured plan. YMMV obviously!
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Yeah, I normally start my plan for the year around the end of the holidays. I may take a week off, do a general fitness plan for two months, then another two weeks off before starting for next year. Or maybe just lay down some base blocks since the two month gravel plans are all ‘build → specialty’, which isn’t really what I want.
One frustrating thing with plan builder is that it starts very conservatively on the hours per week, regardless of where you’ve been training. For example, my current plan has me doing 3.5 hrs/wk of hard intervals, but plan builder will only give me more than 2 hrs if I set it to ‘aggressive’, which I don’t really think is right.
A lot depends on the nature of your training and how you are feeling. If coming off a target event with a big build in the months leading up to it, it’s likely your body could use some time to reset to baseline (sympathetic nervous system, endocrin levels, etc.). If your training hasn’t been ramping stress significantly in recent months and you are feeling fresh, you might press on and be fine.
One way to look at it is “exercise vs. progressive training”. With progressive training, you are generally loading on more and more stress and eventually need to take a step back. I think of a break after the season the same way I think of a rest day or rest week during the season, just at the macro level. If your training is more like exercise (not ramping up the stress constantly, but just doing regular activities), you probably don’t need a break from that if you are enjoying it and it makes you feel good.
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Agree. The other point is that it’s hard to progressively overload if you’ve reached your volume limit. Only option then is more intensity and there’s only so much that can be added in perpetuity. A break will allow you to reset and begin building to that volume limit again, then ramp up intensity when needed.
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I think it all depends on your season and other breaks. If it’s an intense season with no cycling breaks then an end of year break is a great idea. On the other hand, if you have breaks built into the year for various reasons then you might not need one. I take several non cycling holidays (GASP!!) throughout the year so don’t typically need to schedule a dedicated time off.
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An off season is dependent on why imo.
For people that race often it might be necessary to reset mentally and take a break from a more rigid structure and routine so they are mentally as well as physically refreshed for their next season.
For people who don’t ride as much or just ride for fitness/fun an off season is not always necessary or even wanted. If you desire a break from the more rigid structure just go ride for a bit before restarting training.
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I like everyone’s advice already
@Delta9 Given that you have had a pretty solid training year starting March, and that you still have 3 big Events to complete, I would recommend taking some time off after your Event on Feb 7th!
You can take 2-3 weeks off, depending on how you’re feeling. @Twowkg brings up a good point that, instead of looking at this time off as no riding, you can take it to reset mentally, and you can still ride, but it would be more out of enjoyment and not really following a plan. (But also, don’t go dig yourself in a hole with extreme unstructured riding, haha). My coach used to tell me, “I want you to take 3 weeks off completely from the bike, and I want you coming back with this big urge and need to ride your bike.”
I loved my time off and didn’t feel guilty about it. It gave me more time to do other things I enjoy, like hiking, going line dancing, and spending more time with my family and friends. This gave me a good boost of energy coming back to training.
Now, looking at your Calendar, I would make your Feb 7th race an A Event, so you can peak for it and your plan ends there. Then take a few weeks off, and then create a new plan with your Aug 1, 2026, race as your A Event.
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I appreciate the comments and advice from everyone! Last year I was forced to take time off after a MTB injury and following surgery and I didn’t like it one bit. I’m sure part of that is because it was forced upon me.
Thanks for this specific advice, this is what I’ll do.
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Welcome
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So, for my A event next year, I need to start a plan the last week of December to get a full base/build/specialty cycle in. With my last B event in a couple of weeks, I’m trying to decide how I want to spend the next few months training wise. I’ve accepted that I need some time off the bike, but I’m afraid of losing too much fitness if I just peace out for November and December.
I’m considering:
- Adding a fake event in December and extending out my plan. Not sure what plan builder would do with that time.
- Putting a no-event plan on the schedule. I played with this and got plan/specialty blocks, which seems weird.
- Just drop some base blocks on the calendar. Not sure if those will adapt.
- Just use Train Now? I dunno, I feel like every time I do this, AI FTP treats the time like I’ve been sitting in the couch eating Cheetos.
Thoughts?
Do whatever sounds fun.
I’m pretty much in off season mode from mid Aug - Dec. and do zero structured training during that time. I spend all that time doing things that I find fun and/or interesting. If I feel like riding, I’ll ride. If I’m not motivated to ride, I won’t. And there is zero “training”, just fun stuff. I’ll do the Wed. night group ride that I never do during the season because it’s “junk miles”. I’ll do a bunch of Zwift rides and races because they are easy to jump into without any prep or planning. More rowing and hiking. More weight training and core work. Get some projects done around the house. Basically all the stuff that takes a back seat to cycling during the season. And I’ll do a couple fall gravel/MTB races with zero focus on results and just enjoy the day with whatever fitness I have. And sometimes, I’ll work in some stuff that is more focused on cycling, but not fitness training. This fall/winter, I plan to work on my body position on the bike, bike/tire setup testing, and aerodynamics (chung testing, etc.). Basically anything that sounds fun and engaging besides structured bike work.
I always lose a bit of fitness in the off season, but I’m riding enough and doing enough other activities that it’s not much of a drop and I’m hungry to start training when the season starts. It really doesn’t take much activity to maintain most of what has been built unless you are on that couch with the Cheetos for months.
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@mjw0, either the Maintaining Fitness plan from the General Fitness option or manually applying a Base Phase, I think, are both good options. I would just make sure to actually take some time off at some point before starting your next training plan.
Alternatively, you can take some time off, then do unstructured riding to give your brain a mental break, haha, and then start your next training plan.
I also wouldn’t be afraid to “lose” fitness. Taking time off and mental breaks promotes a stronger start to your training plan and long-term gains. It’s a good time to reset and let your body chill from all you’ve been doing. We can’t expect our bodies keep going all the time
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