As the start date for the big ride gets closer, we’ve officially entered the “okay, we actually have to train now” phase. No more talking about training. No more thinking about training. Just… training.
John and I are taking two very different paths to get there, mostly because life, geography, and weather make things different.
John is retired and living in Florida, which means he gets long rides, warm sunshine, and weather that actually wants you to be outside. He’s stacking up big miles during the week like it’s his job. Because, well… it kind of is at this point.
Meanwhile, I live in the Pacific Northwest. The weather here is usually mild, which sounds nice until you remember the days are short, it rains a lot, and I still have a full‑time job. So my training strategy is less heroic epic rides and more relentless consistency.
The plan: ride about an hour a day during the week, then get in longer 2–3 hour rides on Saturdays and Sundays. When daylight or weather says “nope,” the ride moves indoors onto the trainer.
Fortunately, indoor riding no longer means staring at a wall questioning your life choices. Zwift has turned training into a video game, which is apparently all I ever wanted. I’m riding virtual roads, chasing badges, and finishing routes I didn’t even know existed. Add some YouTube videos in the background and suddenly it’s… almost fun.
Almost.
Tuesdays are Zwift race days, which means lining up against riders who appear to have made different life decisions than I have and getting thoroughly humbled. Fridays are for the TGIF ride — an easy spin, chill pace, chatting on Discord, and pretending we’re not training for anything at all.
The rest of the week is solo rides, checking off routes, and slowly building the base. Rest days exist, but they’re the kind of rest days where you still ride… just easier. Because cyclists.
John’s training and mine look different, but the goal is the same: prepare our bodies to ride 60–100 miles a day, for 45 days straight. No shortcuts. No magic workouts. Just showing up, putting in the miles, and trusting that this all adds up when Day 1 finally arrives.
Training isn’t optional anymore.
But at least we’ve found ways to make it entertaining.
