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Nove Colli

24 May 2026Cesenatico, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Distance

200km

Elevation

3845m

Nove Colli — the "Nine Hills" — is one of Italy's most famous and beloved gran fondos, drawing over 12,000 participants each year to Cesenatico, the hometown of the legendary Marco Pantani. The 200 km route tackles nine iconic climbs through the hills of Emilia-Romagna and the Republic of San Marino, accumulating 3,845 m of elevation gain. The climbs are not exceptionally long individually, but their relentless succession is what makes Nove Colli so demanding. You barely recover from one ascent before the next begins, and the final hills come when your legs are already deeply fatigued. The key is pacing: going conservative on the early climbs pays massive dividends on the back half of the course. Training should focus on repeated climbing efforts with incomplète recovery — think 6-8 hill repeats at tempo or sweet spot intensity with short descents between. Build your long ride distance to at least 160-180 km with significant climbing. Practice eating and drinking on the bike during climbs, as the constant up-and-down makes nutrition tricky.

Official site
Massive peloton of cyclists climbing through Emilia-Romagna hills during the Nove Colli gran fondo in Cesenatico

How NUA prepares you for Nove Colli

Builds your aerobic base

Trains race-specific efforts

Manages load & recovery

Fine-tunes the final weeks

Frequently asked questions about training for Nove Colli

How long do I need to prepare for Nove Colli?+
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 Nove Colli 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 Nove Colli 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.
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