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.

12
weeks: 4
rides a week: 5.1 h
typical week: 6.9 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

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.

How the plan is built

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.

Ride 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.

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 Winter Indoor Base cycling training plan
Week	Focus and sessions	Load
1 week	Settle in Week 1: establish the rhythm. Keep the endurance rides genuinely easy — the interval days are where the stress belongs. Endurance Base 1 – 60m60 min Recovery Spin 3 – 40m40 min Sweet Spot Builder 1 – 3×8m57 min Endurance Base 2 – 75m75 min	3.9 hours
2 week	Add cadence work Week 2: spin-ups teach a smooth, fast pedal stroke. Let the cadence do the work, not the legs. Endurance Base 1 – 60m60 min Z2 + Spin-Ups (1h)53 min Sweet Spot Builder 2 – 3×10m63 min Endurance Base 3 – 90m90 min	4.4 hours
3 week	First torque block Week 3: low-cadence torque work builds the muscular side of climbing. Stay seated and keep the effort controlled. Endurance Base 2 – 75m75 min Zone 2 + Torque (60min)93 min Sweet Spot Builder 3 – 3×12m69 min Endurance Base 3 – 90m90 min	5.5 hours
4 recovery	Recovery week Week 4: recovery. Resist the urge to add intensity — this week is what lets the next block land. Recovery Spin 3 – 40m40 min Recovery Spin 4 – 50m50 min Endurance Base 1 – 60m60 min Recovery Week: 1hr Zone 276 min	3.8 hours
5 week	Second block opens Week 5: sweet spot intervals step up to 15 minutes. The last one should feel hard, not desperate. Endurance Base 2 – 75m75 min Zone 2 + Torque (60min)93 min Sweet Spot Builder 4 – 2×15m58 min Endurance Base 4 – 105m105 min	5.5 hours
6 week	Longer aerobic days Week 6: the endurance rides grow. Fuel them properly — 60 g of carbohydrate an hour past the 90-minute mark. Endurance Base 2 – 75m75 min Z2 + Spin-Ups (1h)53 min Sweet Spot 2x15min65 min Endurance Base 4 – 105m105 min	5 hours
7 week	Peak of block two Week 7: the biggest week so far. Two 20-minute sweet spot efforts and two hours of steady riding. Endurance Base 3 – 90m90 min Zone 2 + Torque (90min)108 min Sweet Spot Builder 5 – 2×20m68 min Endurance Base 5 – 120m120 min	6.4 hours
8 recovery	Recovery week Week 8: recovery again. Halfway. The fatigue you are carrying is the point — let it clear. Recovery Spin 3 – 40m40 min Recovery Spin 5 – 60m60 min Endurance Base 1 – 60m60 min Recovery Week: 1hr Zone 276 min	3.9 hours
9 week	Final block opens Week 9: back to full load with 2×20 sweet spot. You should notice these are easier than they were in week 7. Endurance Base 3 – 90m90 min Zone 2 + Torque (90min)108 min Sweet Spot 2x20min75 min Endurance Base 5 – 120m120 min	6.6 hours
10 week	Add tempo Week 10: a tempo finish on the endurance ride, and three sweet spot intervals. The aerobic system is being asked to work tired. Endurance Base 3 – 90m90 min Endurance + Tempo Finish 12m82 min Sweet Spot 3x15min85 min Endurance Base 5 – 120m120 min	6.3 hours
11 week	Biggest week Week 11: the peak. Longer tempo finish, three sweet spot intervals, and a two-hour ride to close it out. Endurance Base 3 – 90m90 min Endurance + Tempo Finish 16m86 min Sweet Spot 3x15min85 min Long Ride Zone 2 (2hr)150 min	6.9 hours
12 week	Taper and test Week 12: easy riding, leg openers, then the 20-minute test. Take it seriously — this number sets up your spring. Recovery Spin 3 – 40m40 min Recovery + Leg Openers36 min Endurance Base 1 – 60m60 min FTP Test – 20 Minute69 min	3.4 hours

Applying the plan schedules all 48 sessions from your chosen start date. You pick which days of the week you ride.

Start Winter Indoor Base

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.