Gravel Base, Medium Volume (6 weeks)
This is Part 1 of a complete gravel season. Your gravel year is built in three blocks that stack on each other: Base (this plan) builds the aerobic engine and the durability gravel demands, Build sharpens that engine with more sustained intensity, and Race Prep makes you race-specific for your event. Run all three back to back and you have a 24-week season. Start here.
Pick your level by the time you actually have. This plan comes in three volumes, Low, Medium, and High. Same structure, same philosophy, same workouts. The only difference is how many hours you ride, so choose the one that fits your life, not your ego. You can always move up a level next block.
What's inside: 6 weeks, 6 days a week. A sweet-spot backbone that builds real aerobic strength, easy endurance rides that grow the engine, gravel-specific big-gear torque work for the low-cadence grind of real terrain, two long rides that double as fueling rehearsals, and a functional strength day to keep you durable over long days in the saddle. Every ride is a structured workout that syncs straight to Zwift, Wahoo, or your head unit.
The Medium level is the sweet spot for most committed gravel riders. Most weeks land around 9 to 10 hours, building to 12 to 13 on your long-ride weekends as those rides stretch toward 3.5 to 4 hours. You get the same quality sessions as Low, but with meaningfully more aerobic volume in your endurance rides and longer time in the saddle, which is where gravel fitness is really made. If you have 9 to 11 hours a week, ride here.
PS... I'm Patrick McCrann, head coach and founder of Endurance Nation. I've been coaching endurance athletes for close to 20 years, and I've got the race resume to back it up: 30 Ironman finishes, a Big Buckle at Leadville, and a top 10 at Unbound 200. I've coached thousands of athletes through plans just like this one, and I build every block from the same methodology I use with my coached athletes. I know what gravel racing actually demands because I'm out there doing it. Enjoy the work!
👋 Hey, I'm Patrick McCrann, head coach at Endurance Nation. I've been coaching endurance athletes for 20+ years, and I race the same stuff you do: 30 Ironman finishes, a Big Buckle at Leadville, 5 BQs and a top 10 at Unbound 200. EN has helped 1000s of age-group athletes get faster with the time they actually have. Whether you're following one of our training plans or working with me directly, the approach is the same: smart structure, no junk miles, and coaching that respects your life.