Norway’s mountain-bike crossing with a mandatory backpack
Birkebeinerrittet covers 84 kilometers from Rena to Lillehammer with roughly 1,200 to 1,300 meters of climbing across varied mountain terrain and gravel roads. Riders also negotiate the Djuposet hike-a-bike and the long descent toward Håkons Hall while carrying the required safety equipment in a backpack weighing at least two kilograms.
For the rider pursuing a faster crossing on nine to thirteen hours a week, this twelve-week All-Rounder plan develops repeatable climbing power, group-ready durability, precise late-race descending, fueling, and confident handling under the required backpack.
INSIDE THE COMPETE PLAN — 9–13 HR/WK
Includes zone-tailored structured rides for your devices, built-in strength with video walkthroughs, heat protocols for when your race calls for them, peloton skills workouts, weekly coach notes + the Gravel Grit mental program, and nutrition and hydration guidance.
The Complete Birkebeinerrittet Sykkel Guide — the training, the tactics, the gear and race day, explained simply and clearly: what to do, when to do it, and why it works.
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Questions? Great. Hit me up at plans@gravelgodcoaching.com.
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