The Lowell Classic closes the Michigan Gravel Race Series each October: fifty-four miles along the Flat River and the rolling farm roads of rural Ionia County, with about 2,150 feet of climbing in short, repeated hills — and a morning that can start in the 40s.
This is an eight-week plan for the same course on four to six hours a week, starting from the fitness you already have. Every session points at what the day asks for — short climbs that repeat and the steady distance between them — because on limited time there’s no room for training that doesn’t point at the race.
54 MI · 2,150 FT CLIMBING · 82% UNPAVED, ROLLING HILLS · 8 WEEKS · 4–6 HR/WK · TIME-CRUNCHED
WHAT'S INSIDE
- Every session earns its place — real graphs on your calendar, not PDFs
- 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 Lowell Classic guide — pacing, fueling, gearing, race-day execution
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