How to Get Faster on the Bike With Just 5–7 Hours of Training Per Week

The Climb (#196)

Introduction

One of the first things cyclists tell me when we start working together is:

“I just don’t have enough time.”

They have a job.

Family.

Travel.

A commute.

A life outside cycling.

And they assume the riders getting faster must be doing 10, 15 or 20 hours every week.

But for most cyclists I coach, adding more hours isn’t the first thing I look at.

I look at what they are already doing with the hours they have.

Because five structured hours can often achieve far more than eight random ones.

Lewis Is A Great Example

Lewis had previously done some pretty intense training.

At one stage he was even doing double sessions.

When I gave him his new plan, he genuinely thought there wasn’t enough in it.

His words afterwards were basically:

“I didn’t think the load was going to be enough.”

Twelve weeks later, his FTP had gone from around 214 watts to 248 watts.

More than 30 watts.

His weight also came down by around 3kg.

And the interesting part?

He wasn’t completely wrecked all the time.

That’s important.

Because your training programme isn’t supposed to demonstrate how much suffering you can tolerate.

It’s supposed to make you fitter.

Stop Filling Time With Junk Miles

A lot of cyclists have sessions that don’t really have a purpose.

Not easy enough to recover.

Not hard enough to move fitness significantly.

Just riding.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with riding for enjoyment.

But if your goal is performance and time is limited, you need to distinguish between riding your bike and training your body.

Both can exist.

They just aren’t always the same thing.

Give Every Session A Job

A simple week could contain:

One interval session.

One Zone 2 ride.

One longer weekend ride.

One strength session.

Maybe an additional easy ride if time and recovery allow.

Suddenly you’ve covered intensity, endurance, strength and aerobic development without needing to live on the bike.

That’s how I approach training with busy cyclists.

We start with the available hours.

Then make those hours useful.

Jon Did The Same Thing

One of my clients, Jon, came to me having never ridden more than around 30 miles on the road.

He had work and family commitments just like everybody else.

We weren’t training 15 hours every week.

Usually around 6–8.

But over several months his FTP improved by around 50 watts.

He went on to complete a 100-mile sportive and even hit a PB on one of the final climbs after around 90 miles.

That’s what structured training can do.

Action This Week

Look through your last seven days.

For every ride, ask:

What was the purpose?

If you don’t know, that tells you something.

Then identify the three sessions next week that will give you the biggest return.

Protect those.

Everything else is secondary.

Final Thought

You probably don’t need more time.

You need more purpose with the time you already have.

Before adding another two hours to the week, make the first five hours count.

Whenever you're ready, here are the ways I can help you:

1. The Cycle Lean Coaching: Personalised 1:1 Coaching for Cyclists Who Want to Drop 6–12 kg and Add Up To 60 Watts of FTP While Riding 6-8 hours a Week!
2. The Cycle Lean Blueprint: The science-backed 12-week blueprint to cycle leaner, climb stronger, and become the most resilient version of yourself.