The Winter Block
Training starts 2 November
The Winter Block · Founding members
Sixteen weeks of structured training for cyclists 40+. Follow a shared plan indoors or outdoors, with weekly feedback from a coach and a small group to train alongside.
Training and weekly key-session reviews start 2 November. Hosted group rides start 5 December.
Training starts 2 November. $549 paid upfront. Your full Winter Block members’ area opens as soon as payment clears.
+47W FTP in 12 weeks
Tom, 52 · Gravel racer · 7–8 hrs/week
The older you get, the faster fitness leaves and the slower it comes back.
Every winter, the same trade. You back off through the dark months. You tell yourself you'll rebuild in spring. And every year, the rebuild costs more than it did the year before.
You've tried doing winter alone. A plan PDF, a trainer, and sixteen weeks of nobody noticing whether you showed up. That's not a discipline problem. Nobody holds a winter together alone. That's what the winter is.
Being over 40 doesn't mean your best numbers are behind you. Plenty of riders reach this point without ever putting together a properly structured sixteen-week block. Winter isn't only about protecting what you have. It is a chance to find out what you can still build.
The riders who arrive at spring strong aren't more motivated than you. They just didn't do winter by themselves.
Everyone follows the same key sessions, with the effort set to their own fitness. During winter base training, we’re building a shared foundation of aerobic fitness. You can add time to rides to suit your availability. This is a group programme with individual feedback, rather than one-to-one coaching or a custom training plan.
01
Your workouts are in TrainingPeaks, an online training calendar. Follow them indoors or outdoors. For indoor sessions we use TrainingPeaks Virtual, a virtual riding platform included with your TrainingPeaks Premium access. No previous structured training experience is needed.
02
The key session is the main workout we review each week. Complete it within a shared 48-hour window, at a time that suits you. This accommodates different time zones and lets the coach analyse everyone’s rides together, then give you individual feedback.
03
Weekly hosted rides on TrainingPeaks Virtual begin Saturday 5 December. We’re aiming for 5 pm Girona time (4 pm GMT during winter), with possible additional times after surveying riders. Join Damian for a recorded call every second Friday to discuss the training and ask questions.
A coach reviews your ride data and gives you feedback every week.
Your private members’ website, semipro.coach, brings together the forum, ride information, programme guidance and schedule. Your workout calendar lives in TrainingPeaks. Deposit now to set up your profile, meet the group and see important dates before training starts.
Proof
+47W FTP
In 12 weeks. Tom, 52 · Gravel racer · SEMIPRO athlete.
Your result may not be 47 watts. That isn't the promise. The promise is that you finish knowing exactly what changed, measured against your own week-one numbers.
“Before working with Damian, I'd won one race in several years. Over 18 months, I won three races and finished far more consistently on the podium. If you're trying to be competitive, you need a coach — and Damian is a great one.”
Robert · Masters racer · Coached by Damian for 18 months
“When working with Damian I saw improvements everywhere — threshold, VO2max, and race endurance.”
Jay Vine · UAE Team Emirates
Damian Ruse
Head coach
Fourteen years of coaching. A WorldTour rider developed from the ground up. And a method built for riders who want to be strong late: late in the ride, late in the season, late in the game.
Every fourth week is recovery, and taking it is part of the standard.
Weeks 1–2
We establish where you're starting. Honestly.
Weeks 3–8
Progressive endurance load. The engine gets built.
Week 9
The first proof.
Weeks 10–15
Quality placed late in rides, when it counts. This is where durability is made.
Week 16
Fresh versus fatigued, against your week-one numbers. You graduate with a before-and-after most riders never get to see.
You finish in late February with the base built and the data to prove it. You know what moved, why it moved, and what your riding needs next. Spring is in front of you instead of on top of you.
Join and your full Winter Block members’ area opens after payment. You can complete setup, meet the group and arrive at week one ready to train.
The block starts on 2 November. Being in it starts now.
Join before week one
You can still join at $549 paid upfront if a place remains. Your full members’ area opens after payment, so you can get set before training starts on 2 November.
$549 confirms your place and opens the full members’ area.
