This plan is designed for time-crunched cyclists with at least one year of riding experience who want to prepare for a century. It assumes a time commitment of 5-10 hours per week for training. The athlete should have several preparation weeks of unstructured rides in their legs before beginning this plan—namely, about 2-4 hours of cycling per week at an aerobic pace.

The plan consists of three 4-week base building phases, plus a final taper week leading up to the century. Each 4-week phase gradually increases volume/intensity over three weeks followed by a recovery week. Weekly workouts revolve around three key sessions—the long ride, the sustained tempo workout, and the temp intervals. A time trial is scheduled every four weeks. The plan is designed to prepare the cyclist for a century at the end of week 13.

Training Guide

To make the most of this plan, use it along with the Multisport Training Guide found on the Alp Fitness website. The Multisport Training Guide provides information on how to determine your training intensity zones, protocols for field tests, guidance on goal setting, and general tips on nutrition and hydration.

Supplemental functional strength training

In addition to your run training included in the plan, you should incorporate another 30 to 90 minutes each week of functional strength exercises. This can be done by adding 10 minutes to the beginning or end of a run (or taking a 10 minute break at some other point during your day, such as while watching TV). Or it could be done with a longer 20-30 minute workout a few times each week. See the library of functional strength training workouts on the Alp Fitness website for detailed workouts to choose from.

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