I also train all year but in the past have took a few easy weeks after the road season, then got out on the road for some endurance rides with a couple of turbo sessions during the week for a few months, basically just trying to maintain fitness. Nothing that would have me race fit. But this winter I am hoping to be race fit for a mtb series and still manage to start the road season in April in good form.
I use Golden Cheetah so can use the PMC chart there. In the past I would aim to get my fitness line as high as possible coming into the season, then try to keep it high, keeping an eye on the stress balance line, life's interuptions would also mean there would always be dips and rises. I never really plan for an easy week, life seems to take care of these and forces them on me every so often, probably more often than I would like.
So rather than see the fitness line fall somewhat, should I try to maintain as best I can at summer levels over the winter. Also, the make up of what training I do to never really gives me a very high CTL as I usually only get in one longish ride and 3 turbo sessions a week. I know from having maybe completed a few weeks with a lot more hours on the road how it can push up CTL, but these longer slower rides would not give me the fitness I need and can get from more focused turbo sessions. So do I just go for it and see what happens, or am I in for a fall ?