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UNITED KINGDOM · SPORTIVE

RIDELONDON 100 TRAINING PLAN.

Ride London-Essex 100 is the UK's largest mass-participation sportive — 160km (100 miles) from east London out through the Essex countryside and back on closed roads. Since 2022 the route has run through Essex rather than the Surrey Hills, making it flatter, faster, and pack-dominated. First-time 100-mile riders dominate the field.

160 km·900 m climbing·5-9 hours·May

THE OVERVIEW

WHAT THE RIDE LONDON ACTUALLY IS

TERRAIN

Since 2022 the route runs out of central London through the rolling Essex countryside and back, finishing on The Mall. There are no sustained climbs — it's a fast, pack-dominated event with short rises rather than the climber's terrain of the old Surrey route.

WEATHER

Late May London weather can be anything from 10°C and raining at the 06:30 start to 25°C and humid by midday. The closed-road format keeps wind manageable but rarely changes the temperature swing.

FITNESS DEMANDS

WHAT YOU NEED TO ARRIVE WITH.

MINIMUM FTP

2.5 W/kg

to finish, well-fuelled

COMPETITIVE FTP

3.5 W/kg

to ride the day on your terms

ENDURANCE

6-10 hours/week for at least 12 weeks, with a long ride that has reached 4 hours over rolling terrain. Group-ride experience matters here more than at any other event in this list — you cannot fake pack-pace if your last bunch ride was years ago.

WHY THESE NUMBERS MATTER HERE

RideLondon is one of the more accessible bucket-list 100-milers thanks to closed roads and pack riding. 2.5 W/kg with eight weeks of structured riding gets you to the finish; 3.5+ W/kg lets you race the time and pick the right packs through Essex.

CLIMBING DEMANDS

THE CLIMBS, IN ORDER.

Around 1,400m of climbing across 160km — flat by sportive standards. The challenge isn't elevation; it's the pack-pace tempo demands and the discipline of not surfing from group to group in the first 40km on closed roads.

ESSEX RISES

THROUGHOUT
1.5 km·4.5% avg·60 m gain

Short, repeating undulations rather than named climbs. Each one is sub-3 minutes — the day's punctuation, not the day's race.

FINAL LONDON APPROACH

KM 145
0.8 km·3.5% avg·25 m gain

A few short urban rises in the final approach to The Mall. By this point pack tactics matter more than gradient.

EXPECTED FINISH TIMES

WHERE YOU'LL LAND.

Use these bands to set a realistic goal. Pick the band closest to your current fitness — not the one above it. Pacing a band you haven't earned is the fastest way to a back-half blow-up.

FIRST-TIME FINISHER

7-9 hours

FTP 2.2-2.7 W/kg, 5-7 hours/week, longest ride 4 hours over rolling terrain.

AVERAGE ENTHUSIAST

6-7 hours

FTP 2.7-3.2 W/kg, 7-9 hours/week, comfortable in groups at tempo.

STRONG AMATEUR

5-6 hours

FTP 3.2-3.8 W/kg, 9-12 hours/week, regular group rides, used to surging short efforts.

ELITE AMATEUR

4-5 hours

FTP 3.8+ W/kg, 12-16 hours/week, racing background, sub-threshold pack riding for 4+ hours.

Predict your Ride London finish time →

THE TRAINING PLAN

HOW LONG TILL YOUR RIDE LONDON?

Six weeks-out windows, each built around the demands of this course. Pick the one that matches your window today. The framework is free; coaching makes it personal.

16 WEEKS OUT

BASE PHASE

Aerobic foundation. High volume, low intensity. Don't skip this.

12 WEEKS OUT

LATE BASE

Bridge phase. Volume still rules, but structure begins.

8 WEEKS OUT

BUILD PHASE

Structured intensity enters. Threshold + VO2 max work.

4 WEEKS OUT

PEAK PHASE

Event-specific sharpening. Volume drops, quality rises.

2 WEEKS OUT

TAPER

Sharpness is banked. Now shed fatigue.

1 WEEK OUT

RACE WEEK

Don't do anything clever. Eat, sleep, show up.

FUELLING STRATEGY

EAT LIKE THE DAY DEMANDS.

