Training plan · Pembrokeshire
Wales Sportive training plan 2027
Saturday 3 July 2027, Salterns Car Park, Tenby. 180.2 km with about 2,410 m of climbing.
In short
Give yourself 16 to 20 weeks for the Wales Sportive on Saturday 3 July 2027, the bike day of the Long Course Weekend in Tenby. The longest route is 112 miles (180.2 km) round Pembrokeshire, from the south coast to the Preseli Hills, on open roads where drafting is banned. That makes it a long day of riding on your own at a steady effort: build towards rides of six hours or more, and practise eating and drinking without stopping. On WattPlan's model of the course, a rider with an FTP of 230 watts weighing 75 kg rides it in about 7 h 18 min, and takes 7:03 on Newgale Hill at about 186 watts.
The Wales Sportive at a glance
| Date | Saturday 3 July 2027source |
|---|---|
| Start and finish | Salterns Car Park, Tenbysource |
| Distance (112 miles) | 180.2 km (112 miles), climbing not published by the organiser; about 2,410 m on WattPlan's model of the coursesource |
| Distance (80 miles) | 128.7 km (80 miles)source |
| Distance (40 miles) | 64.4 km (40 miles)source |
| Distance (20 miles) | 32.2 km (20 miles)source |
| Full name | The Uprise Bikes Wales Sportive, after its title partner.source |
| Roads | Open roads, with crossing points where riders are held to let traffic through. The course is marshalled and signed with black arrows on a fluorescent background.source |
| Rules | No drafting on any route, no riding more than two abreast, and every rider carries a puncture repair kit. Tri bars are allowed.source |
| Start (last edition) | The 112 and 80-mile routes started between 06:30 and 07:30 and the 40 and 20-mile between 08:30 and 09:00, all from Salterns Car Park.source |
| Cut-off (last edition) | The course closed at 17:00. Riders who missed a cut-off went to the finish or took the sweep vehicle.source |
| Feed stations (last edition) | Three on the 112-mile route, two on the 80 and one on the 40. Riders start with two full bottles.source |
| Entry for 2027 | From £75 for the 112-mile route, £60 for the 80, £40 for the 40 and £35 for the 20, with a payment plan.source |
| Long Course Weekend | The sportive is the bike day of the Long Course Weekend in Tenby, which runs from 2 to 4 July 2027.source |
| Tour de France | The Tour de France's stage from Welshpool to Cardiff is the next day, Sunday 4 July 2027.source |
The course and its climbs
Profile from WattPlan's model of the course (179.4 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.
| Checkpoint | km | Cut-off | Your riding time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finish (course closes)sourcethe finish, km 180.2, cut-off 17:00 in 2026 | 180.2 | 17:00 (2026) | 7 h 18 min |
Your riding time from the start, without stops and at an even effort all day: add your start time and your stops to see where you would stand.
| Climb | Summit (km) | Length | Average | Steepest | Your power | Your time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newgale Hillsource1.1 km at 8.4%, up to 12.9%, top at km 71 | 71 | 1.1 km | 8.4% | 12.9% | 186 W | 7:03 |
Eat at about km 19, 38, 58, 75, 94, 108, 128, 148, 165. 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 Wales Sportive
Most riders need 16 to 20 weeks of structured training for the 112-mile route, which means starting between mid-February and mid-March for 3 July. The 80-mile route needs about twelve, and the 40 about eight.
WattPlan builds the weeks from today to 3 July around the days you can ride, runs the indoor sessions on a smart trainer in the app, and adjusts the plan when a week goes wrong.
Riding without drafting
The organiser bans drafting on every route because the roads are open, and penalises riders who draft, so you cannot sit in a group to save energy. Tri bars are allowed, so expect some riders on time-trial bikes.
Train for a day on your own. Ride your long rides solo at an even effort, add a weekly session of 20 to 40 minutes just under threshold, and practise eating and drinking on the move.
Newgale Hill and the Preseli Hills
Newgale Hill, which climbs away from the beach at Newgale, is 1.1 km at an average of 8.4%, with a steepest 100 metres of 12.9%. The biggest climb comes more than halfway round, on the road over the Preseli Hills past Foel Eryr.
Train for both with a weekly hilly ride, climbing at an effort you could hold for an hour, and three or four efforts of 5 to 10 minutes on the longest hill near you. The calculator above shows WattPlan's estimate of your power and time on Newgale Hill.
Feed stations and the cut-off
At the last edition the 112-mile route had three feed stations, the 80 two and the 40 one, and the organiser expects riders to start with two full bottles and carry their own food. Eat every 45 minutes from the start, around 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate an hour.
The longest routes started between 06:30 and 07:30 last time and the course closed at 17:00, which leaves nine and a half to ten and a half hours for 112 miles, stops included. Riders who missed a cut-off went to the finish or took the sweep vehicle.
Weather and kit for July
Tenby averages a high of 19.6 °C and a low of 12.5 °C in July, with 72 mm of rain over about ten days. Every rider must carry a puncture repair kit, and the organiser advises carrying a mobile phone.
Your plan to 3 July
WattPlan builds the weeks from today to Saturday 3 July 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 15 March 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 Wales Sportive 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 Wales Sportive?
Sixteen to twenty weeks suits most riders for the 112-mile route, so start structured training between mid-February and mid-March for Saturday 3 July 2027. The 80-mile route needs about twelve.
How hard is the Wales Sportive?
The longest route is 112 miles (180.2 km) on open roads, and drafting is banned, so you ride at your own pace all day. The organiser does not publish the climbing, which is about 2,410 m on WattPlan's model of the course. Newgale Hill climbs 1.1 km at 8.4%, and the highest point is on the road over the Preseli Hills.
Can you draft on the Wales Sportive?
No. The organiser bans drafting because the roads are open, and penalises riders who draft. Tri bars are allowed.
What time does the Wales Sportive start?
At the last edition the 112 and 80-mile routes started from Salterns Car Park in Tenby between 06:30 and 07:30, and the 40 and 20-mile between 08:30 and 09:00. The course closed at 17:00.
Is the Wales Sportive on the same weekend as the Tour de France?
Yes. The sportive is on Saturday 3 July 2027, and the Tour de France's stage from Welshpool to Cardiff is the next day, Sunday 4 July.
How much does the Wales Sportive cost?
From £75 for the 112-mile route, £60 for the 80, £40 for the 40 and £35 for the 20, and a payment plan is available.
More event training plans
Sources
- Wales Sportive, official site
- The Wales Sportive race pack (provisional)
- Long Course Weekend Wales, 2027 dates
- Cardiff Council, Tour de France 2027 stage three
- Met Office, Tenby climate averages
- Newgale Hill
WattPlan is not connected with the Wales Sportive 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 Wednesday 14 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.