Training starts 2 November. $549 paid upfront. Your full Winter Block members’ area opens as soon as payment clears.
This is a shared group programme. Everyone follows the same key sessions, with effort levels matched to their own fitness. Flexibility comes from adding time to rides around that shared structure. During winter base training, the group is building the same broad foundation of aerobic fitness. You receive individual feedback on your key session each week, but the programme is not a custom plan or one-to-one coaching.
The whole programme, including the key sessions, can be done indoors or outdoors. For indoor sessions and hosted group rides we use TrainingPeaks Virtual, a virtual riding platform included with your TrainingPeaks Premium access during the block. You don’t need a Zwift subscription.
The first hosted ride is Saturday 5 December. We’re aiming for 5 pm Girona time, which is 4 pm GMT during winter. We’ll survey the riders who join before confirming the schedule and may add other times depending on locations and availability. Hosted rides happen together at the same time; the weekly key session can be completed on your own schedule within its 48-hour window.
There’s a live call with Damian every second Friday, recorded so you can watch later. We discuss the training, look at examples from the group and answer questions. Your key session is reviewed every week and you receive your own feedback, whether or not you attend a call.
It’s our private members’ website, with a forum, ride information, programme guidance and schedule. The forum is available throughout the week: post questions and read replies whenever it suits you. Your workout calendar is in TrainingPeaks. As a founding member, you can set up your profile, meet other riders and see important dates as soon as you deposit. Training begins on 2 November.
Yes. Any time before the block starts, for any reason, in full. And once the block begins, you’re covered by the 14-day guarantee on the full amount.
A bike, a power meter or heart rate monitor, and a TrainingPeaks account. You can complete the programme indoors or outdoors. For indoor sessions and hosted virtual rides, you’ll need a compatible trainer setup; a smart trainer is ideal. TrainingPeaks Premium and access to TrainingPeaks Virtual are included during the block. If you’re unsure about your equipment, ask us before joining.
No. Software does the first pass on your file, because it’s fast and it’s consistent, and it flags anything that doesn’t line up with what the session was for. A coach then decides what it means and what you do about it. The software never gets the last word.
Damian Ruse, fourteen years of coaching, including developing a WorldTour rider from the ground up, and a Team SEMIPRO coach who runs the weekly file analysis for our coached athletes. Two people, both actually present all block.
Built around 6–10 hours. Everyone follows the same key sessions at an effort level suited to their fitness. You can add time to rides to suit your availability; the main session structure stays shared.
Both are part of the coaching, not separate products. Winter is the right time for strength work, especially past 40. Your intake asks whether you want it, and if you do, we build it into your plan around the riding. Fueling comes up every week anyway, because it’s often the real reason a key session didn’t line up, and that’s exactly the kind of thing the review catches. What you won’t get is a meal plan from a dietitian. You don’t need one to get durable.
Training and weekly key-session reviews begin on Monday 2 November 2026. November is for baseline work, getting into the training routine and getting to know the group, with coaching and feedback from the start. Weekly hosted group rides begin on Saturday 5 December 2026.
You still get your plan and weekly feedback. Complete the key session indoors or outdoors at a time that suits you within its 48-hour window. Calls with Damian every second Friday are recorded, and you can use the private forum whenever it suits you.
You don’t have to be. The plan, the weekly review, and the coach’s note are yours whether you ever post or not. The group is there for the riders who want it, and the accountability works either way: somebody still sees your file, and somebody still notices if you go quiet. Turning up in the chat is not part of the standard.
There’s no fitness floor. The plan is progressive from your own baseline, and your results are measured against your own week-one numbers, nobody else’s. Strong riders do the same sessions with bigger numbers.
The block is timed for the northern winter. Southern riders are welcome, and the training stands on its own, but the calendar is built around November-to-February base.
Because “your file gets looked at” has to stay true. The block is small on purpose so two coaches can honestly stay present. That’s also why there’s a deposit: spots are real.
You graduate with your before-and-after, and what you do next is up to you. Most riders roll into a spring build. There’s no subscription, no auto-renewal, nothing to cancel.
Training starts 2 November. $549 paid upfront. Your full Winter Block members’ area opens as soon as payment clears.