Dirty Hector is 40 miles of rolling to hilly gravel through the Finger Lakes, with about 3,500 feet of climbing packed into that distance. Rain is possible, so expect the roads to change underfoot.

This is a twelve-week plan for riders over fifty, built with more recovery between the harder days because you recover slower than you used to. Most of the work is aimed at the repeated climbing that 3,500 feet packed into forty miles demands, because arriving fit and uninjured is the harder half after fifty.

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 and a mid-plan retest, so the plan runs on your real numbers


• The full Dirty Hector - New York State Championship guide — terrain, gearing, fueling