2026 Touring Training Packages
Multi-day tours are generally designed to be accessible, but still require a reasonably good level of physical fitness and with the right preparation will be an experience to cherish. However, 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, and motivation may wane, and let's face it, you want to enjoy not endure your adventure.
An important part of the touring experience is the social bonding, riding together as a mutually supportive team, so the ability to ride for over 7 hours at a pace of between 11 and 13 mph is important. Some days you will ride a little faster, some days a little slower.
For tours such as Lejog you will encounter hills, from the short, but steep lanes of Cornwall, the climb to Dartmoor and The Mendips, the climbs across the valleys and peaks of Wales, to the long but potentially fatiguing hills of the Lake District and the Scottish Highlands. Expect to be able to need to climb upto 7,000 feet per day.
European tours such as France, Portugal and Italy require the same level of commitment and training to be fully prepared. Riding in Europe is not that vastly different, apart from being on the right hand side of the road. however you'll generally find these types of tours are bigger in every sense. The rolling plains of Normandy and Brittany, the majesty of the Loire valley, the long climbs to where eagles dare in the Massif Central, the vineyards and lavender fields of Provence and of course the epic Mont Ventoux, Gorges and Mountains of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence . The food and wines become more Mediterranean, the pace of life slower, the roads generally much better than the UK equivalents. You'll want to "savourer les joies de la vie" rather than "souffrez voter voyage".
Climbs in Portugal and Italy are unlike Lejog or France in being not only extremely steep in some places, but through most villages and towns the added complication of cobbles and poor surfaces, meaning we need to not only train for long climbs but short sharp climbs as if we were attacking the Koppenberg in Flanders. You need to be prepared for hills from the outset, you cannot ride into fitness on this one, so we add extra workout sessions to enable you to build muscular force at lower than normal cadences, maintaining consistency whilst seated. We recommend that you start your training early and follow the process we have designed to ensure this is not only achievable, but will be a challenge that will bring you wonderful memories. .
Preparation for the long days and climbs is therefore important for your enjoyment of these iconic challenges.
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, whether that is long days in the saddle or elevation needs to be climbed each day.
With that in mind, and our own experience of tours and as guides ourselves, we have designed plans exclusive 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 plans into two options:.
- If you are new to cycling, or struggle to maintain a pace of between 11-13mph over 6 hours, then the 3 month "Go to Distance" plan is for you.
- If you are generally fit but still worried about your ability to handle the hills, then choose the 3 month "Mastering the Climbs" plan
We realise that this maybe a lot of take in at once, so why not book time for a 30 minute free, no-obligation consultation call with Grant Goodman. Elite Coach. at. Basecamp. We will discuss your goals and concerns, provide advice based on your current fitness level and experience, what training you may require to get to into the best shape you can.
Go the Distance - 3 Months
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 "Master the Climbs" plan.
Mastering the Climbs - 3 Months
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 "Go the Distance" Plan.
The choice of plan is yours, however if new to cycling you may simply choose to follow the logical progression of the Go the Distance Plan, followed by the Mastering the Climbs to take you up to your event; 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..