VeloNomad Training. Get Faster. Get Fitter. Lose Weight. Shock your Friends.
A lot faster up hills after 12 weeks
…But then, you blasted them all over Strava and now your absence doesn’t seem so funny anymore.
Training is hard work – doesn’t matter if it’s for weight loss, a race, or just general fitness. It’s just hard graft.
Sometimes you don’t have motivation, sometimes you’re tired, sometimes it’s dark and cold.
Have you ever considered (or even tried) to train (whether for fitness, weightloss or otherwise) and:
- Been overwhelmed by information…
- Quickly lost interest or lost motivation…
- Doubted whether training was right for you…
- Assumed your busy schedule couldn’t accommodate training…
These are common issues, and can conspire to derail even the best laid intentions.
What is the VeloNomad Cycling Training Program?
You’re reading this because you clicked through from a link, somewhere.
And you want to learn how to start a training program, right?
Whether it’s Etape du Tour, Haute Route, Marmotte, to lose weight, for general fitness – whatever – it doesn’t matter, this plan is for you (more on how I manage to cover everyone, later).
After finishing my first block of VeloNomad intermediate training, at 5’8″ (172 cm) height I dropped in weight from 162 lbs(73.5 kg) to 157 lbs (71 kg) – my legs feel great, endurance is up, and my overall energy level increased both on bike and off.
Having a personalized goal or target oriented training plan helps immensely especially on the cycle trainer.
The only stumbling blocks were work schedule and family life. But because of your commitment to peoples success I now have an adapted intermediate training plan (very reasonably priced) to better fit work schedule and family life.
Combining this with your advice & tips will definitely increase my performance this spring/summer. How much it increases will rely on how hard I work it. Thanks Tim”.
Rob S, Calgary, Canada (at week 12)
What you get in the VeloNomad Training Club
With the VeloNomad cycling training program you’ll get something I’d want to train with. So you’ll know it’ll be simple, clear, realistic and provide results.
- Setting you up to succeed.
- Simple and clear.
- Scale the basic building blocks out to 12 months. After 12 months you’ll know how to basically build your own plan to maintain your fitness. If you want to continue receiving training past 12 months, you can do that too.
- Weekly email with next week’s plan. Delivered to your inbox the day before you need it (options to customise your delivery day/time are available, too).
- Loads of other information.
- Suitable for Advanced, Intermediates and Beginners.
How it works
- Choose the level that suits you, and click Sign Up.
- Get instant access to members area with the first week in the subscribers area. Each week will be emailed one week after the previous one.
- You’ll be redirected to a sign up page where you choose what training level you are. You’ll then receive all subsequent plans via automated email (I use MailChimp). If you sign up for a Monthly+ or Planner+ plan, you can choose your day of week and time of day to receive your emails, too.
- If you cancel, you keep all the plans you’ve received.
- 1 week trial for $3.50. Cancel during the trial with no more to pay.
- Monthly+ and Planner+ get access to discount coupons and free ebooks as long as you’re a member.
How Long Does it Last
As long as you want it to. Each block is 12 weeks. After the twelve weeks is up, you’ll be graduated to a higher level with more intensity. Of course, you can cancel at any time.
How long you want to train for will depend on what you want to achieve.
For those looking to lose weight, you may need 12-36 months, depending on how much weight you need to lose (it took me 2 years to drop from 88kg to 63kg sustainably).
For those looking for a training program into Etape du Tour, Haute Route, Marmotte or some other event, 1-3 training blocks may suffice depending on your fitness (email me if you have questions).
And for those looking for a conditioning touch up, or looking to mix it up a bit to get better in the mountains, increase your endurance, or get faster in races, or move up a level in racing, an ongoing plan could be for you.
“What plan is right for me?”
These programs are all subscription based and require a Paypal account.
If you don’t have a Paypal account and/or would like to avoid a subscription, I recommend you check out the 16 week and 8 week purchase-outright training plans, available here.
You can cancel inside your first week trial, with no more to pay.
- Monthly, Monthly+: cancel any time you want.
- Planner, Planner+: cancel inside the 6 day trial, or after that, you can only cancel after each 12 week block. You could cancel inside a 12 week block, but there wouldn’t be a refund.*
*Having said that, I’m a cool dude. If you’re truly unhappy with the service, I’ll refund your money. Just pay close attention in the trial, which gives you an idea what to expect. I like to avoid unhappy customers and refunds.
