Riding regularly improves endurance, strengthens the legs and lets you cover longer routes faster. But to improve steadily it is not enough simply to ride at the same pace every time. A good training week consists of easy rides, a longer endurance session, a little more intensive work and enough rest.
In this guide we explain how to start training on a bike, how many times a week to ride, how to choose your intensity and what a simple week plan might look like.
If you want an individual plan based on your goal, the days you have available and your weekly hours, you can create a one-month cycling training plan with Pasomilo for free.
First set a training goal
Before planning your training it is worth deciding clearly what you want to achieve. The goal will help you choose the right session duration, intensity and weekly structure.
The most common goals for cyclists:
- start riding regularly and improve general fitness;
- prepare for a longer tour or an amateur race;
- increase average speed;
- build endurance on climbs;
- improve FTP, or the ability to hold a higher power for longer;
- complete a chosen distance, for example 50, 100 or more kilometres.
The goal must be realistic and match the time you have. It is better to train consistently three times a week than to plan six sessions and miss most of them.
If you are still choosing a bike, read our guide on how to choose a bike. For training you can use a road bike, a gravel bike, a mountain bike or any other mechanically sound bike of the right size.
How many times a week should you train?
For a beginner, three sessions a week is usually enough. That frequency improves endurance while leaving enough time to recover.
Experienced cyclists can train four or five times a week, but a higher number of sessions does not necessarily mean faster progress. What matters is not only how much you train but what each session is for.
A simple weekly structure:
- one or two easy endurance rides;
- one more intensive tempo or interval session;
- one longer ride;
- at least one full rest day.
You should not do several hard sessions back to back. After intervals, a race or a long ride, it is better to rest the next day or ride very easily.
How to choose the right training intensity
Training intensity can be judged by feel, by heart rate or by power. A beginner does not need much equipment — it is enough to watch your breathing and how easily you can talk while riding.
Easy riding
During an easy session your breathing should be calm and you should be able to speak in full sentences. This kind of riding improves aerobic endurance and helps you recover after harder sessions.
Most of your weekly kilometres should be ridden at exactly this easy or moderately easy pace.
Tempo riding
During a tempo session the effort is clearly noticeable but stays under control. Talking is still possible, but usually only in short sentences.
Tempo blocks help you get used to riding at a higher speed for longer and improve muscular endurance. You can start with two 10-minute tempo blocks, pedalling easily for five minutes between them.
Threshold and interval training
Intervals are shorter blocks of intensive work with easier riding between them. Sessions like these can help increase power, speed and the ability to hold a hard effort.
For a beginner, one interval session a week is enough. For example:
- 15 minutes of easy warm-up;
- 4 × 4 minutes hard;
- 4 minutes easy after each block;
- 10–15 minutes of easy cool-down.
If you use a heart rate monitor, a power meter or a bike computer, you can control intensity more precisely. You will find suitable equipment in the computers and heart rate monitors category.
An example training plan for a beginner
This three-session example week suits someone who can already ride for about 45–60 minutes without stopping.
Tuesday — easy endurance session
Duration: 45–60 minutes
Intensity: easy
Ride steadily and choose a pace at which you can talk freely. Do not chase an average speed — it depends on wind, terrain, surface and the bike you are riding.
Thursday — tempo session
Duration: about 60 minutes
Intensity: easy and moderately hard
An example session:
- 15 minutes easy;
- 2 × 10 minutes of tempo riding;
- 5 minutes easy between the blocks;
- the remaining time — easy riding.
The last tempo block should be as steady as the first. If you cannot hold the pace, reduce the intensity slightly next time.
Sunday — long easy ride
Duration: 90–120 minutes
Intensity: easy
This is the longest session of the week and builds base endurance. Start the first part of the ride calmly. If you still feel good in the final minutes, you can lift the pace a little.
Leave rest days between sessions, or do light additional activity: walking, mobility work or easy strength training.
