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.
← Training plansW1Settle in
W2Add cadence work
W3First torque block
W4Recovery week
W5Second block opens
W6Longer aerobic days
W7Peak of block two
W8Recovery week
W9Final block opens
W10Add tempo
W11Biggest week
W12Taper and test
Base · 8 weeks · 4 rides a week Build · 8 weeks · 4 rides a week
Base phase · intermediate · 12 weeks
12-week winter indoor cycling training plan
Spend the winter building the engine you race on in spring. Outdoor base plans assume a four-hour Sunday ride you cannot do in January. This plan does not. Nothing here runs past two hours, every session is designed for ERG mode, and the aerobic work is concentrated rather than stretched — which is the whole argument for training indoors in the first place.
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 week5:07
Biggest week6:51
Week by week
EnduranceTempoThresholdVO2 max● Key session
W1Settle in149
Week 1: establish the rhythm. Keep the endurance rides genuinely easy — the interval days are where the stress belongs.
W2Add cadence work187
Week 2: spin-ups teach a smooth, fast pedal stroke. Let the cadence do the work, not the legs.
W3First torque block233
Week 3: low-cadence torque work builds the muscular side of climbing. Stay seated and keep the effort controlled.
W4Recovery week120
Week 4: recovery. Resist the urge to add intensity — this week is what lets the next block land.
W5Second block opens232
Week 5: sweet spot intervals step up to 15 minutes. The last one should feel hard, not desperate.
W6Longer aerobic days207
Week 6: the endurance rides grow. Fuel them properly — 60 g of carbohydrate an hour past the 90-minute mark.
W7Peak of block two280
Week 7: the biggest week so far. Two 20-minute sweet spot efforts and two hours of steady riding.
W8Recovery week124
Week 8: recovery again. Halfway. The fatigue you are carrying is the point — let it clear.
W9Final block opens282
Week 9: back to full load with 2×20 sweet spot. You should notice these are easier than they were in week 7.
W10Add tempo273
Week 10: a tempo finish on the endurance ride, and three sweet spot intervals. The aerobic system is being asked to work tired.
W11Biggest week294
Week 11: the peak. Longer tempo finish, three sweet spot intervals, and a two-hour ride to close it out.
W12Taper and test129
Week 12: easy riding, leg openers, then the 20-minute test. Take it seriously — this number sets up your spring.
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 Winter Indoor BaseRide this plan if
- Your riding season is interrupted by weather and you train indoors from autumn to spring.
- You have four sessions a week to give, most of them on weeknights.
- You want a base that a build plan can be stacked on in spring.
What you get out of it
- A deeper aerobic base without a single four-hour ride.
- Sweet spot tolerance built from 3×8 up to 2×20 minutes.
- A measured FTP going into the build phase.
How the plan is built
The shape is classic: aerobic volume with torque work and spin-ups for the neuromuscular side, sweet spot intervals that grow from 8 minutes to 20, and a recovery week every fourth week so the ramp is sustainable across a full season rather than a heroic three weeks in November.
It finishes with a 20-minute FTP test. If the winter worked, that is where you will see it.
- Three loading weeks then a recovery week, three times over.
- One torque or cadence session a week — the part most indoor plans skip.
- Sweet spot intervals lengthen every block: 8 → 10 → 12 → 15 → 20 minutes.
Winter Indoor Base: common questions
How many hours a week does this winter plan take?
Roughly four to six hours across four rides, rising through each three-week block and dropping back on recovery weeks.
Can I do a winter base plan entirely indoors?
Yes. Indoor riding removes coasting, descents, and traffic lights, so an hour on the trainer carries more aerobic work than an hour on the road. This plan is built around that, which is why nothing in it runs past two hours.
What comes after the winter base plan?
Sweet spot base if you want to keep raising sustainable power, or sustained power build if your event is close and you need threshold and VO2 work.
What to ride after this
Training works in blocks. These plans pick up where this one leaves off.
Sustained Power Build
The build block that follows base: threshold intervals and VO2 max work, holding onto the aerobic volume that made them possible.