Road Cross Training

DIVERSITY EQUALS VELOCITY: BEYOND THE ROAD BIKE

Written by James Witts, content writer for Nopinz

Mixing up sports this off-season will power up your endurance performance in 2026. (Now, where did we put those ski poles…)

Fact: at Nopinz, we’re all about kitting out cyclists and triathletes in the fastest, most innovative apparel on the market. We’re about improving your performance via science-backed garments, from the game-changing Hypersonic Speedsuit to our cutting-edge Subzero range that’ll optimise your indoor training and e-racing.

However, we’re also aware that as a change is as good as a rest, which is why we see the off-season not only as a time to build your base for a strong 2026, but also a time where you can play around with other sports and activities. Keeping active in different ways not only adds variety that acts a cerebral refresher but choose the right sport and there’ll be a physiological transfer effect that’ll ultimately benefit your main sport.

That’s why we’ve dug into the science of five different disciplines that are challenging, fun and will deliver that all-important transfer effect. But before we reveal the chosen quintet, let us regale the parents amongst you of the importance of mixing things up for the fruit of your respective loins.

At the annual Future of Football Medicine conference held in Barcelona in May 2017, Professor Roald Bahr, head of the Aspetar Sports Injury and Illness Prevention Programme in Norway, told the attendees, “I believe the United States has an advantage over many of the world’s countries in that school sports programmes are limited to three months during the year, so I played football in the fall, athletics in winter and lacrosse in the spring.

“Many coaches like to say practice early if you want to be a great athlete in my sport. My question is: Was Michael Jordan a good basketball player? He only played basketball for three months a year. He also played baseball, football … and this I think is an advantage for US athletes.”

For those of you encouraging tiny Tricia and little Lenny to devote all their time to one sport, note that there is a growing body of evidence that multisport helps not hinders sporting development, with the dangers of early specialisation highlighted by a number of studies, including a consensus statement published in the ‘British Journal of Sports Medicine’ on reducing risk of burnout and injury in youth sport, which emphasised the benefits of diverse sports training during early to middle adolescence.

In short, no matter how young or old you are, mixing up sports will reap rewards for your main sport. Right, against that beneficial backdrop, onto the five…

INDOOR ROWING

In 2004, Briton Rebecca Romero won Olympic silver in the quadruple sculls. Four years later, she won gold in track cycling’s individual pursuit, becoming only the third woman in history to win a medal at two different sports at the Summer Games. Canada’s Kristen Faulkner, who won gold in the women’s road race and track cycling team pursuit at the 2024 Paris Olympics, competed in rowing at Harvard University. Successfully swapping paddles for pedals isn’t uncommon due to the significant physiological overlap, such as high power output and aerobic capacity, plus bursts of real intense efforts that tap into the anaerobic system.

But you don’t need to make this a permanent transition; instead, do what top cyclists Charlie Tanfield and Ashton Lambie do and incorporate rowing training into your off-season plan.

Rowing – more specifically indoor over outdoor rowing as it’s more practical and less technical, which is what you’re after in the off-season – not only strengthens the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes and pulling muscles of the back (which will seamlessly transfer to your cycling or triathlon performance), but it also engages trunk muscles that are often neglected.

Improved core strength and stability benefit all three triathlon disciplines. In the water, a stronger core helps you maintain a more streamlined, efficient position, translating to more speed without extra effort. On the bike, it can ease lower-back discomfort and help you stay steady in an aero position while producing power. During the run, better core strength supports posture and form, especially important for long-distance events like Ironman.

You can easily tag an indoor rowing effort onto your off-season gym sessions or spend the whole session on the Concept2. Just remember to keep your core engaged, your back straight and drive from your legs.

INDOOR CLIMBING AND BOULDERING

You think descending the Galibier, Stelvio or Hardknott Pass is, to quote Sir Alex Ferguson, “squeaky bum time”. Well, we implore you to watch ‘Free Solo’. As I type this, it’s currently on iPlayer (for our British community). You can also pay to watch it on Amazon Prime and numerous other platforms. It’s worth it for 100 minutes to observe the awe-inspiring and frankly ridiculous human endeavour of professional rock climber Alex Honnold, whoattempts to become the first person in history to free solo climb El Capitan’s 900-metre vertical rock face at Yosemite National Park. That means no ropes or protective equipment. One slip and it’ll be the last slip of your life.

