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.
← Training plansW1Baseline
W2Two and a half
W3Three hours
W4Recovery week
W5Three again, better
W6Group ride pace
W7First four-hour ride
W8Recovery week
W9Four hours, repeated
W10Peak long ride
W11Start unloading
W12Taper
Specialty · 12 weeks · 5 rides a week Base · 8 weeks · 4 rides a week
Specialty phase · intermediate · 12 weeks
12-week century training plan
The long ride is the plan. Everything else supports it. A century is an endurance problem before it is a fitness problem. Almost anyone with a few months of consistent riding can complete one; the difference between finishing it comfortably and surviving it is whether your body has practised being on the bike that long, and whether you have practised eating while you ride.
Free, with no trial. Pick a start date and your training days; the sessions land on your own calendar. Switch or stop at any point. Every workout in it can be ridden without an account.
Weeks12
Rides a week4
Typical week6:54
Biggest week9:35
Week by week
EnduranceTempoThresholdVO2 max● Key session
W1Baseline237
Week 1: two hours on the weekend. Note how you feel at 90 minutes — that is the number this plan is going to move.
W2Two and a half264
Week 2: the long ride goes to 2h30. Start eating in the first hour, not the third.
W3Three hours317
Week 3: three hours. The first ride where fuelling and pacing genuinely matter.
W4Recovery week177
Week 4: recovery. The long ride drops to two easy hours. Keep it genuinely easy.
W5Three again, better319
Week 5: three hours again, with more midweek intensity. This one should feel easier than week 3.
W6Group ride pace369
Week 6: a tempo group ride midweek and 3h30 on the weekend. Practise riding at someone else’s pace.
W7First four-hour ride395
Week 7: four hours. Take everything you would take on event day and see what works.
W8Recovery week177
Week 8: recovery. Two thirds through. The last block is the one that makes the difference.
W9Four hours, repeated436
Week 9: four hours again. Repeating the distance is what makes it routine rather than an event.
W10Peak long ride365
Week 10: four hours with fatigue-resistance work late in the ride. The hardest day of the plan.
W11Start unloading396
Week 11: volume comes down, the last long group ride goes in. Nothing new from here on.
W12Taper102
Week 12: easy riding and openers. You cannot gain fitness this week; you can absolutely lose the event to fatigue.
Every session is a real workout you can open and ride now. Starting the plan schedules all 48 from your chosen date, on the days you pick.
Start Century Training PlanRide this plan if
- You have a century, 100-miler, or long charity ride 12 weeks out.
- You can commit one long weekend ride plus three shorter sessions.
- You can already ride two hours without falling apart.
What you get out of it
- A longest ride of four and a half hours before you attempt the event.
- A fuelling routine you have practised, not improvised on the day.
- Enough sustainable power that the climbs stop deciding your day.
How the plan is built
So the long ride is the spine of this plan. It ramps from two hours in week one to four and a half hours in week ten, with two recovery weeks that pull it back so the ramp is survivable. Midweek, sweet spot and tempo work raise the power you can hold, which is what turns a nine-hour century into a seven-hour one.
Week twelve is a taper. Do not add anything to it — arriving fresh is worth more than any session you could squeeze in.
- The long ride ramps 2h → 4.5h, backing off on recovery weeks four and eight.
- One sweet spot or threshold session a week to raise sustainable power.
- A tempo-finish ride teaching you to work on tired legs.
- A full taper in week twelve.
Century Training Plan: common questions
How long do you need to train for a century ride?
Twelve weeks is the usual answer for a rider who already rides regularly and can manage two hours comfortably. Starting from very little riding, sixteen to twenty weeks is more realistic — do a base block first, then this plan.
How long should my longest training ride be before a century?
Around four to four and a half hours, roughly 70–80% of the event duration. Riding the full distance in training costs more recovery than it buys in fitness.
What should I eat during a century ride?
Aim for 60–90 g of carbohydrate an hour, starting in the first hour rather than when you feel empty. The long rides in this plan are where you practise it — a stomach that has never been asked to absorb that much will not cooperate on the day.
Can I train for a century indoors?
The midweek sessions, absolutely. The long rides are better outdoors if you can manage it, because position, handling, and eating on the move all matter over 100 miles — but four hours on a trainer is a legitimate substitute when the weather makes the choice for you.
What to ride after this
Training works in blocks. These plans pick up where this one leaves off.
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.