Ultra racing · day and night
24-hour race training plan
A 24-hour race, on the road, on a circuit or as a 24-hour time trial, rewards whoever slows down least. This plan builds the durability and the pacing discipline to keep turning out steady power through the night.
- Format
- Distance covered in 24 hours
- Typical pace
- About 65 to 70% of FTP
- What decides it
- Durability, fueling, few stops
- Sample plan
- 16 weeks, 7 to 12 h a week
What a 24-hour race demands
In a 24-hour race the clock never stops, so time off the bike costs distance directly. You need to eat and drink while riding for a whole day and night, stay comfortable in one position for hours, and avoid the early surge that turns into a long, slow night.
The plan builds towards race-pace rehearsals at about 68% of FTP, durability rides with tempo after a long pre-load, and back-to-back weekend days. Use the plan's 600 km setting as a stand-in: in the app, enter the distance you expect to ride.
Sample 16-week 24-hour race training plan
Generated by MeepMeep's plan builder for a rider training about 7 hours a week now, with a ceiling of 12 hours, five riding days and the long ride on Saturday. Race pace is set at about 68% of FTP, and Specialty adds back-to-back long days. Your own plan starts this week and ends on your event date.
Planned hours per week. Easier weeks are dimmed.
- Peak week
- 11.6 h
- Longest ride
- 4 h 30 min
- Phases
- 6
- Sessions
- 74
The phases
- Foundation · 3 wk
Easy volume and a gentle introduction to each kind of session.
- Base · 3 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 · 2 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 | 5 | 7.0 h | 2 h 45 min |
| 2 | Foundation | 5 | 6.6 h | 2 h 45 min |
| 3 | Foundation | 5 | 7.2 h | 3 h |
| 4 | Base | 5 | 7.6 h | 3 h 15 min |
| 5 | Base | 5 | 8.4 h | 3 h 15 min |
| 6 | Base | 5 | 9.1 h | 3 h 30 min |
| 7 | Build | 5 | 8.5 h | 3 h 33 min |
| 8 | Build | 4 | 8.7 h | 3 h 53 min |
| 9 | Build | 5 | 9.7 h | 3 h 36 min |
| 10 | Build (easier week) | 5 | 5.5 h | 1 h 30 min |
| 11 | Specialty | 4 | 10.7 h | 4 h 15 min |
| 12 | Specialty | 4 | 11.1 h | 4 h 23 min |
| 13 | Specialty | 5 | 11.6 h | 4 h 30 min |
| 14 | Taper | 5 | 6.0 h | 2 h 45 min |
| 15 | Taper | 4 | 4.3 h | 2 h |
| 16 | Event | 3 | 2.2 h | 45 min |
A Build week (week 7)
| Day | Session | Structure | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | Ramp Test | Ramp to exhaustion | 32 min |
| Wednesday | Endurance Builder | Steady endurance | 1 h 45 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. | 2.5 h endurance, then 3 × 10 min Threshold | 3 h 33 min |
| Sunday | Steady Endurance Ride | Steady endurance | 1 h 30 min |
A Specialty week (week 11)
| Day | Session | Structure | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | Extended Sweet Spot | 2 × 30 min Sweet spot | 1 h 34 min |
| Thursday | Durability Test | 2 h endurance, then 20 min all-out | 2 h 43 min |
| Saturday | Extended Race Pace Ride with your full event setup and fueling. Outdoors is ideal — practise night riding and navigation if you can. | Steady endurance, short rises | 4 h 15 min |
| Sunday | Endurance Builder Back-to-back: ride on tired legs, keep it steady. Rehearses day 2 of your event. | Steady endurance | 2 h 10 min |
24-hour race training tips
- Set a power ceiling for the first 6 hours and respect it, whatever the riders around you do.
- Aim to eat 60 to 90 g of carbohydrate an hour and practise exactly that in training.
- Rehearse your stops: bottle swaps and food hand-ups should take seconds, not minutes.
More: training durability, carbs per hour on long rides and saddle comfort.
24-hour race training questions
How many hours a week should I train for a 24-hour race?
In this sample, weekly training starts around 7.0 h and peaks at 11.6 h in week 13, 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 24-hour race?
The plan's longest indoor ride here is 4 h 30 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 24-hour race 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 24-hour race 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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