12-week gran fondo training plan

Long, hilly, and faster than you meant to ride it.

A gran fondo is a century with climbs and a timing chip, and both of those change the training. The climbs mean sustained power matters far more than it does on a flat century; the timing chip means you will ride harder than you planned to, particularly in the first hour.

12
weeks: 5
rides a week: 7.2 h
typical week: 9.6 h
biggest week

Start this plan See every week Test your FTP first

Free, with no trial Scheduled on your own calendar Switch or stop at any point

This plan runs five rides a week across twelve weeks. The weekend long ride ramps to four hours, the midweek work moves from sweet spot to threshold, and a dedicated low-cadence session every week builds the muscular side of climbing that pure interval work misses.

It assumes you have a base. If you do not, ride a base block first — sweet spot base or the winter indoor plan — and come back to this one twelve weeks out from your event.

How the plan is built

Five rides: two hard, two easy aerobic, one long.
A low-cadence torque session every week through the loading blocks.
Recovery weeks at four and eight; taper in week twelve.

Ride this plan if

You have a hilly sportive or gran fondo about 12 weeks away.
You can ride five times a week, roughly seven to nine hours.
You have finished a base block or ride consistently year-round.

What you get out of it

Sustained climbing power built through threshold and low-cadence work.
A four-hour long ride in the legs, with fuelling practised.
A taper that puts you on the start line sharp rather than cooked.

Week by week

Every session below is a real workout you can open and ride right now, with or without the plan. Applying the plan puts them on your calendar on the days you choose.

12-week schedule for the Gran Fondo Training Plan cycling training plan
Week	Focus and sessions	Load
1 week	Open the block Week 1: five rides, moderate load. The low-cadence session should feel muscular, not breathless. Endurance Base 1 – 60m60 min Sweet Spot 2x15min65 min Recovery Spin 3 – 40m40 min Low Cadence Climb 3×6m52 min Long Ride Zone 2 (2hr)150 min	6.1 hours
2 week	Build the base Week 2: 2×20 sweet spot and 2h30 on the weekend. Settle into the weekly rhythm. Endurance Base 2 – 75m75 min Sweet Spot 2x20min75 min Recovery Spin 3 – 40m40 min Low Cadence Climb 3×6m52 min Zone 2 Endurance (2.5h)150 min	6.5 hours
3 week	First peak Week 3: three hours on the weekend and four low-cadence intervals. The biggest week of block one. Endurance Base 2 – 75m75 min Sweet Spot 3x15min85 min Recovery Spin 4 – 50m50 min Low Cadence Climb 4×6m62 min Long Ride Zone 2 (3hr)200 min	7.9 hours
4 recovery	Recovery week Week 4: recovery. Five rides still, all of them easy. Volume without stress. Recovery Spin 3 – 40m40 min Recovery Week: Short Sweet Spot40 min Recovery Spin 2 – 30m30 min Endurance Base 1 – 60m60 min Recovery Week: 2hr Zone 2140 min	5.2 hours
5 week	Threshold enters Week 5: threshold intervals replace one sweet spot session. This is where the climbing power starts. Endurance Base 2 – 75m75 min Threshold 2x15min65 min Recovery Spin 3 – 40m40 min Low Cadence Climb 4×6m62 min Long Ride Zone 2 (3hr)200 min	7.4 hours
6 week	Add VO2 Week 6: 4×8 VO2 and 3h30 on the weekend. The steepest week-to-week jump in the plan. Endurance Base 3 – 90m90 min Sweet Spot 3x15min85 min Recovery Spin 4 – 50m50 min 4×8 VO2 Builder73 min Long Ride Zone 2 (3.5hr)230 min	8.8 hours
7 week	Four hours Week 7: the threshold builder, five low-cadence intervals, and a four-hour ride. Fuel it properly. Endurance Base 3 – 90m90 min Threshold Builder95 min Recovery Spin 3 – 40m40 min Low Cadence Climb 5×6m72 min Long Ride Zone 2 (4hr)260 min	9.3 hours
8 recovery	Recovery week Week 8: recovery. Two thirds done. The last block is the sharpest. Recovery Spin 3 – 40m40 min Endurance Base 1 – 60m60 min Recovery Spin 2 – 30m30 min Recovery Week: Short Sweet Spot40 min Recovery Week: 2hr Zone 2140 min	5.2 hours
9 week	Peak power Week 9: 3×20 sweet spot, 4×8 VO2, four hours long. The hardest week of the plan. Endurance Base 3 – 90m90 min Sweet Spot 3x20min100 min Recovery Spin 4 – 50m50 min 4×8 VO2 Builder73 min Long Ride Zone 2 (4hr)260 min	9.6 hours
10 week	Fatigue resistance Week 10: threshold work plus a long ride with efforts late in it. Event day is decided in the last hour. Endurance Base 3 – 90m90 min Threshold 2x15min65 min Recovery Spin 3 – 40m40 min Low Cadence Climb 5×6m72 min Long Ride Zone 2 (4hr) + Fatigue Resistance250 min	8.6 hours
11 week	Unload Week 11: volume comes down, quality stays. The group ride keeps the legs sharp without digging a hole. Endurance Base 2 – 75m75 min Sweet Spot 2x20min75 min Recovery Spin 3 – 40m40 min Tempo/Group Ride (2hr)125 min Long Ride Zone 2 (3hr)200 min	8.6 hours
12 recovery	Taper Week 12: short, easy, with openers. Everything this week is about arriving fresh. Recovery Spin 3 – 40m40 min Threshold Opener 141 min Recovery Spin 2 – 30m30 min Openers (3x1:00)48 min Endurance Base 1 – 60m60 min	3.7 hours

Applying the plan schedules all 60 sessions from your chosen start date. You pick which days of the week you ride.

Start Gran Fondo Training Plan

Gran Fondo Training Plan: common questions

How long should you train for a gran fondo?

Twelve weeks of focused work on top of an existing base. If you are starting from very little riding, allow twenty to twenty-four weeks in total and put a base block in front of this plan.

How is gran fondo training different from century training?

Climbing and pace. A gran fondo puts you on sustained climbs where power at threshold decides how long you are out there, and the timed format pushes riders harder than a social century does. This plan carries more threshold and low-cadence work as a result.

What is low-cadence training for and does it help climbing?

Riding at 50–60 rpm at high torque loads the muscular side of the effort rather than the cardiovascular side. It is not a substitute for threshold work, but it builds specific strength for long seated climbs where cadence drops whether you like it or not.