Melting Mann's 58-mile Michigan Gravel Race Series long course is 70 percent gravel with more than 3,100 feet of climbing from Vandalia. The open-road course features Bald Hill, the Kirk Lake Lungbuster, Patterson Hill's Wall, fast Mann Road rollers, and the nearly mile-long Mount Misery climb.
This 8-week Finisher plan concentrates endurance, climbing, and pacing work into a shorter runway for Melting Mann: repeatable short-climb power, control on fast open-road descents, disciplined positioning through Mann Road, and readiness for cold or muddy March conditions.
58 MI · 3,100 FT CLIMBING · 70% GRAVEL AND 3,100+ FEET OF CLIMBING · 8 WEEKS · 7–11 HR/WK · FINISHER
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, so the plan runs on your real numbers
- The full Melting Mann 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