Race Training Guides

Honest, useful guides to the endurance events worth training for — what each one actually demands, the limiters that decide your day, and how to build toward it. Written to help whether or not you ever use Joules.

Gravel · Flint Hills, Kansas

Unbound Gravel 200

Two hundred miles of Flint Hills gravel. The big one.

≈200 miles (320 km) ≈11,000 ft (3,350 m) climbing Early June

Mountain bike · Rocky Mountains, Colorado

Leadville Trail 100 MTB

A hundred miles of Colorado high country. Altitude is the opponent.

≈100 miles (160 km), out-and-back ≈11,000 ft (3,350 m) climbing Mid-August

Mountain bike · Mount Ascutney, Vermont

Vermont 50

Fifty miles of relentless New England hills. No flat anywhere.

50 miles (80 km) ≈9,000 ft (2,750 m) climbing Late September

Gravel · Rocky Mountains, Colorado

SBT GRVL

Fast, smooth Colorado gravel — at altitude, for a very long day.

≈140 miles (225 km) for the longest route; shorter options offered ≈9,000+ ft (2,750+ m) on the long course climbing Mid-August

Gravel · Oklahoma

The Mid South

Oklahoma red dirt in March — fast in the dry, legendary in the mud.

≈100 miles (160 km) for the gravel race; shorter options offered ≈4,000–5,000 ft (1,200–1,500 m), rolling climbing Mid-March

Gravel · Southern California

Belgian Waffle Ride

Road bike, off-road punishment — the self-styled hardest day in cycling.

≈130 miles (210 km) for the flagship Waffle route; shorter options offered ≈11,000 ft (3,350 m) on the long course climbing Spring (California flagship)

Gravel · Tushar Mountains, Utah

Crusher in the Tushar

Seventy miles, ten thousand feet up — most of it climbing, much of it high.

≈70 miles (113 km) ≈10,000 ft (3,050 m) climbing Mid-July

Gravel · Sun Valley, Idaho

Rebecca’s Private Idaho

High-desert gravel in Sun Valley’s backcountry — long, dry, and up high.

≈100 miles (160 km) for the long “Baked Potato” route; shorter options offered ≈6,000–7,000 ft (1,800–2,100 m) on the long course climbing Late summer (around Labor Day)

Gravel · Barry County, Michigan

Barry-Roubaix

“The Killer Gravel Road Race” — early-season Michigan grit, punchy and cold.

≈100 miles (160 km) for the longest “Psycho Killer” route; shorter options offered ≈3,000–5,000 ft (900–1,500 m), rolling climbing Late April

Mountain bike · Western Cape, South Africa

Absa Cape Epic

“The Untamed.” Eight days of South African mountain biking, two riders, one team.

≈700 km (435 miles) over eight days, ridden in teams of two ≈15,000+ m (50,000+ ft) across the week climbing March

Road · Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy

Maratona dles Dolomites

The Dolomite gran fondo — closed roads, iconic passes, and a day of pure climbing.

≈138 km (86 miles) for the long route; shorter options offered ≈4,000+ m (13,000+ ft) on the long course climbing Early July

Road · France

L’Étape du Tour

Ride a Tour de France mountain stage — closed roads, real cols, your own legs.

Varies by year — typically ≈140–175 km (87–109 miles) Varies by year — typically a big mountain stage, often ≈3,500–4,500 m (11,500–14,800 ft) climbing July

Road · French Alps

La Marmotte Granfondo Alpes

Four legendary Alpine passes, finishing up Alpe d’Huez. One of the hardest one-day gran fondos in the world.

≈174 km (108 miles) ≈5,000 m (16,400 ft) climbing Early July

Gravel · Great Plains, Nebraska

Gravel Worlds

A hundred and fifty miles of relentless Nebraska gravel, self-supported, in late-summer heat.

≈150 miles (240 km) ≈10,000 ft (3,000 m) climbing Late August

Gravel · Ozarks, Arkansas

Big Sugar Gravel

A hundred miles of sharp Ozark gravel and punchy climbs in the Arkansas hills.

≈100 miles (160 km) ≈8,000 ft (2,400 m) climbing Late October

Mountain bike · Coastal British Columbia

BC Bike Race

A multi-day celebration of the best singletrack in British Columbia — and a test of how well you recover overnight.

