Ten climbs and 4,415 meters of ascent make the current 221-kilometer Ardéchoise route an ultra-distance mountain day
The organizer's current named Ardéchoise route is a 221-kilometer Saturday cyclosportive with 4,415 meters of climbing and ten cols. It leaves Saint-Félicien for the Cévennes, crosses the Col de la Barricaude, and turns repeated mountain work into a full-day durability test. Climbing after ultra distance: 4,415 meters across 221 kilometers requires disciplined pacing, fueling, and descending long after ordinary gran-fondo distance is gone.
For the experienced rider training seven to eleven hours a week, this twelve-week plan balances sustained and repeatable climbing, descending confidence, fueling, and fatigue-resistant pacing with deliberate recovery so fitness rises without carrying avoidable fatigue into L'Ardéchoise.
INSIDE THE MASTERS 50+ PLAN — 7–11 HR/WK
Includes zone-tailored structured rides for your devices, built-in strength with video walkthroughs, heat protocols for when your race calls for them, peloton skills workouts, nutrition and hydration guidance, and recovery-first Masters 50+ structuring.
The Complete L'Ardéchoise Guide — the training, the tactics, the gear and race day, explained simply and clearly: what to do, when to do it, and why it works.
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Hey, I'm Matti. I spent 11 years at TrainingPeaks, where they trusted me to teach coaches how to coach at TrainingPeaks University. I raced Amateur Elite with Rio Grande Cycling Team and podiumed my age group at Unbound 200 in 2026. I have a degree in biology and exercise physiology from St. Olaf. I'm also a middle-aged dad of three, so I know training doesn't happen in a vacuum. I help gravel riders get stupidly fast without becoming the person who brings a food scale to a party