I’m backing off for a couple of weeks after this weekend. Then run and strength focus till November. I’ll try to get 2 spins a week in, a long one and maybe an occasional SIT or VO2 interval.
I’ll focus on the bike for a couple of months after that. And somehow try to fit the odd swim in as well!
So far, it looks like a cracked frame and COVID 
I just set my baseline for the local “big climb” this past weekend, before everything went to hell. I am planning to train for that over the winter and then try it again in the spring. There are gnarly switchbacks at the end of it that I can’t get to/do yet.
Still have an event in mid October, Currently struggling to train much because I don’t get much sleep because both kids have a head cold and barely are able to sleep, and I also got a Sinus infection going… After that it is probably 1 week doing nothing maybe even two depending on how I feel. After that I want to start riding mostly Endurance with the occasional interval day and want to resume strength training at home. If I find the time I may also want to swim a bit again.
I’ve gained significant weight every October to Dec for the last three years and kept it on.
I’ve settled into a new routine training around work and I don’t plan to change through winter, although I’m not doing any long rides or runs anyway. So keep swimming, biking and running through AW.
Edit: Winter gives me some space for experimenting, lifting and butterfly for example. But I’m trying to keep the up same basic routine this time.
Didn’t have a bike race focus “ON-Season” for 2022, so taking a different perspective toward “Off-Season” and entry into 2023. Have yet to set goals for 2023 in terms of racing, but definitely want to regain high level of on-bike fitness. Doing so will make all riding much more fun and also make me happy.
Am going to define “Good Fitness” as pushing MLSS back into the 230-235w range with TTE @ MLSS of over an hour. Also be looking to break 250w for 20min which is about a ten mile road TT. If all goes well, 5 min power should pop up to 300w again even without specific training on short term power. Those are short of historical peak numbers, but am 10+ years older than when peaks were set, and those numbers should be achievable.
Most years, would take Nov-Dec-Jan-Feb and shift emphasis from bike to weightlifting. Due to some persistent elbow issues, upper body weight lifting will not happen this year.
So new plan:
Sept-Oct-Nov-Dec: Continue to accumulate 12-15 hours per week on the road bike. 1-2 hard days per week. Hard might be 6x3min VO2, 4x8min supra-threshold or longer sweet spot/threshold work. While I like to build a big base with lots of Zone 2 and LT1 work, having a hard day or two each week helps push things along and does not create a recovery issue.
That plan assumes good outdoor riding, and weather, through December. There will be some rain, but it likely won’t be too cold or snowy.
Jan-Feb: These are the winter months and will curtail outside riding. Accumulating tons of hours on the trainer is not my jam any longer. When the weather turns ugly I’ll do a combination of trainer rides, leg work in the gym and likely long hikes in the woods. XC Skiing would be perfect, but we haven’t been getting enough snow last many years for that to be reliable.
Come March, will likely start with a VO2max block, indoors if necessary, and then switch into a Build style block for April and May.
If that all goes well, and I’m an amateur hobby level bike rider, so who knows what will really happen, then around June should have a decent level of durable fitness. Will assess numbers and objectives then and decide if I want to race or not (*). Might be a few road time trials, maybe some mountain bike XC events.
(*) After decades of racing, am sort of past that part of my cycling life. I enjoy the fitness journey but don’t need to pin on a number to validate it. But getting back to a high level of fitness might change that 
I dont have an off season, but then again I don’t really have an on season either
I do LV during the week with a either an MTB or road ride at weekends. Sometimes I do more, sometimes I do less but I’m not a racer and don’t feel that the work I do warrants any “off” time.
What I learnt? I have improved my fitness with no real goal in mind other than consistency.
For the most part was consistent, but it waned come April.
Will be trying to work on sustained power and get into club racing and maybe some open races in 2023.
With that in mind, and having been on holidays and catching Covid, I will be doing two weeks of gradual TSS/IF increase from a 30 min TAKU up to a 1hr 30 Andrews, to see how the body is after Covid.
Then traditional base LV 1,2 & 3 with occasional group rides included where possible. Aiming for 8 hour weeks.
Then after that, the two Polarized plans. I did the Polarized base after Xmas this year (as a restart after getting ill) and it really helped me improve.
I will of course be adding in strength training as per previous years.
Some great synopsis from others, hope it is helping to inspire the OP.
more true endurance
lifting heavy
2-3 long rides per month
sustaining great sleep habits
creating improved nutrition habits (no sugar, clean eating)
Effectively already started my off season after last weekend’s ride. Stopped racing TTs in 2021 and decided to give Audaxing a go, really happy I did, so many different challenges you can do. This year I completed a RRtY and a SR , finished those off in July so have been keeping myself busy experimenting with seeing how many AAA points I can get. Decided now I’ve reached the 50 point mark I’ll have a few easier weeks.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading about reverse periodisation and also strength training, after being blighted with an annoying knee injury for eight months of the year, it’s been the gym work that seems to have cured it, so this year I’m going for a full periodisation of my strength training. My goals for next year are 100 AAA points and the AAA RRtY, so I’ll need to do one qualifying ride in October for the RRtY and then start collecting points for the AAA from November, which should mean I can start off doing 100km rides and build the distance up as Spring arrives, last Winter’s 200km rides for the RRtY were a bit brutal, so I’m thankful that the AAA version 100km rides qualify.
