The 2026 season is over, the bikes are muddy and the evenings are drawing in. For most XC racers, this is the time to ease off.
The riders on the front row next spring are doing the opposite. They’re using the winter to build the fitness, strength and habits that win races in March. Here’s how you can do the same.
Why winter matters so much in XC
Cross-country racing is brutally intense. An XCO race is often 1.5hrs at close to your limit, with repeated hard surges up climbs and out of corners. Short track is even more explosive.
Those efforts depend on a strong aerobic engine. Your aerobic engine is what lets you recover between surges and still have something left on the last lap. It’s built slowly, through consistent training over months, not weeks.
That’s what winter is for. The work you do between now and February sets the ceiling for your whole season.
The four building blocks of a good XC winter
1. Build your aerobic base
Much of your winter riding should be at a steady, comfortable pace that you can hold for hours. It doesn’t feel heroic, but it’s what lets you handle harder training later.
A common mistake is riding every session “moderately hard”. That’s too hard to build your base properly and too easy to improve your top-end speed. Structure stops that from happening.
2. Get strong off the bike
Strength and conditioning is one of the most underused tools in amateur XC racing. Mountain-bike-specific strength work can help you:
put more power through the pedals on steep climbs
stay stable and in control on technical descents
reduce the risk of injury from crashes and overuse
Two short sessions a week through winter can make a noticeable difference by spring.
3. Use the turbo wisely
Dark evenings and wet trails mean more indoor riding. Used well, the turbo is a great training tool: you can do precise, structured sessions with no traffic, no weather and no wasted time.
The key is having a plan. Riding the turbo with no structure quickly becomes boring and doesn’t achieve much.
4. Plan backwards from your target races
Pick your key races for 2027, such as National Series rounds, a regional series or a stage race, and build your training around them. A good plan increases the load gradually, adds intensity as the season gets closer, and makes sure you’re sharp on race day rather than tired.
Why most riders struggle to get it right
Most of us know roughly what we should do. Getting it right week after week is the hard part:
knowing how hard each session should be
adjusting when work, family or illness get in the way
knowing when to push and when to rest
staying motivated through January
That’s where coaching makes the biggest difference. But one-to-one coaching can cost a lot each month, which puts it out of reach for many amateur racers.
Introducing MTB Training Squad
We set up MTB Training Squad to give XC racers properly structured coaching without the price of a personal coach.
It’s built specifically for XCO, XCM and stage racing, with plans for every level from Novice to Elite.
What’s included
Structured training plans written by qualified coaches for XC racing
TrainingPeaks Premium included, worth £15 a month. Your plan goes straight to your TrainingPeaks calendar and syncs to Garmin, Wahoo and Strava.
A monthly coach check-in. A real coach reviews your training data, answers your questions and adjusts your next block.
Strength and conditioning sessions built into your plan
Race tips and strategy: course recce guides, tapering and race-day checklists
Training guides covering nutrition, recovery, bike setup and riding in all conditions
The squad community, connecting riders across the UK and Europe
Meet the coaches
Alex Rhodes, Head Coach. A British Cycling MTB coach and BTF Level 3 High Performance Coach, Alex is also a performance nutritionist and PhD researcher in physiology and metabolism. He has 15 years’ coaching experience and is a two-time World age-group silver medallist and Masters MTB national champion.
Ashley de Lotz, MTB and S&C Coach. A British Cycling MTB coach and strength and conditioning specialist with a first-class degree in Sports Science. Ashley is an Elite XC racer, two-time European age-group medallist and Masters MTB national champion, with a background in downhill and triathlon.
Every plan adjustment and check-in comes from a qualified person, not an algorithm.
Pricing
MTB Training Squad costs £40/€69 a month, with everything included. There are no tiers and no upsells. There’s no contract, so you can cancel any time. The founding member price stays the same for as long as you remain a member.
Start your 2027 season now
The best time to start structured training is before the hard work of the new season begins, and that’s now. Every week of consistent base training this winter puts you in a stronger position on the start line in spring.
Have a question about training or the squad? Contact the coaches through the MTB Training Squad website - MTB Trainingsquad is brought to you by the xcomtb.com team.