The weather is changing and so is the time with Daylight Savings Time arriving this coming weekend. For some of you, the idea of snow is becoming less of a concern, except maybe for those in the mountains of California... 10 ft of snow... yikes! And for others, the temperatures are starting to make the idea of outdoor riding not seem so bad. Spring is definitely right around the corner.

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Are these changes conjuring some motivation in you? Are you thinking about wishing you could get back some fitness to carry you confidently into another season of cycling? I know I don't want to join in on an early season group ride only to suffer the embarrassment of being dropped on my first ride of the season. Nobody does, let's be honest. Regardless of what part of the cycling season it occurs in.

Since the Spring season is just about here, now is a great time to get on your bike and get your legs moving. What better way to jumpstart your fitness than with a Spring season cycling challenge, right?

As should be clear to our readers by now, we like to try new new things. We try out gear, we try out accessories, and even give our thoughts on different bikes. So why not try out a new fitness challenge? Why not jump in to one to see if the challenge delivers, and what sort of outcomes you might be able to expect should you decide to take the challenge. I agree... there is no reason not to jump in. What do I have to lose? I know I need to get myself ready for the coming group rides. So yup, here I go.

My 2024 Spring season cycling challenge choice

I chose the Bicycling Magazine's 30-Day Cycling Challenge to Help You Rack Up the Miles - article authored by Molly Hurford and the training planned created by Peter Glassford.

I think Bicycling Magazine actually marketed this challenge as a 30 day challenge with two options: either 500-miles or 500-kilomenters. Which for us metric-ally challenged, plus or minus 10 miles, effectively boils down to either a 300-mile option or a 500-mile option. This is a great idea as it allows you to choose your option based upon your current fitness level. And even switch option tracks if you feel the need.

In my opinion, this cycling challenge has been well thought out. It acknowledges the fact that rest is a key part of any serious fitness conditioning. Recovery matters when you start consistently riding 20 miles or more with any regularity. This challenge also incorporates a bit of strength training. Granted, it isn't super elaborate and it is only once a week, but the fact they included it as part of the plan means that this is yet another aspect of training that they feel is important to your overall fitness. Additionally, this challenge includes weekly hills, intervals, and even an FTP test on the last day. I like that this plan really does try to cover the areas that will help me in the throughout the riding season. I like that it has codified the aspects of training that I really do value... and need.

So why not... let's see what this challenge can do for me. Let's do this thing.

The Bicycling Magazine Cycling Challenge In a Nutshell

Here is the skinny on what this challenge has to offer. Check out the high level overview so that you can decide if it has enough to peak your interest. Yes, you want to stick to the 30 day challenge in that you are riding, but not to be so rigid with it. As Molly suggests, you should feel free to shift the recommended plan days as you need, don't double up if you miss. Remember the goal of this challenge is to establish consistency in your riding.

As Molly notes, if you can ride outside, you will find it much easier to do the 500-mile challenge.

Note: I have place suggested weekly miles for both the 300 mile and 500 mile options.

• 3 day preamble, as I call it, to get you inspecting your riding gear and your bike, and spinning your legs...

• followed by 4 weeks of training that has, loosely speaking, the following pattern

  • first day is always a rest day (suggests easy walk or yoga)

  • second day is easy day with optional strength training

  • third day is for interval ride workout: 5 sets of 30 second hard effort with 1-2 minutes easy effort in between (bumps up 1-2 sets each week)

  • fourth day is that you start easy and build up rate as you ride

  • fifth day is easy ride or optional second rest day

  • sixth day is for hillier and longest ride (this is where you get the chunks of miles)

  • seventh day is long but flat day so you can up your pace

• a Functional Threshold Power (FTP) ride and an associated prep ride leading up to the test ride.

• the longest ride by week is (includes preamble 3 days) with weekly totals

  • 10 miles | 30 miles -> 25 miles | 60 miles

  • 15 miles | 35 miles -> 60 miles | 115 miles

  • 30 miles | 45 miles -> 80 miles | 130 miles

  • 25 miles | 30 miles -> 60 miles | 90 miles

  • 25 miles | 35 miles -> 65 miles | 100 miles

• week 4 is primarily about your FTP prep ride (2 sets of 8-10 minute hard effort) and the very last day of the challenge is an actual FTP test ride just to see where your fitness level has now reached.

If this challenge interests you, then I recommend you wander over to the Bicycling Magazine site and sign up for a digital subscription so you can see the full details in the 30-Day Cycling Challenge to Help You Rack Up the Miles article and download the challenge plan. I also recommend that you check out the authors' Molly and Peter's Consummate Athlete Blog.

8 reasons why I like (chose) this cycling challenge?

To do something for 30-days takes commitment. No matter what what it is. To be able to maintain that commitment means that the challenge must be achievable and sustainable, at a minimum. If I can't stick to the plan, what good is even trying? Given many of the challenges I investigated, I also wasn't looking for just bragging rights either. Going full on beast-mode and pushing my body to (and beyond) its absolute limits is not where I am at. Don't get me wrong, I love a good challenge, but if nothing else, I am bit more pragmatic as more of my hair follicles go grey one-by-one. I just don't recover like I used to whether that be from a grueling long distance group road ride, or that inevitable wipeout on my mountain bike. I still like to push it, I just know my boundaries a bit better now.

So why did I chose this cycling challenge?

Reason1: I like the goals set out by this challenge.

As quoted in the article by the training plan creator cycling coach Peter Glassford:

"This plan accomplishes two things. It gives you a goal that you can work toward and it provides a rhythm for each week that shift the focus between short intervals, hillier rides, or flatter longer rides."

