The Rad Dirt Fest is 113 miles with about 10,600 feet of climbing on over 90% maintained gravel, starting at 6,000 feet and averaging 6,800. The main selection comes on a long climb to 9,000 feet with grades reaching 18 percent, where high-desert sun and altitude make the heat part of the effort.

This is a six-week plan for a rider whose entry is paid and whose training didn’t happen the way it was supposed to. Six weeks isn’t enough to build climbing legs at altitude from scratch, but it is enough to get you to the start with a plan for pacing that long climb and handling the heat.

WHAT'S INSIDE

• Structured workouts on your calendar, with real power and heart-rate graphs


• Strength work built in, with video walkthroughs


• Weekly notes from me, plus the Gravel Grit mental program


• A testing week, so the plan runs on your real numbers


• The full Rad Dirt Fest guide — terrain, gearing, fueling