≈multi-day stage race, typically around 7 days of singletrack ≈tens of thousands of feet across the week climbing Early-to-mid summer

Mountain bike · Rocky Mountains, Colorado

Breck Epic

A multi-day mountain bike stage race in the thin air above Breckenridge — where altitude is the great equalizer.

≈multi-day stage race (typically a six-day format) around Breckenridge ≈tens of thousands of feet across the week, much of it at high altitude climbing Mid-to-late August

Road · European and international mountain ranges

Haute Route

A multi-day, timed amateur stage race over legendary mountain passes — the closest most riders get to a pro grand tour.

≈multi-day timed road stage event (three-day and seven-day formats) ≈huge — many thousands of metres of climbing across the stages climbing Summer (varies by event)

Road · New York / New Jersey / Hudson Valley

Gran Fondo New York (GFNY)

A mass-start, race-paced century out of New York City — a gran fondo that rides like a real race.

≈100 miles (160 km) ≈8,000+ ft (2,400+ m) climbing Mid-to-late May

Gravel · Girona, Catalonia

The Traka Gravel

Girona’s gravel, all of it, in one enormous day.

≈360 km (224 mi) flagship — also 200 km, 100 km & 50 km ≈4,000 m (13,000 ft) on the 360 km route climbing Late April / early May

Road · Hauts-de-France

Paris-Roubaix Challenge

Ride the cobbles of the Hell of the North — the weekend before the pros.

≈170 km full route (shorter options offered) Minimal climbing — the cobbles, not the elevation, are the test climbing April (weekend before the pro race)

Mountain bike · Northern Michigan

Iceman Cometh Challenge

Point-to-point through the cold Michigan woods — one of the biggest mountain bike races in America.

≈30 miles (48 km) point-to-point Rolling — short, punchy climbs rather than big elevation climbing Early November

Road · Cape Peninsula

Cape Town Cycle Tour

A hundred-odd kilometres around the Cape Peninsula — the world’s largest timed cycle race.

≈109 km (68 mi) ≈1,100 m (3,600 ft) — Suikerbossie & Chapman’s Peak climbing March

Road · Colorado Rockies

Triple Bypass

Three high passes, one very long day in the thin Colorado air.

≈118 miles (190 km) ≈10,000 ft (3,050 m) climbing Mid-July

Road · Sierra Nevada, California

Death Ride – Tour of the California Alps

A full day of Sierra passes — one of the great climbing challenges in American cycling.

≈100+ miles (160+ km) ≈15,000 ft (4,570 m) climbing July

Mountain bike · Prescott National Forest, Arizona

Whiskey Off-Road

Punchy, rocky and relentless — the Prescott classic that rewards repeatable power.

≈50 miles (80 km) — "50 Proof" (25/15 options) ≈7,000 ft (2,130 m) climbing Late April

Mountain bike · Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Marji Gesick 100

Infamously hard, deliberately unglamorous — a finish here is earned the long way.

≈100 miles (160 km) — 50-mile option ≈10,000+ ft (3,050+ m) climbing September

Road · Mallorca, Balearic Islands

Mallorca 312

Three hundred and twelve kilometres around Mallorca in a single day.

≈312 km (≈194 miles) — with 225 km and 167 km options ≈5,000 m (≈16,400 ft) on the full 312 climbing Late April

Gravel · The Continental Divide, Rocky Mountains

Tour Divide

Banff to the Mexican border, alone and self-supported, along the spine of the Rockies.

≈2,700 miles (≈4,300 km), self-supported, single stage ≈200,000 ft (≈60,000 m) cumulative climbing Mid-June (Grand Départ)

Road · White Mountains, New Hampshire

Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb

One road, all up — ≈7.6 miles at a relentless 12% average grade to a 6,288-foot summit.

≈7.6 miles (12.2 km) ≈4,700 ft (1,430 m) climbing Mid-August

Gravel · Green Mountains, Vermont

Rooted Vermont

Punchy Vermont dirt roads, summer humidity, and the friendliest party in gravel.

≈84 miles (135 km) for the long route, with a shorter ≈46-mile (74 km) option ≈8,000 ft (2,400 m) on the long route climbing Mid-summer (typically late July or early August)

Gravel · Maasai Mara / Great Rift Valley, Kenya

Migration Gravel Race

Four days of raw, remote racing across the Maasai Mara — and a showcase for East African talent.

≈650 km (≈400 miles) across four stages over four days ≈7,000 m (≈23,000 ft) total across the stages climbing Mid-year (typically June)

Mountain bike · Northwoods, Wisconsin

Chequamegon MTB Festival — Chequamegon 40

A fast, friendly Northwoods classic where fitness, not skill, decides your day.

