The Dusty Bandita's long course covers approximately 85 miles and 6,500 feet of climbing from Ovando, Montana. The women-plus gravel race pairs remote Mountain West roads and big climbs with an 8:30 AM start, so pacing and self-sufficiency matter from the opening miles.
This 12-week Masters 50+ plan balances endurance and climbing work with recovery-first Masters structuring for The Dusty Bandita: durable climbing, conservative early pacing, practiced fueling, and calm execution on remote Montana roads.
85 MI · 6,500 FT CLIMBING · REMOTE MONTANA GRAVEL AND 6,500 FEET OF CLIMBING · 12 WEEKS · 7–11 HR/WK · MASTERS 50+
WHAT'S INSIDE
- Structured workouts on your calendar, with real power and heart-rate graphs
- Strength work built in, with video walkthroughs
- Weekly notes from me, plus the Gravel Grit mental program
- A testing week and a mid-plan retest, so the plan runs on your real numbers
- The full The Dusty Bandita guide — terrain, gearing, fueling
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