How to increase the training load
The body needs time to adapt, so increase session duration and intensity gradually. You should not lengthen every session and add more intervals at the same time.
A simple sequence to follow:
- First get used to training regularly.
- Gradually lengthen the easy rides.
- Add one controlled tempo session.
- Only once you have built an endurance base, start more intensive intervals.
- Every few weeks, plan an easier week.
If your legs feel heavy all the time, you sleep badly, your results are getting worse or you no longer want to ride, the load may be too high. In that case rest for a few days and return to training gradually.
Training at home
On rainy, cold or very windy days you can train at home. An indoor session lets you control duration and intensity precisely, and you do not have to find a suitable stretch of road for intervals.
In our shop you will find indoor trainers and trainer accessories.
Riding indoors usually makes you sweat more, so make sure you have a fan, a towel and enough fluid. Indoor sessions often feel harder than a ride of the same length outdoors, so there is no need to make them artificially longer.
Nutrition and fluids during training
For an easy ride of up to about an hour, water and your normal daily diet are usually enough. On longer or more intensive sessions it is worth starting to eat and drink before strong hunger or thirst sets in.
Take with you on a longer ride:
- water or a drink with electrolytes;
- easily digestible carbohydrates;
- an energy bar or gel;
- a small extra portion of food for unexpected situations.
A bottle makes carrying fluid easy. For longer and more intensive sessions you can choose electrolytes and carbohydrate drinks, energy gels or energy bars.
Try new products in training first, not on the day of your most important race.
Rest is part of training
Fitness improves not only during a session but while the body recovers afterwards. Sleep, food and easier weeks are therefore just as important as intervals or long rides.
After a hard session:
- take time for an easy cool-down;
- replace the fluid you have lost;
- eat normally;
- choose rest or an easy ride the next day;
- avoid several hard sessions in a row.
A missed session does not ruin the whole plan. If you could not train, do not try to do several sessions at once the next day. It is better to pick the plan up again at the nearest sensible session.
Check your bike before training
A bike in good order makes training safer and helps you avoid unnecessary stops. Before a longer ride, check:
- tyre pressure and tyre condition;
- that the brakes work;
- the condition of the chain;
- that the wheels and other important parts are properly secured;
- that the front and rear lights work;
- that you have a pump, a spare inner tube and the basic tools.
If the bike makes unusual noises, shifts poorly or the brakes feel unreliable, contact the Velolaikas bike workshop.
Always ride in a correctly sized bike helmet and adapt your session to the weather, the road surface and traffic conditions.
An individual cycling training plan
A general example week is a good start, but the most suitable plan depends on your experience, your goal, the days you have, your weekly hours and the time remaining before your main event.
Based on the information you provide, FTP500 builds a structured cycling training plan that sets out:
- which days to train;
- how long each session should last;
- what intensity to ride at;
- what the purpose of each specific session is;
- when easier and recovery weeks are scheduled;
- how the load is reduced before the most important races.
Create your first one-month plan for free.
Frequently asked questions
Can you improve your fitness training three times a week?
Yes. Three well-planned sessions a week can noticeably improve endurance and general fitness. What matters most is training consistently and not turning every ride into a maximum effort.
Do you need to ride fast in every session?
No. A large part of your training should consist of easy rides. If every session is hard, there may not be enough time to recover, and the quality of your training will decline over time.
Is a power meter essential for training?
No. You can start by judging how you feel, your breathing and your ability to talk while riding. A heart rate monitor or power meter helps you control intensity more precisely, but consistency matters more than the amount of equipment.
What is FTP?
FTP is the approximate maximum power a cyclist can sustain for a longer period. It is often used to calculate power training zones and to set training intensity.
When should you choose rest instead of training?
It is worth resting if you are ill or feel unusual pain, severe fatigue, dizziness or other worrying symptoms. If you have any doubts about your health or physical load, consult a qualified healthcare professional.
This page provides general information. It does not replace individual medical advice. If you feel pain, dizziness or other unusual symptoms, stop training.