AI 速览
- Gravel races are won by sustained endurance, not peak power — 70-90% of race time is Zone 2.
- Build your long ride to event duration plus 20%; add one hard day for the punchy stuff.
- Fueling 60-90 g of carbs per hour starts in training, not on race day — train the gut.
- Bike handling on loose surfaces is a skill — practice descending, cornering, and eating on gravel.
/ 01
What gravel racing actually demands
A gravel race is rarely decided by a single attack. Most races are 50-200 miles of mostly steady Zone 2 with intermittent punches over rollers, through sand, and up steep gravel climbs. The winner is the rider who can hold a strong steady pace for 4-12 hours, fuel consistently, and stay upright when the surface changes underneath them.
Physiologically, this is an ultra-endurance event. The ceiling matters less than the floor — your Z2 power, your fat oxidation at endurance pace, and your durability, which is the ability to hold power after hours of riding. Riders with great 5-minute power but weak durability get dropped in hour 6.
/ 02
The training engine
Long Zone 2 is the foundation. The biggest single ride of the week should build to 110-120% of your race duration — if you are targeting a 100-mile race, your long ride builds to 6-8 hours; for a 200-miler like Unbound, you build to 10-14 hours spread across a weekend block.
One hard day a week (sweet spot, threshold, or short VO2) keeps the top end alive without compromising recovery. A second, shorter hard day late in the build can sharpen race-specific punch — short steep climbs out of the saddle, 1-2 minute digs over rollers.
/ 03
The 10-week build
Ten-week gravel build — long Z2 is the backbone, with one intensity day throughout.
| Week | Focus | Long ride | Mid-week intensity | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Base | 3 h Z2 | 4x8 min sweet spot | 10 h |
| 2 | Base | 3.5 h Z2 | 4x8 min sweet spot | 11 h |
| 3 | Build | 4 h Z2 | 3x12 min @ 95% FTP | 12 h |
| 4 | Build | 4.5 h Z2 | 3x12 min @ 95% | 13 h |
| 5 | Build | 5 h Z2 | 4x5 min @ 100% | 14 h |
| 6 | Recovery | 3 h Z2 | 4x5 min sweet spot | 9 h |
| 7 | Big block | 6 h Z2 + race-pace final 1 h | 3x15 min @ 95% | 15 h |
| 8 | Specific | 6 h with 3x20 min @ race pace | Over-unders 4x8 min | 15 h |
| 9 | Taper begins | 4 h Z2 | 3x8 min @ 95% | 11 h |
| 10 | Race week | 2 h openers (Wed) | Race | taper |
/ 04
Fueling — train the gut
The single biggest determinant of finishing a long gravel race is fueling. Aim for 60-90 g of carbohydrate per hour, using a mixed glucose-to-fructose ratio for the high end (maltodextrin plus fructose mixes absorb at up to 90-110 g/h, where glucose alone maxes out around 60 g/h). Practice this on every long ride; the gut adapts to carbohydrate absorption over 6-8 weeks, and the race is not the time to find out what does not sit well.
Hydration: 500-750 ml per hour depending on heat, with 300-500 mg of sodium per bottle. For hot races — Unbound in early June can hit 35 degrees Celsius — pre-load with 500 ml of fluid the morning of the event and start sipping 30 minutes before the gun. Set a recurring 20-minute timer; if you wait until you are thirsty, you have already lost the window.
/ 05
Bike handling and tire pressure
Gravel handling is a skill, not a talent. Descending on loose surfaces, cornering in dust, riding through sand and washboard — all of it responds to practice. Find a local gravel segment and ride it weekly, working on looking through the corner, weight on the outside pedal, and light hands on the bars. Heavy hands and a death grip are the cause of almost every washout.
Tire pressure is the biggest equipment variable on race day and the easiest to get wrong. For a 70 kg rider on 40 mm tubeless tires, start at 28-32 psi front and 30-34 psi rear; lower for softer surfaces and larger tire volumes, higher for hardpack and heavier riders. Use a pressure calculator (Silca, Zipp, Wolf Tooth) for your specific setup — the calculator will get you within 2 psi of optimal on the first try.
/ 06
Race-day execution
Start conservative. The first hour of a gravel race is always too fast — let the front go, ride your own pace, and pick off riders from kilometre 50 onward. Most field blow-ups come from going 10% too hard in the first 90 minutes and then watching the average speed collapse by hour 4.
Eat before you are hungry, drink before you are thirsty, and never skip a fueling window because the pace is high. The bunch will not wait while you fiddle with a wrapper, so practice eating on rough ground in training. Carry one extra bottle and one extra gel more than you think you need — the cost of carrying it is small, and the cost of running out is the race.
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