Bordeaux to Paris is a systems test disguised as a bicycle ride
The modern Bordeaux-Paris is an amateur ultra-distance revival, not the motor-paced professional classic that ran 1891-1988 under the same name. It runs 650km from the Stadium Velodrome de Bordeaux to Domaine de Coubertin near Paris, semi-autonomous: riders navigate an unmarked route by GPX, carry mandatory safety and repair gear, and rely on three official feed stations and a mid-course rest area rather than continuous support. The 50-hour clock itself, across a full day-night cycle with minimal support — sleep management is treated as part of the event, not an afterthought, with organizer-provided mattresses at the mid-course rest area.
For the experienced rider training seven to eleven hours a week, this twelve-week plan balances ultra-distance durability, conservative pacing, fueling, equipment systems, and fatigue management with deliberate recovery so fitness rises without carrying avoidable fatigue into Bordeaux-Paris Ultra Cycling Challenge.
INSIDE THE MASTERS 50+ PLAN — 7–11 HR/WK
Includes zone-tailored structured rides for your devices, built-in strength with video walkthroughs, heat protocols for when your race calls for them, peloton skills workouts, nutrition and hydration guidance, and recovery-first Masters 50+ structuring.
The Complete Bordeaux-Paris Ultra Cycling Challenge Guide — the training, the tactics, the gear and race day, explained simply and clearly: what to do, when to do it, and why it works.
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Hey, I'm Matti. I spent 11 years at TrainingPeaks, where they trusted me to teach coaches how to coach at TrainingPeaks University. I raced Amateur Elite with Rio Grande Cycling Team and podiumed my age group at Unbound 200 in 2026. I have a degree in biology and exercise physiology from St. Olaf. I'm also a middle-aged dad of three, so I know training doesn't happen in a vacuum. I help gravel riders get stupidly fast without becoming the person who brings a food scale to a party