Ride Your First 50km! 8 Week Training Plan
Even if your bike is gathering dust you can still get off the couch, put in some training and be ready to ride 50km within 2 months!
Week 1
Although the prospect of cycling 50km might seem daunting, by building up slowly, it’s well within your capabilities. Remember, by using your gears and picking flatter routes, there’s no reason why cycling has to feel hard. This week is all about just getting your bike out and a few short rides.
Ride 1: 20 minutes
If you’re riding outside, try to pick a flat route on quiet or traffic free roads. Just get used to being back on a bike. Use your gears and regularly take the “talk-test” - you should be able to maintain a full conversation. As well as motivating each other this is a great reason for signing up with a friend.
Ride 2: 25 minutes
Add on another 5 minutes.
Ride 3: 30 minutes
Another 5 minutes - this is as easy as… riding a bike!
Week 2
Over the next couple of weeks, we’re just going to keep steadily building your time in the saddle up to an hour long ride. Don’t forget the “talk-test” and get into the habit of having a sip of liquid every 10 minutes - don’t wait to feel thirsty.
Ride 1: 40 minutes
Ride 2: 40 minutes
Ride 3: 45 minutes
How’s your backside? A pair of padded cycling shorts - you can wear regular kit over the top, will be a good investment.
Week 3
You’ll break the hour barrier this week - great work!
Ride 1: 45 minutes
Ride 2: 45 minutes
Ride 3: 60 minutes
Week 4
How was your hour long ride? Any aches and pains? Try to include some yoga, Pilates, foam rolling and stretching into your routine. You don’t have to do it immediately after riding - in front of the TV in the evening is fine.
Ride 1: 60 minutes
Ride 2: 60 minutes
Ride 3: 75 minutes
Going beyond the hour for the first time, you need to start thinking about fuelling. Just like drinking, don’t wait until you feel thirsty. Right from the start of the ride, have a small snack, such as half a Rawvelo bar, every 30 minutes.
Week 5
We’ll keep building up this week and you can stick to “full conversation pace” if you want. However, if you’re feeling good, you can lift the intensity a bit for some of the time on a couple of the rides.
Ride 1: 60 minutes
Try including a few 5-minute blocks in this ride where you lift the intensity a bit. Use the “talk-test” again and aim for being able to talk but only in short sentences. You might want to use a hill for this.
Ride 2: 60 minutes
Same as the first ride this week so, if you want, up the intensity a bit but don’t worry if you don’t feel like it.
Ride 3: 90 minutes
As well as thinking about your drinking and eating on the bike - sip from your bottle every 10 minutes and a snack every 30 minutes; you’ll need to think a bit more about your pre-ride fuelling now. Try to eat 2 hours before riding to allow digestion - a good sized bowl of porridge with some fruit and maybe a bit of yoghurt is ideal.
Week 6
This is your biggest training week and culminates with a 2-hour ride. Again you can add some harder efforts to the midweek rides but the main focus of the week is the long ride.
Ride 1: 60 minutes
Ride 2: 60 minutes
Ride 3: 120 minutes
Don’t forget everything you’ve learned so far about pacing, eating and drinking and you’ll be fine. Maybe plan your route to include a mid-ride café stop as this is a key part of cycling!
Week 7
Brilliant work on having managed a 2-hour ride! This week is easier and gives your body a chance to recover and really adapt to the training you’ve done - yes, you’ll get fitter by doing less! Don’t be tempted to try and squeeze another long ride in but you can throw in a few harder 5-minute efforts.
Ride 1: 30 minutes
Ride 2: 60 minutes
Ride 3: 60 minutes
Week 8 - Event week!
Congratulations on getting through the plan. Two really light rides just to keep your legs ticking over and then the 50km #NoLimits Ride for Danny at the weekend. Approach it in exactly the same way as you did the 2-hour ride in Week 6, be really mindful of your pacing, hydration and fuelling and you’ll do great!
Ride 1: 30 minutes
Ride 2: 30 minutes
Ride 3: 50km
