4-Hour Long Ride with Nutrition Practice

Session Overview

This 4-hour endurance ride is essential preparation for IRONMAN and 70.3 athletes who need to rehearse fuelling strategies alongside sustained cycling output. You’ll log serious mileage while practising your exact race-day nutrition plan.

What You’ll Need

• Road bike or triathlon bike in good working order
• 2 x 750ml bottles (water + electrolyte drink)
• 4-6 energy gels or bars to practise with
• GPS cycling computer
• Spare tube, pump, and tyre levers

Warm-Up (20 minutes)

Spin easy for the first 20 minutes at Zone 1-2 to warm up your legs and settle into your position. Use this time to set your nutrition schedule — plan to consume something every 20-30 minutes once warmed up.

Main Set

The core of this session is sustained Zone 2 endurance riding with structured nutrition intake:

• Hours 1-2: Zone 2 riding (55-65% FTP) on flat to rolling terrain. Consume first nutrition at 30 minutes, then every 25-30 minutes thereafter
• Hours 2-3: Add 3 x 10-minute Zone 3 efforts (75-85% FTP) to simulate racing intensity. Continue fuelling on schedule even during harder efforts
• Hour 3-4: Return to Zone 2 effort. This is when fuelling discipline matters most — eat even when you’re not hungry

Cool-Down (15 minutes)

Spin easy at Zone 1 for the final 15 minutes. Immediately after the ride, note what you consumed and how you felt at each hour — use this to refine your race-day nutrition plan before your next long ride.

Coaching Notes

• Target 60-90g of carbohydrates per hour once into the main effort
• Drink proactively every 15-20 minutes — don’t rely on thirst as your cue
• Scale option: replace the 4-hour ride with 2.5-3 hours if this is your first long ride of the season
• RPE target: 5-6/10 for the majority of the session