The British Cycling 12-week Sportive/Gran Fondo Plan is designed to progressively build your cycling fitness with an end goal of a 80-120km (50-75 miles) sportive or Gran Fondo.
The plan is suitable for both power and heart-rate users and, as all the cycling workouts are fully built within the plan, it’s compatible with smart trainers and many head units. The midweek sessions are also scripted to be used as custom workouts on Zwift.
To start the plan, you should ideally be riding two or three times a week and be capable of riding for 90 minutes. It is also ideal for cyclists who ride regularly but haven’t followed a structured training plan before or who are returning to the sport after a bit of a lay-off. If you are currently fit and active, doing at least three 60-minute bouts of exercise a week, but not necessarily a cyclist, this is also the plan for you.
The volume of training is between 4-7 hours per week and, with flexible days included, it can easily be adjusted to fit around your life. If you’re already familiar with TrainingPeaks and its metrics, weekly TSS is between 100-300.
The training weeks are typically broken down into three rides; two mid-week and one at the weekend. The mid-week rides are more suited to an indoor trainer but can easily be completed on the road. The weekend rides focus on building your endurance and allow you to practice and refine your fuelling and hydration strategies.
There is also an optional session that gives you the opportunity to do some cross training. Cross training, although optional, should be part of your training. Don’t worry if you can’t manage dedicated sessions, even doing regular mobility work at home will benefit your riding. Cross training helps to prevent boredom, provides options if you are unable to ride and builds all-round injury preventing robustness.
The plan is fully supported by content on the British Cycling Insight Zone, where you can find advice on skills, training, nutrition, equipment, clothing and maintenance.
www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge