Dambusters Ride
With The Dambusters Ride now just under 12 weeks away, it’s time to begin getting your body – and bike – ready to hit the roads. But if you’re out of practice, fear not: adventure cyclist Mark Beaumont has shared a 12-week training plan to help ease you in and build up your stamina for the big day.
The Dambusters Ride is a 60- and 100-mile cycle challenge taking place both physically and virtually in 2023. The physical Heritage Ride will take place on Saturday 13 May starting and finishing at the Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire. The virtual challenge will take place the weekend before, allowing riders to participate in the event by completing the 60- or 100-mile distance anywhere in the world on 6-7 May.
If you haven’t ridden a bike in a long time, this is your opportunity to get your body used to being back in the saddle again. Sitting on a bike seat for an extended period of time can be uncomfortable and it will take a few weeks for you to settle into cycling and get used to your riding position.
Aim to complete two rides each week for the first three weeks. These should be between one to two hours each at a casual, comfortable pace to ease your muscles into cycling again. This could be a shorter ride during the week and a slightly longer ride at the weekend – or whatever works best for your routine.
| Week | Ride 1 | Ride 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 10 miles | 15 miles |
| Week 2 | 15 miles | 20 miles |
| Week 3 | 15 miles | 25 miles |
Expect some discomfort as you adapt to being on the bike, but if you’re in agony, listen to your body and take a break.
By this point you should be feeling more comfortable on the bike, so you should be ready to step up the training a notch.
Aim to incorporate a third training day into your week and build up your mileage for your longer rides. By the end of the sixth week, you should be aiming to complete a 45-mile ride – almost halfway to that 100-mile goal!
| Week | Ride 1 | Ride 2 | Ride 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 4 | 15 miles | 15 miles | 30 miles |
| Week 5 | 15 miles | 15 miles | 40 miles |
| Week 6 | 15 miles | 15 miles | 45 miles |
You now have six weeks of regular riding behind you so you’re ready to add some intensity to your rides. Sticking at a single set pace during your training can quickly become monotonous and boring – and worse still, can lead your training to plateau.
Incorporating higher-intensity intervals – riding at faster speeds for set periods of time – is an effective way to boost your endurance and speed. Aim to incorporate higher-intensity intervals to two of your three weekly rides towards the middle or end of your ride. Some examples of potential interval workouts are available here.
| Week | Ride 1 | Ride 2 | Ride 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 7 | 20 miles | 15 miles | 50 miles |
| Week 8 | 20 miles | 15 miles | 55 miles |
| Week 9 | 20 miles | 15 miles | 60 miles |
In the final three weeks of your training, you should be focusing on increasing your endurance and maintaining the consistency you’ve built over the previous weeks.
Aim to continue riding for three days a week, but make sure you’re not over-training as this can lead to injury. If you notice yourself feeling like you really don’t have the energy to cycle, listen to your body and skip one of your scheduled rides to allow your body to recover. You should also stay even more on top of your nutrition and sleep in these final weeks as both can have a serious knock-on effect on your training.
Try to increase your longer weekly rides up to 70 miles, and in the final week ahead of the Dambusters Ride, aim for two easy and relaxed rides. You should also use these final weeks to ensure your bike is in fit shape and identify any mechanical issues.
| Week | Ride 1 | Ride 2 | Ride 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 10 | 25 miles | 15 miles | 65 miles |
| Week 11 | 25 miles | 15 miles | 70 miles |
| Week 12 | 25 miles | 10 miles | 100 miles |