Rapha and EF Coaching team up to offer personalised Festive 500 coaching plans

While the weather might have finally turned for winter and the idea of getting out on the bike has perhaps become more of a chore than a delight, Team EF Coaching - the coaching arm of the EF Education-NIPPO pro cycling team - and its clothing sponsor Rapha have teamed up to provide training plans for riders that want to be in better shape for the Rapha Festive 500.

The six-week training plans, which will cost $99 to access, are available from 27th October and will be tailored to individual riders, catering for available time between 4 and 12 hours per week. The training plans also give riders access to virtual meet-ups with a selection of Team EF’s pro riders giving talks.

> 15 tips to complete the Rapha Festive 500 and knock off the kilometres with ease

Rapha Cycle Club (RCC) members will also get exclusive access to additional meet-ups with talks from the likes of Michael Valgren, Neilson Powless and the team’s long-term CEO, Jonathan Vaughters. Seeing as the EF riders will be just returning from the off-season, they could probably do with signing up too.

The training plans will be broken up into weekly blocks, with specific sessions set for each day. These will be delivered via the Today’s Plan software, and the training plan includes a premium account.

Rapha says: “Each week will be themed to give riders a deeper understanding of training essentials and how to improve their riding. With weeks dedicated to body positioning, cadence, pedalling efficiency, tapering and riding at intensity, participants will make transformative progress on the bike.”

> Our Matt Page smashes the Rapha Festive 500... in one day, on Christmas Eve

The idea of the training plans is to get riders into better shape ahead of the Festive 500, Rapha’s annual cycling challenge where riders try to cover 500 kilometres in the 8 days between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Rapha offers plenty of top prizes for those that complete the distance and, as it costs nothing to enter, it has become an extremely popular challenge.

> Matt Page's Rapha Festive 500 in a day: how he did it

The time before the start of the New Year can be one long booze and food consumption period, so for many riders, simply having an excuse to get out on the bike each day is a useful way to stay moderately in shape.

To register your interest, head to teamefcoaching.com