Do your non-cycling friends think you’re overly ambitious (or insane) when you tell them you’re going to ride 100 miles in a day? Well try telling them that you’re going to compete in a 750-mile ride—with a time limit.

Randonneuring is unsupported, long-distance cycling, in other words, you’re out there on your own. The types of events randonneurs enter are commonly referred to as a Brevet or Randonee. Brevets typically range in length from 124 to 750 miles and involve checking in at certain points along the way. It goes without saying that training for these events takes quite a bit of time, but it’s important to train properly to ensure a successful and enjoyable ride. No one is out for blood in these events, they’re as much about the journey as the ride. It’s also important to start with a manageable distance and work your way up. So where do you start?

Base Training

A solid aerobic and mileage base are the most important aspects of preparing for an endurance cycling event. This is crucial to gaining the aerobic capacity to be able to handle the rigors of training and events down the line and also to get your legs and—maybe more importantly—your butt used to long hours in the saddle.

One mistake that most cyclists make when base training is that they ride at too high an intensity. Wear a heart rate monitor and keep your heart rate between 60-70 percent of your maximum. Your maximum heart rate can be roughly estimated by subtracting your age from 220. If your event is in August, you would want to start your base training in December or January. The base period typically lasts between three and four months depending on the length and time of the event.

Intensity

Once you’ve established a solid base you will need to put a bit more focus on intensity. This involves incorporating intervals and higher tempo rides into your training program. This helps to increase your speed and aerobic capacity as well as your body’s ability to recover from hard efforts.

Specificity

If you are doing an event such a Brevet that is multiple days, you will want to slowly introduce consecutive high mileage days into your training. You should also tailor the terrain of the rides to fit the course profile of your event. Most of us aren’t fans of riding in rain but you need to prepare for everything. Training in rain is important to teach you proper bike handling in wet conditions. It is also important to ride with others from time to time as you will need to learn how to draft to conserve energy as well as to learn bike handling skills when riding near others.

Strength Training

This is a great way to supplement your on-the-bike training as it helps to train muscles that often ache during long hours on the bike.

Rest

This is just as, if not more, important than on-the-bike training. Without adequate rest you will not be able to train effectively. Remember, over training is just as detrimental to your preparation as under training.

Rick Prince is the owner of Fulcrum Performance Training, a cycling specific training company. www.fulcrumpt.com.