As we step into the new year, it's time to embark on a journey of setting goals for the 2025 cycling season. Perhaps this is the year you conquer your first century ride, plunge into the local cyclocross series, sign up for a massive gravel event like Big Sugar, or finally decide to take on that mountain bike stage race you've been eyeing for years. No matter what your 2025 goal may be, your training plan - or the planning for that training - should commence right now.

Unlock Your Cycling Potential in 2025

Identifying Your Goal

First, it's crucial to determine how you want to structure your racing season. As Training Peaks coach Matti Rowe and educator Cody Stephenson explain, there are two main approaches for cyclists. There's the A race model, where you have a single focus for the season and aim to peak on a specific race day. Think of Unbound or Leadville 100 - races that are long, tough, and demand significant time and financial commitments to be in top shape on race day. If you have a race like this on your calendar, you might include some smaller "tune-up" races, but you won't plan to peak or have a full taper for any race other than your A race.On the other hand, you can choose to plan a full season of racing, whether it's a local cyclocross, criterium series, or a bunch of exciting gravel events. In this case, your schedule will be different. Instead of focusing on one big result and peaking for that one day, your goal will be to maintain a high level of fitness throughout the entire season. While it's achievable, it's important to note that no single race will be your absolute best.

Choosing Your Goal Race(s) Wisely

“As everything is important, nothing is important,” says Rowe. “This is a principle we truly believe in. We want athletes to ensure they are choosing goals that excite them and that they can actually be ready for.” Rowe often hears from cyclists who have too many big goals or who pick a major cycling goal that clashes with a significant life or work event. (The number of cyclists who want to race Unbound a week after a major work presentation or while on vacation with their families is quite surprising.)When planning your goal race, especially if you're only aiming for one major A race this season, make sure to consider not only your training calendar but also your work and family commitments. Ideally, your goal race should occur at a time when you won't be burdened by work or life stress.

Adding Some B and C Races or Events

Most cyclists who are balancing careers, family, and racing can only focus on one major race in a given year. However, you can still incorporate some low-key races, known as B and C goal races. These races help you practice racing tactics, build skills, and simply enjoy being part of the cycling community. It's great to have a couple of weekends of racing before your goal race as long as they don't cause too much stress. You won't prepare for them to the same extent as your big race, but you'll get the chance to race hard on those days.Your B races are those that are less important than your A goal but still require some preparation and perhaps a few extra rest days. This is a great way to add smaller local events to your schedule, says Rowe. “These races might still be significant to you, but you won't necessarily adjust your training or preparation too much,” he adds. “You're really using them as part of a strategy to get fast for your A race.”And C goals require even less preparation. Even trying to win your local group ride can count as a C event: You won't change your training at all, but you'll make a more intense effort during that race or ride.If your A race is an endurance event like a Fondo or gravel race, these B and C races should be less than two-thirds of the distance. However, if you're racing crits or cyclocross, your races will be roughly the same duration, and you'll prepare less for your B and C races.

Planning Your Year on the Macro Level

Once you know when your A race is, you can start planning backward from race day to the present. “You might think that if your goal race is in August and you start planning your calendar in November, you have a lot of time to train. But if you follow the full-length base, build, and race phases, you're looking at eight to nine months of preparation,” says cycling coach Peter Glassford.Additionally, since many cyclists live in climates where outdoor training is limited in winter, there are fewer outdoor riding days available before your goal race than you might expect.That's why it's essential to start planning your training blocks as soon as possible - ideally at least eight months before your goal event. These blocks fit into the calendar to ensure you arrive at race day fully prepared and ready to set a personal record.

Structuring Your Training Season and Off-Season

There are four phases of training, or training blocks, that cyclists typically follow. This can be helpful whether you're creating a plan for yourself, looking for a pre-built training plan, or consulting with a coach to organize your race calendar.Base Phase: This phase lasts 6-8 months before the goal event and typically lasts 2-4 months. It's also known as "general preparation" or the "accumulation phase," as it focuses on building fitness and increasing the training load. During the base building, you can incorporate cross-training and build strength in the gym. You'll still be riding, but in a more unstructured way, as this phase often occurs in the fall and winter months and may include a lot of indoor cycling. It's also a good time to refine fueling, mental, technical, and tactical skills.Some riders choose to cross-country ski or run during the winter to build their cardio fitness, while others stick to using the indoor trainer. Many prefer a hybrid approach, skiing or running on some days and riding indoors on others. Mixing things up during the base phase is beneficial.Build/Specific Phase: This phase occurs 4-5 months before the goal event and lasts 2-3 months. It's time to get serious and spend the majority of your time before the race in this phase. “The build phase can also be called the ‘specific’ phase because it is when the intensity becomes more specific and the modes of training become more targeted,” says Glassford. “Mountain bikers should focus on mountain biking, those who race in a group should aim to find hard group rides or practice races to refine their skills in a ‘race-like’ environment. Here, you start to bring new skills and abilities to the race environment.”For many athletes, the big difference between this phase and the base phase is that they can ride outside because it's spring or summer, making it easier to work on those skills.Competition Phase: This phase starts 1-2 months before the goal event and can last 1-3 months, depending on the number of races on your calendar. If you have one A race like the Unbound 200 gravel race, this is the time to focus on that. But your B and C races, such as the local 60-mile gravel race and the weekly cyclocross series, will also be happening during this phase.“Closer to race season, riders reduce overall volume while maintaining intensity to sharpen for race day,” says Glassford. Most of your hard work has been done during the build phase, and now it's time to reap the benefits. Non-race weeks will have a slightly lower volume with some high-intensity training, and the week before your A race will typically include a taper period, where your volume and intensity both decrease to ensure you're fully rested on race day.But it's not just about reaching your fitness peak. The extra time during the taper should be used to arrive at the start line feeling completely recovered and ready to go. “Athletes will aim to peak during this period,” says Glassford. “But I tend to focus more on getting my athletes to arrive at the start line motivated, healthy, and on-time. In this phase, we are executing the mental, fueling, technical, and tactical skills and avoiding adding new practices to training or race day.”Rest/Recovery Phase (a.k.a Off-Season): This phase lasts roughly one month after your goal race and depends on your fatigue levels. It's also known as the off-season and comes after the competition season.Some riders, especially professional cyclists who have competed in the WorldTour circuit or similar events, need a few weeks off the bike to fully rest and recover. For most non-professionals, a week or two off after a major race is sufficient for physical recovery (and maybe to catch up on some life things you ignored while getting race-ready).After that, if you need a mental break from following a strict schedule, you may want to stay in the off-season for a few more weeks. But you should stay active during this time. Most recreational amateurs don't need a long break from the bike (unless you feel the need for it!), and taking a month away from all activity can negatively affect your fitness for the next season. Use this time for fun cross-training activities like hiking or paddleboarding, and feel free to get out on the bike in a more relaxed way.The recovery phase is a great opportunity to enjoy coffee shop rides with your slower friends or go mountain biking if you've been focused on gravel racing all season. Embrace this time and get ready to ease back into the base phase once you've set your next goal!