Week 6: Halfway Through Our 12-Week Cycling Training Plan

By Week 6 of our 12 week cycling training plan, we’re officially halfway to our 50 mile goal.

At this point, the rides are getting longer, we’re feeling stronger, and we’re also being reminded that cycling has a way of keeping you humble.

This week gave us a little bit of everything: a relaxing Labor Day ride on a trail we had never ridden before, some mountain bike fun on one of our favorite trails, and a hot 28-mile country ride that definitely felt like training.

Follow the full 12-week challenge:Watch our Week 6 video and the rest of the cycling series on YouTube:https://youtu.be/0Xc8tbVOMrY?is=nto3YF3RMn5I1oKl

Want train with us? Download free 12-week cycling plan here:https://two-wheel-wild.kit.com/8b6131806a

Ride 1: A Labor Day Ride Somewhere New

One of the things we’ve enjoyed most about this training plan is that it gives us a reason to explore. Instead of riding the same route every week, we’ve been trying to mix things up whenever we can.

This ride was more about enjoying the day than pushing the pace.

And honestly, one of the highlights wasn’t even on the bike.

There was an Italian ice vendor along the trail, and of course we stopped.

Because if someone parks an Italian ice cart beside a bike trail on a hot Labor Day, I’m pretty sure cyclists are legally required to stop.

Training requires fuel, right?

It was one of those rides that reminded us why we started this challenge in the first place. Yes, we want to get fitter and build enough endurance to comfortably ride 50 miles, but we also want cycling to stay fun.

For our second ride, we headed back to one of our favorite mountain bike trails.

Ride 2: Mountain Bikes and a Quick Reality Check

Mountain biking is completely different from riding on the road or a paved trail. You’re constantly reacting to roots, turns, elevation changes, loose dirt, and whatever else the trail decides to throw at you.

It’s challenging, but it’s also ridiculously fun.

I was feeling pretty good about myself too.

Until another rider came flying past me like I was standing still.

There’s nothing quite like working your way down a trail thinking, Hey, I’m actually getting pretty good at this, only to have someone cruise past you at approximately the speed of light.

Humbled.

Immediately.

But that’s one of the things I like about cycling. There is always someone faster, stronger, more experienced, or technically better than you.

And that’s okay.

The goal isn’t to be the fastest person on the trail.

The goal is to be better than the rider you were a few weeks ago.

Ride 3: 28 Hot Miles in the Country

Our long ride this week was 28 miles through the countryside.

And it was hot.

Really hot.

Long rides have started becoming the part of the week where we can really see whether the training is working. A few weeks ago, rides of this distance would have felt like a major event.

Now we’re gradually learning how to settle in, manage our effort, and just keep turning the pedals.

That doesn’t mean it was easy.

Heat changes everything.

Your heart rate climbs faster. You sweat more. You need more fluids. And even a pace that normally feels comfortable can suddenly feel like work.

But we finished the 28 miles, and that was another little confidence boost heading into the second half of the plan.

Halfway There

Week 6 means we’ve officially reached the halfway point of our 12-week challenge.

That feels significant.

Six weeks ago, the goal of riding 50 miles still felt pretty far away.

Now it feels possible.

We’re not magically super-fit cyclists. We still get tired. We still have slow days. We still get passed on the trail by people who apparently have rocket boosters attached to their bikes.

But we’re riding consistently.

We’re covering more miles.

We’re learning what works for us.

And most importantly, we’re still enjoying the adventure.

That might be the biggest lesson from the first half of this challenge: getting fitter doesn’t have to mean turning every workout into a sufferfest.

Sometimes training looks like a hard 28-mile ride in the heat.

Sometimes it looks like getting humbled on a mountain bike trail.

And sometimes it looks like sitting beside your bike eating Italian ice on Labor Day.

All of it counts.

On to Week 7

We’ve made it halfway.

Now the rides are going to continue getting longer, and we’ll find out whether these first six weeks have prepared us for the second half of the challenge.

The 50-mile goal is getting closer.

And adventure is still worth training for.