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 working with about 5–7¾ hours in each non-race week against a job and everything else. Most of the work goes toward the repeated climbing you’ll meet across these 40 miles, because that density of climbing in a short race is what the limited hours are best spent preparing for.
40 MI · 3,500 FT CLIMBING · ROLLING TO HILLY GRAVEL ROADS THROUGH FINGER LAKES WINE COUNTRY · 12 WEEKS · 5–7¾ HR/TRAINING 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 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
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