Ride 100km strong and steady on just 5 to 6 hours a week. This 8 week metric century plan builds the deep aerobic base, sweet spot strength and long ride durability that carry you evenly to the finish of your first 100km or your strongest one yet, and every session is Zwift and indoor compatible.

WHO IT IS FOR. Riders targeting a 100km metric century, a mid distance sportive or a big steady day out, training 5 to 6 hours per week. It suits first timers who want a complete, confidence building structure and busy riders who want real pacing and fuelling practice rather than random long rides. A power meter or smart trainer and a current FTP make the targets precise.

HOW IT PROGRESSES. Base weeks run around 5:30 to 6:00, then a lighter recovery week, then a peak block featuring a full 3 hour 15 minute dress rehearsal about two weeks out, before a sharpening week and a race week taper into the event. The signature Saturday long ride grows steadily from 1 hour 45 toward the full distance, always progressive from easy endurance to a firmer finish so you learn to press on when tired.

WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT. It is aerobic led and genuinely accessible, not a crash course of endless hard riding. Day one is an FTP test so every target is personal, and the final day is your event, with a placeholder EVENT DAY ride carrying your race game plan. Every session has a full description, a coaching cue, and a link to the sports science behind it, and the fuelling is rehearsed so nothing on event day is a surprise.

WHAT TO EXPECT EACH WEEK. Monday rest, Tuesday and Thursday quality of sweet spot, tempo and threshold, Wednesday and Sunday endurance, Friday easy, and a progressive long ride every Saturday. Weekly notes set the theme, hours and key sessions, and the plan tapers you to arrive at your metric century fresh, fuelled and ready to ride it well.