When I started riding in the 70s, I'd get in shape for the Davis double century by just riding a lot of miles. Now, responsibilities limit my time and age constrains my volume - I've had to learn how to train effectively. In this article, I will discuss how I coach others to prepare for a double century and in the second article will discuss training for a fast double.

Training Principles for Double Centuries and Brevets

• Goal Setting: What are your key events for the year? Take time to identify these and then plan your training so that you peak for the key double century(s), rather than peaking a month early and then arriving at the double century over-trained. You probably can't set PRs at double centuries on successive weekends; decide which douible centuries are the most important.


• Overload: when you do a hard ride such as a double century or brevet, your body says "Ouch, I'm not ready for this" and then, somewhat reluctantly, gets stronger. If you want to improve, you have to increase the stress on your body.


• Recovery: your body doesn't get stronger when you overload it by riding a brevet, but only when you allow time to recover. Listen to the "Ouch" -- you rebuild tissue and gain strength only during rest days.


• Progression: what hurt last month is now kind of fun; your body is stimulated, but not overloaded. In order to continue getting stronger, you have to progressively increase the overload.


• Individual: we all have different bodies, psyches and goals and our training programs should be individual. You should not just do what the other riders are doing to prepare for brevets and double centuries.


• Economy: the best training program for a double century is the one that achieves your goals with only the minimum amount of effort. Only do the miles you need to do in order to reach those goals.


• Specificity: Cross-training is great in the early season, but as you approach your double century(s) or brevet(s), ride your bike.


• Intensity: your legs have slow twitch muscles, good for endurance, and fast twitch muscles for fast climbs The body's different muscles and metabolic systems cannot all be trained at the same cycling intensity. You need long, slow days and short, fast days.


• Fun: Training and riding a double century is primarily for fun: enjoying the movement on the bike, looking at the scenery, talking to good friends.

Training Phases
Effective training is divided into phases, each with a different purpose:

• Building Your Base takes three to four months, during which you build endurance for double centuries and brevets.
• Intensity, lasting two to three months, is when you develop your speed for short, fast rides such as races.
• Peaking, four to six weeks, when your training becomes specific to peak for the double century by riding long, fast rides.
• Tapering for one to three weeks, when you store energy for the double century or brevet.
• Racing, which may be one double century or a series of double centuries or brevets.
• Off-Season, during which you recover mentally and physically.

You can use this framework -- progressive and increasingly specific overload -- to plan an active season of centuries, double centuries, brevets and touring.

Building your base: endurance for a double century or brevet.
Over this three to four month period your volume gradually increases. Increase your total weekly miles by 5 - 10% per week and your long weekly ride by about the same factor. Ramping faster risks injury. To ride a double century or brevet in May or June, you need to start training by February to avoid ramping too quickly.

You should do two endurance workouts each week; an endurance workout should be at least two hours long at a moderate pace. Two workouts will provide more overload and recovery than doing just one long ride on the weekend. Early in the season, you'll improve faster if you ride 50 to 70 miles on Saturday and 30 to 50 on Sunday, rather than grinding out a century in one day. Later in the phase, you'll ride better if you can ride 50 - 75 one day mid-week, get some recovery, and then ride 100 - 125 miles on Saturday.

In addition to the endurance workouts, you should do two or three shorter rides during the week. Use these rides to work on your form and technique: a smooth spin, a quiet upper body, a good aerodynamic position, etc. As a rule of thumb, ride at least half of your total miles during the week and less than half in one long weekend ride.

Don't worry about pace or intensity during this phase. Your goal is to build endurance.

You should do specific training to strengthen the core muscles in your abdomen, back and upper body that support and stabilize you on the bike. Do strength training to rebuild the muscle fibers in your legs. Complement your strength training with stretching and high cadence riding to maintain suppleness.

If you've put on a few pounds over the off-season, now is the time to trim down to your riding weight. It is hard to control your appetite once you start intensity training.

Intensity: speed for fast rides
During this phase you'll build the total volume very slowly (only 5 - 10% per month) while progressively increasing the intensity of your riding. Significantly increasing both the volume and the intensity risks over-training. When you were building your base, you were putting miles in the bank; intensity training starts to draw down your reserves a bit. This phase is usually two months or less.

Continue doing your long weekend and mid-week rides, to maintain your endurance. Increase the longest ride until you're riding about 150 miles. Riding just centuries in training and then jumping to a double century is a sure way to a slow, painful second half of the double century! During this phase, your training should become more specific. Ride on terrain and in conditions that are similar to your most important doubles.

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Do a tempo ride each week; go out for a multi-hour ride with your pulse at the intensity you plan to ride during the event or events. Each week increase the length of the tempo rides.

Once a week you should do speed work with your pulse near your anaerobic threshold (AT). Warm up thoroughly, then climb a hill, do a time trial, or ride long intervals. (The second article will explain this in detail.) The other days should be easy or rest days to allow adequate recovery. Once a month, ride a time trial over the same course to gauge your fitness.

Peaking: long, fast rides
By the end of your intensity training you've built up your endurance until you have the stamina to ride a double century without too much suffering and you've developed aerobic speed over shorter distances. During your peaking phase you maintain the endurance and develop that speed over longer rides.

This phase is usually short, a month or so to sharpen you for the key double century(s) in your season. Keep the weekly mileage the same, or even slightly less, than during your intensity training. Every other weekend, do an endurance ride of 135 to 150 miles. Try to maintain a steady pace and concentrate on minimizing off-the-bike time. On the alternate weekends, ride fast centuries. Ride these faster than you plan to ride the big double(s). During the week, continue to do an AT ride, a tempo ride of several hours, and a couple of recovery rides.

Tapering: storing energy for the double century.
Just before your big double century, you should taper down your mileage. It's too late to train effectively; don't risk coming into the double century tired. The week before a double century or brevet, go out for short, easy rides; stay loose. Eat plenty of carbohydrates and hydrate fully so that your body is ready.

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