Race Shape › Cycling
CyclingCycling training plans
Race Shape cycling plans are built on Functional Threshold Power: sessions are prescribed in watts using Andrew Coggan's zones, from a 20-minute, 8-minute or ramp test. With no power meter the same sessions are prescribed by heart rate, and with neither, by effort. Power is corrected for the altitude you ride at.
Most riding is endurance work, with sweet-spot and threshold intervals carrying the build and a small dose of VO₂max work in the peak. Long rides grow with the week rather than ahead of it, and every session is fitted to the time you say you have.
An FTP tested at the coast is too high in Johannesburg and one tested in Johannesburg is too low at the coast. The simplest answer is to test where you ride, and the town pages below show what the difference is worth.
Build my cycling plan — freeWhat you need to get started
| An FTP, or a way to test one | A 20-minute, 8-minute or ramp test on a power meter or smart trainer. No power meter? Your threshold heart rate, or a maximum heart rate, instead. |
|---|---|
| Where the FTP was tested | The altitude of the test, so power is corrected only for the difference. |
| Your weekly hours and longest recent ride | The ramp starts from what you ride now. |
| Indoor or outdoor | Indoor riders get intervals written for a trainer rather than for a climb. |
| The days and time you have | Every session is fitted to the time you give it. |
Building a plan takes about four minutes and is free, and the first week is yours to train on. The whole block is paid for once, from R150.
Plans by distance
South African races
By town
- Johannesburg — 1 753 m
- Pretoria — 1 339 m
- Cape Town — 25 m
- Durban — 8 m
- Gqeberha — 60 m
- Bloemfontein — 1 395 m
- Nelspruit — 660 m