← All eventsMammoth Tuff
A high-altitude Eastern Sierra gravel race at Mammoth Lakes, California — ~161km (100mi) with ~2,286m of sustained climbing on loose volcanic pumice, the whole course at ~2,400m (8,000ft)+, plus a ~97km (60mi) option. Altitude is the defining challenge. Date/edition approximate (est. summer 2027).
The whole course sits at 2,400m (8,000ft) and climbs higher. Every effort is in thin air, so Mammoth Tuff is far harder than its numbers admit.
161km (100mi) and 2,286m of climbing on the loose volcanic pumice and forest roads above Mammoth Lakes, deep in California's Eastern Sierra.
That elevation figure lies. The same climbing at altitude, over a genuine 6 to 9 hour day, is a different animal. A 97km (60mi) option is the big-but-manageable way in.
Who finishes, and how
Patterns like these, drawn straight from 2025 race data, are baked into how Beina coaches you for this event.
Is Mammoth Tuff for you?
- Riders who pace on feel, not ego. Sea-level power numbers do not survive at 2,400m, so this rewards the athlete who meters the effort by heart rate and breathing.
- Durable diesels over punchy sprinters. Six to nine hours of sustained climbing suits riders who can hold tempo late, not those who rely on short, sharp efforts.
- Disciplined fuellers. The dry Sierra air and altitude blunt appetite, so the rider who eats and drinks to schedule holds the back half together.
- Anyone happy to arrive early. This suits riders who can get to Mammoth a few days out and let their body settle into the thin air before the gun.
Training plan for Mammoth Tuff
A training plan for Mammoth Tuff isn't a generic base build. Beina reads the event's exact demands, looks at your specific profile and the time you actually have, and maps a highly adapted plan to the start line.
- Altitude above 2,400m (8,000ft) that thins the air on every single climb
- 2,286m of sustained high-country climbing, not short punchy hits
- Loose volcanic pumice that eats traction and needs a confident, settled line
- A dry Sierra day of 6 to 9+ hours that raises fluid losses and blunts appetite
- A progressive long gravel ride building from 3hr toward a 6 to 8hr peak
- Event-pace long rides of 5 to 8hr rehearsing your dry-air fuelling and hydration
- Sweet spot gravel climbs, 2 to 3x 20min at 88 to 93% FTP, for durable climbing power
- Loose-surface handling work plus, for sea-level riders, altitude exposure in the final weeks
- Built from your current fitness and the time you actually have
- Adapts every week as Beina learns how you respond
- Syncs your sessions straight to Garmin and Wahoo
- One clear next session, never a wall of spreadsheet
