← All eventsSBT GRVL
World-class gravel racing at sustained altitude out of Steamboat Springs, Colorado (~2,000 m+). The flagship Black route is ~142 mile (229 km) with ~3,000 m+ of Rocky Mountain climbing. 2027 date is approximate (traditionally mid-August).
The story here isn't a single climb, it's the air. The whole route sits above 2,000m, so every effort costs more oxygen than the same power would at sea level. Steamboat Springs, Colorado, mid-August.
The flagship Black route runs 229km with over 3,000m of Rocky Mountain climbing: fast ranch-road gravel, long sustained high climbs, and a run-in to Steamboat on tired legs. Blue, Green and Red scale it down.
It's a genuine altitude ultra. Eight to twelve hours for most riders, decided by thin air and durability, not peak watts. Ride your sea-level FTP up the high climbs and it ends your day.
Is SBT GRVL for you?
- Riders with real long-ride durability. The Black is an 8 to 12 hour day, so it rewards a diesel engine over punchy power.
- Strong sustained climbers. The route stacks long Rocky Mountain gravel climbs, not short punchy rollers.
- Anyone who can pace by feel and HR rather than ego. Riding sea-level watts up the high climbs is how days end at altitude.
- Riders willing to sort an altitude plan. Arrive early to acclimatise or budget the power penalty, but don't ignore it.
Training plan for SBT GRVL
A training plan for SBT GRVL 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.
- Sustained altitude above 2,000m: threshold power drops and unacclimatised riders suffer most
- Over 3,000m of long Rocky Mountain gravel climbing, not punchy rollers
- An 8 to 12 hour day on the Black, so durability decides finishes
- High exposed ranch country: fierce UV, dry dehydrating air, and afternoon storm risk
- Progressive long ride building 3hr to 8hr with climbing, mostly Z2
- Tempo climb repeats, 3 to 4 x 15 to 25min in Z3 on a gradient
- A big climbing day, 5 to 6hr with 2,000m+ of climbing
- Event-pace long ride with full fuelling at 70 to 100g of carbs per hour
- 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
