This training plan has been designed by Pav Bryan — Olympic cycling coach, TrainingPeaks Level 2 Coach and Amazon #1 Author.

Taking on Bike TransAlp?

Bike TransAlp is much more than a single long ride. Racing across multiple days means you need endurance, climbing strength, technical confidence and, crucially, the ability to recover and perform again the following day.

This plan is designed to progressively prepare you for those demands so that you arrive ready for the accumulated fatigue, long climbs and repeated days of mountain biking that make TransAlp such a unique challenge.

Who this plan is for

This plan is best suited to riders who already have a reasonable endurance base and want a structured build towards Bike TransAlp.

You should ideally have at least 4–8 weeks of consistent riding completed before starting.

The plan is designed to work around relatively limited weekday training time, with shorter focused sessions during the week and longer rides at weekends.

Where possible, complete your key longer rides on the mountain bike you'll use for the event and include terrain that reflects the climbing and technical demands you're preparing for.

What the plan includes

• Progressive longer MTB rides developing endurance and fatigue resistance


• Focused weekday sessions developing sustained power, climbing strength and aerobic fitness


• Event-specific preparation for repeated days of riding


• Core and strength work


• Regular recovery to support adaptation

During the later stages of the plan, event-style practice rides can be valuable. Where appropriate, replace similar planned sessions rather than simply adding extra training load.

The plan also includes guidance around pacing, nutrition, hydration, technique and preparing for the demands of a multi-day mountain bike event.

You can follow the plan using power, heart rate or perceived exertion, although a power meter provides additional precision.

Bonus 40-week strength programme

You'll also receive access to a 40-week strength and conditioning programme that you can continue using after your Bike TransAlp preparation is complete.

A note about this Classic Plan

This is one of my Classic TrainingPeaks plans, developed from the coaching methods I've used with endurance cyclists over many years.

The training itself remains fully usable, but because the plan was originally created on an earlier version of TrainingPeaks, some older external links or legacy TrainingPeaks features within individual sessions may no longer be available.

An updated guide is included at the beginning of the plan with additional information and current resources.

Want the plan adapted around you?

A pre-built plan is a great option if you're comfortable managing your own training.

But no generic plan can know your exact fitness, available time, recovery, equipment, strengths, weaknesses or how you're responding from week to week.

If you'd like me to build and manage your training personally, you can upgrade to 1:1 coaching at any point.

TrainingPeaks plan customers receive an exclusive coaching upgrade offer.

You'll find details and a link to book a free consultation with me at the start of the plan.

Train smart, recover well — and arrive ready for the Alps.