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Cycling Beyond the Century How to train for and ride 200 km to 1200 km and longer brevets. “An athlete should to the least amount of properly timed, specific training that brings continual improvement.” —Joe Friel, The Cyclist’s Training Bible by John Hughes John Hughes is the author of Anti-Aging: 12 Ways to You Can Slow the Aging Process and of the book Distance Cycling. He has written 40 articles on training, nutrition, psychology and medical issues for RoadBikeRider.com. He is a veteran of Paris-Brest-Paris ’79, ’87, ’91, ’95, ’99, Boston-Montreal-Boston ’92 (course record), Rocky Mountain 1200 ’04, Furnace Creek 508 ’89 (course record) and ’93 (first place) and the Race Across America ’96. More about Coach Hughes. Riding 100 miles is fun and riding farther can also be fun if you prepare correctly. To do so you need a training plan that is targeted at the specific performance requirements of longer rides:
The most effective training plan targets these individually rather than trying to improve in every area at the same time. The training plan is divided into phases: Base (3-4 months). During this phase you build the endurance necessary to complete your planned event(s). As a rule of thumb you should train up to 2/3 to 3/4 the duration of your planned event. So for a 10-hour 200 km brevet your longest training ride would be 6:30 to 7:40. For a 16-hour double century or 300 km brevet your longest ride would be 10:45 to 12:00. If you are training for a 1000 or 1200 km then the 200, 300 400 km and 600 km brevets each serve as the long endurance ride before the next one. Rather than trying to maintain the volume between each brevet the intermediate training ride should be about 1/3 to 1/2 the expected duration of the next brevet. Specific physiological changes take place when you ride at a moderate speed that don’t happen when riding harder so it’s important that you ride at the classic conversational pace. During the base phase you also develop the core strength and flexibility to ride comfortably for longer periods. Build (1-2 months). During this phase you build the power necessary to climb hills, deal with the wind and ride faster while maintaining endurance. You can accomplish this by alternating weeks:
Peaking (4-6 weeks). During this phase you combine your long-term endurance with your short-term power into longer cruising speed. You do moderate distance rides 1-2 mph about your normal endurance pace. You also do rides targeted specifically at your event. If your event has a hilly course, train in the hills, if you’ll ride at night, train at night, if plan a short overnight sleep break, train with one. Taper (2-3weeks). A few weeks before the event you can’t get any fitter. If you keep up the training load you’ll not recover fully for the event. During the taper you progressively reduce your training doing just enough to maintain fitness while storing energy for the event.
Recovery. Throughout your training pay attention to your body and be sure your recover adequately. Your muscles get rebuild and get stronger while you are resting, not while you are riding. Each week include a couple of active recovery rides and build in periodic recover weeks when you do very little riding. Training for Cycling Brevets: Pt. 1 Base Endurance Training | Pt. 2 Building Power and Peaking > More Information
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