GRUSK climbs to Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia — 82 miles of mountain gravel.
The grades are long and steady rather than steep, on forest roads that run from smooth dirt to rutted, washed-out double track — and the climbing does not end at the summit. This is an eight-week plan for that day, built around your fitness and your hours. Eight weeks assumes you are starting with a base, not from scratch — the plan spends that time on sustained climbing and long-ride durability, and leaves out what eight weeks cannot change.
82 MI · N/A FT CLIMBING · WV MOUNTAIN GRAVEL, RUTTED FOREST ROADS · 8 WEEKS · 7–11 HR/WK · FINISHER
WHAT'S INSIDE
- Structured rides with real graphs on your calendar
- Strength built in with video walkthroughs — climbing legs get built off the bike too
- Weekly notes from me + the Gravel Grit mental program
- A testing week so eight weeks of work fits the fitness you actually have
- The full GRUSK race guide — pacing, gearing, fueling, mountain weather
WHAT YOU'LL GET
Eight weeks of work spent on the climbing this course actually asks for.
For the rider whose goal is the finish line, done right · 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