Randonneuring · through the night
400 km brevet training plan
A 400 km brevet almost always runs through a night, with a 27-hour limit. Most riders take little or no sleep, so the training is about steady power, steady eating and staying comfortable for 18 to 24 hours.
- Distance
- 400 km
- Time limit
- 27 h (BRM rules)
- Typical moving time
- 16 to 22 hours
- Sample plan
- 16 weeks, 6 to 9 h a week
What a 400 km brevet demands
At 400 km, small inefficiencies compound. Riding 5% too hard early, missing an hour of eating or ignoring a hot spot on your foot will all cost you more than they did on a 300. Your aerobic base and durability matter more than your top-end power.
The plan grows the weekend long ride toward 5 to 6 hours indoors (or longer outdoors), adds durability sessions with sweet spot after a 2 to 3 hour pre-load, and uses back-to-back weekend days in Specialty so you practise riding well when you are already tired.
Sample 16-week 400 km brevet training plan
Generated by MeepMeep's plan builder for a rider training about 6 hours a week now, with a ceiling of 9 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
- 8.8 h
- Longest ride
- 3 h 30 min
- Phases
- 6
- Sessions
- 73
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 | 5.7 h | 2 h 15 min |
| 2 | Foundation | 5 | 6.1 h | 2 h 30 min |
| 3 | Foundation | 5 | 6.5 h | 2 h 30 min |
| 4 | Base | 5 | 6.6 h | 2 h 30 min |
| 5 | Base | 5 | 6.7 h | 2 h 45 min |
| 6 | Base | 5 | 7.0 h | 2 h 45 min |
| 7 | Build | 5 | 6.5 h | 2 h 48 min |
| 8 | Build | 4 | 7.3 h | 3 h 8 min |
| 9 | Build | 5 | 7.2 h | 2 h 40 min |
| 10 | Build (easier week) | 4 | 4.5 h | 1 h 30 min |
| 11 | Specialty | 5 | 8.4 h | 3 h 15 min |
| 12 | Specialty | 5 | 8.8 h | 3 h 5 min |
| 13 | Specialty | 5 | 8.6 h | 3 h 30 min |
| 14 | Taper | 4 | 4.5 h | 2 h |
| 15 | Taper | 3 | 3.5 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 | Easy Aerobic Spin | Steady endurance | 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. | 105 min endurance, then 3 × 10 min Threshold | 2 h 48 min |
| Sunday | Steady Endurance Ride | Steady endurance | 1 h 15 min |
A Specialty week (week 11)
| Day | Session | Structure | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | Extended Sweet Spot | 1 × 30 min Sweet spot | 56 min |
| Wednesday | Easy Aerobic Spin | Steady endurance | 30 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 | 3 h 15 min |
| Sunday | Easy Aerobic Spin Back-to-back: ride on tired legs, keep it steady. Rehearses day 2 of your event. | Steady endurance | 1 h |
400 km brevet training tips
- Decide your sleep strategy in advance: ride through, or a short sleep at a control. Practise riding late at night at least once.
- Rotate food types. Sweet products get hard to eat after 12 hours; plan savoury options at controls.
- Change hand and seat positions every 20 to 30 minutes, before anything hurts.
More: training durability, carbs per hour on long rides and saddle comfort.
400 km brevet training questions
How many hours a week should I train for a 400 km brevet?
In this sample, weekly training starts around 5.7 h and peaks at 8.8 h in week 12, 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 400 km brevet?
The plan's longest indoor ride here is 3 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 400 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 400 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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