Ribble Outliers - What does Winter Training Look like for a Pro Gravel – Le Col

Ribble Outliers: What does Winter Training Look like for a Pro Gravel Team?

When the race season winds down and the weather turns, the team takes a well-deserved off-season to recharge before getting back to a long winter of training. From endurance rides in the cold to strength work and skills sessions, every Outlier has their own approach to staying sharp through the darker months. We caught up with the team to find out how they tackle the winter season and here’s what they had to say.

What does the winter season looks like for a pro gravel team?

Ben : "After world's, most of us began off season breaks, Harry extended the season by two weeks to race Legacy Gravel where he qualified for next year's world champs in Australia. Sophie took a few days off but was soon back on the bike as she was racing the new Gravel Burn stage race in South Africa at the end of October.

Most of us will take two to three weeks completely off the bike. Jenson was running a marathon mid-way through his two-week off-season; some people are wired differently!

After the time off the slow grind begins to get back into shape, that time off is needed mentally and physically; trying to continue without the break will just lead to burnout and restrict year on year progression."

Male cyclist paused on his bike in a rocky stream with steam rising obscuring half the image.

Two male cyclist racing head to head downhill on a flat rocky landscape.

What kind of training are you doing, lots of turbo, outside riding, enjoying the muddy off-road conditions?

Ben : "Some of the team have homes in Girona, so it's sunny dry gravel conditions all winter! For those of us based in the UK it's a little trickier to get offroad as much, my local Chilterns gravel is basically unrideable in the winter as the mud is so thick and sticky.

Riding offroad every day is tiring and not the most productive so whilst we need to keep skills sharp we'll do a lot of our training on the Ribble road bikes, I have 38mm tyres at 40 psi on my Allroad SLR to handle the wet rough local roads.

Winter kit will be essential to get those long hours done, the Le Col Sport Cargo bib-tights and Pro long sleeve jersey being my go-to pieces. I'll likely ride a few indoor events through the winter to keep some sharpness and do some unstructured intensity, the Echelon Racing League on Training Peaks Virtual or Zwift Fondo series being two good options."

Male cyclist going uphill with large rocky hills in the background.

How much strength training is the team doing each week, is it a big part of your winter training?

Harry: "Strength training is a big part of the winter program for all of us, in the off season at the moment as everyone is resting and slowly getting back into training. Incorporating a Strength and Conditioning program in the early build up phase is essential to develop not only strength but efficiency in the muscles.

I do this twice a week generally through to at least the new year from the back end of October, before reducing to once a week after that and bringing in some explosive strength work on the bike to supplement.

Of course, riding the bike is the focus in the winter and the gym is only supplementary to that, but a worthwhile investment for us non the less. Especially coming into a busy race season, hopefully improving our resistance to fatigue and reduce chances of injury."

Are there team training camps over the winter?

Harry : "There is a training camp yes!

Although the details are yet to be finalised it will be a time we can all come together as a team and focus not only on getting a solid training block done in hopefully good weather. But to spend time talking and hanging out together in a relaxed environment which is always quite different to the build-up to a race weekend.

Make plans for the season and discuss things as a group as well as meeting partners and creating content as we go."

How do you recover and switch off after training during a big block to be ready for the next day's training?

Metheven: "Personally, I use this as a chance to pretend to be a 'normal person' for once and try and catch up with friends and family."

The Ribble team of four riding uphill with large rocky hills in the background.

How do you start planning for your goals next season and how do you mentally prepare?

Sophie:" I will start planning for my goals with my coach towards the end of off season. I already have a couple in mind, but for now I'm not touching the bike and am enjoying holiday mode in Cape Town!"

What advice would you give for riders new to gravel that are training this winter?

Sophie: "Get some good bike washing kit, because gravel in the winter in UK will get pretty dirty! Unless you come out to a warmer/dryer country.

You can use the winter as a time to practice your off-road riding but also mix it up with some road riding too."

For the Ribble Outliers, winter isn’t something to endure it’s something to embrace. Between muddy rides, gym work, and the occasional sunny training camp escape, every part of their off-season feeds into the next big goal.

Hearing how the team stays motivated through the cold, has it inspired you to take on your own winter challenge?

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