RideLondon is shorter than the rest of the events in this cluster but still demands proper fuelling. Target 60-80g carbs/hour — gels every 30-45 minutes plus a bar at km 50 and km 100. The closed-road feed zones are plentiful but often packed; carry enough that you can skip one and not pay for it. A caffeine gel at the 100km mark sharpens the focus through the urban run-in. Underhydrating is the silent issue: closed roads don't feel hot but a 6-hour ride in the sun behind a pack is dehydrating, fast.

PACING STRATEGY

RIDE IT IN THE RIGHT ORDER.

Get into a pack within the first 15km and let it pull you along. Don't chase faster groups unless you can comfortably hold a wheel for 10+ minutes — the surge cost ahead of every closed-road junction will burn matches you need at the end. Ride at tempo (76-88% FTP) for long stretches; spike briefly over the short rises and recover on the descents. Save matches for the last 30km back into London, where gaps open up and a strong finisher can pick off groups that overcooked the middle. If you're racing the time, the right group through Essex is worth more than 20 watts of FTP.

COMMON MISTAKES

DON'T DO THIS.

Patterns we see at the Ride London every year. Each one has a fix that costs nothing — except the discipline to actually use it on the day.

MISTAKE

Surfing from group to group in the first 40km and burning matches

FIX

Pick a pack at your goal pace within the first 15km and stay in it. The bunches will sort themselves; chasing a faster pack on closed roads costs you 30 minutes at the back end for a temporary feeling of speed.

MISTAKE

Underhydrating because it doesn't feel hot

FIX

750ml/hour even if it's overcast, with electrolytes once you're past three hours. Closed-road dehydration is the most common reason riders fade between 100km and 130km.

MISTAKE

Treating it like a climbing sportive

FIX

RideLondon is a pack-speed event. Spend training on group rides, surges over short rises, and tempo intervals — not on hill repeats. Adapt the plan to what the day actually demands.

RACE PREDICTOR

WHAT WILL YOU ACTUALLY RIDE?

Plug your numbers into the Race Predictor and we'll model your Ride London finish time on the actual course profile — climb-by-climb, with pacing recommendations.

Predict your Ride London time

FAQ

RIDE LONDON TRAINING, ANSWERED.

What FTP do I need for the Ride London 100?

RideLondon is one of the more accessible bucket-list 100-milers thanks to closed roads and pack riding. 2.5 W/kg with eight weeks of structured riding gets you to the finish; 3.5+ W/kg lets you race the time and pick the right packs through Essex. A practical floor is 2.5 W/kg to finish; 3.5 W/kg to ride competitively.

How long should I train for the Ride London 100?

Most riders benefit from 12-16 weeks of structured preparation. 6-10 hours/week for at least 12 weeks, with a long ride that has reached 4 hours over rolling terrain. Group-ride experience matters here more than at any other event in this list — you cannot fake pack-pace if your last bunch ride was years ago. If you have less time, the 8-week and 4-week plans still produce a meaningful result on the right starting fitness.

What's the typical finish time for the Ride London 100?

Amateur finishers cover the full range. First-time finisher: 7-9 hours; Average enthusiast: 6-7 hours; Strong amateur: 5-6 hours; Elite amateur: 4-5 hours. The difference between bands is climbing fitness and fuelling discipline more than flat speed.

What's the biggest mistake riders make at the Ride London 100?

Surfing from group to group in the first 40km and burning matches. Fix: Pick a pack at your goal pace within the first 15km and stay in it. The bunches will sort themselves; chasing a faster pack on closed roads costs you 30 minutes at the back end for a temporary feeling of speed.

How should I pace the Ride London 100?

Get into a pack within the first 15km and let it pull you along. Don't chase faster groups unless you can comfortably hold a wheel for 10+ minutes — the surge cost ahead of every closed-road junction will burn matches you need at the end. Ride at tempo (76-88% FTP) for long stretches; spike briefly over the short rises and recover on the descents. Save matches for the last 30km back into London, where gaps open up and a strong finisher can pick off groups that overcooked the middle. If you're racing the time, the right group through Essex is worth more than 20 watts of FTP.

When does the Ride London 100 take place?

The Ride London 100 typically runs in May. Count back from your event date and pick the weeks-out plan that matches your window.

WANT THIS BUILT AROUND YOUR FTP?

PLAN MADE FOR YOU, NOT FOR THE AVERAGE.

The framework here gets you in the right territory. Roadman coaching builds it around your FTP, your week, your weeks remaining, and your delivery via TrainingPeaks.

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