Training plan · Peak District
Tour of the Peak training plan 2027
Sunday 16 May 2027, Bakewell Show Ground. 182.8 km with 3,701 m of climbing.
In short
Give yourself 16 to 20 weeks for the Tour of the Peak on Sunday 16 May 2027. The long route is 182.8 km (113.6 miles) with 3,701 m of climbing from Bakewell, and the organiser names three big climbs, Winnats Pass, Holme Moss and the Cat and Fiddle. The day turns on pacing a long, hilly day and on an early cut-off, which at the last edition meant leaving the Bamford feed, 28 miles in, by 09:40. Build your long ride towards six hours or more on hilly roads, and practise climbing very steep ground seated. On WattPlan's model of the course, a rider with an FTP of 230 watts weighing 75 kg rides it in about 8 h 55 min, and takes 15:31 on Winnats Pass at about 172 watts.
The Tour of the Peak at a glance
| Date | Sunday 16 May 2027source |
|---|---|
| Start and finish | Bakewell Show Groundsource |
| Distance (Long) | 182.8 km (113.6 miles), 3,701 m of climbingsource |
| Distance (Medium) | 95.6 km (59.4 miles), 1,773 m of climbingsource |
| Roads | Open roads. The organiser runs it as a challenge ride, not a race, and the rules of the road apply all day.source |
| Start | Between 06:30 and 07:30, in a start slot booked online in the week before the event.source |
| Cut-offs (last edition) | Long-route riders had to leave the Bamford feed, 28 miles in, by 09:40, and every rider had to be back at Bakewell by 17:30.source |
| Feed stations (last edition) | Three on the long route: Bamford Recreation Ground (mile 28), Glossop Army Cadet Centre (67) and Langley Village Hall (91).source |
| Finishing times | The organiser allows 7 to 10 hours for the long route and 4 to 7 for the medium.source |
| Entry for 2027 | £45 for the long route and £40 for the medium. There are no entries on the day, and entries close on the Sunday a week before.source |
| History | Named after the Tour of the Peak road race, run from 1943 to 2005, whose route it follows.source |
The course and its climbs
Profile from WattPlan's model of the course (187.2 km routed over OpenStreetMap roads with SRTM heights, © OpenStreetMap contributors). The organiser's figures are in the table above, and their route is the one that counts on the day.
Your power and time on each climb
Enter your FTP and weight and WattPlan's route model rides the course for you the way a long day is best ridden: harder on the climbs, where a watt buys the most speed, and easier on the flat, at an effort you can hold to the finish. The figures below are for 230 W and 75 kg until you do.
| Climb | Summit (km) | Length | Average | Steepest | Your power | Your time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnats Passsource1.9 km at 10.9%, up to 18.9%, top at km 27 | 27 | 1.9 km | 10.9% | 18.9% | 172 W | 15:31 |
| Holme Mosssource4.7 km at 7.3%, up to 12.3%, top at km 93 | 93 | 4.7 km | 7.3% | 12.3% | 169 W | 30:13 |
Eat at about km 14, 28, 48, 63, 77, 91, 108, 122, 137, 151, 167. Riding something else? The free pacing calculator does this for any route from its GPX. In the app, Route analysis adds your own fade over a long day, the wind on the day and a pacing file for your bike computer.
How long to train for the Tour of the Peak
Most riders need 16 to 20 weeks of structured training for the long route, which means starting between late December and late January for 16 May. Much of that falls in winter, so plan indoor sessions for the weeks when the high roads are icy. The medium route, 95.6 km with 1,773 m of climbing, needs about twelve.
WattPlan builds the weeks from today to 16 May around the days you can ride, runs the indoor sessions on a smart trainer in the app, and moves the plan when a week goes wrong.
Training for Winnats Pass and Holme Moss
The two climbs ask for different things. Winnats Pass, out of Castleton before the first feed, climbs 1.9 km at an average of 10.9%, and its steepest 100 metres reach 18.9%. Holme Moss, around halfway, is 4.7 km at 7.3% from Holmbridge and tops out at 524 m on the moor. Fit the lowest gears your bike takes, because Winnats is steep enough to stall a rider who is over-geared.
Train for both. Once a week, ride the steepest hill near you seated in your lowest gear, three or four times, and once a week ride efforts of 10 to 20 minutes just under threshold for the long drag up Holme Moss. A weekly hilly ride teaches you to recover over the top and keep going.
