MS Bike 2 month training plan: Getting ready for the big ride
An 8-week guide to preparing for the event of the summer
Good news! You’re determined to get out and ride that bike not only for fitness and to enjoy the warmer weather but to put your efforts to good use through an MS Bike event this summer.
Here’s a two-month training program designed to help you complete a 60 or 100 km ride. First things first, though. As Philippe Tremblay points out in this primer for beginner cyclists, there are a few things you need to take care of before you get started.
Bike fit and tune-up
It’s a good idea to try to get someone at a bike store or an experienced cyclist to have a look at you on the bike to make sure it fits. There’s nothing worse than trying to spend lots of time on a bike that doesn’t fit properly. Once that’s done, get your bike into the store for a tune-up before you hit the road to make sure everything is working properly.
Get the right clothes
Yes, there’s a reason cyclists wear shorts with a padded chamois! Avoid chaffing from day one with the right gear.
Gearing and pedals
Spend some time learning about your gears and getting in and out of your pedals. (We’ll talk about that some more below.)
Bring a water bottle
Staying hydrated is important.
Buy a spare tube
Spend some time on YouTube learning how to change a tube.
The plan outlined below gets you started with at least three rides a week. There are options to add other sports to the mix and more cycling workouts for those looking for a more demanding plan. It also incorporates some strength training, which is a critical component of any training plan to help avoid muscle imbalances that can lead to injury and to promote overall fitness and health.
First Two Weeks
Suggested training week
Monday: Day off
Tuesday: Ride 1
Wednesday: Rider’s choice/strength work
Thursday: Ride 2
Friday: Day off
Saturday: Rider’s choice/strength work
Sunday: Long ride
Getting comfortable on the bike
It’s a good idea to some time with working on your bike handling skills. If you haven’t been on a bike for a while, you should do the same. Find yourself a parking lot with lots of room and take some time to work on braking and clipping in and out of your pedals, changing gears, reaching down to grab a water bottle while you’re moving, your balance and cornering.
Weekly schedule
The most important component of a successful training plan is consistency. Three workouts a week for 8 weeks will take you much further than the occasional five-workout week followed by weeks with one or two efforts. Our plan below aims to include three bike rides every week, with the option to add sessions on the bike or some other type of activity. Of course we are assuming you’re embarking on this plan heading into the summer, so hopefully you’ll be able to get outside for your rides.
Ride 1 and 2
The weekly schedule includes a couple of rides during the week. Start with a distance that you know you can complete, then try to build on that each week. So, the idea is to start with some time on the bike over a distance that you can complete comfortably. That means, you’ll probably want rides 1 and 2 to be half- to three-quarters the distance of your long ride. If you find that to be way too easy, check out this more advanced eight-week plan.
Long ride
A long ride is an important component of your training plan—the goal for MS Bike is to go the distance and make a difference, right? The key to your long ride is to start at a reasonable level and build gradually.
These rides should be done at a 60 to 80 per cent intensity level. Well, the easiest way to gauge if you’re riding at the appropriate intensity is to make sure you can keep a conversation going. Since we’re likely to be riding by ourselves for a while, try to make sure you don’t feel completely out of breath while you’re on these rides. Don’t sweat it if you have to push a bit beyond that on climbs but keep things easy the rest of the way.
Most people look to get their long rides done on the weekends when they have more time, but any day of the week is fine as long as you get it done. Here are some suggested long ride builds based on goal distances of 60 km and 100 km.
60 km ride goal
• Week 1: 20 km
• Week 2: 25 km
100 km ride goal
• Week 1: 30 km
• Week 2: 35 km
Strength work
Even though your legs are going to be doing the lion’s share of the work for your big cycling effort this summer, maintaining overall strength should be a critical component of your training plan. You don’t need to hit a weight room for hours and hours of strength training every week. In fact, that probably would hinder your bike goals as you would likely gain some unwanted muscle mass.
Your strength work should be focused on core strength and incorporate as many body-weight exercises as possible. Aim to complete a couple of strength sessions a week for about 20 minutes.
For core strength workouts that will help every cyclist, check out this equipment-free program.
Other workouts
OK, so you have three bike rides and two strength workouts. What else should your training week include? For some riders, that workload will be more than enough. For those who want to add some more training to their weekly schedules, the weekly program includes a couple of “cyclist’s choice” days. These could be some easy bike rides, easy runs or even just some long, brisk walks to get you out of the house and enjoying some fresh air.
Day off
One of the most important things you’ll do as part of your training plan is to make sure you have a day off every week. Giving yourself a 24-hour break to let your body rest and recuperate will make all the difference in your performance and ability to build and maintain your fitness. The program above includes a couple of days off – Friday, so you can rest up before the weekend, and Monday, to allow you to recover from your longer ride.