≈40 miles (64 km), point to point (a shorter ≈16-mile "Short & Fat" is also offered) ≈1,800 ft (550 m) climbing Mid-September

Road · Worldwide

Everesting

Pick a hill. Ride up and down until you’ve climbed the height of Everest. One of cycling’s purest tests.

Variable — as far as it takes; you climb a single hill repeatedly 8,848 m (29,029 ft) — the height of Everest, in one continuous ride climbing Any time of year

Gravel · Northumberland, England

Dirty Reiver

A 200 km forest-gravel grind through Kielder — relentless, remote, and weather-exposed.

≈200 km (130 miles) for the full route; a shorter ≈130 km option is also offered ≈2,500–3,000 m (8,000–10,000 ft), rolling with no single big climb climbing Mid-to-late April

Gravel · Multiple venues worldwide

Grinduro

Part bike race, part party — a long social day where only a handful of timed segments decide your result.

≈60–100 km (40–60 miles), depending on the venue ≈1,500–2,500 m (5,000–8,000 ft), depending on the course climbing Varies by edition

Road · Sonoma County, California

Levi’s GranFondo

A Sonoma County classic — a hundred miles over King Ridge and out to the coast.

≈100 miles (160 km) for the full “Gran” route; shorter medio and piccolo options are offered ≈8,000–9,500 ft (2,450–2,900 m) on the full route climbing Fall

Gravel · Southern Iceland

The Rift

A 200 km loop of the Hekla volcano — black sand, glacial rivers, and relentless Icelandic wind.

≈200 km (124 miles); a shorter ≈100 km option is also offered ≈1,500–2,000 m (5,000–6,500 ft), rolling with no single major climb climbing July

Road · Tyrolean Alps

Ötztaler Radmarathon

Four Alpine passes, 5,500 metres up. The one-day climb that defines a season.

≈227 km (≈141 miles) ≈5,500 m (≈18,000 ft) climbing Late August / early September

Road · Sonoran Desert, Arizona

El Tour de Tucson

Arizona’s biggest day on the bike — a hundred miles of desert roads in a huge November field.

≈102 miles (164 km) for the full route; shorter ≈63-mile and ≈32-mile options are offered ≈2,800 ft (850 m) on the full century — modest climbing for the distance climbing Late November (around the Saturday before Thanksgiving)

Road · Midwest

RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa)

Seven days, one state, and the most important skill is showing up rested on day six.

Roughly 470 miles total over 7 days (varies yearly) Around 15,000–20,000 ft cumulative across the week climbing Late July

Road · Pacific Northwest

Seattle to Portland (STP)

Two-hundred-plus miles from Puget Sound to the Willamette — comfortable in two days, a genuine test in one.

Roughly 206 miles (one or two days) Around 4,000–4,500 ft total climbing Mid-July

Road · Southeast

Assault on Mount Mitchell

102 miles from the South Carolina foothills to the highest summit east of the Mississippi.

~102 mi (164 km) ~11,000 ft (3,350 m) climbing May

Road · Rocky Mountains

Mount Blue Sky Hill Climb

Twenty-eight miles of climbing to 14,130 feet — the highest paved road in North America.

~28 mi (44 km) ~6,600 ft (2,010 m) climbing July

Road · Greater London / Essex

Ford RideLondon-Essex 100

A fast, flat-ish closed-road century where the real skill is holding a group and pacing your time goal.

~100 miles (160 km) ~3,000-4,000 ft (900-1,200 m), rolling climbing Late May

Road · Cumbria

Fred Whitton Challenge

112 miles and a relentless series of the steepest passes in England, with Hardknott waiting for you when you're already empty.

~112 miles (180 km) ~12,000 ft (3,600 m+) climbing Early-mid May

Gravel · Texas

Gravel Locos

A long, hot, relentlessly rolling Texas gravel day that rewards patience over punch.

~150 mi (also shorter route options) Rolling — roughly 6,000–8,000 ft on the long route climbing May

Mountain bike · Sierra Nevada / Lake Tahoe

Tahoe Trail 100

A high-altitude, climb-heavy MTB day that doubles as a proving ground for Leadville.

100 km and 100 mi options Substantial, sustained climbing — roughly 6,000+ ft for the 100k, more for longer options climbing July