The final stage in preparation for a century, gran fondo, or long gravel race, this plan focuses on muscular endurance and fatigue resistance. Its Threshold and Sweet Spot workouts optimize your ability to work at a high percentage of FTP for extended periods; it also includes some high-intensity VO2 max workouts to improve and maintain your aerobic capacity. These targeted workouts equip you to ride longer and harder without actually requiring very long training rides; by the end of the plan you’ll be fully prepared to take on your next long-distance event.The low-volume version of the 8-week Gran Fondo&nbsp;specialty plan includes 3 workouts per week, each ranging from 60 to 90 minutes. The last 2 weeks of the plan serve as a taper, reducing volume but maintaining intensity in the final leadup to your goal event.

Gran Fondo - Low Volume

Whether you just wrapped up a Sustained Power&nbsp;Build block or you're reaching this plan from a different avenue, getting a measure of your current fitness is the first order of business. Use the Ramp Test (or the 20 Minute FTP Test or 8 Minute FTP&nbsp;Test if that's your preference) to get an estimate&nbsp;of your sustainable power and help us anchor your training levels. Then, you'll have the opportunity to see if your estimated FTP is close to the mark as you work through some extended efforts just below your lactic tipping point. And in order to make up for the relatively low TSS accumulated during your assessment workout, the recovery valleys between these efforts are a little&nbsp;closer to Endurance watts than usual.Finally, your first week finishes off with a healthy dose of Sweet Spot work aimed at furthering your ability to hold high percentages of your newly improved functional threshold power.

Week 1

Week 2 begins with a reintroduction to 105's -&nbsp;efforts done far enough above your FTP to inspire increases in it, but repeats&nbsp;done far enough below your VO2max ceiling to allow durations substantially longer than most aerobic capacity repeats.&nbsp;&nbsp;Up next, another round of&nbsp;slightly subthreshold repeats totalling noticeably more work than you faced last week. Get used to working this close to your FTP, then any work spent farther below your threshold power will become more and more manageable and inflict far less muscle fatigue.Again, your week wraps up with some endurance-extending Sweet Spot work done at only slightly higher intensities but substantially longer durations; same total time in the Sweet spot though.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Week 2

One more week of increasing demands separates you from a week of easy riding, and it starts with only a small escalation in the total duration of your 105's. They're a little shorter, but they're greater in number in hopes of further lifting your ability to sustain power above your FTP. Your final dose of Threshold work elevates both the interval duration as well as the workout's total time spent&nbsp;in that barely-below-FTP power range.&nbsp;But the fun doesn't stop there!&nbsp; Saturday brings on&nbsp;some downright intimidatingly long intervals in a good news/bad news scenario: only 2 intervals/they're each&nbsp;30 minutes long.&nbsp;But by now you've employed a backpedal break or two (or you're a true machine) and have recognized them for the carrots they are. Use those carrots to keep you chugging along with sometimes just the promise of a short bail-out, but don't hesitate to include&nbsp;a couple of actual no-load breaks to keep you motivated and productive.

Week 3

Time to mellow things out without disrupting your weekly structure and allow your body to absorb 3 weeks of stress while&nbsp;your mind gets some distance on the heavy concentration that accompanies hard work.In place of your usual high-intensity or high-duration intervals, this week will see you recovering in entirely aerobic, low to moderate-intensity territory as you face workouts constructed of nothing more demanding than aerobic Endurance workouts.

Week 4

In the event your sustainable power has increased, we'll want to adjust your training levels appropriately. So Week 5 begins with a Ramp Test or the optional 8 Minute FTP Test or 20 Minute Test based on whichever format helps you remain consistent over the course of your season. And just in case you thought&nbsp;you were done with VO2max work, your second workout kicks off a&nbsp;late-plan round of aerobic capacity&nbsp;work to help nudge up your sustainable power&nbsp;capabilities a little more prior to your most important event(s). By stressing your heart, lungs, and muscles briefly but intensely, you can find a little more room to allow your FTP to rise.The first week in this&nbsp;second round of loading concludes with a return to some lower-end Sweet Spot work that is a bit&nbsp;more in line with the type of effort you may find yourself exerting over the course of your 100-mile events. And while you may seldom work this hard during your multi-hour endeavors, the muscle endurance cultivated here will only make your day more enjoyable and probably a&nbsp;bit faster.&nbsp;

Week 5

Week 6 starts by dialing down your 105's to 102's, but what's lost in intensity will be accounted for in either less recovery or greater interval duration. Regardless, the focus now is less on lifting your FTP as much as gradually lowering bodily fatigue over the course of these final weeks of training.This isn't necessarily the case with your VO2max repeats, but one single high-intensity workout per week remains in the spirit of extracting some last-minute-fitness gains. Modify the workout intensity as necessary in order to fully but barely&nbsp;complete these relatively long high-capacity repeats.Then cap off the week with another jump in your Sweet Spot interval durations as you put your ever-rising strength endurance to the test over some long but manageable efforts.