Second Three Weeks
Here is the second block of training for those who have been following our summer training program and preparing to ride 60 or 100 km at MS Bike later this year. Last block, the goal was to get you comfortable on the bike and help you develop a consistent training plan—this month we want to build on that and up your training levels a bit.
Suggested training week
We still have a couple of days off in the program – feel free to put in some active rest (walk, easy bike, other activity) for one of those days, but make sure you have at least one full day off every week to ensure you’re getting some rest and letting your body recover.
| Monday | Day off |
| Tuesday | Easy ride |
| Wednesday | Rider’s choice/strength work |
| Thursday | Intervals/hills/steady-state |
| Friday | Day off |
| Saturday | Easy ride |
| Sunday | Long ride |
Weekly schedule
The most important component of a successful training plan is consistency. Three workouts a week for 12 weeks will take you much further than the occasional five-workout week followed by weeks with one or two efforts. This month, we’re adding one more ride to the program. If that’s a stretch for your busy schedule, skip one of the easy rides.
Easy ride
Ideally, these rides are about half to three-quarters the distance of your long ride each week. If you find that to be way too easy, check out this more advanced 8-week plan.
Long ride
The long ride is an important component of your training plan—the goal at MS Bike is to go the distance and make a difference, right? The key to your long ride is to start at a reasonable level and build gradually.
These rides should be done at a 60 to 80 per cent intensity level. The easiest way to gauge that level is to make sure you can keep a conversation going. Make sure you don’t feel completely out of breath while you’re on these rides. Don’t sweat it if you have to push a bit beyond that on climbs but keep things easy the rest of the way.
Most people look to do their long rides on the weekends when they have more time, but any day of the week is fine as long as you get it done. Here are some suggested long ride builds for the second month of the training program based on goal distances of 60 km or 100 km.
60 km ride goal
- Week 3: 30 km
- Week 4: 40 km
- Week 5: 35 km
100 km ride goal
- Week 3: 40 km
- Week 4: 50 km
- Week 5: 60 km
Intervals/hills/steady-state
The goal with these sessions is to work on your speed and strength on the bike. The faster you can go, the easier a slower pace will feel when it comes to your big ride later this summer. This session should be anywhere from 45 to 75 minutes in length and should incorporate some pushing the pace.
For example, you could simply ride at a quicker tempo for 20 to 50 minutes. You could also find a hill close by and do some repeats up that. Another option is to do some intervals where you push the pace for either a set time (1 to 3 minutes) or a set distance (500 m to 1 km), with a similar length of time or distance as a recovery in between.
Rider’s choice/strength work
Even though your legs will be doing the lion’s share of the work for your big cycling effort this summer, maintaining overall strength should be a critical component of your training plan. You don’t need to hit a weight room for hours and hours of strength training every week. In fact, that probably would hinder your bike goals as you would likely gain some unwanted muscle mass.
Your strength work should be very mostly focused on core strength and incorporate as many body-weight exercises as possible. Aim to complete a couple of strength sessions a week for about 20 minutes.
For core strength workouts that will help every cyclist, check out this equipment-free program.
To prepare for the strength workout, you should do at least 15 to 20 mins of some sort of warm-up activity—bike, run, brisk walk or an elliptical trainer session are all great options.
Third Three Weeks
Suggested training week
We still have a couple of days off in the program – feel free to put in some active rest (walk, easy bike, other activity) for one of those days, but make sure you have at least one full day off every week to ensure you’re getting some rest and letting your body recover.
| Monday | Day off |
| Tuesday | Easy ride 1 |
| Wednesday | Rider’s choice/strength work |
| Thursday | Intervals/hills/steady-state |
| Friday | Day off |
| Saturday | Easy ride 3 |
| Sunday | Long ride |
Weekly schedule
The most important component to a successful training plan is consistency. Three workouts a week for 12 weeks will take you much further than the occasional five-workout week followed by weeks with one or two efforts. We’re keeping the extra ride in the program. If that’s a stretch for your busy schedule, skip one of the easy rides.
Easy Ride
These rides should continue to be about half to three-quarters the distance of your long ride each week. Optimally, if you have time, you’ll go two-thirds to three-quarters the distance (30 to 35 km for the 50 km goal, 60 to 75 km for the 100 km rides).
Long Ride
The long ride remains an important part of your plan, with our final goal coming this month to do your virtual MS Bike, go the distance and make a difference. The long rides continue to be done at a 60 to 80 per cent intensity level – make sure you can keep up a conversation while you’re riding! It’s OK to push a bit harder on climbs, but make sure the rest of the rides feel pretty easy. What becomes really important this week is to ensure that you are practicing your nutrition and hydration plan during these longer rides.
Register at msbike.ca
Kevin Mackinnon is a former professional triathlete who has been coaching cyclists, runners and triathletes for more than 30 years. He is the editor of Triathlon Magazine and a senior editor at Canadian Cycling Magazine.
