CYCLING IS EXPERIENCING a boom in this country at the moment and from the official body’s membership of 4,000 back in 2007 that figure has risen to over 20,000 this year.

Many will splash out on their first bike this Christmas with plans to do some leisure cycling in the new year and throughout the summer months.

Of course, the best way to motivate oneself is set a target, or, put differently, allow us to set one for you? So how about by the Easter weekend you’re going to complete a 100k cycle?

Here’s a rough breakdown of what we envisage you will be capable of completing after January, February and March.

• End of January – 50k
• End of February – 75 k
• End of March – 100k

Okay, let’s get into specifics.

You’re going to be bursting with enthusiasm after Christmas and this motivation will be key to getting you through what is a very cold, bleak and depressing month. So, with four days given over for training every week, we’ve devised a plan.

JANUARY

Weeks 1-2

• You’re going to get out for an hour every Tuesday and Thursday. This can be a commute to and from work, but it’s important you get the hour done on each day. Distance is not important. The key is to get your legs turning, your position right, your pedalling smooth and your confidence up too.
• On weekends, Saturday and Sunday, we’ll do two hours each day. This is a weekly total of six hours. Again, just ride the bike and forget about speed, distance, heart rate, watts….and enjoy it.

Weeks 3-4

• For the latter two weeks of January we’re going to bump up the weekend training ever so slightly and do a half an hour extra each day. Yes, that’s a total of five hours between Saturday and Sunday and an hour on both Tuesday and Thursday. So yes, that’s seven hours.

A few pointers:

•  A spinning class will suffice for the midweek training.
• Don’t stress about distance just yet and don’t even worry about 100kilometres. That will come.
• Just ride the bike. You don’t need a speedometer to measure how far you’ve gone (yet). Just ride the bike for two and a half hours on the best, safest, flattest road you can find.

FEBRUARY

Weeks 1-2

• We’re going to get a bit technical now and whether it be getting a speedometer or mapping a route online, we need you doing up to 75 kilometres in one cycle by the end of the month – but not at the beginning.
• For the first two weeks we’re going to maintain the Tuesday and Thursday spins but up the weekend spins so that you complete 50k on Saturday and 60k on Sunday. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, but you need to complete this amount.

Weeks 3-4

• For the remaining two weeks of the month we’re going to maintain the midweek training routine but again, push it out a little more on the weekends, upping the Saturday and Sunday spins to 60k each day – except the final Sunday of the month, where we’ll do 75k.

MARCH

Weeks 1-2

• By now you should be a bit fitter and a bit more confident about your ability. So it’s important to maintain this push for the next four weeks.
• For the first two weeks we’re going to train again on Tuesdays and Thursdays, in the spinning class or out on the road.
• On Saturday and Sunday we’re going to do big back-to-back days of 60k and 80k respectively. Again, we’re upping the distance ever so slightly.

Weeks 3-4

• These are the two most important weeks of the whole plan so it’s important to stay healthy.
• Again, Tuesday and Thursday stays the same, but Saturday and Sunday will be two spins of 75k and 80k distance.
• You are now ready for next weekend.  The week of the event (which will be the Sunday), you just do the spinning classes on both Tuesday and Thursday. We now pronounce you ready.