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 an eight-week plan for that weekend, built around four to six hours a week — and honest about what that window buys: it sharpens the climbing you have, builds strength that holds a bike steady on rough ground, and rehearses the pacing a two-day race demands. It can’t replace months of base, so every session has one job.
70 MI · 8,100 FT CLIMBING · UNMARKED FOREST GRAVEL · 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 Reliance Deep Woods guide — pacing, gearing, fueling, and navigating an unmarked course
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