Get XCM race ready for a three to five hour cross country marathon with a structured 8 week plan built for riders with 7 to 8 hours a week. This is the complete preparation for a marathon mountain bike race, building the long sustained sweet spot and threshold power, the punchy surges out of technical sections, the deep durability, and the race fuelling that let you hold your diesel pace all day and finish the final hour strong.

WHO IT IS FOR. Mountain bikers targeting a marathon or long off road event, from 60 to 160 kilometres. You should be comfortable riding 7 to 8 hours a week and holding structured intervals. Every ride is Zwift and indoor trainer compatible, and all targets scale from the day one FTP test. This is a different animal to a short XC plan, built around sustained power and durability rather than pure top end.

HOW IT PROGRESSES. Weeks one to three build sustained sweet spot and threshold, punchy surge work and off road strength. Week four recovers. Weeks five and six are your peak durability block, culminating in a full three and a half hour dress rehearsal of a marathon race. Week seven sharpens, and week eight is a race week taper into your event on the final Sunday.

WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT. Every session is marathon specific and distinct, from sweet spot ladders and broken blocks to over unders, technical surge rides, threshold with surge finishes and a full marathon simulation. Each ride carries a six part description and a link to the sport science behind it, and the long rides rehearse high carbohydrate fuelling of 60 to 90 grams per hour.

WHAT TO EXPECT EACH WEEK. Monday full rest, midweek sustained power and punch quality, a long off road durability ride at the weekend, and honest FTP calibrated targets throughout. You will arrive at your marathon a more durable, better fuelled racer, ready to hold your pace and finish the hardest hours strong.