Randonneuring · first brevet
200 km brevet training plan
The 200 km brevet is where most randonneurs start: a full day in the saddle with a 13.5-hour time limit, controls to visit and nobody to draft. This plan gets you there on 4 to 7 hours of training a week.
- Distance
- 200 km
- Time limit
- 13 h 30 min (BRM rules)
- Typical moving time
- 8 to 11 hours
- Sample plan
- 16 weeks, 4 to 7 h a week
What a 200 km brevet demands
A 200 km brevet, or audax, is less about speed than about keeping a steady, economical pace for most of a day and arriving at each control with time in hand. The time limit allows an average of about 15 km/h including stops, so fitness is rarely what ends a first 200. Pacing too hard early, under-eating and an uncomfortable saddle are.
Training therefore centres on one long ride a week that grows toward 5 hours, steady Zone 2 riding, and a little tempo so that rolling terrain and headwinds do not push you into the red.
Sample 16-week 200 km brevet training plan
Generated by MeepMeep's plan builder for a rider training about 4 hours a week now, with a ceiling of 7 hours, five riding days and the long ride on Saturday. Race pace is set at about 70% of FTP. Your own plan starts this week and ends on your event date.
Planned hours per week. Easier weeks are dimmed.
- Peak week
- 7.0 h
- Longest ride
- 3 h 3 min
- Phases
- 6
- Sessions
- 59
The phases
- Foundation · 3 wk
Easy volume and a gentle introduction to each kind of session.
- Base · 4 wk
Aerobic volume, tempo and low-cadence strength. The long ride grows steadily.
- Build · 4 wk
Sweet spot and threshold to raise FTP, plus durability long rides with efforts after a long pre-load.
- Specialty · 3 wk
Event rehearsal: race-pace long rides with full fueling, back-to-back days and a durability test.
- Taper · 1 wk
Volume drops by roughly half while intensity stays, so you arrive fresh.
- Event · 1 wk
Openers, carb-loading and the event itself.
Week by week
| Week | Phase | Sessions | Hours | Longest ride |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foundation | 3 | 4.0 h | 1 h 30 min |
| 2 | Foundation | 3 | 3.4 h | 1 h 30 min |
| 3 | Foundation | 3 | 3.7 h | 1 h 45 min |
| 4 | Base | 4 | 4.7 h | 2 h |
| 5 | Base | 3 | 3.9 h | 2 h |
| 6 | Base | 4 | 5.1 h | 2 h |
| 7 | Base (easier week) | 3 | 3.1 h | 1 h 30 min |
| 8 | Build | 4 | 5.3 h | 2 h 33 min |
| 9 | Build | 5 | 5.6 h | 2 h 35 min |
| 10 | Build | 4 | 5.5 h | 2 h 12 min |
| 11 | Build (easier week) | 3 | 3.5 h | 1 h 30 min |
| 12 | Specialty | 4 | 6.1 h | 2 h 30 min |
| 13 | Specialty | 5 | 6.7 h | 3 h 3 min |
| 14 | Specialty | 5 | 7.0 h | 2 h 45 min |
| 15 | Taper | 3 | 3.0 h | 1 h 40 min |
| 16 | Event | 3 | 2.2 h | 45 min |
A Build week (week 8)
| Day | Session | Structure | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | Ramp Test | Ramp to exhaustion | 32 min |
| Thursday | VO2max Intervals | 5 × 4 min VO2max | 1 h 10 min |
| Saturday | Fatigued Threshold Outdoors: ride the pre-load easy, then do the efforts on a long climb or flat road. | 1 h 30 endurance, then 3 × 10 min Threshold | 2 h 33 min |
| Sunday | Easy Aerobic Spin | Steady endurance | 1 h |
A Specialty week (week 12)
| Day | Session | Structure | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | Extended Sweet Spot | 1 × 30 min Sweet spot | 56 min |
| Thursday | Durability Test | 2 h endurance, then 20 min all-out | 1 h 40 min |
| Saturday | Race Pace Rehearsal Ride with your full event setup and fueling. Outdoors is ideal — practise night riding and navigation if you can. | 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 min Sweet spot | 2 h 30 min |
| Sunday | Easy Aerobic Spin | Steady endurance | 1 h |
200 km brevet training tips
- Ride the first hour slower than feels right. You can always speed up after the second control.
- Eat from the first hour: 40 to 60 g of carbohydrate per hour is a sensible start for most riders at audax pace.
- Practise stopping efficiently. Ten minutes at each of four controls is 40 minutes off the clock.
- Do at least two rides of 4 hours or more on the bike, saddle and shorts you will use on the day.
More: training durability, carbs per hour on long rides and saddle comfort.
200 km brevet training questions
How many hours a week should I train for a 200 km brevet?
In this sample, weekly training starts around 4.0 h and peaks at 7.0 h in week 14, with an easier week after every three. Riders with more time can set a higher ceiling in the app; the plan never schedules more than the most hours you enter.
How long should my longest training ride be for a 200 km brevet?
The plan's longest indoor ride here is 3 h 3 min. Indoors, 5 to 6 hours is plenty: the work is steadier than outdoors and back-to-back days add the extra fatigue. Long outdoor rides and qualifying brevets can replace any long ride in the plan.
Can I train for a 200 km brevet indoors?
Yes, for most of the work. Indoor sessions are ideal for durability blocks, steady Zone 2 and tests, and they fit around work and family. Do some long rides outdoors with your event setup to practise navigation, night riding, stops and comfort.
Make it your 200 km brevet plan.
Enter your date and the hours you have. The plan starts this week, never exceeds your cap, and you can move any session.
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