Cycling Training Plans
From your first 50km ride to an Ironman-distance 180km, these plans provide structured weekly programmes to build your cycling fitness. Each plan includes endurance rides, tempo sessions, interval training and recovery, with progressive overload to get you event-ready.
Training Focus by Level
Beginner — Finish the Ride
- Consistency: Stick to the plan and build the habit of regular riding. Frequency matters more than intensity early on.
- Saddle time: Your body needs to adapt to time on the bike. Gradually increase ride duration before worrying about speed.
- Cadence: Aim for a comfortable cadence of 80–90 RPM. Spinning in an easier gear is more efficient than grinding a hard gear.
- Nutrition on the bike: For rides over 60 minutes, practise eating and drinking on the bike. Aim for 30–60g of carbohydrates per hour.
- Rest: Rest days let your body adapt. Don't skip them.
Intermediate — Ride Faster and Further
- Warm-up and cool-down: Start every hard session with 10–15 minutes of easy spinning and finish with the same. This improves session quality and recovery.
- Heart rate and power zones: When plans specify intensity, use heart rate or power to stay in the right zone. Pacing is critical for longer events.
- Long rides: Your weekend long ride is the cornerstone session. Keep effort steady and practise race-day nutrition and pacing.
- Hill work: Hill repeats build strength and power. If you don't have hills, use a higher gear on flat roads or an indoor trainer with resistance.
- Recovery rides: Easy spins between hard sessions promote blood flow without adding training stress. Keep these genuinely easy.
Session Types
- Endurance ride: Steady effort at 60–70% MHR. Builds aerobic base and teaches your body to burn fat efficiently.
- Tempo ride: Sustained effort at 75–85% MHR. Improves muscular endurance and lactate threshold.
- Intervals: Short, hard efforts at 85–95% MHR with recovery between. Builds power and VO2max.
- Hill repeats: Repeated climbs at high intensity. Builds cycling-specific strength and power.
- Recovery ride: Very easy spin at 55–65% MHR. Active recovery between harder sessions.
- Long ride: Extended duration at endurance pace. The key session for building event-day fitness.