Challenge Tour 12 Week Training Program

The 2023 Challenge Tour is our toughest yet! But don't let that scare you off because we're here to guide you through the training process so you're ready to tackle the climbs, smash those KM's and finish the challenge with a sense of pride.

Our 12 week training guide has been put together by four time World Champion, two time Olympian and Cycling Scholarship Coach Ash Ankudinoff.

Key information to get you started

For each ride, be sure to warm up in zone 1 or 2 for 15-20mins before your efforts. Also ensure you warm down for at least 10mins. Always make sure your efforts are done on a safe stretch of road.

• Make sure your bike position is set up well and is comfortable and suitable to you.

• Recently had a service, good tread on the tyres, chain and chain rings are in good condition.

• Suitable clothing, a good pair of bike shorts are a must. Plus, don't forget your Challenge Tour jersey.

• Front and Rear light, imperative whilst riding on the road and being seen.

• Keep a training diary and try and record your rides, how did you feel throughout the session?

• Use a HR monitor or if you have a power meter. A great tool to check in with how you are progressing and helps to follow a program.

• If you do become sick or injured ensure that you take a few days off to let yourself get back to full health. Pushing through will only delay your recovery.

• Be consistent and challenge yourself. Remember, if you are progressing slow and cant see any gains, slow progress is better than no progress. Keep pushing.

Sprints: Out of the seat, gear of your choice, as hard as you can go for the prescribed time. Ensure you complete these on a open and safe stretch of road.
Ensure you are eating and drinking enough throughout your rides. Avoiding the “bonk” when 2 or 3hrs deep into a ride.
Drinking 400-900ml/hr will ensure you stay hydrated especially heading into the warmer months.
Aim to eat 60g/kg of carbs throughout a ride that is over 1hr.

Zone 1 (50-59% HR max)- Easy
Zone 2 (60-69% HR max)- Steady
Zone 3 (70-79% HR max)- Brisk
Zone 4 (80-89% HR max)- Hard
Zone 5 (90-100% HR max) Very hard

Zone 1 ( Recovery) <55% FTP (functional threshold power- a power number that you can hold for 60mins) - Should feel very easy with little pressure going through the pedals.

Zone 2 - Endurance 56-75% (3hrs +) - Conversation while riding should still be easy but breathing will be a little heavier and more regular than zone one.

Zone 3- Tempo 76-90% (20min-1hr) - Breathing is getting sharper now with more concentration required to maintain the effort. Harder to talk and starting to feel uncomfortable.

Zone 4- Threshold 91-105% (10-30min) - Regular conversation while riding will be very difficult and your breathing will be heavy, but not strained.

Zone 5- Vo2 106-120% (3-8min) - This is a hard zone, painful to ride at for more than a few minutes, so you should be suffering.

Zone 6- Anaerobic Capacity more than 121% (30sec-3mins) - These efforts are very painful and not far off a maximum sprint.

Program

Week 1

28th October - 3rd November

Summary

Introduction week. An opportunity to get some consistency on the bike, reach out to your riding buddies and go for a ride with them. Overall an easy week with a few efforts to get you started.

Target

Easy Week/Introduction Total bike hours- 7-8hrs

Friday 28th October
Check your bike and kit over, making sure everything is ready for you to begin riding tomorrow.

Saturday 29th October
1.5hrs- Moderate terrain. Group ride, practice riding in a group. Zone 2

Sunday 30th October
1hr Easy road ride- indoor or outdoor. Zone 1

Monday 31st October
Rest Day

Tuesday 1st November
1hr- Flat terrain. Am or pm with 10sec sprints every 5min.

Wednesday 2nd November
1.5hrs- moderate terrain. Group ride if possible, include 15min at Zone 3/ Tempo

Thursday 3rd November
Rest day

Week 2

4th November - 10th November

Summary

Medium week in terms of work load. Slightly more hours than the previous week. Keep that consistency up on the bike. Introducing some hilly rides and some sprints. Be sure to take another rest day if needed.

Target

Medium week Total bike hours 9.5hrs

Friday 4th November
1hr - Zone 2 for majority of ride. Include 4x10sec sprints with 5min recovery between each effort.

Saturday 5th November
2-2.5hrs Endurance ride with a group if possible. Moderate terrain. Zone 2

Sunday 6th November
1.5hrs free ride. Aim for 30-45min of climbing.

Monday 7th November
Rest day - Opportunity to get a massage or stretching session.

Tuesday 8th November
1hr - moderate terrain, Zone 2. Include 30min Zone 3. Indoor or outdoor.

