My goal is to complete the Mt. Fuji Hill Climb on June 1st in under 75 minutes. The race starts at Fuji Hokuroku Park in Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi Prefecture, and finishes at the fifth station of Mt. Fuji. The course spans 25 km (with a timed section of 24 km), starting at an elevation of 1,051 meters and ending at 2,306 meters, resulting in a vertical gain of 1,255 meters. The average gradient is approximately 5.2%, with a maximum gradient of 7.8%
Currently, my FTP is 250W, and I weigh 60 kg. I am following TrainerRoad’s hill climb training plan and have now entered the specialty phase, which includes two VO2Max sessions and one threshold training session per week, along with low-intensity workouts.
To achieve a good result in this race, I believe maximizing power output for the target time is crucial. TrainerRoad’s hill climb plan seems to be designed for shorter races. Should I customize my training to better suit the demands of this event?​
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Have you used something like bestbikesplit to get an idea of a pacing plan to hit your goal?
What duration are the threshold / VO2 workouts that you are being given by TR?
Do you have the time available on those days set so that it can serve you workouts that are in line with the goal (90 mins / 2 hours maybe)?
I have not used Best Bike Split. Based on my past participation in the same event and the opinions of experienced participants, the course has minimal elevation changes, requiring a steady power output for 60 to 70 minutes.
The TrainerRoad (TR) training schedule is as follows:
- Monday: Rest
- Tuesday: 90-minute VO2 Max session focusing on attack efforts
- Wednesday: 90-minute endurance ride
- Thursday: 90-minute VO2 Max session with long supra-threshold efforts
- Friday: 90-minute endurance ride
- Saturday: 120-minute threshold session with hard starts
- Sunday: 150-minute endurance ride
In the VO2 Max workouts, each interval lasts no more than 5 minutes, and in the threshold workouts, each interval is approximately 10 minutes. I am concerned about the absence of sustained power training at threshold intensity.
The schedule you provided does look like a solid plan. But, given this is the specialty stage, I can see why you might want to swap out the threshold sessions for some with longer intervals (or shorter rests between intervals). That is easy enough to do using workout alternatives, or by self selecting from the catalogue.
There are some serious workouts when you look at that sort of thing: Mitta, Sharp Top, Ladybug, Angeles, Camada.
My legs go a bit wobbly just looking a them.
I don’t think it will make that much difference compared to the existing TR plan at this stage. But it does stick with the principle of matching training to the event being trained for.
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Oh nice, that’s a great race and difficult to get into from what I hear. With your power numbers, you should get a good placement. I’ve never done Mt. Fuji, but a similarly long hill climb TT North of Tokyo (1,200 m of elevation in 20ish km). (I have lived in Sendai for 8.5 years.)
Regarding training, the best type of training plan for hill climb TTs is the TT plan. Since you have selected something else, then that’s not 100 % ideal, but you’ll do fine.
Personally, I’d just add outdoor rides where you try to pace yourself. You should aim for an even pacing, so don’t hit the climbs too hard and don’t let power drop too much when it is flat. Make sure you have the right gearing. Another piece of advice is to watch Youtube videos of others riding this course. That’s how I prepped all my races in Japan.
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Hey @Neohayamy! Welcome to the TrainerRoad forum 
. This sounds like an incredible event!! 
TrainerRoad’s Climbing Road Race plan primarily focuses on sustained threshold efforts with some variability that will prepare you to handle pace changes or surges often encountered in road racing scenarios. While the Mt. Fuji Hill Climb typically demands a very steady, sustained effort, the workouts in this plan will be highly relevant and beneficial.
In comparison, the 40k TT plan specifically targets steady-state, near- threshold power. This makes it especially suitable if you anticipate a very steady, consistent pacing effort during the climb without significant variability.
In short:
- If your Mt. Fuji effort will be steady and uninterrupted, the 40k TT plan is a slightly more specific choice.
- If you anticipate some variability, prefer slightly more dynamic workouts, or simply enjoy workouts that incorporate occasional pace changes, Climbing Road Race is a strong option too.
How to adjust your current training plan:
If you’d like to make changes now, it’s easy:
- Go to your TrainerRoad Calendar and click on the annotation that marks the start of your current training block.
- Select “Edit Plan”, and then go to the Event tab in Plan Builder to change your event type (e.g., TT or Climbing Road Race).
- Plan Builder will automatically adjust your training, starting from your current fitness and progressing as you move toward the event!
Hope this helps clarify things—feel free to ask more questions if needed. Good luck!!
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I previously asked TrainerRoad support a similar question, and they said there was no problem following the ClimbingRoadRace plan, but recommended that I replace the first VO2Max workout (Gage, etc.) with an Over-Under Threshold workout such as CarpathianPark or It was recommended to me that I could replace McAdie.
I have competed in the Mt. Fuji Hillclimb in the past, so I felt the Over-Under Threshold workout was a good fit for my senses.
I am using an automatic translation app because I do not speak English, so the context must be wrong. Oh.
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@Neohayamy
Maybe one more thing: when I lived in Japan, I was very active on the Tokyo Cycling Club forum. Some of the members have a lot of experience racing in Japan, and I found they are a very open and helpful bunch. You can also get great deals on equipment and clothing at times.