“What level is right for me?”
Each plan caters for beginner, intermediate or expert.
Here’s how the levels differ.
- Beginner – this is for a beginner; someone who hasn’t raced, but, enjoys riding once or twice a week at the weekend. He or she wants to get fitter/lighter and be able to challenge themselves with a big cycle tour. You could be coming back from an injury or time off the bike and need to regain your fitness.
- Intermediate – for the intermediate rider who races or cycles 3 – 5 times a week and regularly joins local group rides/chain gangs and regularly completes rides of up to 100 – 120km. He or she wants to get fitter/faster and be able to challenge themselves with a big cycle tour finishing within a certain time or percentage of the winner.
- Expert – this is for the rider who races and cycles 5+ times a week. He or She will have been riding/racing for many years and may well have completed many cycle tours where riding 100 – 200km a day has been achieved. He or She wants to get faster and reach a new level of condition and be able to challenge themselves to reach new personal bests.
What Equipment Will I Need?
All you need for this training are the following items.
- Motivation
- A bike
- A cycling computer with heart rate monitor (HRM) and cadence. I recommend the Garmin Edge 500. Get a Garmin Edge 500 from Wiggle or Chain Reaction Cycles.
If you have a power meter, note that these plans don’t include power targets as this program is aimed at the vast majority of people who don’t have power meters. If you’d like a plan with power targets though, drop me an email!
What You Get
- A weekly schedule of training showing you the sessions.
- A sessions sheet for the week. Cut each one out and stick it on your bars or in your pocket.
- Program guidelines – adding sessions, dropping sessions, information on the aim of each session and more.
Still not sure this is right for you? Download the sample Week 1 Schedule. 
Types of plans
The training is available in a two different flavours, covering 3 levels of rider.
- Monthly and Monthly+ – this is a monthly subscription, so you’ll need a Paypal account. You’ll get each week
- Planner and Planner+
Sign Up now – 1 week trial for the price of a coffee!
If you’re ready to sign up, choose the plan that best suits you below.
Everyone gets a 1 week trial for A3.50. Cancel during your trial and you won’t be charged further.
choose your plan
- You'll need a Paypal account. If you don't have a Paypal account, grab one of the one off blocks in the "Non subscription programs" section. All you'll need is a credit card.Billing period (all via Paypal)
- Training Level
- Is there a trial period?
- Cancel anytime?
- Get each 12 week block up front?
- Access to discounts on other stuff?
- Personalised timing for session emails?
- Weekly email?
- Money back guarantee
Monthly
$28
4 weeks
- Subscription4 weekly (28 days)
- All
- 6 days, $3.50
- No contracts! Cancel during the trial only. Although ostensibly there are no refunds (hey, there was a trial), if you really are unhappy, I'll give you a pro-rata refund. I want you to be :)
- Yep
Monthly+
$42
4 weeks
- Subscription4 weekly (28 days)
- All
- 6 days, $3.50
- No contracts! Cancel during the trial only. Although ostensibly there are no refunds (hey, there was a trial), if you really are unhappy, I'll give you a pro-rata refund. I want you to be :)
- Yep
Planner
$80
12 weeks
- SubscriptionEvery 12 weeks
- All
- 6 days, $3.50
- Although ostensibly there are no refunds (hey, there was a trial), if you really are unhappy, I'll give you a pro-rata refund. I want you to be :)
- Yep
Planner+
$120
12 weeks
- SubscriptionEvery 12 weeks
- All
- 6 days, $3.50
- Although ostensibly there are no refunds (hey, there was a trial), if you really are unhappy, I'll give you a pro-rata refund. I want you to be :)
- Yep
“Convince me, Tim!”
Here’s what Michael from Sydney had to say
I’ve had a bad couple of weeks with illness but other than that the impact on my riding has been pretty dramatic – rode with some mates on a short hilly route on Monday and hit 6 PBs on Strava.
I think the structure has been great and even though I’ve missed quite a bit, the rewards are definitely visible.
Michael B, Sydney (at week 5)
Training is Hard
As I said at the top, training is hard.
Here are some problems you will typically run into with training (and in life, actually).
But it’s super important, especially if it’s for fitness or an event.
Why “Now” is Important
It’s a funny thing with cycling, training, eating, weight loss (and life).
