The Millars Gran Fondo 2026: inside our race camp
In March 2026 we took the reset cc team to The Millars Gran Fondo in Castellón de la Plana, Spain, a qualifier in the UCI Gran Fondo World Series. It was our first race camp. The course was about 157 km with about 2,200 m of climbing, the field was close to 2,000 entries, and on Sunday 22 March three of our riders, Juan, Craig and Marko, qualified for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in their first season with us. This is how the week ran, day by day.
The Millars 2026 at a glance
Race: The Millars UCI Gran Fondo, Sunday 22 March 2026, a UCI Gran Fondo World Series qualifier
Start and finish: Castellón de la Plana
Course: about 157 km and 2,200 m of climbing, with the climbs of Puerto de Aín and Salto del Caballo
Field: close to 2,000 entries and 1,483 classified finishers
Camp: Wednesday 18 to Monday 23 March
Result: Juan, Craig and Marko qualified for Worlds
Wednesday and Thursday: the recon days
Arriving on Wednesday gave the team two full days on the course before race day. Every rider had their race plan before they left home, so the recons weren’t about working anything out. They were about feeling the course in their legs.
On Wednesday we rode 100 km covering the start, the first major climb, the descent and the finish. Then it was recovery shakes, a team dinner and an early night.
Thursday was the biggest training day of the camp: 140 km, with the main climb that would decide Sunday ridden at a solid pace and the final kilometres reconned at the end. It was a high-carbohydrate day with one last high-intensity effort before the race. By the time we rolled back to the hotel, every rider knew what race day would ask of them.
How a pro-style race camp runs
Every rider at that camp is successful away from the bike, and used to performing under pressure. Racing at this level asks for more than fitness, though. It asks for an environment that removes the variables that drain performance, and that’s what a race camp is for.
That means planned nutrition, quality recovery, massage, a mechanic and coached recons that put each rider in the best position on race day. The hotel kitchen was briefed in advance and cooked to the team’s nutrition plan. Every detail we could control, we controlled, so the riders could focus on racing.
Friday: coffee ride and more carbohydrate
After two big days, Friday was about coming down, with an easy coffee ride along the seafront.
Underneath the easy pace, the tank was filling. Two days out, the team’s race-week carbohydrate protocol started: 7 to 10 g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight a day, plus more recovery and more massage.
Saturday: openers, and the plan is set
Saturday was pre-race activation: short, sharp and purposeful. The strategy was locked, and every rider knew their targets and their role.
Sunday: race day
The race started and finished in Castellón. Juan, Craig and Marko all finished inside the top 25% of their age groups and qualified for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, in their first season with reset cc. I didn’t race for my own result. I rode for our riders.
Juan qualified on less than 10 hours of training a week, most of it on an indoor trainer. Craig qualified at his first reset cc camp and went on to race Worlds for Canada in Japan. You can read how his season was built in How Craig Ferguson qualified for Gran Fondo Worlds with a full-time job and a family.
How qualifying for Worlds works at The Millars
At a UCI Gran Fondo World Series qualifier, the top 25% of starters in each age group earn a place at the World Championships, rounded up, and the top three always qualify. In 2026, a qualifier with only a road race also qualified riders for the Worlds time trial. Check the 2027 rules once the UCI publishes them.
Work out the places in your own age group:
What it meant
After the race, the team gathered for photos with their medals. The moment that sums up the week came later, when one of the riders got home. He had the team’s signed jersey framed with his race bibs, his medal and his Millars lanyard, all mounted in a shadow box for his wall.
It was his way of holding on to the day all the early mornings and trainer hours added up to something real.
Why we build race camps
We created reset cc to give riders the structure to race at world-class events. The gap between a rider’s ambition and their ability to perform on race day is real: training, travel, nutrition, logistics, coaching and recovery are a lot to manage when you also run a business or raise a family. Most riders never close that gap, and it’s rarely for lack of desire. What’s missing is structure.
At The Millars, the team showed the gap can be closed. Next stop that year was the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Niseko, Japan.
The Millars 2027: race camp dates
The fourth edition of The Millars is on Sunday 14 March 2027 in Castellón de la Plana, with a provisional course of about 157 km and 2,200 m. Registration is open until 19 February 2027, or until it sells out. Our Millars race camp 2027 runs from 10 to 15 March, with dates to be confirmed.
Free tool · 2027 Season Map
Find your best qualifier for 2027
Answer nine questions. Get the team camp to target, your odds at every Worlds qualifier and what each course will ask of you.
- Your best qualifiersRanked for you by your odds, the trip from home and the size of your field
- Your odds at each oneFrom your FTP, weight, durability and race skills, against the real qualifying times in your age group
- Your season, week by weekBase, build, race and taper, with the decisive climb of every course and the power it will take from you
Pick all that apply. All three are in Haute-Savoie in the same week of August 2027. A road qualification also counts for the time trial, and gravel has its own qualifiers.
- Your odds
- Likely
- The trip
- About 3 h by car
- Decisive climb
- Salto del Caballo, 8.8 km at about 5%
Thank you to our partners Factor Bikes, Nduranz and CeramicSpeed, who supported the camp. Disclosure: I’m a Factor Bikes ambassador.
Frequently asked questions
When is The Millars Gran Fondo 2027?
Sunday 14 March 2027, starting and finishing in Castellón de la Plana, Spain.
How long is The Millars Gran Fondo?
The 2026 course was about 157 km with about 2,200 m of climbing, over Puerto de Aín and Salto del Caballo. The 2027 course is provisional at around the same distance and climbing.
Is The Millars a Worlds qualifier?
Yes. It is part of the UCI Gran Fondo World Series, so under the 2026 rules the top 25% of starters in each age group qualified for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships. Check the 2027 rules once the UCI publishes them.
Can I join the reset cc race camp at The Millars?
Yes. The 2027 race camp runs from 10 to 15 March, with dates to be confirmed, and includes course recons, briefings, a mechanic and massage.
Sources
The Millars UCI Gran Fondo: route and 2026 schedule, millarsgranfondo.com
The Millars UCI Gran Fondo World Series 2027 date announcement, millarsgranfondo.com
2026 general classification, Tiempo a Batir
Zack Morris is the founder of reset cc. Silver medalist, M35-39 time trial, 2026 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships. National champion, elite and masters. Built and ran Team EF Coaching for five years.
