Preparing for a Charity Cycle Ride: An Eight-Week Strength Plan
Eight weeks is enough to prepare a reasonably active adult for a charity ride of around 50 to 100 kilometres, provided you do two things: ride regularly, building your longest ride steadily towards the event distance, and add two short strength sessions a week so your legs, back and neck cope with hours in the saddle. Most people who suffer on these days are not short of fitness so much as unprepared for the duration: sore backs, numb hands, burning quads on the climbs. The plan below is written for people who have signed up for a cause, not for regular club riders.
Who this plan is for
You have entered a one-off event, perhaps a London-to-the-coast ride or a sportive for a charity close to you. You own a bike, or are about to, and ride occasionally. You have about eight weeks and a busy job. If you already ride several times a week and want a year-round gym plan, read strength training for cyclists instead; this post is narrower and more time-boxed.
If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, are pregnant, or have not exercised for a long time, check with your GP first before building up to hours of riding.
What actually goes wrong on the day
Knowing the usual problems tells you what to train:
- Lower back and neck ache from holding a bent-over position for hours. That is a trunk and upper back endurance problem, plus bike fit.
- Quads that fade on hills because your legs have never pushed against resistance for that long.
- Saddle and hand discomfort from too little time on the bike before the event.
- Running out of energy after two or three hours because you did not eat early enough.
- Starting too fast with the excited crowd at the start line.
Only some of these can be fixed in the gym. Saddle time is not optional.
The riding side, briefly
The gym supports the riding. It does not replace it. A simple structure:
- One longer ride a week, usually at the weekend, building in steps towards about three-quarters of the event distance by week six or seven.
- One or two shorter rides or commutes, 30 to 60 minutes, at a comfortable pace.
- Mostly easy effort: you should be able to hold a conversation. The hills will provide the hard bits.
Riding into central London or around the lanes beyond Muswell Hill and Barnet both count. If you commute by bike already, our post on active commuting explains how to count it.
Get a basic bike fit, or at least have someone check your saddle height, before week three. Many back and knee complaints on these rides start with a saddle that is too low.
The strength sessions
Two sessions a week, about 45 minutes each, on non-consecutive days and not the day before your long ride. Each covers the same areas: legs, hips, trunk and upper back.
Session A
- Goblet or back squat: 3 sets of 8. Leg strength for climbs and standing efforts.
- Romanian deadlift: 3 sets of 8. Hamstrings and the back muscles that hold you in position.
- Seated cable row: 3 sets of 10. Upper back endurance for holding the bars.
- Dead bug: 3 sets of 6 slow reps each side.
- Side plank: 2 to 3 holds of 20 to 30 seconds each side.
Session B
- Step-up or Bulgarian split squat: 3 sets of 8 each leg. Single-leg strength mirrors the pedal stroke.
- Hip thrust or glute bridge: 3 sets of 10.
- Lat pulldown: 3 sets of 10.
- Face pull on the cable station: 2 sets of 15. Helps the shoulders and upper back that ache from leaning forward.
- Air bike intervals: 6 rounds of 20 seconds hard, 70 seconds easy. Short, sharp work for the climbs, without extra hours.
For the conditioning element, see our guide to air bike intervals.
The eight weeks at a glance
| Weeks | Gym focus | Long ride (share of event distance) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Learn the movements, moderate weights, 2 sets each | About a third |
| 3 to 4 | Full 3 sets, add weight steadily | About half |
| 5 | Lighter week: same exercises, 2 sets | Shorter, easy ride |
| 6 to 7 | Heaviest weeks, keep 2 reps in reserve | Building to about three-quarters |
| 8 (event week) | One light session early in the week only | Short spins, then the event |
Week five is not laziness. A lighter week lets the training settle in before the final push and is usually when people start to feel noticeably fitter.
Fuelling and kit, the short version
- Start eating within the first hour of the ride and keep going little and often. Bananas, flapjacks and sandwiches all work.
- Drink regularly rather than waiting until you are thirsty. Practise this on your long rides.
- Padded shorts, gloves and a saddle you have already ridden on. Nothing new on the day.
- Carry a spare inner tube and know how to change it. Practise once at home.
- Check the forecast and pack a light waterproof. This is England.
Mistakes to avoid
- Leaving the long rides too late. Your body, and your backside, need several weeks of build-up.
- Training legs hard the day before a long ride. Heavy squats on Friday make Saturday’s ride miserable.
- Ignoring the upper body. Most complaints after these events are about necks, shoulders and lower backs, not legs.
- Going hard in the gym in event week. One light session is plenty. Arrive fresh.
- Skipping hip and upper back mobility. Five minutes of the moves in our post on hip mobility exercises after riding goes a long way.
Doing it with a coach
Eight weeks is short, and the margin for wasted sessions is small. In 1-1 personal training at our Highgate studio, I fit the gym sessions around your rides and your diary, adjust the loading when work gets heavy, and check your squat and hinge patterns so the extra hours on the bike do not expose an old weakness. We have an air bike in the studio for intervals, and the cable station covers the upper back work riders tend to skip. The UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines recommend combining aerobic activity with muscle strengthening on at least two days a week, and a charity ride is a good reason to build that habit and keep it afterwards.
Questions we get asked
Can I do a 100km charity ride with eight weeks of training?
If you are generally active and healthy, usually yes, at a steady pace. If you are starting from very little exercise, a shorter distance or a longer run-in is more sensible.
Should I keep lifting after the event?
Yes. Keep the two sessions going and you start the next challenge from a much better place.
What if I miss a long ride?
Do not try to double up the following week. Pick up the plan where it was and add a little to your next long ride rather than a lot.
Can I train for it entirely indoors?
Indoor riding helps fitness, but you still need some outdoor rides to get used to the saddle, hills, traffic and eating on the move. For a tailored plan around your event date, ask about personal training at The Highgate House.
Book with The Highgate House
Ready to start training properly? Email us at [email protected] with the service and the day that suits you, and we will come back to you with times.
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