50km Cycling Plan
Plan A: 6-Week Beginner
- Goal: Complete a 50km ride
- Fitness Level: Beginner (can ride 15–20km comfortably)
- Timeline: 6 weeks, 3 sessions per week
This plan gradually builds your cycling endurance from comfortable 20km rides to a full 50km event. You'll ride three days per week — Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday — with rest on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The midweek sessions introduce variety through cadence drills, tempo efforts, fartlek riding and hill repeats, while the Saturday long ride progressively increases distance. Don't worry about speed — the priority is time in the saddle and finishing each ride feeling strong.
Week 1: Building Base
Sessions per week: 3 (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) — Rest: Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun
Tuesday — Easy Ride
- Distance: 20km
- Intensity: Easy, flat route, steady pace
- Notes: Keep the effort conversational. Focus on a smooth pedal stroke and getting comfortable on the bike. Stay in an easy gear and spin at a natural cadence.
Thursday — Cadence Drills
- Distance: 15km
- Main Set: 4 x 1 min higher cadence efforts (90+ RPM) with 2 min easy spinning between each
- Notes: These short bursts teach your legs to spin efficiently at a higher cadence. Stay seated, keep your upper body relaxed and focus on smooth, circular pedalling.
Saturday — Long Ride
- Distance: 25km
- Intensity: Easy pace
- Notes: Your first long ride of the plan. Pick a route you enjoy and ride at a pace where you could chat with a partner. Practise drinking water on the bike.
Week 2: Increasing Distance
Sessions per week: 3 (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) — Rest: Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun
Tuesday — Easy Ride
- Distance: 20km
- Intensity: Easy, steady pace
- Notes: Same as last week. Consistent, comfortable riding. Focus on relaxed shoulders and a light grip on the handlebars.
Thursday — Tempo Ride
- Warm-up: 10 min easy spinning
- Main Set: 15 min at comfortably hard pace — you should be able to speak in short phrases but not hold a full conversation
- Cool Down: 10 min easy spinning
- Notes: This is your first tempo effort. Find a pace that feels sustainably hard and hold it steady. Resist the urge to start too fast.
Saturday — Long Ride
- Distance: 30km
- Intensity: Easy pace
- Notes: A 5km increase from last week. Keep the effort easy and start practising eating on the bike — a banana or energy bar halfway through is a good habit to build.
Week 3: Building Endurance
Sessions per week: 3 (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) — Rest: Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun
Tuesday — Easy Ride
- Distance: 25km
- Intensity: Easy, steady pace
- Notes: The midweek easy ride steps up by 5km. Keep the effort conversational and enjoy the extra distance.
Thursday — Fartlek Ride
- Warm-up: 10 min easy spinning
- Main Set: Alternate 2 min hard / 3 min easy for 25 min
- Cool Down: 10 min easy spinning
- Notes: Fartlek means "speed play." The hard efforts should feel strong but not flat-out — think 80–85% effort. Use landmarks like lamp posts or junctions to mark your intervals if you prefer.
Saturday — Long Ride
- Distance: 35km
- Intensity: Easy pace
- Notes: You're now past the halfway mark to your 50km goal. Stay patient with the pace and focus on hydration — aim to drink every 15–20 minutes.
Week 4: Distance Phase
Sessions per week: 3 (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) — Rest: Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun
Tuesday — Easy Ride
- Distance: 25km
- Intensity: Easy, steady pace
- Notes: Maintain the same easy effort as last week. By now your base fitness should feel noticeably stronger.
Thursday — Tempo Ride
- Warm-up: 10 min easy spinning
- Main Set: 20 min at tempo pace (comfortably hard — sustainable but challenging)
- Cool Down: 10 min easy spinning
- Notes: Five minutes longer than your Week 2 tempo. Hold a steady effort throughout — even pacing is the goal. If you have a heart rate monitor, aim for 75–85% MHR.
