Ride your Next Gran Fondo FASTER and STRONGER! Intermediate Cyclist Training Plan
Author
Menachem Brodie
All plans by this CoachLength
16 Weeks
Typical Week
4 Bike, 3 Day Off
Longest Workout
6:00 hrs
Plan Specs
cycling gran fondo/century power based base period
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Summary
Includes Structured Workouts
Structured Workouts automatically sync with compatible devices and guide you through workouts in real time.
Learn More about Structured Workouts.
Looking to ride Stronger and Faster at your next Gran Fondo? Questions? Please visit us on the web at HumanVortexTraining.com or email Coach Brodie directly at: Brodie@HumanVortexTraining.com.
Designed by exercise scientist, expert coach and athlete Menachem Brodie, BS, CSCS this program brings you his knowledge, experience, and expertise from coaching endurance athletes from around the globe the last 9+ years.
This program will allow the intermediate rider the ability to increase their speed and power for their next 120km-160km Gran Fondo, or Century Ride.
What does this program feature?
This program features 4 days a week of training with significant time at intensity (Tempo effort+) and focuses on those riders who are looking to train 2 days mid-week, and both weekend days. Mid week rides are 75 minutes or less, and weekend rides range from 3-6 hours.
Weekly training times range from 8-12 hours (only 1 week is 12 hours-week 9, and 1 week is 11 hours-week 11).
What are the requirements to use this program?
Riders should be able to handle back to back weekend training rides 3.5-4.5 hours in length, with intensity, as well as 2 weekday rides 75 min in length. Most riders who choose this plan have been riding for 1-2 years, and have completed 15+ rides 70+ miles in length.
I don't race, but my weekend group rides are fast 2.5-3.5 hour sufferfests, is this program right for me?
Yes! As long as one of your weekend rides in 2.5-3.5 hours in length with 15-20% of that time at intensity (tempo or higher), this program will work for you!
Stats
Sample Day 1
Today we get an idea of your baseline fitness via a field test. This may be completed on the trainer, or outside.
This field test should be done on a FLAT course, as the purpose of this training plan is to help boost your power and abilities on the flats.
8 min w.u. (Wam up)
3x 1 minute Fast Pedaling (1x ea on bar tops, hoods, and drops). These should be done by keeping your arms nice and relaxed, with a firm, but relaxed grip on the handlebars.
HOW TO DO IT: Using a gear that allows you to ride at endurance, over the first 15 seconds of the effort raise your cadence up to where you are just shy of bouncing in the saddle, and hold that cadence for the remainder of the effort.
5 min endurance
5 min ALL OUT (Push hard!)
10 min Endurance
Then 2x 12 min Lactate Threshold efforts. For these, your legs should begin burning around 2.5 minutes in, and you should be able to maintain that burning sensation for the rest of the effort.
12 min easy riding in between efforts
5 min c.d. (cool down)
Sample Day 2
After Yesterdays Testing you may be feeling a bit tired, and that's a good thing!
Today we will do a few super short, hard efforts, with full recovery in between.
This serves us to build a little bit of training stress right off the start, and to help you get a better understanding of how you may feel after our second mid-week rides for the next few weeks.
Use how you feel today after the ride and tomorrow to begin to think about how you need to eat and sleep, in order to maximize recovery.
The ALL OUTS should be done at maximal intensity, treating each effort as it's own (don't think about the other ones!).
Aim to keep your pedaling cadence above 90 for each of the ALL OUT efforts.
5 min w.u. (warm-up)
3x1 min Fast Pedaling (1x ea on bar tops, hoods, and drops). These should be done by keeping your arms nice and relaxed, with a firm, but relaxed grip on the handlebars.
HOW TO DO IT: Using a gear that allows you to ride at endurance, over the first 15 seconds of the effort raise your cadence up to where you are just shy of bouncing in the saddle, and hold that cadence for the remainder of the effort.
6 min endurance
MAIN SET:
4 x 1:30 min ALL OUTS, 4:30 minutes Easy in between
7 minutes Endurance
8 x 30 seoncd ALL OUTS, 2 minutes easy in between efforts.
6:30 min cool down
Sample Day 4
60 min Easy Ride.
If you're time crunched, and can only get in 2 mid-week rides, skip todays ride.
10 minute warm-up
Focus on keeping in the mid-to-upper level of Zone 2 for the ride today, keeping your cadence 90+ for flats, and 80+ for flats/ Climbs.
(RPE 4-5, HR zone 2)
Sample Day 6
Endurance Ride.
This CAN be a group ride- as long as the group is at YOUR endurance pace.
We will begin recruiting of your nervous system in preparation for your century ride here today, with 2 sets of 3x 1 min Fast Pedaling, and 1 set of 8x 10 second Stomping.
These efforts might be best done before getting to the group. If you do them in the group, be sure to do them only when safe to do so.
Sample Day 7
45 MILES Today, Endurance pace
This CAN be a group ride, as long as you keep your efforts within your Endurance range today!
56-75% of your Field Test FTP from this past Monday.
Cadence 85-100 for the flats/rollers, and 80+ on climbs (or as high as you can spin!)
Sample Day 9
Todays workout will begin to build up your ability to repeat and hold Lactate Threshold power over shorter intervals. This is really the foundation of your riding strength, and will serve to increase the platform on which we build your endurance for your big ride!
4x4 min SSI, 1 min endurance in btwn efforts
10 min endurance
3 x 4 min SSI, 1 min easy in btwn
1 min Recovery + 3 min endurance
6 min VO2 Max Flat-top (steady power)
5 min c.d.
Sample Day 11
Today we sharpen up out "upper energy systems", which we will be continually working on for short amounts of time throughout this program.
Often overlooked by non-racers, due to their seemingly "race specificity", training this energy system in the correct amounts can really accelerate your progress, and hep you reach higher levels of riding.
6 minute W.u (warmup)
4x 30 second Spin-ups (Different than Fast Pedaling, see Pre-Activity comments)
5 min endurance
MAIN SET:
6 x 1 min ALL OUTS, 2:30 minutes Easy in between
5:30 minutes Endurance
8 x 30 seoncd ALL OUTS, 1:30 minutes easy in between efforts.
6 min cool down