Your Week by Week Training Guide

Claire Beaumont regularly competes in road races and is a sport Science graduate she is the Evans Cycles Fitness Advisor and gives us her guide to preparing for the Palace to Palace.

Cycling 45 miles is not an impossible task - in fact, it's easily achievable, as are ready for it.

Palace to Palace is a ride for any ability. You can ride at a pace that feels comfortable to you - remember it’s not a race.

This training programme aims to get you into cycling with basic core riding sessions to build your base fitness and get you used to being in the saddle for a longer time. Download your printable training programme here and follow the week-by-week guide below.

Week 1

• Firstly - and most importantly - you need a bike! If you don’t have one, visit a local Evans Cycles and find a bike that will be suitable for you. Ideally a hybrid is the best choice as they are comfortable and have less resistant tyres which means you use less energy to cycle.
• Check your saddle height – this will help you be more comfortable and efficient. You’ll see the biggest improvement in your riding from this. Adjust your saddle so when you sit on it your feet just touch the floor and your knee is slightly bent when on the pedal.

Aim for the week: Get out on your bike at least two times this week.
Ride for 30 minutes and a good so that your breathing increases but you can still speak in sentences

Week 2

• Find a friend to cycle with if you can. It will be cycle more fun and you can work together to achieve your fitness goals.

Aim for the week: Ride for 30 minutes at least two times this week.
Fit in another cycle ride during the week, which can be a short little ride of 10 minutes or a longer 30 minute journey. e.g ride to the shops, to the train station to a friend’s house.

Week 3

• Find some hills. Hills are inevitable and whether you love them or hate them, it’s easier to be ready for them than hide away. This will get you practised at getting out of the saddle and pedalling harder.
• Short sharp hills are fine, as they require higher amounts of effort. Long hills that drag on are great to building stamina. Riding a few hills will get you used to using different gearing and will help you find which gears are best suited for the gradient your about to tackle.
• Making your body work harder than it is used to will stress the muscles and heart, asking it to work harder. Your body will then develop to meet these needs. The next time you ride you will find it easier.

Aim for the week: Do a 40 minute ride that incorporate three hills. If you find a hill you can’t cycle up, try to get as far as you can and remember where you stopped. Next time try and get further than this.

Week 4

• You’ll be used to your bike by now, so it's now time to increase your endurance capacity.
• This week also try to sneak in a short ride of 30minutes possibly up a hill which you find hard to ride.

Aim for the week: Go out for a one-hour cycle ride, perhaps in a country park or on a bridal way. The day after, do a 30-minute recovery ride at a slow pace. It will keep your legs ticking over and feeling supple.

Week 5

• Try to cycle little short rides to keep your core fitness up.
• You might feel tired after your epic ride this week, but a quick 30-minute ride a couple of days after will actually be a pick-me-up, as exercising release endorphins into the body which are happy hormones.

Aim for the week: conquer a hurdle by cycling at least 20 miles. See how long it takes for you to get to your target. If you having fun on the ride and don’t feel tired, keep going - it doesn’t matter if you do a few extra miles!

Week 6

• You might feel a bit tired this week, but will also have a sense of achievement as you have tallied up a lot of miles so far.
• Don’t forget to ride up some hills try and tackle a long hill. Possibly one that you have struggled on before.

Aim for the week: Aim for two long rides this week. Go for a 90 minute cycle ride try and pick up your tempo so that you breathing is harder and you can speak a couple of words at a time whilst you cycle. A few days later, try a 60-minute ride, at a slower tempo than your earlier ride.

Week 7

• It’s been two weeks since your last epic ride and time to tackle a new challenge. See if you can complete a three-hour ride. This will get you used to being in the saddle for a long time.
• Ride a fairly strong pace - enough to make you slightly out of breath. It’s great to do this ride with some friends, as you can entertain each other on route.
• Record how far you rode, so you can compare your pace later.
• Complete some shorter rides as part of recovery from you longer stint. 30 minutes at a good pace and trips to the train station or running little errands.

Aim for the week: That epic three-hour ride.

Week 8

• It's time to pick up your riding, so that your performance peaks for the event.
• Ride a 60 minute route at a good pace which incorporates hills.
• Then it's time for another weekend epic...

Aim for the week: Target a 35-mile route at a good pace. Continuous riding for the full distance is ideal, but if you are feeling tired, it's OK to stop and have something to eat and drink. Time yourself, as you can use this to plan how long Palace to Palace bike will take.

Week 9

• You've been training for eight weeks now and will be used to spending a long time in the saddle. This week is your final long ride before you begin to ease and give your body some rest before the big day.
• As well as your long ride, try to squeeze in a 90-minute ride.

Aim for the week: Go for a 40-mile ride. Again, record how long it takes you. Try to make this quicker than your 35-miler.

Week 10

• Congratulations, you're through the hardest part of the training and it starts to taper down now, to give your body time to recover for the Palace to Palace ride.
• On top of your longer weekend ride, fit in a 60-minuter at a good pace

Aim for the week: Do a 20-mile ride and monitor the time it took you to ride this. It should be much quicker than when you first attempted it.

Week 11

• This week your training will ease up even more to give your legs a rest after two weeks of heavy riding.
• Get your equipment sorted this week. But make sure that if you buy any new clothing. try them on and go for a cycle ride in them to make sure they will be comfortable on the day.
• Back on the bike, do a 60-minute ride at a fairly good pace.

Aim for the week: Organise and prepare. Check you bike out make sure its working properly. If it doesn’t seem quite right, book your bike in your local Evans Cycles for a service.

Week 12

• Ease off on your training and rest. This will help you feel more energised for the event.
• Keep doing short 15-minute rides, just to keep you ticking over and maintaining your core fitness.
• Don’t be tempted to do a longer ride at the end of the week this won’t help your ride on Sunday.

Aim for the week: It's race day! Just go out and enjoy yourself. It can really be an event that you never forget.