Sheet TRN · Load & season
Training without Alpine myths
Gharbia offers flats, heat, wind, and repetition — not endless climbing. This sheet gives weekly skeletons, seasonal calendars, and sample microcycles shaped by Egyptian weather, not by a PDF exported from a mountain town you will never ride near.
Weekly skeleton
A default week for working riders in Tanta
Three to four sessions, one rest day minimum, dawn bias May–September. Adjust volume ±20% based on sleep, fasting, and family load — not guilt.
| Day | Session | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Rest or mobility | — | Walk, stretch, sleep. Not a “catch-up” noon ride. |
| Monday | Endurance · conversational | 45–60 min | Canal shoulder, 85–95 rpm. Drink on schedule. |
| Tuesday | Rest or optional easy spin | 30 min max | Legs only if they feel fresh. |
| Wednesday | Quality · intervals or tempo | 50–70 min | See microcycles below. Finish before 08:00 in summer. |
| Thursday | Rest | — | Heat peak midweek — protect sleep. |
| Friday | Group or long endurance | 90–150 min | Delta Friday 45 or solo long flat. |
| Saturday | Moderate volume or skills | 60–90 min | Traffic clinic months; otherwise steady aerobic. |
Total weekly moving time: roughly 5–8 hours for intermediate riders. Beginners should read the beginners sheet before adding quality sessions.
Heat adaptation
Teaching your body to ride in Egyptian summer
Heat adaptation is not masochism — it is repeated exposure with conservative intensity caps and aggressive hydration. Most riders in Gharbia need six to ten dawn sessions above 28°C before power outputs stabilise.
Phase 1 · Weeks 1–2 (arrival to summer)
- Short loops only — 30–45 min, strictly conversational
- Two bottles minimum; electrolytes every other ride
- No intervals until you finish sessions without headache
Phase 2 · Weeks 3–4
- Extend endurance to 60–75 min at dawn
- Introduce one weekly tempo block — 2×10 min at moderate effort
- Track morning heart rate; +8 bpm over baseline = back off
Phase 3 · Maintenance
- Keep quality before 08:00 May–September
- Move sessions to next dawn instead of midday “make-up”
- Indoor optional — fan, towel, honesty about boredom
Stop rules
Same as safety sheet: dizziness, nausea, stopped sweating — shade first, pride never.
Flat-road power
Building diesel engines on Delta geometry
Without climbs, intensity comes from sustained cadence, headwind segments, and disciplined intervals on known distances — not from random sprints to village signs.
Sweet spot blocks
2×20 min at 88–93% of threshold feel (roughly “speak in short sentences”) on a flat canal out-and-back. 10 min easy between. Weekly in build phases; every other week in heat maintenance.
Cadence drills
3×8 min at 95–100 rpm, easy gear, smooth hips. Teaches efficiency for long group rides without bouncing on the saddle.
Headwind reps
When forecast cooperates: 4×5 min into wind, return easy. Treat wind as resistance gym — not as morale punishment.
Long flat progressions
Add 10 km every two weeks to Saturday endurance until you hold 80–90 km comfortably with fueling practiced. Then join Long Lattice.
You are allowed to move a session to tomorrow’s dawn instead of punishing yourself at noon. That decision is training maturity, not weakness. — Kassa training desk
Seasonal calendar
Year-round rhythm in Gharbia
Oct – Nov · Build
Cooling air · rising volume
Extend long rides, reintroduce intervals, desert fringe weekends return. Good window for Long Lattice progression and coastal trips. Night rides possible with lights after clock change.
Dec – Feb · Peak
Best quality months
Two quality sessions weekly if recovery allows. Destination trips — Alexandria wind, Red Sea camps — slot here. Maintain strength with moderate gym or core twice weekly.
Mar – Apr · Transition
Heat returns · compress timing
Shift starts earlier. Reduce interval length, keep frequency. Test hydration strategy before May arrives rude.
May – Sep · Heat maintenance
Survive smart · don’t hero
Dawn only for quality. Volume cap roughly 70% of winter peak. One weekly group ride for morale. Indoor or rest days when heat index spikes.
Sample microcycles
Three-week blocks you can paste onto the skeleton
Block A · Aerobic base
Week 1: 3×60 min easy + 90 min long.
Week 2: 3×70 min easy + 100 min long.
Week 3: 2×60 min easy + 110 min long + rest day extra.
Use during October or post-Ramadan return.
Block B · Sweet spot build
Week 1: 2×15 min sweet spot + long flat.
Week 2: 2×20 min sweet spot + group ride.
Week 3: 2×15 min + reduced volume recovery week.
December–February ideal; dawn only in March.
Block C · Heat maintenance
Weekly: 2×45 min easy dawn + 1× tempo 3×8 min + Friday group.
No volume heroics. Sleep and hydration as training inputs.
June–August default for working riders.
Block D · Pre-event taper
10 days out: Cut volume 30%, keep one short opener with 2×3 min brisk.
3 days out: Rest, spin 30 min, rest.
For Long Lattice or coastal days — not for coffee shop sprints.
Intensity reference
How hard is “hard” without a lab
| Zone | Feel | Talk test | Example session |
|---|---|---|---|
| Z1 · Recovery | Almost effortless | Full conversation | 30 min spin between hard days |
| Z2 · Endurance | All-day pace | Complete sentences | Friday group, long flat |
| Z3 · Tempo | Focused but sustainable | Short sentences | 2×20 sweet spot blocks |
| Z4 · Threshold | Hard · manageable minutes | Few words only | 4×8 min into headwind |
| Z5 · VO₂ | Very hard · short | Cannot talk | 6×1 min hills or sprints · rare on flats |
Heart rate helps if you know your baseline; RPE (rate of perceived exertion) helps when sleep and heat skew numbers. When in doubt, ride one zone easier — Egyptian heat punishes optimism.
Desk support
Send your weekly availability and goal event — we suggest a skeleton, not a miracle. [email protected]
Training questions
Personalised skeletons from the desk
Tell us your hours, heat window, and next event — we reply with plain language, not a sales funnel.
- Address
- El-Galaa, Tanta Qism 2, Second Tanta, Gharbia Governorate 6630284, Egypt
- Phone
- +20 100 738 9996
- [email protected]
- Domain
- kassa-eg.xyz