8 Weeks to your Fastest Ever Hilly Century! Heart Rate & Power, 7-11 hrs/wk

Author: Simon Kessler

8 weeks - $69.95
Total Hours: 76
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Achieve your Fastest ever Hilly Century!

The training in this plan will result in big improvement in your threshold power and endurance which are the key ingredients for a successful Century. Specific interval workouts simulate the efforts required for medium to long climbs and will work great even if you train on flat roads.

This plan will work for you if you have 1.5 hours available to train on week days and 3 hours+ available on a Saturday or Sunday. You should also have already completed a Century like Six Gap.

The Plan includes a Power and Heart Rate zone calculator to determine your correct training intensities. Perceived Exertion zones are also included so even if you don't train with Power or Heart Rate this plan will still work for you.

Before starting the plan you should have a good level of endurance fitness and be accustomed to training 7-10 hours/week.

This plan is the result of 20 years of professional racing and coaching experience combined with the latest training methods. You will find the training plan highly descriptive and precise, guaranteeing you get the most out of each workout.

  What do you get with a training plan?

Sample workouts:

Workout #1 : Day Off
Rest day
Important! See Training Zones calculator link provided in the Plan Details to determine your training zones for Power or Heart Rate.
Workout #2 : Bike
Sub Threshold 2 X 20 min
Planned Time: 1:30:00
Ride in Zone 2 / 85 rpm+. In your warm-up include 5 minutes in Zone 3 / 90-100 rpm. Perform 2 x 20 minute Sub Threshold intervals / Self Selected cadence. Ride easy for 5-10 minutes between intervals.
Workout #3 : Bike
Big Gear 45 min
Planned Time: 1:30:00
Ride in Zone 2 / 85 rpm+. After a good warm-up perform 45 minutes of continuous big gear riding in your Big Gear zone / 65-75 rpm. Focus on smooth pedaling and stay seated as much as possible. Relax your grip and upper body. Alternate: holding in the drops / brake hoods. After Big Gear spin for 5 minutes in Zone 1 at 110 rpm+. Stop the Big Gear interval and spin easy if you have any knee or other abnormal pain.
Workout #4 : Bike
Sub Threshold 2 X 20 min + 1 min HC
Planned Time: 1:30:00
Ride in Zone 2 / 85 rpm+. In your warm-up include 5 minutes in Zone 3 / 90-100 rpm. Perform 2 x 20 minute Sub Threshold intervals / Self Selected cadence. Ride easy for 5-10 minutes between intervals. After a full recovery perform 6 x 1 minute Sub Threshold intervals / 20 rpms above preferred (preferred = 20 min Power Test average cadence), with 1 minute easy pedaling between intervals.
Workout #5 : Day Off
Rest day

Workout #6 : Bike
Hard endurance
Planned Time: 3:00:00
Ride in Zone 2-3 with some efforts in Zone 4. Keep your cadence over 85 rpm on the flats. You can ride with a group if you can stay under Zone 5.
Workout #7 : Bike
Big Gear 45-60 min
Planned Time: 2:00:00
Ride in Zone 2 / 85 rpm+. After a good warm-up perform 45-60 minutes of continuous big gear riding in your Big Gear zone / 65-75 rpm. Focus on smooth pedaling and stay seated as much as possible. Relax your grip and upper body. Alternate: holding in the drops / brake hoods. After Big Gear spin for 5 minutes in Zone 1 at 110 rpm+. Stop the Big Gear interval and spin easy if you have any knee or other abnormal pain.
Workout #8 : Day Off
Rest day

Workout #9 : Bike
Sub Threshold 1 x 30, 1 x 20 min
Planned Time: 1:30:00
Ride in Zone 2 / 85 rpm+. In your warm-up include 5 minutes in Zone 3 / 90-100 rpm. Perform 1 x 30, 1 x 20 minute Sub Threshold intervals / Self Selected cadence. Ride easy for 5-10 minutes between intervals.