VÄTTERNRUNDAN · TRAINING PLAN
How do you train for Vätternrundan?
Train three key sessions a week from March: a long ride at the weekend growing from 50 to 200 km, one VO2max session and one threshold session. Hours go from 5 to 10 a week, every fourth week is easier and you taper over the last two.
UPDATED 1 NOVEMBER 2026Every week: three key sessions
A long ride at the weekend, one VO2max session and one threshold session in the week, and easy riding in between if you have time. The sessions get longer and harder week by week; every fourth week is easier, and in the last two you taper.
- 01Long rideIdeally at the weekend, in a group. Teaches the body to ride for hours and to eat on the way. Easy, with some tempo as it gets longer.
- 02VO2maxShort, very hard intervals that raise the ceiling: 4×4, 5×5, 30/15, 40/20. The ceiling decides how fast you can ride.
- 03Threshold / tempoLonger blocks just below or around threshold, over/unders, low and high cadence. Lets you hold a high pace for long, as in a bunch.
For riders who ride regularly and want to finish in 10–13 hours. Aiming faster? See the changes further down. Warm up for 15 minutes before every interval session and cool down for 10.
MARCH: THE BASE
- WEEK 10Long ride2 h, ~50 km easyVO2max5×3 min, 3 min restThreshold / tempo3×8 min threshold5 h
- WEEK 11Long ride2.5 h, ~60 kmVO2max4×4 min, 3 min restThreshold / tempo3×10 min threshold5.5 h
- WEEK 12Long ride3 h, ~75 km in a groupVO2max30/15: 2 sets × 10, 3 min betweenThreshold / tempo2×15 min low cadence (60–70)6 h
- WEEK 13EASY WEEKLong ride2 h easyVO2max3×3 minThreshold / tempo2×10 min threshold4 h
APRIL: LONGER
- WEEK 14Long ride3.5 h, ~90 kmVO2max5×4 minThreshold / tempo3×12 min over/under (2 min over, 1 min under)6.5 h
- WEEK 15Long ride4 h, ~100 kmVO2max30/15: 3 sets × 13Threshold / tempo2×20 min threshold7 h
- WEEK 16Long ride4.5 h, ~120 kmVO2max5×5 min, 2.5 min restThreshold / tempo3×15 min, alternating high and low cadence7.5 h
- WEEK 17EASY WEEKLong ride2.5 h easyVO2max40/20: 2 sets × 8Threshold / tempo2×10 min threshold4.5 h
MAY: THE LONG RIDES
- WEEK 18Long ride5 h, ~140 km, with 2×20 min tempoVO2max6×4 minThreshold / tempo2×20 min over/under (3 min / 1 min)8 h
- WEEK 19Long ride5.5 h, ~160 km, practise depot stopsVO2max40/20: 4 sets × 8Threshold / tempo3×15 min threshold8.5 h
- WEEK 20Long ride6 h, ~180 km, ideally an early start in the darkVO2max5×5 minThreshold / tempo60 min sweet spot9 h
- WEEK 21EASY WEEKLong ride3 h easyVO2max4×4 minThreshold / tempo2×12 min threshold5 h
- WEEK 22Long ride7–8 h, ~200 km at your planned pace, eating as on the dayVO2max30/15: 3 sets × 13Threshold / tempo2×20 min threshold10 h
JUNE: REST AND RACE
- WEEK 23TAPERLong ride3.5 h, ~100 kmVO2max4×4 minThreshold / tempo2×10 min threshold6 h
- WEEK 24RACE WEEKLong rideThe rideVO2max3×3 min, short openersThreshold / tempo20 min easy with 3×1 min3 h
Find the weekend’s long ride on Rulla
Clubs post their long rides in Rulla. See who rides near you this weekend, at your pace, and join in.
How hard?
With a power meter: percent of FTP (what you can hold for an hour). Without: heart rate or how it feels.
- Easy56–75 % FTPYou can talk the whole time.60–75 % of max HR
- Tempo / sweet spot76–94 % FTPShort sentences.75–85 % of max HR
- Threshold95–105 % FTPOne word at a time. What you can hold for an hour.85–92 % of max HR
- VO2max106–130 % FTPVery hard. No talking.Above 90 % of max HR
The sessions explained
- 4×4
- Four four-minute intervals at VO2max, three minutes easy between.
- 30/15
- 30 seconds hard, 15 seconds easy, 10–13 times in a row, in two or three sets with three minutes’ rest. From Rønnestad’s studies on cyclists.
- 40/20
- 40 seconds very hard, 20 seconds easy, 6–10 times in a row, in up to four sets.
- Over/under
- A block that alternates just above and just below threshold, for example two minutes over and one under.
- Low / high cadence
- Threshold blocks at 60–70 rpm for strength, or 100+ for a light, quick pedal stroke.
Aiming faster?
Before March
Starting earlier: two or three rides a week indoors or out through the winter is enough. What matters is riding regularly, not hard.
The plan is made with a coach and builds on Aktivitus’ Vätternrundan guide, Rønnestad’s interval studies and research on tapering.
RULLA
Find your next ride on Rulla.
Clubs post their long rides before Vätternrundan in the app. See who rides near you, at your pace, and say you’re coming.
Common questions
How much do you need to train for Vätternrundan?
For most riders, 5–10 hours a week from March is enough, with three key sessions: a long ride, a VO2max session and a threshold session. The longest ride should be about 200 km a few weeks before.
When should I start training for Vätternrundan?
By March at the latest. If you haven’t ridden at all, add a few weeks in February of short, easy rides.
Can you ride Vätternrundan untrained?
It isn’t a good idea. 315 km takes 10–13 hours for most riders, and without long rides it gets hard and risky.
How long should the longest training ride be?
About 200 km, three to four weeks before the ride. Longer isn’t needed.
Which intervals should I do for Vätternrundan?
One VO2max session a week, such as 4×4 min, 5×5 min or 30/15, and one threshold session, such as 2×20 min or over/unders. Both get longer and harder through the spring.
More about Vätternrundan
THE WEEK’S OTHER RIDES, AND GRAVEL IN SEPTEMBER
Rulla is not the organiser of Vätternrundan. Dates, sign-up and rules are on vatternrundan.se. Go to vatternrundan.se
