West Coast Gravel's 53-mile Erik the Red route leaves Yachats for the Siuslaw National Forest, with approximately 6,700 feet of climbing. The remote-start course opens with a roughly 1,900-foot climb, crosses loose forest roads and potholes, then returns through the exposed high-traffic section of Yachats River Road.
This 6-week Save My Race plan sharpens pacing, climbing durability, and fueling around the fitness already in place for West Coast Gravel: sustained climbing from the opening miles, confident control on loose coastal descents, disciplined fueling through the forest, and enough late-race strength for the windy Yachats River Road return.
53 MI · 6,700 FT CLIMBING · 53 MILES AND APPROXIMATELY 6,700 FEET OF CLIMBING · 6 WEEKS · 5–9 HR/WK · SAVE MY RACE
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 West Coast Gravel 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