Cycling training plans: for beginners, intermediates and racers

Get into cycling, get fitter, or ride faster with our cycling training plans, in partnership with Alzheimer's Research UK

Image shows two riders completing cycling training plans for fitness gains
(Image credit: Future)

We've teamed up with Dig Deep Coaching to present three cycling training plans for fitness gains; one for beginners, one for riders looking to improve their endurance for longer bike rides, and one for racers looking for that competitive edge.

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Perceived exertionEffort level
0Nothing at all
0.5Extremely easy
1Very easy
2Easy
3Moderate
4Somewhat hard
5Hard
6Getting harder...
7Very hard
8Starting to hurt
9Arrgggh...
10Extremely hard
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ZoneNameAverage power (% FTP)Average HR
(% FTP HR)
Perceived exertionDescription
1Active Recovery<55%<68%<2"Easy spinning" or "light pedal pressure", i.e. very low level exercise, too low to induce significant physiological adaptations. Minimal sensation of leg effort. Relaxed breathing.
2Endurance56-75%69-83%3-4"All day" pace, or classic long slow distance (LSD) training. Sensation of leg effort/fatigue generally low. Breathing is a little heavier than in Zone 1.
3Tempo76-90%84-94%5-6More frequent/greater sensation of leg effort/fatigue than at Zone 2. Requires concentration to maintain. Breathing deeper and more rhythmic than in Zone 2. Breathing too hard to chat.
Sweet-spotSweetspot84-97%88-100%6-7Between high Zone 3 and low Zone 4. For riders who aren’t using a power meter, I’d call sweetspot “medium hard”. It’s just below your 25-mile TT race pace, but harder than a traditional tempo workout.
4Lactate Threshold91-105%95-105%(may not be achieved in first few efforts)7-8Similar to TT race effort. Relentless feeling of leg effort/fatigue. Breathing too hard to say more than the odd word or two. Mentally very taxing to maintain.
5VO2 Max106-120%>106%(may not be achieved in first few efforts)8-9The maximum effort you can sustain for three to eight minutes. Intended to increase VO2max. Severe leg effort/fatigue. 'Ragged' breathing; unable to speak.NB: Average heart rate less useful as a metric, as HR will be rising throughout the interval.
6Anaerobic CapacityN/AN/A10Ultra-high-intensity intervals of 10-30 seconds, designed to increase anaerobic capacity. Flat-out; no holding back. Heart rate of limited use.

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Anna Marie Abram
Fitness Features Editor

I’ve been hooked on bikes ever since the age of 12 and my first lap of the Hillingdon Cycle Circuit in the bright yellow kit of the Hillingdon Slipstreamers. For a time, my cycling life centred around racing road and track. 


But that’s since broadened to include multiday two-wheeled, one-sleeping-bag adventures over whatever terrain I happen to meet - with a two-week bikepacking trip from Budapest into the mountains of Slovakia being just the latest.


I still enjoy lining up on a start line, though, racing the British Gravel Championships and finding myself on the podium at the enduro-style gravel event, Gritfest in 2022.


Height: 177cm

Weight: 60–63kg