← All eventsMaraton Franja BTC City
~156km hilly road gran fondo from Ljubljana (UCI GF World Series), Slovenia's largest cycling event, with two decisive climbs (Vrhnika and the ~7km/6.3% Kladje). A genuine climbing gran fondo where W/kg matters, plus a ~97km 'Little Franja'. Next date ~2027-06-12 is approximate.
Slovenia's largest and most iconic bike race. A ~156km gran fondo that starts and finishes in Ljubljana's BTC City and loops out through the hilly back-country every June, part of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series.
It rolls constantly. The early Vrhnika hill sets the tone, then energy-sapping undulation through Idrija and Cerkno country, before the ~7km Kladje climb decides the day.
The cutoff is generous, so finishing is realistic. But make no mistake: this is a climbing day. Power to weight on the climbs, not flat speed, separates the field.
Who finishes, and how
Patterns like these, drawn straight from 2025 race data, are baked into how Beina coaches you for this event.
Is Maraton Franja BTC City for you?
- Climbers with good power to weight. Kladje ramps to 10 percent late in the day, so it rewards riders who go up well, not just those who are quick on the flat.
- Disciplined pacers. The early Vrhnika hill and the rolling middle punish anyone who over-cooks it, so rationing the effort is the whole game.
- Riders wanting their first big continental gran fondo. A generous cutoff and the ~97km Little Franja option make it an achievable step up, not just a race for the front.
- Riders who fuel well and cope with heat. June in Slovenia hits 25C plus on the climbs over five to eight hours.
Training plan for Maraton Franja BTC City
A training plan for Maraton Franja BTC City isn't a generic base build. Beina reads the event's exact demands, looks at your specific profile and the time you actually have, and maps a highly adapted plan to the start line.
- ~156km and roughly 2,300m of climbing over 4.5 to 8 hours in the saddle
- Two decisive climbs: the 4.6km Vrhnika hill early, then the ~7km Kladje at 6.3 percent that ramps to 10
- Constant energy-sapping undulation through the Idrija and Cerkno rolling middle
- June heat, 25C plus on the climbs, with afternoon mountain storm risk
- Threshold on a climb: 3x12-15min at 95-100% FTP on a real hill for sustained Kladje power
- Long sweet-spot: 2x25min at 88-94% FTP to build sub-threshold climbing durability
- Climb-on-tired-legs: a 4-5hr ride finishing with a hard 7km climb, rehearsing Kladje on empty legs
- Race-pace long ride building to 150km+ with 2,000m+ climbing, fuelling at 60-90g carbs per hour
- Built from your current fitness and the time you actually have
- Adapts every week as Beina learns how you respond
- Syncs your sessions straight to Garmin and Wahoo
- One clear next session, never a wall of spreadsheet
