Though each of our cycling holidays captures a different flavour of European scenery and cycling, the distances and elevations are all in the same ballpark and you will need to be quite fit to tackle them!
To give you an idea of what to expect: our average daily distance is 140 km (lowest 71 km, highest 174 km). Elevation average is 1,852 m (lowest 519 m, highest 2,997 m). A breakdown per tour is as follows:
- London to Paris: average daily distance 117 km, elevation 1,194 m
- Paris to Geneva: average daily distance 148 km, elevation 1,889 m
- Geneva to Milan: average daily distance 142 km, elevation 2,537 m
- Milan to Rome: average daily distance 145 km, elevation 1,671 m
The riding dynamic on our tours is relaxed and there’s no pressure to go faster than you’re comfortable with, and with a support van to pick you up if you need a rest, there’s no need to feel daunted by the distances.
On this page we’ve rounded up a bunch of information to help you gauge how much training you’ll need, and how to structure a cycling training plan accordingly.
Remember that there’s no right or wrong way to train - it varies massively between rider based on factors including amount of free time, current fitness levels.
At-a-glance answers to some questions people ask about cycling training
We’ve rounded up a few of the questions we get asked frequently, as well as some being asked on internet discussion forums. The insights here will put you in good stead for your training. If you’ve got any other questions let us know in the comments at the bottom of this post.
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[accordion-item title=”How long does it take to cycle
80 / 121 / 161 km?”]
Average cycling speed varies between riders and groups and based on elevation profiles. On the downhill day of the Geneva to Milan tour for example we’ve had average speeds just shy of 48 km/h. On the uphill the day before, they were around 9.7 km/h!
We aim to be on the road at 8am and ideally arrive each day by 6pm: factoring average daily distances into that time frame gives a time of 7-14 km/h including time spent at stops.
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[accordion-item title=”What is a century in cycling?”]
A century is cycling lingo for a 161 km bike ride simple as that.
There’s a certain amount of prestige attached to completing your first century, and to each time you break your previous record.
A few of our tour dates have distances just shy of 161 km: if you’re feeling particularly keen you could keep going at the end of the day until you hit 161 km! Paris to Geneva has a complete century too.
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[accordion-item title=”How should I train for a 161 km
bike ride?”]
Ness Knight, one of our team, has written a great post about training for a 161 km bike ride. You can read it here.
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[accordion-item title=”How should I train to ensure I can
keep going without rest days?”]
This question was asked on Quora and the answers caught our eye: there’s some great info inside! Check out the full answers here, or see our highlights:
- You will inevitably experience DOMS: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. The two top tips are to keep riding as it will usually subside, and to increase blood flow to the area with massage, hot baths, compression tights, etc.
- Stay hydrated
- Stay well fed!
- Sleep well each night
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[accordion-item title=”How do I avoid injury while training?”]
We have four top-level tips for preventing injury while training:
- Stretch for 5-10 minutes beforehand
- Maintain your cadence while riding
- Know the correct saddle height for your shape and make sure you put it back to this level after transporting your bike
- Tighten cleat screws to prevent them from coming loose: this can lead to injury
Further tips on avoiding injury during rides are outlined on our blog, courtesy of one of our Ride25 tour crew, Paul “Smudge” Smith (whose many talents include being a professional bike fitter, bike mechanic and biomechanics trainer):
- A post about common cycling aches and pains
- Another about the 3 main causes of knee pain for cyclists
- And a third about causes of back and neck pain when cycling
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[accordion-item title=”How do I keep a record of my cycling training program?”]
Our personal recommendation is Strava.
This was also asked on Quora and generated some good discussion, which you can see here. A selection of apps are suggested, as well as information on how to create your own training spreadsheet.
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Content on our blog about cycling training plans
A four part guide to training for a Ride25 tour
This series was written to help people prepare for one of our tours and will hopefully answer a lot of the questions you might have!
Training for a 161 km cycling event
This post discusses key areas:
- Bike fitting
- Increasing training in increments
- Finding motivation and staying disciplined
- Recovery
- Adapting training close to the ride
Staying motivated while training
Read this here. These principles were written as a motivational pickmeup after New Year 2015, but are all still relevant!
- Be ruthless with yourself
- Set long and short term goals
- Set goals that are hard but realistic
- Aim for incremental success
- Set measurable goals
- Phrase your goals positively
- Write it down and then tell the world
- Do it with friends
- Reward yourself
What to expect from a Ride25
Sometimes it’s easier to train for a ride if you have an idea of what to expect beyond the usual route and elevation lines. In this vein we have interviews with people who’ve ridden a Ride25 tour:
- Jill Wilkie rode the Milan Rome Pioneers ride, read about her ride here.
- Guy Cox rode a tour on a Brompton, read about his experience here!
A write-up of the Leeds to Paris tour by Mike Donnellanː
And a write-up of the Geneva to Milan tour by Chris Lee:
Cycling training plans elsewhere on the internet
Of course there are some fantastic resources elsewhere on the internet that will help you plan your training routine. Some of our favourites:
- Cycling weekly
- Cycling bug
- Global cycling network (GCN)
GCN’s videos are particularly recommended if you’re looking for training tips. They cover a huge range of subjects from structuring training plans, to improving climbing technique, to popping wheelies. An example video below:
We also recommend that you join either (or both) British Cycling or CTC who offer great advice, training support and third party insurance for cyclists. We are official partners of both and you can join CTC for just £16 if you quote the code 90074626 on their membership page, here.