The gripping watch will arguably put you off free solo climbing for life (unless you have a particularly stubborn death wish). But it will inspire a desire to climb, of which we’d heartily encourage as not only is it fun, but the physiological transfer to cycling and triathlon is impressive.

Both indoor climbing and bouldering engage nearly the entire body’s muscles, from your heart to your biceps and quads. The pushing, pulling and lifting inherent in climbing resemble resistance exercises, making it ideal for building strength.

Climbing involves a constantly changing series of movements. Studies suggest that this type of dynamic muscle use is more demanding and fatiguing than repetitive exercises and can reduce the risk of injury.

Climbing also provides a strong cardiovascular workout. A 2004 study found that climbers engage a significant percentage of their aerobic capacity. “Of course, how high your heart rate rises depends on the effort you put in,” the study adds.

Finally, climbing benefits the brain as well. That’s because the balance and neuromuscular coordination required to stay clamped to the wall enhances cognitive performance. A 2017 study from the University of Hamburg found that activities demanding balance, muscle coordination and spatial awareness can significantly boost working memory and other cognitive functions. Just be careful to land properly when you inevitably plummet into the mat below, especially when bouldering. A winter on the sidelines won’t be of huge benefit to your 2026 cycling or triathlon season.

RUNNING

Okay, the triathletes and Ironman athletes among you can arguably sidestep this hit, but if you’re a cyclist, read on and join an increasing number of WorldTour riders in spending chunks of the off-season running. Yes, to Bonafide cyclists this might sound heresy, but drop that dogma and learn from the world’s best. Take Visma-Lease a Bike’s Wout van Aert, who complements his off-season cyclocross racing with trail running. One-day rival Mathieu van der Poel integrates light running as part of his winter training, too, and even Tadej Pogacar’s been known to hit the trails for a spot of hiking and running.

Just to hammer home the point, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s multi-GrandTour winner Primoz Roglic often starts his day with a 20- to 30-minute run, even during race season. “It’s something he carried over from his ski-jumping days,” head of performance Mathieu Heijboer told us when Roglic was at Visma. “He just feels better for an early morning run.”

There’s no doubt that a dawn run clears the cobwebs before you crack on with your day. But there’s a strong physiological rationale behind cyclists integrating regular runs into their off-season, one of the main drivers being bone strengthening.

Studies show that weight-bearing and impact exercise like running is what researchers term an “effective osteogenic stimulus”, leading to improved bone health. Cycling’s a non-weight-bearing activity. Vis-à-vis there is no stimulus, raising the spectre of debilitating conditions like osteoporosis, which ended Chris Boardman’s cycling career at the age of 32. A 2000 study found that runners had “high whole-body and leg bone mineral density”, while cyclists had “reduced spine bone mineral density”.

How running strengthens your bones and so reduces the chances of fractures, is through many mechanisms. Each foot strike generates a ground-reaction force of two to three times your bodyweight, which travels up your legs and spine. This force activates osteocytes (bone-sensing cells), which then signal to build new bone (osteoblasts) and remodel old bone (osteoclasts).

A couple of easy 30-minute runs each week during the winter months will be beneficial and enjoyable, while reducing the chances of injury that can come from switching from a low-impact sport to a high-impact one. Grass or trail running is a wiser idea than pavement pounding as the surface is more forgiving.

CROSS-COUNTRY (OR ROLLER) SKIING

Kilian Jornet’s list of run achievements are beyond impressive. The Catalan has racked up multiple wins at the Ultra-Trail Mont Blanc and Hardrock 100, two of the most brutal ultra-running events in the world. In 2017, he summited Mount Everest twice in one week without oxygen and without fixed ropes, helped by a VO2max that’s reportedly 92ml/kg/min. That’s around twice that of a good amateur endurance athlete. He’s understandably regarded as one of the greatest runners in history.

All of this you might know. But do you know that Jornet also moonlights as a world-class ski mountaineer, which involves climbing mountains on skis and by foot before descending like Franz Klammer? Now, that’s pretty hardcore and beyond the realms of off-season possibility for many. Which is why you should give the alternative of Nordic skiing a go.

