Gran Fondo and Metric Century - 12 Weeks to Peak - Coggan Classic Zones
Author
Tim Cusick - Coach of World and National Champions
All plans by this CoachLength
12 Weeks
Typical Week
1 Day Off, 1 Other, 6 Bike
Longest Workout
3:00 hrs
Plan Specs
cycling gran fondo/century intermediate advanced masters power based hr based tss based
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Summary
Includes Structured Workouts
Structured Workouts automatically sync with compatible devices and guide you through workouts in real time.
Learn More about Structured Workouts.
Gran Fondo or Metric Century: 12 Weeks to Peak
written by Tim Cusick, TrainingPeaks WKO product leader and master coach with Velocious Cycling Adventures
Plan overview
Train with the coach of national and world ITT champion Amber Neben! This 12-week plan will prepare you for your upcoming gran fondo or other endurance event.
The plan is designed for the intermediate/advanced cyclist who already has a general base fitness and is ready to step up the hours, time, and intensity to prepare for this exciting event. This comprehensive training plan uses classic training levels and is designed for use with power, heart rate, and/or perceived exertion. It contains three specific training cycles with testing throughout and an event taper at the end.
The workouts are structured and can be automatically loaded to Zwift, RGT, Garmin, ErgVideo, TrainerRoad, Computrainer, and more, so that you can see your workout and interval numbers right on your device.
Included with your plan:
- Instruction sheet (attached to the first day of the plan)
- Testing protocol
- Coaching tips and comments
Need help loading your structured works to Zwift or other devices?
Click here to read instructions.
More plans
Tim Cusick has written dozens of training plans for many different areas of cycling: road, gravel, time trial, mountain bike, cyclocross, indoor training, and more. Click here for a full list of his current plans by sport type and click here for a comparison chart of his major plans.
Questions?
Click here to view a list of frequently asked questions about our training plans. If you don't find your answer there, please email Coach Kathy Watts.
Stats
Sample Day 1
WU:
10-15 minutes warm up, progressing to Zone 2
TARGET: PW Z2/HR Z2/PE 4-5
CADENCE: Self selected with 2 x 1 minute Fast Pedals to wake up legs
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MS:
Ride prescribed time in Endurance zone
TARGET: Endurance (PW Z2/HR Z2/PE 4-5)
CADENCE: 85-105 rpm. Vary cadence throughout ride and work on pedaling form.
CADENCE DRILLS: 1 x 60 minutes of alternating high cadence (95+ rpm) for 5 minutes and self-selected cadence for 5 minutes.
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CD:
Cool down 5-15 minutes
TARGET: PW Z1/HR Z1/PE 2-3
CADENCE: small chain ring
Sample Day 1
WU:
Warm up for 15-20 minutes of riding in your solid Endurance zone. Include 3 x 1-minute fast pedals at over 120 rpm to really warm up legs.
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MS: Today we're going to test your VO2Max and FTP power. Once warmed up, start an interval and go as hard as you can for 5 minutes. This is an all-out effort and will be used to set your VO2max zones. Soft pedal for 5 minutes, then go on to MS2.
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MS2: Next is an FTP test. Make sure you're fully recovered from your 5-minute effort; soft pedal another 5-10 minutes if needed. Once recovered, start your lap and drill it for 20 minutes. Spend the first 3-5 minutes at a watts target just below what you think your FTP is, then give it all you have!!
Ride all remaining time in your Endurance zone.
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CD:
Ride 15 minutes at a very easy pace.
Sample Day 2
WU:
10-15 minutes warm up, progressing to Zone 2
TARGET: PW Z2/HR Zone 2/PE 4-5
CADENCE: Self selected with 2 x 1 minute Fast Pedals to wake up legs
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MS:
Ride prescribed time in Endurance zone
TARGET: Endurance (PW Z2/HR Zone 2/PE 4-5)
CADENCE: 85-105 rpm. Vary cadence throughout ride and work on pedaling form.
TERRAIN: Flat to rolling
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MS2: For the last 30 minutes of the ride, pick up the effort to solid tempo zone.
TARGET: Tempo (PW Z3/HR Z3/RPE 4-5)
CADENCE: 1 gear harder/slower RPM than normal self selection; target 75 RPM.
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CD:
Cool down 5-15 minutes
TARGET: PW Z1/HR Zone 1/PE 2-3
CADENCE: small chain ring
Sample Day 3
WU:
10-15 minutes warm up, progressing to Zone 2
TARGET: PW Z2/HR Z2/PE 4-5
CADENCE: Self selected with 2 x 1 minute Fast Pedals to wake up legs
------
MS:
Ride prescribed time in Endurance zone
TARGET: Endurance (PW Z2/HR Z2/PE 4-5)
CADENCE: 85-105 rpm. Vary cadence throughout ride and work on pedaling form.
CADENCE DRILLS: 1 x 60 minutes of alternating high cadence (95+ rpm) for 5 minutes and self-selected cadence for 5 minutes.
------
CD:
Cool down 5-15 minutes
TARGET: PW Z1/HR Z1/PE 2-3
CADENCE: small chain ring
Sample Day 4
You get faster when you're resting and recovering, not when you're working hard! Rest days are about going easy enough to really allow your legs to recover, so no efforts over Zone 1 today. Take it easy.
Sample Day 5
WU:
10-15 minutes warm up, progressing to Zone 2
TARGET: PW Z2/HR Z2/PE 4-5
CADENCE: Self selected with 2 x 1 minute Fast Pedals to wake up legs
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MS:
Ride prescribed time in Endurance zone. Throughout the ride, complete 10 Attack Sprints of 15-25 seconds (PW Z6/HR Z6/PE 7+)
TARGET: Endurance (PW Z2/HR Z2/PE 4-5)
CADENCE: 85-105 RPM
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CD:
Cool down 5-15 minutes
TARGET: PW Z1/HR Z1/PE 2-3
CADENCE: small chain ring
Sample Day 6
WU:
10-15 minutes warm up, progressing to Zone 2
TARGET: PW Z2/HR Z2/PE 4-5
CADENCE: Self selected with 2 x 1 minute Fast Pedals to wake up legs
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MS:
Endurance Ride, progressive effort. Break the ride down into 3 equal time segments. Begin ride at the lower end of the endurance zone and increase effort (avg power or avg HR) each segment, ending the ride with the hardest effort for the last segment.
TARGET: Endurance (PW Z2/HR Z2/PE 3-4)
CADENCE: Self selected. To make this more challenging, increase avg RPM with each segment along with effort.
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CD:
Cool down 5-15 minutes
TARGET: PW Z1/HR Z1/PE 2-3
CADENCE: small chain ring