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 six-week plan for the situation where the entry is paid and the weeks are short. Six weeks can’t build the climbing volume from scratch, but the limited hours go toward repeated climbing on tired legs and steady time on rough gravel, so the work you can still fit matches what those 3,500 feet actually ask of you.
40 MI · 3,500 FT CLIMBING · ROLLING TO HILLY GRAVEL ROADS THROUGH FINGER LAKES WINE COUNTRY · 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 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