Let me introduce you to a cycling training plan designed specifically for those of you who may not have a lot of time during the week, but still want to improve your performance in the short and medium term.

This program spans 28 weeks – that’s 7 months – and is structured to make the most of your limited training hours. During the weekdays, it requires only about 4 hours per week, excluding weekends. Weekends are left flexible: you can either go out for a free ride or dedicate time to a longer, low-intensity endurance session.

A key requirement for this program is the use of a power meter. This is essential to help you monitor intensity accurately and measure your progress.

Each training week is built around three structured sessions:

- 2 high-intensity workouts, which are key for pushing your thresholds and improving cardiovascular capacity;

- 1 low-intensity session, aimed at building your aerobic base without adding excessive fatigue.

The plan is progressive. In the first phase, we focus on aerobic capacity and aerobic threshold, building a strong foundation. Then, as the weeks go by, we start introducing sessions targeting VO₂ max – that is, your maximal oxygen uptake – a key marker of performance in endurance sports.

The main goal of this program is to help you improve across all key performance areas as a cyclist: endurance, threshold power, and top-end capacity – all within a manageable weekly time commitment.

Now, how is the program structured over time? It follows a mesocycle-based model:

Every month is divided into three weeks of progressive workload, followed by one recovery week (aerobic) to allow your body to adapt and reset before continuing to build.
To get the most out of the training, athletes can choose to manually set their Functional Threshold Power (FTP) if they already know it, or perform the Ramp Test provided in the plan.
After completing the test, you simply take the highest one-minute power you achieved and subtract 25% to estimate your FTP, or ask me for sure. It’s important to update your FTP in the settings after each test (feel free to ask me if you need help).
If you need to plan a peak phase for one or more races, feel free to ask me for any adjustments to the training plan.

Lastly, if you find yourself with more time and want to expand the number of sessions each week, I’m available to provide a custom version of the plan tailored to your schedule and goals. Just send me a message privately.

This plan is ideal for:

- Cyclists with limited weekly availability;

- Riders looking for structured, time-efficient training;

- Both mountain bike athletes and road cyclists;

- Anyone who wants to see real gains in their performance without needing to train like a pro.

Let’s get started and make these 28 weeks count!