Struggle

Training Tips: Winter Off-Season Advice for Sportive Training

Training Tips: Winter Off-Season Advice for Sportive Training

Winter is the off-season; time to rest, relax, recover - and indulge - before we press the reboot button and ramp up winter training. However, it’s often difficult to enjoy winter without feeling restless and fidgety. Here’s what we do to optimise winter training for a sportive.  

Wahoo Kickr

1. Set Up Indoors

Today’s technology makes indoor training more efficient, effective - and enjoyable - meaning you can train hard throughout the winter and roll into spring ready to smash the season. Spend time planning and setting up your optimal winter training rig. Check out:


Training Tips: How to Ride Park Rash Cycling Climb

Training Tips: How to Ride Park Rash Cycling Climb

Park Rash comes around 50 miles into Struggle Dales, one of the toughest sportives in the UK featuring 108 miles over 7 climbs including Park Rash, Greenhow Hill, Trapping Hill and more.

Training Tips: The truth about tapering for a sportive

Training Tips: The truth about tapering for a sportive

Sharpening the pencil in the lead up to a sportive allows us the best possible chance of clocking up an awesome time. But could tapering for a sportive limit our fitness potential? We ask the expert...

Craig Stevenson talking about how to taper for a sportive

Head Physiologist and Coach at OTE Performance Centre and Founder of VitFor personalised online training, Craig Stevenson said: “Tapering can be more individual than most people think. It is something you need to practice to try and find the sweet spot...


Training Tips: How to Ride Hartwith Bank cycling climb

Training Tips: How to Ride Hartwith Bank cycling climb

Struggle Dales sportive takes you off Yorkshire’s beaten track and over some of the most narrow, steep and unforgiving climbs. Here we talk you through what to expect when you tackle Hartwith Bank.

Hartwith Bank

Local Knowledge

After a warm-up over Bedlam Hill you’ll hit Hartwith Bank at mile 10, a climb not as forgiving as its precursor.

This secret segment is unknown to the outsider. But rather than shooting through Summerbridge on their way to tackle the infamous Greenhow Hill (which comes later), hardcore locals swing right behind the highstreet and straight up onto this hidden hill.

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Training Tips: Quick leg strength gym workout for cyclists

Training Tips: Quick leg strength gym workout for cyclists

Our resident strength and conditioning expert Byron Spence sets us an awesome at-home working to strength your climbing legs while you're stuck inside.