I’ve rarely made New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I have either relied on inspirations I’ve obsessed over for years, or on random suggestions that landed by sheer luck. And fair enough, on January 7th, the day after my birthday, when I opened my mailbox, 2026’s big challenge was right there, delivered fresh and clean in the form of a self-inflicted pain that blended both.

“We have a spot for Mallorca 312. Do you want to join?”

I read the lines twice, my heart racing as I was already climbing the Coll de Femenia or the Puig Major. I’ve ruminated on Mallorca 312 for at least a decade. It’s one of those untameable bucket-list monsters I’ve always been scared to wake. I’ve seen cyclists the day after the event meandering around the island, looking like partygoers on a Sunday morning. Lost.

Mallorca 312 has always scared the hell out of me — not only because of its length (312 km), but also because of the crazy overall elevation: 5,000 metres. And yet it’s been calling for a long time. Way too long.

“Hell yes!” I wrote, my fingers trembling, my heart still racing. I pressed send. The die was cast.

The challenge in a nutshell

The idea behind Mallorca 312 is simple and brutal: complete a loop around the island (from and back to Platja de Muro in the north-east) in one day. The gran fondo has been held for 16 years and attracts around 8,500 participants each year, while only 199 started in the first edition.

Although there are different distances (225 and 125 km as well), to me it has only ever existed in its super-sized incarnation. Beyond the sheer number of kilometres — I rode 300 km once, 20 years ago, and I don’t have a great memory of it—the 312 also features 5,000 metres of positive elevation, mostly packed into the first 170 km.

Read more: The must-do road and gravel events around the world in 2026

Then there are the cut-off times: 4 hours 45 minutes at km 97, 10 hours at km 220, 14 hours 20 minutes for the full route. That last one equates to an average speed of 21.8 km/h.

Still, the fact that the event takes place entirely on closed roads and snakes through the most beautiful and iconic parts of Mallorca, including the legendary Serra de Tramuntana, is enough to overshadow all the daunting stats.

Now what?

After the initial excitement of the invitation, fear, panic, and doubt crept in quickly.

Sure, I had just run a marathon the day before my 40th birthday with a couple of crazy friends in –10°C, as a way to make my ageing ego feel relevant in the unnecessary world of recreational endurance sports enthusiasts. Sure, last year I ran five marathons, including one in Antarctica (another New Year’s challenge delivered on January 8th, if you’re into patterns), followed by the Boston Marathon three weeks later. Sure, in August I rode 180 km on gravel with 5,000 metres of elevation. And I’m not exactly a couch-to-312 guinea pig: I’ve been cycling, running, and swimming consistently for at least twenty years.

Yet Mallorca 312 made me feel instantly very small.

That gravel ride in August was my last long ride, and since then I’ve only ridden four or five times, for about an hour at most. To complicate things further, last summer I developed a symptomatic ventricular arrhythmia and went straight to see my cardiologist. Luckily, after several multi-day ECGs, two stress tests, and an echocardiogram to assess the structure of my heart, he cleared me of any serious issues. Good news, but still not the most comforting kind when you turn 40 and officially join the MAMILs club.

Nick is preparing for the longest ride of his life (Photo: Fritjof Hilgenfeldt) 

Planning

Once the negative voices in my head quietened, I had the space to break the challenge down into smaller components and focus on what I can still control, 14 weeks before kick-off.

After months of unstructured exercise that kept me generally fit, the first thing I need to rebuild in preparation for Mallorca 312 is a structured training plan. Over the coming weeks, I’ll speak with a professional coach, but with a background in endurance coaching — and having coached myself to a sub-3 marathon in 2024 — I’m going back to the basics that have worked well for me.

1. Baking the cake. Most of the training (80–90% of total training time) will be at low intensity, in zone 2, with longer weekend rides to rebuild the aerobic base. Between a busy job in marketing and a five-year-old with endless energy, I’m planning around 9–10 hours of training per week for now.

2. VO₂ work. Once a week, I’ll do a VO₂ session to lift my dormant upper ceiling. I started with 3 × 8 minutes of 20” on / 40” off, then 3 × 8 minutes of 30” on / 30” off, and 3 × 8 minutes of 40” on / 20” off. Later, I’ll gradually consolidate everything into 30/30 or 40/20 sets.

3. Big-gear work. One weekly staple will be low-cadence, big-gear work to build strength: usually 8–10 reps of 3 minutes at 70/60/50 rpm, big ring, with 1 minute easy between efforts. I normally do these on the hills around the house, but slippery, frozen roads are keeping me on the turbo for now.

4. Gym. At least once a week, I’ll schedule a strength-training session. The focus will evolve from pure strength to power over the coming months, with core and stability work finishing each session.

5. Cross-training. I’ll keep running with colleagues at lunch and swimming occasionally, while being mindful not to overdo it. Why? Mostly for fun — and to keep my mind happy, not just locked onto the bike.

6. Hydration and nutrition. These will play a crucial role in the coming months and on race day itself, but for now they stay in the background. The focus is simply on eating well and staying hydrated throughout the day and during turbo sessions (one of my main challenges). Later, I’ll bring in a consultant; for now, they sit firmly in phase-two priorities.

7. Heat training. With training conditions and race conditions being polar opposites (it’s currently below zero in Switzerland), I’m planning to introduce some heat training after the first build block.

8. AI for marginal gains? Given the abundance of AI-based training platforms on the market — and having tested a couple already — I’ll use one to design the bulk of my sessions, then adapt day by day as I feel.

And watch this space. Over the next couple of months, I’ll share my preparation for Mallorca 312 and give an update on how training is going. And, eventually, how the day on the island unfolded after the event. 

Do you feel this couch-to-312 journey is your call, too? Or are you already in top shape and have been eyeing this challenge for a while? Through Sportive Breaks, one of Mallorca 312's official tour operators, places are still available – the last day for entries is February 27th.

But hurry up — I’m already a week in, and the clock is ticking.