While it is the season to be jolly, December can also work wonders for your base training. – By Cherise Stander

December is my favourite time of the year. You get to ride your bike for hours with friends and eat a whole lot of food without feeling guilty, because during a five-hour ride you’ll burn it off again.

December is also the time for base training, and often this is not taken seriously enough.

It’s important to ride a lot of hours, but just at talking pace, getting your endurance up and your body fat down.

I do the first two weeks of my base riding without any heart-rate monitors or power cranks. It’s the only time of the year I can really ride on feeling, and I take full advantage of that. I work my way up to a 30-hour week, and that’s probably the most I’ll push my body. Recovery from all these long hours is vital, and drinking protein shakes after every ride is the only way to give your body all the nutrients it desperately needs.

This year I will do a lot more running and gym training, and I’d recommend some sort of cross-training at least twice a week.

Remember to make your base rides fun – ride with friends, and ride a variety of roads, to keep your mind fresh. Also, switch between road and MTB, so that you still keep up your technical skills. But most importantly, try to find a new coffee stop at least once a week!

Keep up those happy kays!

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