Pisgah Monster-Cross is about 69 miles with 8,777 feet of climbing on gravel and paved roads through Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests.
This is a six-week plan. Six weeks is not enough to build the fitness for 8,777 feet of climbing from scratch, but it can focus your existing base on climbing and endurance and get you to the start with a plan for the course.
69 MI · 8,777 FT CLIMBING · PISGAH AND NANTAHALA FOREST GRAVEL AND PAVED ROADS. · 6 WEEKS · 5–9 HR/WK · SAVE MY RACE
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 Pisgah Monster Cross 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