Easy! ‘I have to point out that it’s hard to be too specific, because how you adapt the plan will depend on your personal strengths and weaknesses, and what your goals are. Ready to get fit and healthy through cycling? You also need rest days, which allow your body to recover from the hard efforts you’ve put it through and for the body to restore its muscle and liver glycogen – the body’s carbohydrate stores. Breathing too hard to say more than the odd word or two. Zone 5: Intensive effort at 15-25bpm below your maximum heart rate and just above your lactate threshold This first week is all about building confidence and comfort. Find out how you can boost your performance, improve your comfort and even make cycling feel easier in a matter of hours. For the majority of the sessions, you should be working at a pace comfortable enough to hold a light conversation, but at some points the plan will push you harder for short periods. Looking to kickstart your cycling in 2020 with a structured cycling training plan? If riding for two hours is still a little daunting, try planning a cafe stop at the midway point for a coffee or energy drink. This is a numerical indication of how hard you should be working, ranging from RPE 1 (minimal effort) through to RPE 10 (maximum effort). Looking for a new cycling challenge? This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, How to be a better cyclist in seven steps. Training content brought to you in association with the Wattbike Atom, turbo that can simulate gradient and measure power and cadence, Coronavirus and cycling: all you need to know, Best smart turbo trainers 2020: Top Zwift compatible indoor trainers, Best exercise bikes 2020: A buyer's guide, Campagnolo goes 13-speed with its Ekar 1x gravel groupset. You don't have to spend a fortune on cutting-edge or lightweight gear, but a helmet, lights, water bottle and padded shorts are essential. Intensity: Zone 3 on the flat, zone 4-5 on hills Endurance Ride: These rides are carried out at a lower intensity but for longer durations, so they build your ability to perform exercise for prolonged periods of time. Slow Tension Efforts: These focus on building your overall strength on the bike. ‘The current plan is based on four days per week, which is sufficient for a wide variety of people competing in different types of cycling,’ says Stern. The plan lasts for eight weeks, running from Monday through to Sunday and includes both riding days and rest days. Warm-up: 5min Download the 10-week beginner training plan here. With that in mind, buying a cheap rear-wheel turbo will do the trick and also reduce space taken up in the cupboard. The maximum effort you can sustain for three to eight minutes. This number is your Functional Threshold Power — and your zones are based on a percentage of this figure. A cafe stop then has multiple benefits; as well as splitting the ride into manageable sections, it gives you time to rest, refuel and feel ready to go again. ‘Previously, people thought you should only try to work on one aspect of physiology such as anaerobic power, but this isn’t the case.