Le Grand du Nord is 110 miles on mostly gravel and dirt forest roads, about 5,000 feet of climbing spread across constant rolling terrain, with a stretch of technical doubletrack. Temperatures stay cool near Lake Superior, and in the spring wet season rain is possible.
This is an eight-week plan built around the hours you already have, seven to eleven a week, with most of the work aimed at the constant rolling terrain and the distance, because 110 miles of forest-road gravel asks for endurance and steady climbing more than raw speed. It gets you to the start with a plan for the technical doubletrack and the possibility of a cool, wet day.
110 MI · 5,000 FT CLIMBING · 70% GRAVEL/DIRT FOREST ROADS, 20% PAVED, 10% TECHNICAL · 8 WEEKS · 7–11 HR/WK · FINISHER
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 Le Grand du Nord guide — terrain, gearing, fueling
Hey, I'm Matti. I spent 11 years at TrainingPeaks, where they trusted me to teach coaches how to coach at TrainingPeaks University. I raced Amateur Elite with Rio Grande Cycling Team and podiumed my age group at Unbound 200 in 2026. I have a degree in biology and exercise physiology from St. Olaf. I'm also a middle-aged dad of three, so I know training doesn't happen in a vacuum. I help gravel riders get stupidly fast without becoming the person who brings a food scale to a party