Chino Grinder is 63 miles of Arizona high desert out of Chino Valley — rolling gravel through open grassland, most of it unpaved.
The course follows the Overland Historic Road through ranch country: rolling gravel, constant sun and wind, and minimal aid — you ride self-supported between stations. This is an eight-week plan for that day, built around four to six hours a week. The hours you have go to what the course actually asks: steady endurance built in a compressed window, strength work that holds you together over hours of washboard and gravel, and fueling rehearsed on your long rides so the self-supported stretches are routine by race day.
63 MI · 3,600 FT CLIMBING · 75–95% UNPAVED · 8 WEEKS · 4–6 HR/WK · TIME-CRUNCHED
WHAT'S INSIDE
- Every session earns its place — real graphs on your calendar
- Strength built in with video demos, sized for a working week
- Weekly notes from me + the Gravel Grit mental program
- A testing week so eight tight weeks are aimed at the fitness you have now
- The full Chino Grinder guide — pacing, gearing, fueling, and riding self-supported
WHAT YOU'LL GET
The most race-ready version of the hours you actually have.
For the rider with a real job and a real start line. · plans@gravelgodcoaching.com
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