Don't Waste the Fitness You've Built

This past weekend we saw the Loam Hustler Enduro here in Squamish where more that 60 women put their MTB Strength Coach programming to good use. This follows on from the Squamish Enduro a couple weeks earlier and various other races & large events across the northern Hemisphere.

Which begs the question....

Now what?

For a lot of riders, this is where things start to go sideways.

Not because they aren't motivated.

Not because they aren't riding.

But because they accidentally stop doing the things that got them there in the first place.

You Worked Hard for This

Think about what you've done over the last few months.

You strength trained when the weather wasn't great. You rode indoors when you'd rather have been outside. You built your aerobic fitness. You improved your mobility. You developed better movement patterns and riding habits.

Whether you realized it or not, you were building momentum.

You were investing in a stronger, fitter, more capable version of yourself.

Then the weather improved. The trails dried out. Race season arrived. And suddenly the focus shifted from training to riding.

Which is exactly how it should be.

The whole point of training is to ride better.

But that's also where many riders make a mistake.

Fitness Doesn't Disappear Overnight

Most riders don't wake up one morning dramatically slower.

Fitness drifts.

Strength drifts.

Endurance drifts.

Durability drifts.

Recovery capacity drifts.

You don't notice it right away.

You just feel a little more tired after rides. A little less stable on rough descents. A little less powerful on technical climbs. Your body takes longer to bounce back between big days.

Nothing feels dramatically wrong.

Until one day you realize you're not riding quite as well as you were a month ago.

Riding More Isn't Always the Answer

The weather is good. The trails are running great.

So many riders do the obvious thing.

They ride more.

Sometimes that's exactly the right call.

But sometimes more riding simply adds more fatigue without addressing what's actually slipping.

If your strength is declining, another trail ride won't maintain it.

If your durability is declining, another trail ride may actually accelerate the problem.

If your body is getting beaten up every weekend, more riding isn't always the solution.

Sometimes the answer is protecting the qualities you've already worked hard to build.

In-Season Training Is Different

During the winter and spring, the goal is often to improve.

During the season, the goal is often to maintain.

That's a very different mindset.

You don't need to keep chasing personal bests in the gym every week.

You don't need to keep adding more volume.

You don't need to train like it's February.

You simply need enough work to remind your body what it's supposed to keep.

For many riders, that means one or two strength sessions per week, a small amount of intensity, consistent recovery habits, and enough mobility work to offset long days on the bike.

Being intentional beats being random.

And it's often enough to maintain far more fitness than people realize.

The Riders Who Stay Fast

The riders who perform well late in the season aren't always the ones who trained the hardest during the winter.

They're often the riders who maintained their fitness while everyone else slowly drifted backwards.

They stay strong.

They stay durable.

They stay healthy.

And when the biggest rides, races, and trips of the year arrive, they're still capable of performing at a high level.

Not because they kept pushing harder.

Because they stopped themselves from sliding backwards.

Your First Event Wasn't the Finish Line

For many riders, the first event of the season becomes the finish line.

They relax. Training disappears. Good habits fade. Fitness slowly erodes.

But if your riding season runs through summer and into fall, you're only getting started.

The first race wasn't the goal.

It was a checkpoint.

A chance to see what worked, what didn't, and what still needs attention.

Now is the time to enjoy the fitness you've built.

Use it.

Leverage it.

Keep enough of it around that you're still riding strong when everyone else starts to fade.

Don't waste the fitness you've built.

You've worked too hard for that.

Want Help Staying Strong All Season?

One of the biggest challenges for mountain bikers isn't getting fit.

It's knowing what to keep, what to drop, and how to balance strength training, recovery, and riding once the season is underway.

If you're not sure how to structure your training and assuming you've already completed my MTB Fitness Questionnaire then the next step is to book a free Strategy Call and lets plan how you can finish the season just as strong as youve started it.

I'll see you on the Trails,

Alex