Ride your next Gran Fondo or century stronger
Build the endurance and repeatable power to perform late in a long event. This Intermediate plan is for experienced cyclists preparing for a Gran Fondo or century ride with power-based, structured training and a realistic four-to-five-ride schedule.
Best fit
- You have completed a century, Gran Fondo, or several rides of at least three hours.
- You can train four days most weeks and five days in the opening week.
- You use a power meter or smart trainer and understand FTP-based training zones.
- You want better pacing, fatigue resistance, and sustained power, not merely more mileage.
Weekly structure
- Four rides most weeks: steady endurance, sustained steady-state work, over-unders or higher-intensity power intervals, and a progressively longer endurance ride.
- Regular recovery days: three non-riding days in most weeks help you absorb the workload, which also makes the plan practical for many masters cyclists.
- Event week: culminates in a planned 5-hour 15-minute century ride, followed by an easy spin.
Time commitment
The TrainingPeaks calendar averages 6 hours 44 minutes per week. Weekly bike volume ranges from 5 hours 42 minutes to 8 hours, including event week. The longest planned ride is 5 hours 15 minutes.
Equipment
- A power meter or smart trainer.
- A road, gravel, or endurance bike appropriate for your event.
- A cycling computer or compatible app that can display TrainingPeaks structured workouts.
This is a self-guided plan and does not guarantee a specific finishing time. Begin with current power zones and enough long-ride experience to complete the opening week without excessive fatigue.
Serious goals. Real lives. Structured training that respects both.
KyleCoaching helps masters and time-constrained cyclists build endurance, raise FTP, develop race-specific power, and stay durable without treating recovery, work, and family as rounding errors.