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Step 1
Start the cycling season slowly if you haven't been training during the cold months. Put in some easy miles that don't include racing up hills or fast sprint training. You should feel like you could go some extra miles at the end of a long ride if you're doing it right.
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Step 2
Train at 90 percent of your heart rate consistently. Anything above this could cause injury and gives you no added cardiovascular benefit. Lower levels of training will not prepare your heart or muscles however.
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Step 3
Incorporate sprint sessions into your training 2 times a weeks spread far apart. Interval train with 5 minute intervals of hard pedaling with 5 minutes of rest. As you get better, increase the time to 10 and then 20 minutes gradually.
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Step 4
Structure your week of training to include one day of training similar to the event as you get closer. Make sure to take two full days of complete rest during the week to prevent injury. Your total weekly output should be 10 hours with a combination of sprint training, longer fast and slow rides and rest.