Also being trying the Tom Morrison Simple Mobility Method, early days yet, but already seem to have a bit more ‘looseness’ in the hips. TL:DR experimentation until November then put a proper plan together.
What I’ve learned from previous years is that for better or worse I need to do some form of aerobic exercise most days as it’s what keeps me on an even keel in many, many ways I won’t bore you with here!
Right now I’m still enjoying late season fitness and looking to do a couple more events, or failing that maybe just target some KOMs, do a big day out or just enjoy some fast group rides. At some point in October or November I’ll decide I’ve had enough intensity for the year, possibly triggered by picking up a cold or the weather turning particularly wet and windy. Will then do 1-2 weeks away from anything that looks like proper bike training, but still with plenty of dog walks, maybe family bike rides or SUP if the weather is OK to maintain my exercise fix. Also a good time to service all the bikes ready for the winter (or in the case of the race bike to hang it up until the spring).
1-2 weeks off is usually enough for me to be itching to get back on the bike again. From then until end of year focus will be on strength training and lots of endurance exercise. Mainly on the bike but also some running, rowing, swimming. No structure or plan, often done by RPE/HR more than power, lots of coffee stops, lots of exercising with friends. Will sprinkle in a little bit of VO2 each week, just the occasional effort such as sprinting for a town sign or powering over a short hill, or a 30/30 TR workout indoors, I’m mid 40s and at least touching that zone regularly seems beneficial.
Basically keeping mentally fresh while still maintaining/building aerobic engine. Might top it off with Rapha Festive 500 if weather looks OK and work is quiet.
January I’ll start a plan and some structure again. In previous years I’ve jumped straight into SST plans but I find 12 weeks of SST with recoveries only every 6 weeks to be pretty tough going mentally and physically. So I’m thinking of trying a more calendar-aligned approach where January focus is Tempo, February is Sweetspot, March is Threshold (which lines up well with doing some spring road bike sporting TTs), then go into a TR build plan to develop the top end more for racing in the summer. With a rough 3 weeks on, 1 week off approach which I prefer. E.g. January plan would be 1 day VO2 (stick to the 30/30s or short efforts sprinkled into an endurance ride, not trying to progress VO2 levels at this point of the season), 2 Tempo days looking to build the Tempo PL, remaining 3-4 days Z2 and recovery. Similar in February but moving onto the Sweetspot PLs. When I start the Build in April I’ll switch strength training over to maintenance and cut back the days/sets.
I’m doing strength training twice a week and stretching / yoga everyday. I’m planning to include some swimming in my weekly routine and get my pace to something below 2:15 per 100 m.
If things feel ok I’ll try to fit in one more strength training day per week
Zone 2 to my heart’s content 
I have managed to catch COVID a couple of days before my planned last race of the season, so my end of season break has started a little early and will be a proper break. To be honest, it’s probably the best time to have caught it, and having two reasons to rest will make me rest properly.
Then it’s fairly unstructured base for the next couple of months - I’ve been working with a coach for the last three years and am going solo next year so I want some time off structure but still riding. Then I’ll look at building some more structure in, probably in December/January
Just had my A-race this past weekend so on a recovery week but with rain all week and a hurricane coming this weekend, won’t be riding outside much. Therefore adding a couple extra endurance workouts on top of the 3 I have with my LV plan.
After this week am going to plug in my CX events for this fall and follow whatever I get, once I finish that run of training or racing I will plug in a fictional spring XCO or Road race and follow adaptive training plus adding in an extra 2 endurance workouts through the winter, by spring I would like to start swapping these endurance workouts for tempo or endurance workouts with sprint efforts.
I’ve just 3 weeks off with a bad back which was fortunate as I used those weeks as my official downtime from cycling.
One ramp test and a SS workout heralds the start of a 12 week base plan supplemented by some core exercises, a healthy calorie controlled diet and early bed times.
I had my backside handed to me far too many times over the summer so this aspect will help me tighten the nut over the winter.
Perversely I’m looking forward to the pain, walking up stairs on all fours and training in a dark garage……strange I know….
Official off season starting in November, it will look like this:
This will be the activities menu for Nov - February.
Very similar to the comment above:
-3x a week on the trainer. A little bit of everything and also 1.5 hours max. Just letting Adaptive Training do its thing and pick workouts for me.
-3x a week gym sessions focus on getting stronger
-A handful of cyclocross races Oct-Dec just for fun. No serious racing or specific training other than some rides to work on skills here and there.
-Once we get some snow I’ll drop a trainer session so I can hopefully get in at least 1 day a week on the slopes. 
This will be the first off season I use something like TR. I kind of burnt myself out last year but did see some gains.
This year I’m taking a full week off between Christmas and New Years and another full week off in March. Both for family vacations. I’m a little apprehensive about taking that much time off but hopefully it will be good for me.
Right now I feel fairly tired most of the time unless it’s the end of a recovery week. I banged out a pretty strong ride a couple weeks ago and that fatigue stuck around at a low level for well over a week.
Hoping to use TR to come up with a plan to get legit faster next year.
Took 8 weeks off bike over the summer due to travel, work, family, life, blah, blah…So focus for rest of year is rebuilding the most massive aerobic base ever…
That’s the plan Stan.
If you are feeling tired now…taking a few days off and slowing things down for a bit is better for you then to just keep pushing