Strength work through winter

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge/article/izn20130617-Busting-The-Core-Myth-0

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge/article/izn20130115-All-Cycling-Cross-Training-0

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/fitness/training/strong-to-the-core-31235

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/fitness/training/strength-training-really-necessary-125222

http://roadcyclinguk.com/racing/interview-british-cycling-team-sky-physio-phil-burt.html#kqMpjDtf2Xkc94bI.97

viewtopic.php?t=12951220&p=18654597

Pistol squats in the off-season are very effective at developing strength see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3zbtsZ1zbw and these weighted ones are tough http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8nvzuOImvw .
The pistols are very tough but are excellent at simulating the strength needed for cycling but alone are not enough.
Cycling requires "power" not strength and power is defined as force x velocity -- or in cycling terms, angular velocity (revs) x force (pedal pressure). Strength gives you the ability to apply force (heavy pedal pressure) but lacks the velocity component for power.
To build the velocity in a cycling specific way while doing off-bike work at higher forces than one can generate on the bike, I also work on coupling explosiveness with the pistols, as the pistols are for strength but I find that making things more cycling specific requires a fast/explosive component so I do these step-ups as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttnUld5mZ_Y , doing them right after the pistols and focusing on the top part of the movement being very rapid.
Bill Black

There is an article in this weeks New Scientist magazine (22 August 2015, No3035) Workouts that make you smarter, tone your body, tune your mind.
"Pumping iron to sculpt your biceps. Yoga poses to stretch and relax. Running to whittle your waistline and get fit fast. There are loads of reasons 's smart to exercise, and most of us are familiar with the menu of options and how each can shape and benefit your body.
But we are discovering that there are numerous ways in which exercise makes you smart too.
The combination of lifting weights and aerobic exercise might be particularly powerful because strength training triggers the release of a molecule called insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a growth hormone produced in the liver that is known to affect communication between brain cells, and to promote the growth of new neurons and blood vessels. On the other hand, aerobic exercise mainly boosts BDNF (brain-derived neurotropic factor).
...strength training also decreases levels of homocysteine, an inflammatory molecule that is increased in the brains of older adults with dementia."

I'm quite surprised with the rule of 24 in the above link for rep counts per group, I'd have thought they would be going higher rep, lower weight. You could go 10, 8, 6 and be pushing some big weights by the time you get to 6.