It was bound to happen sooner or later…it finally snowed here in Fruita. Even though the cold weather and shorter days are stark reminders that winter was on its way, the snow on the ground signals a real change in the riding season.

Now that the local trails are snowed in we have to start looking elsewhere to lay tracks down. Lucky for us Moab is a little over an hour away and tends to stay warmer and see less snow than we do. Since it also tends to be a scorching sweat fest in the summer we’ll be making the pilgrimage to Utah several times over the next few months. We also have a secret little spot a little less than an hour away that is like a mini- Red Bull Rampage venue. Think ridge line rides that you need to push/ hike up (go cardio!), rip down and then have a choice of 15+ foot drops or a cool step down hip jump.

Both of these places are great winter riding spots and offer something totally different then what we usually ride when we aren’t snowed in. But they also take planning and time to go ride so I won’t get nearly the saddle time in I usually do when I can hit the Lunch Loop trails about 15 minutes from my facility in Grand Junction. This means it’s time to step up the training so I can be ready when the snow melts!

Champions are made in the off season. Whether you are looking to stand on top of a podium or be the first one in your riding group to the top of that grueling climb that always kills you, this is when you make or break that dream. Just to show you what I mean, here is part of an e-mail I received at the beginning of the off-season last year:

“James,  

The training is going well. I have started your new Ultimate MTB Workout Program and I’m just blown away by it. I can see that you have probably spent a long time getting it together as it is quite comprehensive. You were right when you said to start with Phase 1… it schooled me the first week.  

The strength training is going great. I feel stronger than I have ever been. The new workouts are going great; I especially like the anaerobic intervals at the end. I am also now able to do full range of motion dips again after destroying one of my shoulders in a catastrophic front wheel failure 2 years ago.  

All and all everything is going great and the program is terrific. I’m glad you laid it all out there for those of us that have been on a quest for anything to make us faster and stronger over the past few years.  

Racing starts in May, I’ll keep you up to date, hopefully with some great podium news.  

Thanks…”  

Sean Tarricone

And here is a follow up e-mail I received a few weeks back –

“James,

I just finished my season with the “Last Chance for Glory” race at Plattekill last weekend. It was double points and I managed to land 2nd place for enough points to win the series and become the Expert 30-39 New York State Champion. I have been working at this for 3 seasons now and I finally got it done. I’m super motivated to get started training and come back dominate next season.

Thanks for everything.”
Sean Tarricone

Way to go Sean! It is great to see hard work and dedication paying off. The moral of the story is simple – if you want to dominate on the trail next season then now is when you make that happen. Set a goal, get a program and get going on it!

Of course I highly recommend the Ultimate MTB Workout Program (www.ultimatemtbworkout.com) or the DB Combos Program (www.dbcombos.com) but then I might be a little biased.

You can also keep checking out this blog for tons of free articles, podcasts and video demos on mountain bike training. In the last few weeks I have posted a lot of new content, including new videos I’ve never made available before and some great Q & A from riders around the world.

Hopefully your inspired to take your training up a notch, I know that I sure am. Until next time…

Ride Strong,

James Wilson