Late Season Training: Making the Most of Your Final Push
It’s August in the UK, and the end of the racing season is fast approaching. Hopefully, you’ve been consistent this summer, maintaining your aerobic fitness between events and incorporating one or two structured sessions in each mesocycle. The good news? You may still have time for one last focused training block leading into your key events.
Timing Your Final Block
Most cyclists start feeling noticeably stronger and faster after 2-3 weeks of consistently hard training, with peak benefits typically appearing around 4-6 weeks. For those of you—like myself—who have one or two target events in mid-September and early October, we still have one opportunity to lift our fitness and race pace.
Two Paths Forward
Option 1: Late Season Peak (September/October Events)
If your key events are still 4-6 weeks away, you can commit to one final focused training block. This is your chance to:
- Sharpen race-specific fitness
- Fine-tune power output for your target events
- Build confidence through structured progression
Option 2: Season Wind-Down (Early September Events)
If your season ends in early September, it’s now time to gradually reduce volume while maintaining intensity. This approach will help ensure you:
- Don’t lose any top-end power
- Carry minimal fatigue into your final races
- Arrive at the start line fresh and ready
The Recovery Reality Check
Recovery is crucial in both scenarios. Without adequate recovery within each mesocycle and microcycle, your body won’t have time for adaptation. If you’re feeling flat and your fitness has plateaued, chances are you need more recovery—not additional hard sessions.
Key insight: The fitness you have today reflects what you did 4-6 weeks ago, and the fatigue you feel today comes from what you’ve done in the last 7 days.
Smart Training for Late Season Success
Focus on SMART training that is:
- Specific to the type of racing you’ll be doing
- Matched to the duration of your target events
- Appropriate for the terrain you’ll be competing on
Remember, this final phase isn’t about building massive fitness gains—it’s about
optimizing what you’ve built all season and arriving at your key events in peak condition.
Make these final weeks count through intelligent training choices, and here’s to finding some excellent late-season form!