Week 6

Only one week of hard work left, then it's onto a pre-event recovery week. To get things rolling, you'll work your way through one last round of slightly supra-FTP repeats that still stand a chance of lifting your FTP one last little bit, but will fortify your ability to dole out high, steady wattage&nbsp;regardless.Up next is one last round of VO2max repeats that grow in duration yet again. Pushing your breathing and heart rate to a very high level and then keeping it there is the essence of VO2max work. The longer you stay there, the greater the training stimulus and the higher your post-recovery capabilities. Consider this the TrainerRoad ultimate in all 3 cases considering that you won't see&nbsp;VO2max intervals longer than these ones.And then, it all wraps up with a return to Week 5's format, just at a slightly higher intensity. Again, the capability to ride at percentages this high for durations this long will have a resounding effect on all power levels below it. So as you work through this last round of Sweet Spot work, do so knowing that the longer you hang in there, the easier everything else will become by comparison.

Week 7

In lieu of a one- or two-week taper, this final week of recovery will generally suffice with regard to lowering your fatigue and&nbsp;raising your level of motivation and muscular freshness. If, however, you began&nbsp;a 2-week taper last week due to excessive fatigue (see week 7's&nbsp;Week Tips), consider reducing the duration of one or both of your weekday workouts.&nbsp;In any case, your Saturday workout is simply a placeholder for your event, even if it falls on Sunday.&nbsp;And if you're lively with energy,&nbsp;feel free to add a bit of intensity into any of this week's workouts with the addition of a couple of short, Sweet Spot efforts folded into the low-intensity riding that's prescribed. Something along the lines of a couple of&nbsp;3- to 5-minute efforts at 85% FTP should suffice.Most likely though, this week of easy mileage will be exactly what you need to feel rested and ready for the weekend's event. Good luck!

Week 8

For athletes who are targeting long gravel races, gran fondos, or spirited multi-hour group rides, the Gran Fondo plans are the ideal choice. These specialty blocks primarily focus on muscular endurance, equipping you to pedal powerfully for hours on end over widely-varied terrain. But they also include some higher-intensity VO2 max efforts, so you’ll have the fitness you need to stay at the front when the pace rises.

Gran Fondo

The final stage in preparation for a century, gran fondo, or long gravel race, this plan focuses on muscular endurance and fatigue resistance. Its Threshold and Sweet Spot workouts optimize your ability to work at a high percentage of FTP for extended periods; it also includes some high-intensity VO2 max workouts to improve and maintain your aerobic capacity. These targeted workouts equip you to ride longer and harder without actually requiring very long training rides; by the end of the plan you’ll be fully prepared to take on your next long-distance event.The mid-volume version of the 8-week Gran Fondo&nbsp;specialty plan includes 5 workouts per week, each ranging from 60 to 120 minutes. The last 2 weeks of the plan serve as a taper, reducing volume but maintaining intensity in the final leadup to your goal event.&nbsp;

Gran Fondo - Mid Volume

The final stage in preparation for a century, gran fondo, or long gravel race, this plan focuses on muscular endurance and fatigue resistance. Its Threshold and Sweet Spot workouts optimize your ability to work at a high percentage of FTP for extended periods; it also includes some high-intensity VO2 max workouts to improve and maintain your aerobic capacity. These targeted workouts equip you to ride longer and harder without actually requiring very long training rides; by the end of the plan you’ll be fully prepared to take on your next long-distance event.The high-volume version of the 8-week Gran Fondo specialty plan includes 6 workouts per week, each ranging from 60 to 120 minutes. The last 2 weeks of the plan serve as a taper, reducing volume but maintaining intensity in the final leadup to your goal event.&nbsp;As with all our high-volume plans, this plan is intended for experienced athletes who have plateaued at lower volumes.

Gran Fondo

Gran Fondo (8 Weeks Per Block)

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Gran Fondo

Gran Fondo (8 Weeks Per Block)

Training Plans for Your Needs

Focused Training for Your Event

More Plans for Road Racers

Ready to Get Faster?

Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast

Training and Racing Videos

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