We make marginal decisions every day that do not seem hugely impactful.
Now, I don’t believe life is a zero sum game in the long term. In the short term, yes – “if I don’t train today, I will make it back up tomorrow”. I find that’s rarely the case, and for most of us, one or two of these decisions make little difference.
Compounded over time though, these little decisions have a huge impact on our lives.
I know, because it’s this lack of direction, this lack of focus on “now”, that saw me gain 25kg in 24 months.
This is why a training plan is so important. It reinforces your goals and can make you accountable.
Each missed session is a black mark, and no one likes black marks. We all like gold stars!
And many black marks will see you gain weight, or not be in shape for that Etape du Tour (or Haute Route, or whatever it is), or just generally not reach your goals.
That’s why the decisions of now are so important. They impact the future. Now I know the future seems so far away, and it can be hard to grasp how important, how critical the future is.
You only get one chance, and it’s the decisions we make right now that impact that.
Goals and motivation
What are your goals?
Lack of a clear and simple training plan, as well as the setting of simple goals makes training really hard.
After all, if you don’t have anything to shoot for, how do you quantify your progress?
What’s your Motivation?
Finding the motivation to train (or get fit/lose weight etc) can be difficult for many people.
Being motivated by something – weight loss, avoiding diabetes or heart attack, smashing a big event – can be a powerful weapon in your arsenal when undertaking training.
If you need to lose some kilos, and want to train to do so, getting started can be daunting. Keeping on going is harder, as results can be slow to manifest.
It can be daunting, regardless of whether:
- You need to shed a few kilos
- Have been sick or injured
- Or just can’t be bothered (some people just struggle for motivation or to get going, and hey, that’s cool)
Funnily enough, many of us WANT to be in great shape, and use some form of training to achieve and maintain that, but for whatever reason (busy, simply can’t get on the bike), we sometimes fail to either get started or keep going.
And that’s ok, as long as that failure annoys you. Because if it annoys you, you can harness that energy and galvanise yourself into action.
Sometimes I just can’t be bothered getting on the bike to train, and I get annoyed at myself. I let it ride, and build up, until there is enough energy to cause me to get on the bike. Usually once I am on the bike, I can hit the goals I need to.
This plan is geared toward motivating you with clarity, simplicity, scalability and results.
If you want to skip a day, skip a day. If you want to ride more, ride more. I don’t want you to resent the bike.
Habit and routine
Obama said…
You need to focus your decision-making energy. You need to routinize yourself. You can’t be going through the day distracted by trivia.
And he is right.
Having a training plan that dictates what you do, and when, removes the the decision making from your training.
Any opportunity for you to say “oh, I can do this tomorrow” or “what am I doing today?” is an opportunity to slip.
And getting started?
That’s easy too. Read this post by Leo at ZenHabits then press back in your browser to keep reading.
Information overload
Another common problem with training is information overload.
There is just so much information on the Internet, that it is hard to sort out the gold from the rubbish.
There are many self proclaimed experts, not to mention the stories of “what worked for me” from other myriad sources, that it can cause decision paralysis.
This plan has been written according to my strict requirements, and based on feedback from lots of people like you.
If you sign up for the weekly plan, you’ll only ever have your week’s plan. You will not be blinded by information that will only be relevant in 10 weeks time.
Realistic
Many training plans call for many hours on the bike.
And that’s just silly. Unless you’re a pro. Which I am guessing you are not.
You and I both know that any plan calling for you to ride 2-3 hours a day is setting you up for failure.
This plan is completely realistic.
- Got kids?
- Got a heavy full time job?
- Household duties?
- Driving the kiddlywinks to basketball?
If so, this plan is for you.
Built 100% around fitting into YOUR schedule, because YOU’RE the boss. Not that piece of paper.
Tracking Progress
Tracking progress is very, very important.
If you’re training for weight loss, this is reasonably easy. You’ll get lighter, and see your body change shape. Make sure you take a photo before you start!
I recommend adding your sessions to Strava, as it will provide quantifiable proof of your progress. As an example, on some of my local climbs, I feel the same riding them, but I’m much faster than a year ago.
Having proof of your progress is a strong motivating factor.
Cost
Who wants to spend hundreds of dollars a month on training?
Not me!
