Paris to Ancaster is 62 miles with about 4,000 feet of climbing across paved roads, packed rail trails, farm lanes, and mud sectors at miles 10, 30, and 50. It runs in late April, when spring thaw often leaves the course muddy, and it ends with the Martin Road climb — a final steep pitch reaching up to 18% after 60 miles of it.
This is an eight-week plan for riders working with four to six hours a week. Most of the work goes toward repeated efforts and riding on tired legs, with the limited hours focused on the mud sectors and the steep pitch at the end, because a course this broken up asks for durability more than long steady miles.
62 MI · 4,000 FT CLIMBING · MIX OF PAVED ROADS, PACKED GRAVEL RAIL TRAILS, PRIVATE FARM · 8 WEEKS · 4–6 HR/WK · TIME-CRUNCHED
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 Paris to Ancaster 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