Nordic skiing is the umbrella term for a range of disciplines including cross-country skiing. And before you lament its impossibility in the UK due to lack of snow, you can cross-country ski all-year round thanks to roller skiing. As the name suggests, you slip into a set of miniature skis on wheels where you project yourself, like cross-country skiing, via a duo of ski poles. Snow is substituted by any smooth surface, such as park paths, roads and cycle tracks.

The crossover benefits are many. By engaging both upper and lower body, there’s a strong aerobic stimulus that’s comparable to cross-country skiing. It builds muscular strength, especially in the arms, backs and legs. There’s also a neuromuscular benefit, as the balance and cyclical nature of propulsion all help to develop neuromuscular co-ordination, which is only a good thing for bike handling.

How effective is roller skiing or cross-country skiing to an endurance sport’s performance is highlighted by numerous studies. Take a “talent transfer” intervention study that tracked several groups of athletes, amongst them runners, who switched to cross-country skiing (including roller ski training) for six months. VO2max in the running group improved by 5%, while their upper-body strength cranked up, too.

A further study looked at off-season cross-country training (including roller skiing) over fourweeks and noted improvements in knee-joint muscular function (especially in knee flexor muscles), plus increases in upper-body strength.

Snowsport England is your first port of call for getting involved as they run many events for first-timers. Failing that, the cross-country skiing equipment in your local gym will deliver many of the crossover benefits (albeit isn’t as much joyous fun!).

CYCLOCROSS

Okay, for cyclists and triathletes this might not seem a radical cross-training departure as it’s, well, cycling. But as any of the Nopinz crew who’ve dabbled with the knobbles will tell you, it’s a completely different experience than riding the roads. As a snapshot, you’re regularly pedalling through a quagmire, before carrying your bike over small hurdles – or bunny hopping if you’re a talented two-wheeler – often against a rocking soundtrack blaring out from a slightly rusty Tanoy system. It’s sport at its purest and is great fun with events up and down the country.

Ideally, you’d race on a cyclocross-specific bike, albeit mountain bikes are fine, too. You could also use your road bike adorned with wide, knobbly tyres with reduced tyre pressure – albeit maybe think twice if it’s your 10-grand carbon pride-and-joy.

The technical nature of cyclocross, which commonly takes place over tight circuits on fields, is great for improving your handling on the road. Your balance improves, too, as you’re constantly having to play around with your weight and position on the saddle. Then there’s the relentless intensity. On muddy courses especially, there’s no freewheeling – you’ve just got to keep pedalling and pedalling hard.

Racing unfolds (or unravels!) over 60 minutes of hardcore action. While that might seem insignificant compared to your long Sunday morning rides, the intensity is extreme. How extreme is highlighted by a 2017 study where eight experienced crossers undertook both a lab test to find their respective zones before digging deep in a cyclocross race.

Over a 2.7km lapped course on varied terrain including grass, pavement and barriers, the eight subjects had an average heart rate of 171bpm and a maximum of 178bpm. The percentage of time in low, medium and high zones was 0.3, 6.1 and 93.6%, respectively.

“Cyclocross racing is performed at a higher intensity than road, criterium or mountain-bike racing,” the study concluded. “The time spent in the high zone in the current study (93.6%) suggests that the sport requires a significant contribution from the anaerobic energy systems.”

In short, integrate winter cyclocross into your plan and, come the road season, once you’ve sprayed off the detritus, you’re physically primed and your competitive synapses are glowing.

Ultimately, whether it’s the full-body burn of indoor rowing, the strength and problem-solving of climbing, the bone-building impact of running, the upper-lower body challenge of cross-country or roller skiing or the high-intensity thrill of cyclocross, diversifying your training pays off. By exploring one or more of these disciplines in the off-season, you’re not just staying active, you’re improving your core strength, aerobic capacity, neuromuscular coordination and bike handling – all attributes and skills that will see you hit the 2026 race season primed to perform.

Author: James Witts

James Witts is a writer who specialises in endurance sport and sports science. He has three books on his palmares including The Science of the Tour de France and Riding with the Rocketmen. He also writes for a broad range of consumer publications including Rouleur, Cyclist, The Observer and 220 Triathlon.