Mads Würtz Schmidt

Mads Würtz Schmidt: Gravel Durability

Mads Würtz Schmidt won both Traka 360 and Unbound 200 in 2026 — a former WorldTour pro who reinvented himself as the most durable rider in gravel. This is a reconstruction of how he trains: not on magic sessions, but on months of uninterrupted, high-quality work built around one obsession — holding power deep into hour eight, long after fresh FTP stops describing the rider.

Start this plan with your assistant

The assistant adapts these sessions to your event date, days and fitness — then drops the whole block on your calendar. One conversation, no blank calendar.

Consistency

Five to six months without a single missed training day. Long breaks are what cost: in marathon runners, a full stop of a week or more cost 5–8% of race time.

Quality over volume

~20 h/week, but every non-rest day is structured work. Higher TSS on fewer hours.

Durability

Train to hold power when tired. Races average ~72% FTP, but pulls hit 88–93% — and he barely fades from hour 3 to hour 8.

Heat & control

A 6-week heat block instead of altitude, plus a controlled home environment — own calendar, own kitchen, own sleep. No travel wrecking blocks.

A typical week

MonFat Max + spikesQuality

TueVO2 micro-intervalsIntensity

WedLong Z2 + heat sessionBase

ThuThreshold + VO2 testQuality

FriEndurance Z2 + activationBase

SatDurability / race simDurability

SunEasy spin or restRest

—~80–90 h/month (~20 h/week). CTL peaks ~150 for the main goal, ~136 for a secondary goal 5 weeks later.
—Periodization: off-season (Nov–Dec, easy, home) → base (Jan–Feb, Fat Max + lactate spikes) → build (Feb–Apr, sweet spot & threshold + race sims) → race-specific (4–6 weeks out, kitchen-sink sessions).
—VO2 is never a standalone day — all of it is short bursts (15–60 s) embedded in longer sessions, mimicking race spikes on tired legs.
—Durability test every 3 weeks: 7–7.5 h with threshold efforts at the 6.5 h and 7 h marks (~120–125 kJ/kg).
—Heat block: first 6 weeks of the year, indoor, in winter kit — the stimulus is heat, not power. No altitude camps.
—Fuel: 120–150 g carbs/hour on hard days (his number; above ~120 g/h is untested); full carb-load the day before key sessions, not just races. Plus a daily 20-min activation routine (hips, glutes, core, TFL release) and one short gym session a week.
—A representative week — amateurs can't match the hours, but the principle travels: never miss days, make every hard day count, and train to hold power when tired.