8-Week Beginner Plan: Build Your First Cycling Fitness Base
This plan is for riders who just got their first road bike and want to build a real fitness base without burning out or getting hurt. Three rides per week, ranging from 30 to 75 minutes, all based on heart rate or perceived effort — no power meter needed. The first four weeks are entirely aerobic, keeping effort easy enough that you can hold a conversation. Weeks 5 through 7 introduce a small taste of structured threshold work, and week 8 pulls back so you finish fresh and ready for whatever comes next.