The Cat and Fiddle, and pacing a long day
The third big climb comes late. After the last feed, at Langley Village Hall 91 miles in at the last edition, the long route climbs through Macclesfield Forest to the Cat and Fiddle on the moor road to Buxton. Ride the first half of the day well within yourself so there is something left for it.
The calculator above shows the power WattPlan's model gives you on Winnats Pass and Holme Moss, paced so the effort lasts to the finish. The organiser allows 7 to 10 hours for the long route, and at the last edition every rider had to be back at Bakewell by 17:30.
The Bamford cut-off and the feeds
The first deadline comes early. At the last edition, long-route riders had to leave the Bamford feed, 28 miles in, by 09:40, after Winnats Pass and the Edale valley, and after that the long-route signs came down. Long-route start slots ran from 06:30 to 06:55, so that is about three hours for the first 28 miles.
The last edition had three feeds on the long route, at Bamford, Glossop Army Cadet Centre after 67 miles and Langley after 91, so the longest gap is the 39 miles from Bamford to Glossop, over Holme Moss. Carry enough to eat every 45 minutes through it, around 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate an hour.
Weather and kit for the Peak in May
Buxton averages a high of 14.5 °C and a low of 6.1 °C in May, with 82 mm of rain over about 12 days, and the high moors over Holme Moss and the Cat and Fiddle are more exposed than the valleys. The organiser asks riders to carry a lightweight waterproof, two inner tubes, tyre levers, a mini pump and a phone with the event's emergency number saved, and warns that on an event this size a lift back for a rider who stops can take a while.
Your plan to 16 May
WattPlan builds the weeks from today to Sunday 16 May 2027 around the days you can ride, and eases off before the day. Take a rider with 230 W of FTP who rides 3 to 5 hours a week now and has an hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays and up to 6 hours on Saturdays: a 16-week plan starting Monday 25 January 2027 has 6 weeks of base, 6 of build, 3 of peak and 1 of taper. It opens at 4 hours a week and builds to 11, with a longest ride of 6 hours. Pick your own days below to see yours.
Free to start, and the Tour of the Peak is filled in for you. Premium adds the whole plan to race day and adjusts it when you miss a session or ride harder than planned.
Questions riders ask
How long should I train for the Tour of the Peak?
Sixteen to twenty weeks suits most riders for the long route, so start structured training between late December and late January for Sunday 16 May 2027. The medium route needs about twelve.
How hard is the Tour of the Peak?
The long route is 182.8 km (113.6 miles) with 3,701 m of climbing on open roads, over Winnats Pass, Holme Moss and the Cat and Fiddle. Winnats climbs 1.9 km at 10.9%, with a steepest 100 metres of 18.9%. The medium route is 95.6 km with 1,773 m.
What is the cut-off on the Tour of the Peak?
At the last edition, long-route riders had to leave the Bamford feed, 28 miles in, by 09:40, after which the long-route signs came down, and every rider had to be back at Bakewell Show Ground by 17:30. Check the rider manual on the organiser's site for this year's times before the day.
How long does the Tour of the Peak take?
The organiser allows 7 to 10 hours for the long route and 4 to 7 for the medium. Enter your FTP and weight in the calculator on this page for WattPlan's estimate of your riding time, then add your stops.
Is the Tour of the Peak on closed roads?
No. It runs on open roads, and the organiser reminds riders that it is a challenge ride, not a race, and that the rules of the road apply all day.
How much does the Tour of the Peak cost?
£45 for the long route and £40 for the medium, entered through the organiser's site. There are no entries on the day, and entries close on the Sunday a week before the event.
More event training plans
Sources
- Tour of the Peak, official site
- Tour of the Peak rider manual
- Tour of the Peak long route map (2025)
- Met Office, Buxton climate averages
- Distance (Long)
- Distance (Medium)
- Winnats Pass
- Holme Moss
WattPlan is not connected with the Tour of the Peak or its organiser. We've done our best to make sure everything here is accurate, from the details the organiser had published when we checked on Thursday 8 October 2026, and we'll update this page as more details come out. Confirm dates, routes and rules on the official site. Times and power figures come from a physics model and are estimates, not predictions of your result.