Fitness is fading on schedule. Those 6 months of training, intervals, and racing start to get eroded as 7 days of riding becomes 3-4, intensity decreases and riding for fun endurance takes over. I did a couple of 50+ mile rides in two weeks and my legs hurt because they were not used to it. The VO2 max and threshold will be the first victims of non-training. My ftp will decrease as well, probably returning to the 270 range by February and my CTL decreases out of the 60's and into the upper 40's.

Cycling amazes me in that you have to do so much to gain so little. In fact, at 41, it is more like doing a lot just to stay in one place (Red Queen hypothesis). And, once you stop doing a lot, the decrease in fitness is very rapid.

In terms of weight, I was 169 at nationals and now I am up to 174 pounds. It will be a struggle to stay around 172 which is my goal. Most other people I have spoken to have had a significant weight gain since racing stopped. It makes sense.

The motivation (for me) also gets harder without any discernible goals. Weather conditions especially unmotivate me whereas during training I would want to get out in the worst weather to get the workout in. There is a happy medium somewhere.