Saturday — Long Ride
- Distance: 40km
- Intensity: Easy pace
- Notes: Your longest ride yet — only 10km short of the goal. Practise your event-day nutrition strategy: eat something small every 30–45 minutes and drink regularly.
Week 5: Peak Week
Sessions per week: 3 (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) — Rest: Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun
Tuesday — Easy Ride
- Distance: 25km
- Intensity: Easy, steady pace
- Notes: Keep this relaxed. Your legs need to be fresh for Thursday's hill session and Saturday's long ride.
Thursday — Hill Repeats
- Warm-up: 10 min easy spinning
- Main Set: 5 x 3 min climbs at hard effort with 3 min easy recovery spin between each
- Cool Down: 10 min easy spinning
- Notes: Find a steep road or use a high gear on a flat road to simulate climbing. Stay seated for at least 3 of the 5 repeats to build cycling-specific leg strength. Stand on the other 2 if you like — both techniques are useful on event day.
Saturday — Long Ride
- Distance: 45km
- Intensity: Easy pace
- Notes: Your peak long ride — just 5km short of the target. Treat this as a dress rehearsal: wear the kit you'll use on event day, eat and drink as you plan to during the event, and ride at the pace you intend to hold for 50km.
Week 6: Taper and Ride
Sessions per week: 3 (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) — Rest: Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun
Tuesday — Easy Ride
- Distance: 20km
- Intensity: Easy, steady pace
- Notes: Volume drops this week to let your body absorb six weeks of training. Spin easy and enjoy the lighter load.
Thursday — Easy Ride with Pickups
- Distance: 15km
- Main Set: 4 x 1 min pickups (brisk effort, not all-out) with 2–3 min easy spinning between each
- Notes: A light sharpening session to keep your legs feeling snappy before Saturday. The pickups should feel controlled and smooth — this is about rhythm, not exhaustion.
Saturday — Event Day!
- Distance: 50km
- Notes: This is it — the ride you've been building towards. Start at an easy, sustainable pace and resist the temptation to go out too fast. Eat and drink early and often. Trust your training — you've done the work. Enjoy the ride!
Plan B: 4-Week Intermediate
- Goal: Ride 50km faster and more comfortably
- Fitness Level: Intermediate (can ride 50km, wants to improve speed and comfort)
- Timeline: 4 weeks, 4 sessions per week
This plan is for cyclists who can already complete 50km and want to ride it faster or with less effort. It blends easy aerobic rides with tempo sessions, high-intensity intervals and a weekly long ride to build power, lactate threshold and endurance simultaneously. Heart rate zones are expressed as a percentage of maximum heart rate (MHR). Rest days are Tuesday, Friday and Sunday — use them for complete rest or light activity such as walking, stretching or yoga.
Week 1: Base and Speed
Sessions per week: 4 (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday)
Monday — Easy Ride
- Distance: 30km
- Intensity: 65–70% MHR
- Notes: Conversational pace throughout. Focus on a smooth, efficient pedal stroke and steady breathing. This sets the aerobic foundation for the week.
Wednesday — Intervals
- Warm-up: 15 min easy spinning
- Main Set: 6 x 3 min at 85–90% MHR with 3 min recovery spin between each rep
- Cool Down: 10 min easy spinning
- Notes: These efforts should feel hard but controlled. Aim for consistent power across all six reps — don't blow up on the first two. The recovery spin should be genuinely easy.
Thursday — Recovery Ride
- Distance: 20km
- Intensity: 55–65% MHR
- Notes: Very easy. The purpose is active recovery — promote blood flow and loosen the legs without adding training stress. Your legs may feel heavy from yesterday's intervals; that's normal.
Saturday — Long Ride
- Distance: 50km
- Intensity: 65–70% MHR
- Notes: Steady endurance ride at a comfortable pace. This is your baseline long ride — the distance itself is the stimulus. Practise your fuelling strategy: aim for 30–60g of carbohydrates per hour and drink every 15–20 minutes.
