4 weeks
3 rides/week
~2.7 h/week
Beginner Cyclist Kickstart
Your first month of structured training. Three rides a week, nothing longer than 75 minutes, ending with a ramp test so you know where you actually stand.
Training
Dashboard
Base · Build · Specialty
Free cycling training plans
Pick a plan. Pick your days. Start riding today.
Ten structured plans, from a first four-week block to a twelve-week century build. Every session has power targets, rides in ERG mode on a smart trainer, and lands on your own calendar on the days you actually train.
- 10
- plans
- 338
- scheduled sessions
- 4–12
- weeks long
Free, with no trial Switch plans whenever you like Works with Bluetooth smart trainers
Base
Aerobic foundation. Start here if your event is months away or you are new to structure.
12 weeks
4 rides/week
~5.1 h/week
Winter Indoor Base
Twelve weeks of indoor base. Four rides a week, none longer than two hours, built so a whole winter of trainer riding actually adds up to something.
8 weeks
4 rides/week
~5.5 h/week
Sweet Spot Base
Eight weeks of sweet spot work at 88–94% of FTP, progressing 2×15 → 3×20 minutes, wrapped in enough Zone 2 to keep it sustainable.
Build
Threshold and VO2 max. Ride these on top of a base block, 8–12 weeks from your event.
8 weeks
4 rides/week
~5.1 h/week
FTP Builder
Eight weeks aimed squarely at threshold power, bookended by two identical 20-minute FTP tests so the result is measured rather than felt.
8 weeks
4 rides/week
~5.5 h/week
Sustained Power Build
The build block that follows base: threshold intervals and VO2 max work, holding onto the aerobic volume that made them possible.
6 weeks
3 rides/week
~2.9 h/week
Time-Crunched 6-Week
Six weeks for riders with under four hours a week: microbursts, time-crunched sweet spot, and one aerobic ride, with nothing that does not earn its place.
Specialty
Event-specific sharpening. The last block before the day itself.
12 weeks
4 rides/week
~6.9 h/week
Century Training Plan
Twelve weeks to a 100-mile ride. The weekend ride ramps from two hours to four and a half, with sweet spot and tempo work midweek to make those hours cheaper.
12 weeks
5 rides/week
~7.2 h/week
Gran Fondo Training Plan
Twelve weeks and five rides a week for a long, hilly event: endurance volume, sweet spot and threshold power, and dedicated low-cadence climbing work.
8 weeks
4 rides/week
~5.2 h/week
Hill Climb Plan
Eight weeks aimed at climbing: low-cadence strength work, threshold intervals, VO2 max, and a timed climb simulation at both ends of the plan.
6 weeks
4 rides/week
~4.9 h/week
Criterium Sharpener
Six weeks of race sharpening: hard starts, 30/30 repeaters, Rønnestad intervals, and primers, for riders whose events are decided by repeated surges.
How to string them together
A single block gets you fitter. A sequence of blocks is what makes a season. Two routes that work for most riders:
New to structured training
- 1Beginner Cyclist Kickstart4 wk
- 2Winter Indoor Base12 wk
- 3Sweet Spot Base8 wk
24 weeks from a first structured ride to a measured, meaningful FTP.
Training for an event
- 1Sweet Spot Base8 wk
- 2Sustained Power Build8 wk
- 3Gran Fondo Training Plan12 wk
The classic base → build → specialty ladder, 28 weeks out from event day.
Choosing a cycling training plan
Which cycling training plan should I start with?
Match the plan to the time you have and the distance to your event. With no event and no structured training behind you, start with the 4-week beginner plan. With a base already in place and an event three months out, ride a build plan, then a specialty plan for the event itself.
Are these cycling training plans free?
Yes. Every plan and every workout in them is free to apply and ride. You need an account to schedule a plan on your calendar, but not to open and ride any individual session.
How do base, build, and specialty phases fit together?
Base builds aerobic capacity with volume at low and moderate intensity. Build converts that into power at and above threshold. Specialty sharpens for one event. Ridden in that order they stack; ridden out of order the later blocks tend to stall.
Can I switch to a different training plan halfway through?
Yes. Applying a new plan replaces the one you are on, and the app asks before it does. The clean point to switch is at the end of a block or a recovery week, but nothing stops you doing it mid-plan.
Do I need a smart trainer to follow these plans?
No, but it helps. Every session has power targets, and a smart trainer in ERG mode holds them for you. Without one you can ride the same targets on a power meter, or by feel using the zone descriptions.
Not sure where to start?
Test your FTP first. Every target in every plan is a percentage of it, so a stale number means weeks of riding at the wrong intensity.