12-Week Base Plan (Nils Goerke) is a 12-week cycling plan. This article combines the actual plan description with a example week from the stored workout entries.
What this plan is built for
This plan is a good mix of easy, aerobic "LIT" sessions, intense "HIT" sessions that will increase your VO2max, thus enhancing your engine, and "MIT" rides that include sessions with KA3 and Sweetspot intervals.
The key sessions, besides the mid-week intervals, are clearly the easy LIT sessions. To be honest, these rides are even more important.
These are completely independent of your base and your years in cycling; they are the most important training kilometers. Ride these more relaxed than too intensely, because only when you build a good aerobic foundation will the HIT and MIT sessions bring the desired peak performance.
Training logic and load
The emphasis is durable base fitness, clean technique, and a rhythm you can repeat for several weeks. The important part is not upgrading easy days into hidden hard days. The workout data shows which sessions are structured and which ones are intentionally simple.
The plan contains 85 scheduled entries across 12 weeks. The sequence matters as much as the total hours: hard, technical, or long workouts only work when the surrounding days allow you to absorb them.
Example week: Week 5
This week is not a generic template. It is built from the actual training plan entries, and the workout charts use the stored workout data.
Rest day
20 min @ 55% | 6x 0 min on / 3 min easy | 47 min @ 55% | Ramp from 65% to 55%
LIT Training. Duration: 1h30 HR: approx. 60-70% of HRmax. Perceived exertion: 3 out of 10 Cadence target: 85 to 95 RPM Effect: Mitochondrial biogenesis, muscle fiber shift, improvement in fat metabolism During Low Intensity Training, pay at
Ramp from 50% to 75% | 3 min @ 50% | 3 min @ 75% | 3 min @ 80% + 20 more steps
HIT Decrease Training: 6 x (1 min at 120% / 4 min at 105% of FTP) Perceived exertion: approx.
Rest day
Ramp from 50% to 75% | 3 min @ 60% | 3 min @ 75% | 3 min @ 80% + 4 more steps
MIT - Sweet Spot Training: 4x8 min @85% FTP (5 min rest) Perceived exertion: 6-7 out of 10 Effect: Improvement of metabolic efficiency, enhancement of lactate transport, and possible increase in fractional utilization.
Rest day Alternatively, you can also do 45-60 minutes of easy low-intensity training (LIT).
2:30 h @ 60%
LIT Training. Rate of Perceived Exertion: 3-4 out of 10 Effect: Mitochondrial biogenesis, improved local oxygen extraction, and an increase in fat metabolism.
How to read the workout charts
The chart is based on the workout data: longer segments take more width, higher intensities sit higher, and harder work is marked with stronger colors. For swim or distance-based segments, the graphic represents the planned sequence rather than GPS data.
Practical execution
What to watch
- Execute the key days precisely instead of making the easy sessions faster.
- Use the plan description as context: equipment, fueling, mobility, and realistic threshold values are part of the training.
- When life or fatigue adds pressure, trim secondary work first and keep the most important session stable.
Training effect
Executed well, the plan improves your ability to absorb the intended stimulus repeatedly. Depending on sport and phase, that means more aerobic stability, better pace durability, stronger technique under fatigue, or more confidence at target effort.