WHO THIS IS FOR
IS THIS YOU?
The first-time sportive rider
You've signed up for a 100-mile or gran fondo-style event and want a clear training structure.
The rider who wants to perform, not just finish
You've done sportives before but want to arrive fitter and have more in reserve.
THE ROADMAN VIEW
The Roadman view
Most sportive training advice misses the point because it treats the event like a race. For the majority of serious amateur cyclists, a sportive is a long, hard endurance effort — the limiting factor isn't top-end power, it's sustained aerobic capacity and the ability to fuel and pace over 4–6 hours. That means the training has to be built on a genuinely large base, not sessions designed to raise FTP.
The single most important session in any sportive training week is the long ride. Not the interval session. Not the threshold work. The long ride — done at a genuinely sustainable pace — is where you build the endurance engine that gets you through hour four and five without falling apart. Everything else sits on top of that.
Week 5 onwards is when structured intensity earns its place. A single threshold session per week from mid-block builds the power to push through the hillier sections without blowing up. But if the aerobic base isn't there first, intervals become a ceiling rather than a booster.
EXPERT EVIDENCE
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
- Joe FrielAuthor of The Cyclist's Training Bible; co-founder of TrainingPeaks
For non-racing endurance events, the long ride is the key training stress. Base fitness determines how well high-intensity work is absorbed. Riders who jump to intervals before their aerobic base is ready get less from every hard session.
Hear it: Joe Friel's Cycling Training Plan Structure | Roadman Cycling - Dan LorangHead of Performance, Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe
The amateur approach to sportive preparation is almost always too interval-heavy, too early. The base has to be built first. Sustained aerobic capacity comes from accumulated easy hours, and without it, a threshold session is just expensive fatigue.
Hear it: Roglic's Coach Builds A Training Plan For Amateur Riders | Dan Lorang
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
DO THIS WEEK
Set your long-ride target: 80% of event distance
If your sportive is 160km, your peak long ride should reach 128km. Build that over 8 weeks with a 10–15% distance increase each week, then hold it for 2 weeks before tapering. Never increase by more than 20% week-on-week.
Add one threshold session from week 5
From week 5, include one session of 2×20 minutes at 90–95% FTP. This raises the sustained power you can hold over the climbs. Keep it to one session per week — this isn't an interval block.
Practice event nutrition on every long ride
Eat on your long rides exactly as you plan to on the event: 60–80g of carbohydrate per hour from 30 minutes in. Your gut needs training as much as your legs do.
COMMON MISTAKES
WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG
MISTAKEDoing interval sessions too early and not building the long ride.
FIXThe first 4–5 weeks should be base-building only. Let the aerobic foundation establish before adding intensity.
MISTAKESkipping the taper and riding hard until event week.
FIXStart a 10-day taper regardless of how busy life is. Arriving fresh beats arriving fit.
MISTAKENot practising nutrition during training rides.
FIXDebut nothing on race day. Test your gels, drink mix and food strategy on every long training ride from week 3.
FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How many weeks do I need to train for a 100-mile sportive?
How many hours a week do I need?
Should I do intervals to prepare for a sportive?
What should the week before a sportive look like?
Can I train for a sportive in 6 weeks?
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