One hundred three miles, 7,535 feet, and the first timed climb before your legs have finished waking up
Highlands Gran Fondo returns to Butler, New Jersey, on Sunday, June 6, 2027. The organizer's provisional Gran route covers 103.5 miles with 7,535 feet of climbing, crosses the Appalachian Trail eight times, and uses four timed segments to decide the standings while a ten-mile-per-hour progression cutoff keeps the long course moving.
For the experienced rider training seven to eleven hours a week, this twelve-week Alpine-Fondo plan balances climbing load with deliberate recovery so power rises without sacrificing the freshness, handling, and late-race judgment a 7,535-foot day demands.
INSIDE THE MASTERS 50+ PLAN — 7–11 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, nutrition and hydration guidance, and recovery-first Masters 50+ structuring.
The Complete Highlands Gran Fondo 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.
Questions? Great. Hit me up at support@roadielabs.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