Many people rate the winter training they do as leading to success in the summer. I'm one of them. But there are problems - training in the winter can be painful. The cold, the ice, the wind, the rain, the dark.
I did my winter training in Dec, Jan, Feb and March and have now "transitioned" to more intense but less time consuming training. So it's ironic - just as the weather gets better I'm riding less.
In March I did 900km but for April it'll be more like 500km. That's the plan, it's what I should be doing because now I'm now focusing on intensity rather than distance.
The sun is shining, the sky is clear, there's no danger of ice or snow, it stays light well into the evening - no more hurrying home at 4pm. Just the right time to start doing some serious distance, really.
Another way of doing things would be - start building distance in April, May, June, and July then switch in August and September to intensity work. This would lead to a peak performance at the end of September or in October.
This way would mean enjoying long hours in good weather building your endurance, and then a chance to knock off a major sportive event just before the season finishes. And it fits into a purely UK based training system - if you aren't planning on going to a big continental sportive in July then there isn't a problem.
Italian events and European climbs