Crusher in the Tushar: 6-week KICK START training plan (Zwift compatible)

If you’re an intermediate cyclist targeting Crusher in the Tushar and coming out of winter ready to build with real intent, this 6-week plan is designed to kick-start your spring training and guide you toward the specific demands of one of the toughest one-day endurance races in North America. Set in the mountains of southern Utah, Crusher in the Tushar is defined by altitude, relentless climbing, rough surfaces, and long hours of sustained effort. This block is about preparing your body and mind for exactly that.

Who’s it for?
This training plan is aimed at intermediate endurance cyclists with a solid fitness base who are ready to move into a more purposeful build toward Crusher in the Tushar. Whether you’ve trained consistently through winter or are sharpening your focus as race day approaches, this plan provides structure and direction at exactly the right point in the season. It’s shaped by real race experience and a clear understanding of what racing in the Utah mountains demands physically, mentally, and tactically.

Is it for you?
This plan assumes you’re comfortable riding both indoors (such as Zwift) and outdoors, and happy blending structured quality sessions with longer endurance rides as conditions improve. It’s ideal if you want to transition smoothly from winter training into highly event-specific preparation without burning out, while rebuilding aerobic fitness, sustained climbing power, and long-ride durability.

The focus reflects the realities of Crusher in the Tushar: a hard opening phase, long climbs at altitude, extended dirt and gravel ascents, technical descents, and punishing paved climbs that come late in the race when fatigue is already high. The course offers very little flat terrain, making pacing discipline and efficient power output absolutely critical from start to finish.

What’s involved?
The plan builds progressively over six weeks, carefully balancing structure with flexibility to support consistent progression. Each week targets key training zones using indoor sessions for precision and control, alongside outdoor rides to develop endurance, fatigue resistance, and climbing-specific strength.

There’s a strong emphasis on sustained tempo and threshold work, long aerobic climbing efforts, and low-cadence strength sessions to prepare for the extended ascents found throughout the Utah course. Longer rides focus on holding steady power deep into fatigue, fuelling consistently over many hours, and maintaining focus on mixed surfaces where road, dirt, and gravel blend together and efficiency matters as much as fitness.

The goal isn’t to peak during these six weeks. Instead, it’s to come out of this block fitter, tougher, and more confident, perfectly positioned to move into the final, Crusher-specific preparation phase. You’ll be ready to handle altitude, prolonged climbing, rough dirt roads, fast descents, and the cumulative load of one of the most demanding endurance races in the mountains of Utah.