Week 2: Building Intensity
Sessions per week: 4 (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday)
Monday — Easy Ride
- Distance: 30km
- Intensity: 65–70% MHR
- Notes: Relaxed effort. Settle into a rhythm and focus on good posture — flat back, relaxed shoulders, soft elbows.
Wednesday — Tempo Ride
- Warm-up: 15 min easy spinning
- Main Set: 25 min at 80–85% MHR (comfortably hard — sustainable but you can't hold a full conversation)
- Cool Down: 10 min easy spinning
- Notes: A sustained threshold effort. Lock into a steady pace and resist the temptation to surge. Even pacing is the key to improving your lactate threshold.
Thursday — Recovery Ride
- Distance: 20km
- Intensity: 55–65% MHR
- Notes: Keep this genuinely easy. Spin in a light gear and let your legs recover from the tempo effort.
Saturday — Long Ride with Tempo Finish
- Distance: 55km total
- Intensity: First 45km at 65–70% MHR, last 10km at tempo pace (80–85% MHR)
- Notes: The tempo finish teaches your body to ride fast on tired legs — exactly what you'll need in the closing stages of an event. Start the tempo section gradually and build into it rather than surging from the start.
Week 3: Peak Week
Sessions per week: 4 (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday)
Monday — Easy Ride
- Distance: 30km
- Intensity: 65–70% MHR
- Notes: Same easy ride as previous weeks. Maintain a relaxed, conversational pace. This is the biggest training week of the plan, so keep this session easy to preserve energy for the harder work ahead.
Wednesday — Intervals
- Warm-up: 15 min easy spinning
- Main Set: 4 x 5 min at 85–90% MHR with 3 min recovery spin between each rep
- Cool Down: 10 min easy spinning
- Notes: Longer reps than Week 1 — these build sustained power and mental toughness. Aim for even pacing across all four repeats. The last two should feel hard but you should hold your form.
Thursday — Tempo Ride
- Warm-up: 10 min easy spinning
- Main Set: 30 min at 80–85% MHR
- Cool Down: 10 min easy spinning
- Notes: Your longest tempo effort of the plan. This is a key session — it builds the muscular endurance and lactate clearance you need to hold a strong pace for 50km. Stay mentally engaged and keep your cadence steady.
Saturday — Long Ride
- Distance: 60km
- Intensity: 65–70% MHR
- Notes: Your peak long ride — 10km beyond the event distance. Keep the pace steady and controlled. If you can comfortably ride 60km in training, 50km on event day will feel very manageable. Practise everything: nutrition, hydration, pacing and bike position.
Week 4: Taper and Ride
Sessions per week: 4 (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday)
Monday — Easy Ride
- Distance: 25km
- Intensity: 65–70% MHR
- Notes: Volume drops this week to let your body absorb four weeks of training. Keep the effort easy and enjoy the lighter load. You've done the hard work — now it's about arriving fresh on event day.
Wednesday — Sharpening Intervals
- Warm-up: 15 min easy spinning
- Main Set: 4 x 3 min at 85–90% MHR with 3 min recovery spin between each rep
- Cool Down: 10 min easy spinning
- Notes: Fewer reps than Week 3 to keep your legs fresh. Ride these with crisp, controlled power — this session is about sharpness, not building fitness.
Thursday — Recovery Ride
- Distance: 15km
- Intensity: 55–65% MHR
- Notes: Final easy spin before event day. Keep it short, slow and relaxed. Check your bike, prepare your kit and plan your event-day logistics.
Saturday — Event Day!
- Warm-up: 10–15 min easy spinning
- Main Set: 50km at target pace
- Notes: Trust your training. Start at your target pace — don't go out too fast in the first 10km. Stay controlled through the middle section, fuel consistently, and give everything you have in the final 10km. You're ready for this.