Chequamegon is 41.7 miles with 2,561 feet of climbing from Hayward to Cable. The Birkie ski trail, forest roads, snowmobile routes, wooded paths, and large mass start turn a compact distance into a fast day of repeated surges and constant position changes.
This is a twelve-week plan built around four to six hours a week. The limited hours go toward repeatable harder efforts, compact endurance work, and race-specific sessions that reflect Chequamegon’s fast, rolling character.
41.7 MI · 2,561 FT CLIMBING · BIRKIE SKI TRAIL + WOODED PATHS · 12 WEEKS · 4–6 HR/WK · TIME-CRUNCHED
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 Chequamegon MTB 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