Quite honestly, personalised training plans can be quite expensive. A guy I used to ride with was paying $400 A MONTH for training, to enable results in B grade. That doesn’t include cost of supplements. That is just crazy, I think.
Not so, with this plan.
So then, the solution?
So, what is needed for you to succeed at training.
- A clearly defined, actionable and achievable goals
- A clearly defined, realistic plan
- Realistic, flexible and adaptive plan, scalable from 3-12 months
- Results oriented
That is exactly what this plan gives you.
Only a Dollar a Day!
ONE dollar a day to get fast and furious.
How much do you spend on coffee a day. I’ll bet it’s more than a measly dollar.
How much do you spend a month on expensive bike stuff to make your bike lighter?
Why this plan is awesome
- No information overload, week by week emails.
- Make the plan fit YOUR schedule. If you’re too busy, drop a session.
- Get your schedule 4 weeks ahead of time.
- Get access to discounted and free VN ebooks like nutrition for cyclists, Fuelling for Etape, Tackling for Etape and more on the Starter+, Serious and Deadly Serious plans.
“Is it right for me?”
Before you sign up for anything, you inevitably have some questions:
You sure can. Great if you live in Calgary or London and it’s bone chillingly cold and snowing. Hey, watch the ice hockey (or soccer!).
You sure can. We made this specifically so you can do that if you need to (AND you don’t need to feel guilty).
Hey no probs, we can move you from intermediate to expert, or expert to beginner and all points in between.
We move you up, buster! You get to ride harder. And get more-fast.
Yep. Busy, needing to lose some weight, training for something, training for nothing – this plan is for you. Faster, fitter.
Sure will. All the plans have been distilled into easy to follow, plain English plans.
Nope. Like I said, written in plain English – no jargon.
If you’ve trained a lot with a proper plan (and I’m guessing not, if you’ve read this far), chances are yes, some of this might be stuff you’ve learnt before. If you reasonably new to this training game, or haven’t really trained to a plan, or trained for the mountains, then this will be new ground.
Yes, you will. And therein lies the challenge of training, but also, where the greatest benefits lie. Do you really hate making yourself hurt? But despite this pain, you can still push yourself in order to reach your goals (think big picture!). Yep?You will love this training.
Yes, you will. Again, therein lies the challenge of training, but also, where the greatest benefits lie.Are you good at climbing mountains? No? We’re going to get you riding better in the hills.
Guarantee
My guarantees are rock solid. If you’re not happy with this guide, simply drop me an email and I’ll make sure you’re looked after (i.e. you’ll get a refund, or I’ll fix your problem).
Note: if you train to this program and don’t get results because you’re still scoffing donuts for morning tea and chasing the Jager-shooter dragon in bars 2 nights a week, sorry, you’re not covered.
Ready to saddle up?
Great. Subscribe now for instant access.
choose your plan
- You'll need a Paypal account. If you don't have a Paypal account, grab one of the one off blocks in the "Non subscription programs" section. All you'll need is a credit card.Billing period (all via Paypal)
- Training Level
- Is there a trial period?
- Cancel anytime?
- Get each 12 week block up front?
- Access to discounts on other stuff?
- Personalised timing for session emails?
- Weekly email?
- Money back guarantee
Monthly
$28
4 weeks
- Subscription4 weekly (28 days)
- All
- 6 days, $3.50
- No contracts! Cancel during the trial only. Although ostensibly there are no refunds (hey, there was a trial), if you really are unhappy, I'll give you a pro-rata refund. I want you to be :)
- Yep
Monthly+
$42
4 weeks
- Subscription4 weekly (28 days)
- All
- 6 days, $3.50
- No contracts! Cancel during the trial only. Although ostensibly there are no refunds (hey, there was a trial), if you really are unhappy, I'll give you a pro-rata refund. I want you to be :)
- Yep
Planner
$80
12 weeks
- SubscriptionEvery 12 weeks
- All
- 6 days, $3.50
- Although ostensibly there are no refunds (hey, there was a trial), if you really are unhappy, I'll give you a pro-rata refund. I want you to be :)
- Yep
Planner+
$120
12 weeks
- SubscriptionEvery 12 weeks
- All
- 6 days, $3.50
- Although ostensibly there are no refunds (hey, there was a trial), if you really are unhappy, I'll give you a pro-rata refund. I want you to be :)
- Yep