Pisgah Productions confirms The Bootlegger for Saturday, April 17, 2027. The current long course is 85 miles with approximately 7,250 feet of climbing through Wilson Creek Gorge and the Grandfather Ranger District, including Maple Sally Road and long open-road mountain descents.
This eight-week Finisher plan assumes a riding base and concentrates the runway on sustained climbing, safe descending under fatigue, steady fueling, and equipment reliability without panic volume. Each long ride proves a specific part of the race system.
85 MI · 7,250 FT CLIMBING · WILSON CREEK + MAPLE SALLY MOUNTAIN GRAVEL · 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 Bootlegger 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