The organizer confirms Low Gap Grasshopper for Sunday, January 31, 2027. Its current long course covers 59 miles and 6,585 feet over five percent pavement and 95 percent dirt, including private Mendocino Redwood Company roads and a long opening climb.
This eight-week Finisher plan assumes an existing riding base and concentrates the runway on 59 miles, 6,585 feet, and a long winter opening climb. Purposeful long rides prove sustained-climb restraint and technical dirt-road control, fueling, tire pressure, and repair choices without adding last-minute volume that cannot be absorbed before the start.
59 MI · 6,585 FT CLIMBING · 95% DIRT + 6,585 FT 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 Low Gap Grasshopper 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