Wednesday 9th November
1.5hrs - Hilly terrain. Aim for 30min of climbing, zone 3

Thursday 10th November
1-2hrs - Flat-Moderate terrain. With a group if possible.

Week 3

11th November - 17th November

Summary

Another medium week and continuation from last week. Few key things to work on this week when climbing. Settling into a good rhythm and breathing whilst climbing. In and out of the seat. Keep up the stretching and massage if you can on your 'rest' days.

Target

Medium week Total bike hours 9.5hrs

Friday 11th November
Rest Day

Saturday 12th November
3hrs Endurance ride. Hilly terrain, Zone 2 & 3.

Sunday 13th November
2hrs free ride. Flat ride or hilly terrain. Lower Zone 2.

Monday 14th November
Rest day - Opportunity to get a massage or stretching session

Tuesday 15th November
1.5hrs - moderate - hilly terrain in zone 2. Include 45min at zone 3. Indoor or outdoor

Wednesday 16th November
1hr - am or pm, hilly terrain. focus on controlled breathing and get into a good rhythm when climbing.

Thursday 17th November
1-2hrs - group ride if possible. Focus on getting comfortable riding with a group. Zone 1.

Week 4

18th November - 24th November

Summary

This week we have an easy week to recover from the last 2 medium size weeks on the bike. Be sure to take those easy rides, easy. There will be 2 quality sessions within this week to keep working on your climbing.

Target

Easy week Total bike hours- 7.5hrs

Friday 18th November
Rest Day

Saturday 19th November
2hrs - Moderate-Hilly terrain. Group ride if possible. Zone 2 for majority of ride.

Sunday 20th November
1hr Easy spin with 4x10sec sprints every 10min

Monday 21st November
Rest day - Opportunity to get a massage or stretching session

Tuesday 22nd November
1.5hrs - Hilly loop or indoor. Aim for 50min at zone 3.

Wednesday 23rd November
2hrs - Moderate-hilly terrain. Aiming for 45min of climbing in total. Focus on breathing and good rhythm when climbing.

Thursday 24th November
1hr - Indoor or road. Zone 1

Week 5

25th November - 1st December

Summary

A relatively big week on the bike this week. Make sure you prioritise rest and recovery between sessions with hard efforts. This week we are introducing some longer/harder efforts, the aim is to accumulate up to an hour of hard climbing for the week.

Target

Hard week Total hours on bike- 11hrs

Friday 25th November
1hr Easy- indoor trainer or road

Saturday 26th November
3hrs Group ride, hilly terrain. (Include 2x20min climbs, zone 3 and zone 4.)

Sunday 27th November
1.5hrs Zone 2, include 4x10sec sprints every 10min

Monday 28th November
Rest day - Opportunity to get a massage or stretching session

Tuesday 29th November
2hrs - Moderate terrain or indoors. Aim for 1hr in zone 3 effort in total

Wednesday 30th November
1.5hrs - Moderate- hilly terrain. Include 4x6min efforts at Zone 4 and 5 effort. (on a climb) with 5mins recovery. Aiming for 24mins of hard work.

Thursday 1st November
2hrs - Moderate terrain. Zone 2 for majority ride.

Week 6

2nd December - 8th December

Summary

Half way mark- by this point you should be feeling relatively fit from the past 5 weeks of training. Be sure to keep on top of your stretching to ensure no little niggles/injuries are arising. If you do have any niggles be sure to give yourself a couple of days off to overcome the niggle.

Target

Hard week Total hours on bike- 11.5hrs

Friday 2nd December
Optional recovery ride on indoor trainer or on road. Zone 1.

Saturday 3rd December
3-3.5hrs - Hilly terrain. Zone 2 on flats, zone 3 and 4 on hills.

Sunday 4th December
2hrs - Group ride, focus on cornering and descending today. Include 5x1min efforts at Zone 5. 10min recovery between each effort

Monday 5th December
1hr- Moderate terrain or indoor. Zone 2

Tuesday 6th December
1.5hrs - Moderate to hilly terrain. Zone 2

Wednesday 7th December
2hrs - Hilly terrain. Aim for 1hr of total climbing time. 3x20min climbs in zone 4 and 5

Thursday 8th December
1.5hrs - Moderate- hilly terrain. Include 3x8min at zone 4 and 5. Aiming for 24min of hard work.

Week 7

9th December - 15th December

Summary

Another hard week on the bike this week. You'll be happy to know it is your last hard week ahead of your challenge tour. Make sure you are prioritising your rest and recovery between sessions. Another week where climbing is the key focus.

