Intermediate Rider
12 Week Program
1st Block (5 weeks)
Week 1-4: This will be the start of the training block for the Cape Pioneer proper. Most
intermediate riders would already have a fairly good base and by this time of the year could already have
competed in a number of events and trained a fair distance. My suggestion would be, if you would like to
focus on the CPT, then a good idea would be to have a break from the bike before beginning this program.
Again that's assuming you've had a busy schedule already. By having a break from the bike, you would be
able to start fresh and eliminate any fatigue you may have. It's possible you are fatigued and are unaware
of it. You also want to be fresh in the mind and ready to go. At least two weeks off would be a reasonable
break from the bike, and if you need to do something to keep busy, start with the gym and cross training.
So for the first three weeks, you'll only concentrate on a big block of endurance fitness. This would be
lots of long slow rides. Ideally we'd train in a progressive block training manner, doing three days on, one
day easy, two days on, then a rest day. The first week needs no real structure, just six consistent days of
riding, starting with a couple hours in the beginning and finishing off on the weekend with at least 3-4 hrs.
Then the structure would be the following, 2 hrs, 3 hrs, 4 hrs, 1 hr, 3 hrs, 4 hrs, rest. The following week
would go 2-3 hrs, 3-4 hrs, 4-5 hrs, 1-2 hrs, 3-4 hrs, 4-5 hrs, rest. And the last week in this block would be
the same, but adding in a few extra hours.
It's all straight forward riding and going on feel. Use mostly easy gears and don't push it too hard, the
harder sessions will follow. Also try and get into the gym two or three times a week for core and cross
training to increase overall body strength. Again make sure to use the help of a professional trainer at the
gym to help you and make sure you don't do any damage.
Week 5: Recovery week, half the hours and all easy. This is to allow your body time to absorb all the
endurance training you've done in the first 4 weeks. Light gears, massage etc.
2nd Block (4 weeks)
Week 6-9: The next block would be for strength training. In this phase you'll start to introduce interval
session into your training weeks. I find it best to do intervals on the Tuesday and Thursday of a week as Monday
is normally a rest day, Wednesday is a recovery ride, Friday is easy and is followed by two long days on Saturday
and Sunday.
The two intervals days in the week would be strength days, using your gears to create force and
thereby building strength in the legs. I normally switch between hill repeats and power on the flat roads. Hill
repeats I use a big gear, like 53*16 on a 5% gradient, lasting 10 minutes and repeat the climb up to 8 times
depending on how I feel.
Remember to give yourself enough time between intervals to recover and listen to your body. There is a lot of strain
on the muscles and incorrect setup could do some damage, so make sure you're all sorted there. There are also many
different strength sessions you can do and these are only two of my personal favorites.
The flat sessions are in maximum gear, rolling at about 50rpm, intervals of up to 30 minutes repeated 3 times. Again
this is a hard session with loads of force on the pedals.
On the same days I do my gym sessions, increasing the load of the weights and building strength. Obviously it also
depends on your time you have available, but with smart planning it is possible to get the core of the workout into
your average day. It's the quality of the workout we after, not too worried about quantity. You can add long rides in
on the weekends when you have more time.
Week 10: Recovery week, only easy rides during the week, with at least an extra day of complete rest. See how you
feeling and really listen to your body. The last three weeks would have been hard on the body and the rest is as
important as your training has been.
3rd Block (3 weeks)
Week 10-12: The last two weeks would have the same format as the previous weeks, only instead of the strength
training sessions, you'd substitute them for speed work. So short hard intervals with as high a cadence as possible.
There are lots of various intervals you can do, but most are between 15 seconds and 2 minutes long, focusing on the speed
of your legs.
The weekends will be for your endurance days and is vital you can comfortably ride between 4-5 hrs back to back. As usual,
most important thing is to listen to your body. Only you know how you feeling and your instinct is normally right. You
cannot account for external stress, bad weather and outside influences that life throws at you, so my theory is you better
off to be slightly under prepared than too tired. The event is hard enough and you'll need to be fresh come the start.
That's why the final week leading up to the race is all about rest and recovery.
Be sure to ride in the last week, but only a couple hours and all mostly easy. If you feel good and want to "open" up the
engine, that's fine, provided you feel up to it.
Remember this is a basic plan, one that I have found works for me and has taken me years to adapt and get right. Everyone
is different with vastly differing lives, so no one program will be that specific to anyone. But the basic principal is the
same and with commitment and dedication, you'll push your own limits and boundaries.
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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