Multi-Day Challenges
Indulge us a few minutes to give you some context before we give you the plan info:
Rides such as London to Paris, Lands End to John 0'Groats, a grand tour around the mountains and valleys of Mallorca, through the fields and vineyards of France or one of the Haute Routes are iconic rides on most cyclist's bucket list, however requires a reasonably good level of physical fitness and with the right preparation will be an experience to cherish.
The right preparation isn’t simply riding your bike at weekends and “putting in the miles”; while you will undoubtedly improve your fitness, your improvements will inevitably plateau, motivation wanes, and let's face it, you want to enjoy not endure your adventure.
At Cycle For Fitness Ltd we understand that you are busy people, your training needs to take into account family and work commitments and focus on what might hold you back or limit your enjoyment.
With that in mind, and from our own experience of tours and doing the Lejog and other "end to end" challenges a few times ourselves, we have designed a programme that is specific to the challenge, taking the principle of gaining the most for the least effort, no more junk miles or wasted training rides, every session has a purpose and an achievable objective that we monitor on a regular basis to ensure you are progressing accordingly.
We divide the programme into three structured training blocks.
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If you struggle to maintain a pace of between 11-13mph over 6 hours, then the 3 month "Build the Base" plan is for you.
- If you are generally fit but still worried about your ability to handle the hills, then choose the 3 month "Power and Speed" plan
- When you need extra help, choose the "Progress to Peak Performance " monthly subscription plan
We realise that is maybe a lot of take in at once, so why not book time for a
30 minute free, no-obligation consultation call
; We will discuss your goals and concerns, provide advice how to prepare for your adventure in terms of kit and equipment, and based on your current fitness level and experience, what training you may require to get to into the best shape you can.
LEJOG TRAINING PROGRAMMES
Your Questions Answered
We understand that anyone undertaking a cycling challenge will have many questions, so here is a list of the top 40 FAQs that we hope will help you navigate your journey with confidence and ease. >> Questions Answered.
Build the Base
This is a foundation plan to build depth of fitness. The plan includes indoor- and road-based workouts to help you build resilience (what we call “aerobic fitness”) and stamina, plus skill-based exercises to help you become highly efficient on the bike.
With this plan you will achieve significant benefits to your endurance levels; you will be fitter with greater stamina and confident to cope with whatever the day’s ride has in store.
Once completed, a natural progression is to the "Power and Speed " plan.
Develop Power and Speed
This plan prepares you for the climbs you will meet, helping you savour their challenge.
You do not have to live in a hilly part of the world for this plan as we combine indoor sessions that improve your ability to climb steep hills, plus sessions that build muscular endurance and resistance to fatigue for the longer hills.
Note that if you have any doubt to the depth of your fitness, for example there is a significant decrease in your pace or power in relation to your heart rate over a training ride, or have yet to do a four hour ride, we would encourage you to prioritise the "Build the Base" Plan.
Progress To Peak Performance
This is a monthly subscription based plan that builds on your fitness with three incremental training blocks leading up to your ride. Either for individuals who
- Need extra help beyond the "Build the Base" and "Power and Speed" plans and need more time to prepare, or
- Have a reasonably good level of fitness, but feel they need to add structure to their training or the extra guidance and motivation that a cycling coach offers.
In each instance, each month's plan builds upon the previous month, ensuring continuous improvement and progression.
The choice of plan is yours, however if new to cycling you may simply choose to follow the logical progression of the Build the Base training block, followed by the Power and Speed training block, leading you to the Progress to Peak Performance Subscription plan to take you up to your ride; in each instance we will aim to be as flexible and pragmatic as possible to ensure that the plan is right for you.
After all, we want you to be in the best shape you can be, truly enjoy each day’s ride and complete your challenge with smiles..