Reliance Deep Woods is two race days of mountain climbing in Tennessee’s Cherokee National Forest — no course markings, just you, your GPS, and the woods.
The gravel runs to eroded roadbeds and embedded rock, the climbs are long forest grades, and Sunday’s stage starts on legs that raced Saturday. This is a twelve-week plan for that weekend, built around about 5–7¾ hours in each non-race week: the climbing work that matters most, strength that keeps you steady on rough roadbeds late in the day, and recovery placed where a working week allows it. You can’t out-train this weekend on limited hours; the plan doesn’t pretend otherwise.
70 MI · 8,100 FT CLIMBING · UNMARKED FOREST GRAVEL · 12 WEEKS · 5–7¾ HR/TRAINING 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 + mid-plan retest, so limited hours are aimed precisely
- The full Reliance Deep Woods guide — pacing, gearing, fueling, and navigating an unmarked course
WHAT YOU'LL GET
Fitness that matches the hours you actually spent — every climb honestly earned.
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