← All eventsLa Ronde Picarde
Northern France's biggest cyclosportif: a 158km rolling Picardy classic (~1,450m) from Eaucourt-sur-Somme, where the exposed coastal wind is the real adversary. An endurance-and-echelon event.
Northern France's biggest cyclosportive, and the wind writes the story. 158km of rolling Picardy farmland out to the Somme coast, about 1,450m of short rises, roughly 3,000 riders from Eaucourt-sur-Somme.
Out toward the open coast the road bares you to the famous Picardy wind. On a breezy day it does what climbs do elsewhere: it shatters the bunch and strands anyone caught alone.
It isn't mountainous, and it isn't flat-easy. Sit in a good group, ration the rolling rises, fuel from the first hour, and 158km becomes a day you finish strong.
Is La Ronde Picarde for you?
- Riders who can hold a wheel. On the exposed coast, sitting in a bunch instead of grinding solo into the wind is worth more than raw power.
- Steady endurance riders who pace themselves. The route stacks short rolling rises, so it rewards riding through them rather than attacking each one.
- Anyone wanting a festival-scale sportive with a route to match their level, from the full 158km down to 117, 85 or 38km.
- Riders happy with a long day out. Build the long ride toward 5 to 6 hours and 158km stops being a shock.
Training plan for La Ronde Picarde
A training plan for La Ronde Picarde 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.
- 158km of rolling farmland with about 1,450m in short rises, not long cols: durability over gradient
- The exposed Somme coast, where a headwind or crosswind can split the bunch into echelons
- Roughly 4.5 to 7.5 hours in the saddle: under-fuel early and the final third empties out
- Open roads and around 3,000 riders, so positioning and bunch discipline matter
- Long rolling rides building from 3hr to a 5 to 6hr peak on undulating terrain
- Threshold quality: 3x15min at FTP and 2x20min sweet spot for taking turns into the wind
- Chaingangs and crosswind echelon practice to survive the exposed coastal kilometres
- Tired Threshold: 4x8min at threshold dropped in at hour 3 to 4 of a long ride
- 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
