Average Rider
12 Week Program
1st Block (4 weeks)
Week 1-3: The aim of this first 3 week block would be to get a base fitness. So the idea would
be lots of long slow easy rides. Depending on the riding you have done up until now, would determine
the amount of hours you put in. You would want to build up the hours, obviously also depending on the
time you have available to train. Ideally I'd suggest in the first three weeks to begin with between
12-15 hrs total, and gradually building up to between 15-18 hrs. These hours could be structured
however to fit into your available time.
So if you have most free time on weekends, then something like 3-4 hrs Saturday and Sunday and the
rest of the hours spread over the week. Remembering to have 1 or 2 rest days included in the week
depending on how you feel.
Week 4: This would be your recovery week and the hours would be about half of what you've built
up to in the third week. Reason for the recovery week is so the body can recover from the training and
build up to prepare for the next block.
2nd Block (4 weeks)
Week 5-7: The aim of the next block will be to build strength. There are a few ways to build this.
The first we will do on the bike, the second we will do in the gym. It's important for the gym training
that you have a certified trainer to assist you with the weights. A proper trainer will also advise you
as to which exercises are best for cyclists and how to execute them properly. I do lots of squats and
lunges which are most important for building strength in the glutes and back. Core training is also
essential. These sessions can be incorporated at least twice a week and will supplement the cycling.
The bike sessions will remain the same in time, however on the Tuesday and Thursday of the weeks, you can
include some strength training on the bikes. There are lots of various types of intervals you can do but
all evolve around using heavier gears and consistent intervals. A firm favorite of mine are force hills,
where you will use a hill of between 6-10 minutes and ride up in as big a gear as needed to keep your
rpm's at around 50-55. These intervals you can repeat up to 6-8 times with proper recovery between sets
and really builds great strength. You can also mix the sessions up and do some of the strength training on
the flat roads, again big gears and heavy headwinds are great for these. Intervals like those can be
between 10-30 minutes long and sets could be just 2-3.
It's important to see how you feeling in this phase,
remembering to give yourself lots of rest. If you feel fatigued, take the day easy. There are too many
external stresses to worry about and it's better to be well rested than tired all the time.
Week 8: As before will again be the recovery week, where the hours are few and the riding just
enjoyable and easy.
3rd Block (3 weeks)
Week 9-11: This next block will be a mixture of a few things. Most important though will be to get your
hours in the saddle up to the endurance required for the Pioneer. You will need to do a few long rides back to
back, possibly weekends if that suits you best, but doing a 4-5 hrs followed by another 5 hrs the next day.
This will be crucial to adapt to the bike and position you'll be in for the six days of the event.
Continue with the gym as overall body strength will help make you stronger. On at least 2 days of the week, you
can continue with interval type training, only this time changing the length to much shorter but harder
intervals. Concentrate more on your leg speed and try and get your rpm's as high as possible. Again crucial to
listen to your body and again be as rested as you can. The total hours for these three weeks might be more than
you have done but it will not be necessary to go over the 20-22 hr mark. With this type of build up and
consistent riding, you'll be more than capable of tackling the race. The key is consistency and recovery.
Week 12: Easy week with plenty of rest. Only light rides with easy gears but not completely off. It's
important that you still go out and ride but the idea is rest and recover for the hard days to come.
Please feel free to
mail
any training related queries, where I can, I'll try be of assistance.
Enjoy the training,
Kevin Evans
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