8-Week Gran Fondo Training Plan for a 100 km Ride
Explore an eight-week 100 km gran fondo example with three riding days, long-ride progression, tempo sessions, fueling practice and a taper.
Preparing for a 100 km gran fondo means building comfortable time on the bike, learning to pace climbs, and practising food and equipment before event day. This eight-week example turns those tasks into a three-day schedule with a progressive long ride and a final reduction in training.
The rider and event behind this example
Assume an established recreational cyclist who has ridden about 4–5 hours per week for at least six weeks, tolerates controlled tempo work, and recently completed a comfortable two-hour ride. The target is a rolling 100 km road event expected to take roughly 4–5 hours. Training fits Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, with a peak of 5 h 5 min per week.
Eight weeks to the event
Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday are rest from cycling. Keep Thursday easy so the long ride begins with manageable fatigue. Listed times include all warm-up, interval recovery and cool-down. The final total shows preparation rides only; add your actual event duration separately.
| Week | Tuesday | Thursday | Sunday | Weekly total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 h · tempo: 2 × 8 min; 4 min easy between efforts | 1 h · easy | 2 h · easy | 4 h |
| 2 | 1 h · tempo: 2 × 10 min; 4 min easy between efforts | 1 h · easy | 2 h 15 min · easy | 4 h 15 min |
| 3 | 1 h · tempo: 3 × 8 min; 4 min easy between efforts | 1 h · easy | 2 h 30 min · easy | 4 h 30 min |
| 4 · easier | 45 min · easy | 45 min · easy | 1 h 45 min · easy | 3 h 15 min |
| 5 | 1 h · tempo: 2 × 12 min; 4 min easy between efforts | 1 h · easy | 2 h 45 min · easy | 4 h 45 min |
| 6 | 1 h 5 min · tempo: 3 × 10 min; 4 min easy between efforts | 1 h · easy | 3 h · easy | 5 h 5 min |
| 7 · taper | 50 min · tempo: 2 × 8 min; 4 min easy between efforts | 50 min · easy | 2 h · easy | 3 h 40 min |
| 8 · event | 40 min · tempo: 2 × 3 min; 4 min easy between efforts | 30 min · easy | Event; duration varies | 1 h 10 min + event |
100 km gran fondo example · eight weeks · three riding days
Week 1
- Tuesday
- 1 h · tempo: 2 × 8 min; 4 min easy between efforts
- Thursday
- 1 h · easy
- Sunday
- 2 h · easy
- Weekly total
- 4 h
Week 2
- Tuesday
- 1 h · tempo: 2 × 10 min; 4 min easy between efforts
- Thursday
- 1 h · easy
- Sunday
- 2 h 15 min · easy
- Weekly total
- 4 h 15 min
Week 3
- Tuesday
- 1 h · tempo: 3 × 8 min; 4 min easy between efforts
- Thursday
- 1 h · easy
- Sunday
- 2 h 30 min · easy
- Weekly total
- 4 h 30 min
Week 4 · easier
- Tuesday
- 45 min · easy
- Thursday
- 45 min · easy
- Sunday
- 1 h 45 min · easy
- Weekly total
- 3 h 15 min
Week 5
- Tuesday
- 1 h · tempo: 2 × 12 min; 4 min easy between efforts
- Thursday
- 1 h · easy
- Sunday
- 2 h 45 min · easy
- Weekly total
- 4 h 45 min
Week 6
- Tuesday
- 1 h 5 min · tempo: 3 × 10 min; 4 min easy between efforts
- Thursday
- 1 h · easy
- Sunday
- 3 h · easy
- Weekly total
- 5 h 5 min
Week 7 · taper
- Tuesday
- 50 min · tempo: 2 × 8 min; 4 min easy between efforts
- Thursday
- 50 min · easy
- Sunday
- 2 h · easy
- Weekly total
- 3 h 40 min
Week 8 · event
- Tuesday
- 40 min · tempo: 2 × 3 min; 4 min easy between efforts
- Thursday
- 30 min · easy
- Sunday
- Event; duration varies
- Weekly total
- 1 h 10 min + event
Execute the weekday sessions
For Tuesday tempo, warm up for 10 minutes, complete the listed repetitions with 4 minutes of easy riding between them, and cool down for 5 minutes. Fill the remaining time with easy endurance. Tempo means controlled pressure, about 5–6 out of 10; with a well-set FTP, roughly 80–88% can be a starting reference. Use your breathing and repeatability to keep the effort controlled.
For example, week 2's 60-minute session is 10 minutes warming up, 2 × 10 minutes tempo, 4 minutes easy between, 21 minutes easy endurance and 5 minutes cooling down. Use a steady road or gentle climb; steep gradients should not force repeated maximal efforts.
Thursday and the easier week's rides stay conversational, around 2–3 out of 10. Start and finish with five very easy minutes. If Tuesday still affects Thursday, shorten the ride or rest instead of forcing the planned duration.
Give each long ride a practical purpose
- Weeks 1–3: keep the ride easy while extending time. Learn a pace that still feels controlled in the final half-hour; test saddle comfort, gearing and clothing.
- Week 4: reduce riding and check whether normal energy and comfortable pacing return. Continue with week 5 only if the earlier workload was well tolerated.
- Weeks 5–6: ride terrain resembling the event and rehearse your planned food, bottles and refill stops. The whole ride remains controlled; the added duration is already a substantial demand.
- Record the amount and timing of food and drink, comfort, and late-ride effort. Adjust familiar choices before event day instead of trying a new strategy at the start.
Use the last two weeks to arrive rested
The longest ride is two weeks before the event. Week 7 reduces volume, and week 8 keeps only short familiar efforts. Do not add a late 100 km rehearsal. On event day start at a sustainable pace, use the food and equipment you practised with, and let heat, wind and climbing change your speed expectations.
Adjust the plan when training changes
Repeat a build week when the long ride is still difficult to absorb. If the long ride becomes hard because of steep hills or a fast group, reduce the next Tuesday's intensity. Do not make up a missed long ride in the taper. If interruptions leave the event far beyond the riding you can sustain, reconsider the distance or goal instead of squeezing several weeks into one.
The exact minutes are an editorial example, not a schedule validated by the studies below. Those studies inform the broader principles of progressive preparation, recovery and fueling; your completed riding determines whether the example fits.
Frequently asked questions
How long should my longest ride be before a 100 km gran fondo?
There is no universal percentage. It should be long enough to test pacing, comfort and fueling, but still fit your training history and recovery. Many riders can prepare without completing the entire distance beforehand.
How many hard sessions do I need each week?
Many recreational riders progress with one or two demanding days including races or hard group rides. The long ride may become one of those days when it includes substantial climbing or tempo.
Should every weekend ride include race pace?
No. Most long rides should preserve aerobic control. Add selected event-specific blocks later in the plan and keep enough easy riding to recover.
Evidence and further reading
Pasomilo distinguishes established findings from practical coaching conventions. These sources informed this guide:
How to use our examples and sources- Galán-Rioja et al. (2023), Training Periodization in Trained CyclistsCycling-specific review showing that several periodization structures can work when load, recovery and event demands are aligned.
- Sánchez-Jiménez et al. (2026), Work, intensity and acute cycling durabilityReview showing that prior work and its intensity change how much power cyclists can produce later in a ride.
- Ramos-Campo et al. (2024), Carbohydrate feeding and endurance performanceMeta-analysis supporting carbohydrate intake during endurance exercise, with context and individual tolerance still important.
- Wang et al. (2023), Effects of tapering on performance in endurance athletesReview of tapering in endurance athletes; supports reducing pre-event volume while retaining familiar intensity, not the exact schedule above.