All Races
Gravel
Badlands
1 September 2026Andalucía, España
Distance
800km
Elevation
16000m
Badlands is Europe's wildest gravel challenge: ~800 km and ~16,000 m of climbing. You'll cross European déserts, the Mediterranean coast and Pico Veleta as the culminating point. Endurance alone isn't enough: you need to survive extrême days, manage the continuous wear of gravel riding and maintain power on prolonged climbs to survive each segment. Many ultra-distance cyclists train for their challenges with NUA.
Official siteHow NUA prepares you for Badlands
Builds your aerobic base
Trains race-specific efforts
Manages load & recovery
Fine-tunes the final weeks
Frequently asked questions about training for Badlands
How long do I need to prepare for Badlands?+
NUA builds your plan backwards from race day. For most gran fondos and similar distances, 12-16 weeks is the sweet spot — enough to build aerobic base, then sharpen race-specific efforts. With less than 8 weeks, NUA adapts the plan to focus on finishing strong rather than chasing peak performance.
What does NUA's training plan for Badlands look like?+
A weekly mix of Z2 endurance, race-specific intervals (climbs, sustained efforts, attacks), and structured recovery. Each week adapts based on your readiness, completed sessions, and how the previous week went. The closer to race day, the more specific the work — tapering kicks in automatically in the final two weeks.
Can NUA help if it's my first time at this distance?+
Yes. During onboarding NUA asks about your weekly volume, experience, and goal (finish, finish strong, target time). First-timers get a base-building approach focused on completing the distance comfortably. Experienced riders get more aggressive interval work and race-day pacing strategy.
Does NUA's plan for Badlands include indoor training?+
Yes. NUA prescribes both outdoor and indoor sessions based on your availability and weather. Indoor workouts export as ZWO files compatible with Zwift, Rouvy, TrainerRoad, and intervals.icu, and the full plan syncs to Garmin and Wahoo head units.