Target

Hard week Total hours on bike- 12hrs

Friday 9th December
1hr Easy road ride- indoor or outdoor Zone 1

Saturday 10th December
3-4hrs- Opportunity to go and climb the hills that are part of the "challenge" tour. Aim for 40-60min of hard climbing at zone 4 and 5.

Sunday 11th December
2hrs - Moderate terrain. Focus on descending well today. Include 4x8sec sprints with 10min recovery between each effort.

Monday 12th December
Rest day - Opportunity to get a massage or stretching session.

Tuesday 13th December
1hr - Flat terrain, upper zone 1.

Wednesday 14th December
2hr - Include 5x10min efforts at zone 4 and 5 with 10min recovery between each effort. Aiming for 50min of hard work.

Thursday 15th December
2hrs - Moderate terrain. Zone 2 and 3.

Week 8

16th December - 22nd December

Summary

You've made it! A nice easy week for you to freshen up from the 3 hard weeks on the bike. Be sure to keep easy rides, easy.

Target

Easy week Total bike hours- 6.5hrs.

Friday 16th December
1hr Easy road ride- indoor or outdoor Zone 1

Saturday 17th December
2hrs- Flat terrain. Zone 2 for majority of ride.

Sunday 18th December
Rest day

Monday 19th December
Optional 1hr easy ride, Zone 1 effort.

Tuesday 20th December
1hr- Flat terrain, upper zone 2.

Wednesday 21st December
1.5hrs- Moderate terrain. Zone 2.

Thursday 22nd December
Rest day

Week 9

23rd December - 29th December

Summary

You should feel refreshed after a week easy, this week there are a few key sessions with efforts. An opportunity to ride in a group, focus on your weaknesses- descending, cornering or climbing. Be sure to keep those easy rides, easy.

Target

Medium week Total bike hours 9.5hrs

Friday 16th December
Rest Day

Saturday 17th December
2.5hrs- Group ride if possible. Zone 2 on flat terrain, Zone 3 and 4 on hills.

Sunday 18th December
1.5hrs free ride. Opportunity to work on your weakness. (Group ride, descendning, cornering, climbing)

Monday 19th December
1hr - Moderate terrain. Zone 1 and Zone 2 ride.

Tuesday 20th December
1.5hrs - Moderate -hilly terrain. Zone 2 ride.

Wednesday 21st December
2hr ride- Moderate terrain. Include 6x1min efforts at Zone 6 effort. 2-3mins recovery between each effort

Thursday 22nd December
1hr - Flat terrain. Zone 1 effort, 6sec fast spin every 5mins.

Week 10

30th December - 5th January

Summary

Last relatively hard week before the workload is decreased. An opportunity to work on your weaknesses. Again an opportunity to ride in a group, focus on descending, cornering or climbing. Few efforts to top up the legs ahead of taper period.

Target

Medium week Total bike hours 10hrs

Friday 30th December
Rest Day

Saturday 31st December
3hrs- Moderate-hilly terrain. Group ride if possible. Zone 2 and 3. Include 4x8sec sprints, 5min recovery between each effort.

Sunday 1st January
1.5hrs- Flat to moderate terrain. Zone 1.

Monday 2nd January
Optional 1hr easy ride, Zone 1

Tuesday 3rd January
2hrs- Hilly terrain, long climbing day. Aim for 30-40mins of controlled, hard climbing at zone 3 and 4.

Wednesday 4th January
1.5-2hrs- Flat terrain with a group if possible. Zone 2.

Thursday 5th January
1hr- Moderate terrain. Majority of ride in upper zone 2.

Week 11

6th January - 12th January

Summary

With 2 weeks to go before the event you should have confidence in knowing you can ride the full distance and climb well. Few key sessions this week, with some solid efforts.

Target

Easy week Total bike hours- 7hrs

Friday 6th January
Rest Day

Saturday 7th January
2.5hrs- Moderate to hilly terrain. Practice group riding and climbing.

Sunday 8th January
1hr - Optional zone 1 ride or rest day.

Monday 9th January
Rest day - Opportunity to get a massage or stretching session.

Tuesday 10th January
2hr- Flat-moderate terrain. Include 5x1min efforts at zone 5. 2-3min recovery between each effort.

Wednesday 11th January
1hr- Flat terrain. Zone 1.

Thursday 12th January
1.5hrs- Moderate terrain. Aim for 30min of total climbing. 5-8min climbs.

Week 12

13th January - 19th January

Summary

The weeks sessions are a great way to see how you would pace the climbs within the "challenge" tour. A good way to see what intensity/effort you want to climb at and feel throughout the race. The hard work is done so don't try and overreach in this week.