This fits absolutely perfectly with my goals. I want to increase mileage and increase my overall cycling fitness. I don't want to wreck my body or my mental state.

And I know very well that intervals (inside or outside), hills, long rides... all of these will most certainly get me fitter.

Reason 2: The ride distances are reasonable and achievable.

This challenge is about gaining fitness through consistency. The challenge was built around building a more consistent riding habit. Anyone... well mostly anyone... can go out and hammer out a few, as they call them in the article, "hero days", but bragging rights are not going to carry you up that next long and steep hill. That is a fitness thing. Not to mention, during the week, most folks need to work. Until the daylight gets longer, it can be tough to get long rides in during the week. Doing 25 or 30 miles on an indoor trainer is tough.

Reason 3: Variety of training types will establish a weekly rhythm

The challenge plan specifically shifts its focus within each week. In any given week, you will get in a short interval day, a hillier day, and a flatter-longer ride day. That variety is good for your body, and good for you mind. The variety will break the monotony.

Reason 4: Accommodates for riding indoors, mountain biking, or new rider.

Riding indoors will certainly make it harder to get those long mileage days in. And if you vary things a bit by riding a mountain bike, clearly getting longer distances in might prove a bit challenging... depending on trails available to you. Even for newer riders, mileage may come a bit harder early on. The plan specifically mentions starting out on the 300-mile plan, and then switching over to the 500-mile plan after maybe the first week. What I like is the idea that this challenge allows and accepts adjustments as part of the process.

Reason 5: Less about the miles and more about the habit.

Yes, clearly this is a mileage challenge. But I think it is far more of a habit challenge. I really like the pragmatic approach in that if you miss a day, they don't want you to double up the next day. Just get back to the challenge the next day. And if you have to, they suggest switching around planned ride days with other days. Whatever you need to do to keep to the challenge. Though they do recommend not switching so much that you've crammed all your mileage into the end of the week. The goal here is to get consistency in riding... if you have to shorten mileage for a day, so be it.

Reason 6: Recommends pre-challenge bike and gear assessment.

I really like this idea. If this challenge serves as your Spring season jumpstart, why not habit-stack (see book Atomic Habits by James Clear) stack a bike tune and a riding gear check as part of your pre-season challenge. The idea is much like you always hear when commercials remind you to change your clocks for Daylight Savings Time... "time to change your smoke detector batteries." I know I am guilty of not getting my bike ready before I start my Spring training. I totally love this idea!

Reason 7: Promotes interval training and an FTP test at challenge end.

This is something I know I need to do, but never quite get around to it. Year in, and year out. I have no idea what my Functional Threshold Power (FTP) is today. Nor do I have any idea of what it has been in the past, so I have no baseline and no point of reference to show where or when I might be making gains. This challenge suggests picking out a local hill or flat stretch of road to see how far you can ride in a 20-minute window. A great idea if you don't have a power meter or Zwift for testing your FTP. I really like that this challenge makes the FTP test part of the plan and therefore lends itself to becoming my annual Spring season jumpstart plan.

Reason 8: Recommends adding strength training with small weights.

This is another differentiator, especially if you don't have or want a gym membership. I like it because this is something I already do. I find that pushups, flys, and pulls all help to alleviate my shoulder and neck pain. So if I want to ride, I make sure I try to reduce the aches and pains that are going to prevent me from getting out on my bike.

What have you got to lose?

What cycling challenge are you looking for?

If this challenge isn't for you, there are plenty out there to choose from. I chose this challenge as it really did incorporate pretty much all of the facets of training that I tend to value and wanted to incorporate. But that is me. It might not be what you are after. It is different for everybody. You might find a challenge that is pretty close to a majority of your goals, but just falls slightly short of what you are after. That was the case for me as I read through the 30-Days of Cycling-Challenge: Losing Weight by Riding My Bike (1 Hour a Day) article. I enjoyed the article. It was honest and candid, and I really appreciated how it chronicled his 30 days. I just felt like this plan was a bit too heavy handed in sticking to the idea of 30 consecutive days of riding. Literally, 30 consecutive days. Not to mention when I read about his aches and pains over much of those 30 days, it just didn't seem like how I wanted my season to start out. But maybe it is your cup of tea. If so, jump in and give it a whirl. Go for it! His weight loss did clearly happen.

Me, I was looking more for something that leaned more into the overall fitness of a 30 day challenge. Does the science say that 30 minutes a day is better than 1 hour a day over those 30 days? I am not sure. That seems to be the million dollar question that the folks at GCN were trying to discern in their YouTube video 30 Minutes For 30 Days Challenge: Did We Get Fitter?,

For me, this the Bicycling Magazine challenge looks to be a winner. It seems to be more thoughtful in that it is constructed by cycling/fitness professionals who know that being a truly fit cyclist means all parts of your body, not just your lungs and your legs. Being fit includes your upper body, your core, and your mental state. Because quite honestly, if your not having fun, or if the pain or the suffering is just too much, you will run the risk of bailing on the challenge before completion. While Quitters Day has already passed back in January, you don't want your Quitters Day to emerge in the middle of your challenge. So choose wisely. Whatever your challenge goal is, there is a plan out there for you.

Take the challenge. Jump in and join in. See what it gets you. Yes, this challenge is a good fit for my goals. Maybe it is a fit for your goals as well. If not, find one that fits your goals. And then just give it a shot.

The Ides of March is when I plan to kickoff my Bicycling Challenge plan. It looks like fun and will get me ready for my Spring 2024 cycling season.

Stay tuned.

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