12-Week Training Timeline • Race-Day Checklists • Packing List
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“Leisurely pace on cross bike with 38c tires. Would've been comfier with bigger tires. Good condition, a little mud on last 5 miles or so.”
— Casey Wichman COMPETITIVE
“Lots of gravel roads. We went counter clockwise rather than clockwise. Some gravel packed and other loose. When on main road ride near fence.”
— Mark Hurley UNKNOWN
Race-Specific Training Focus:
Establish aerobic foundation. 70-85% volume in Z1-{{Z2}}. {{CTL}} rising steadily (+5-8/wk in loading weeks, netting about +10/month after recovery weeks). {{TSB}} slightly negative (-5 to -15). Week 4 = recovery week (60% volume). Feels boring but doable—you should finish most rides feeling like you could do more.
Layer intensity, develop race-specific fitness. 60-70% Z1-Z2, 30-40% Z3-Z6. Two to three quality sessions per week. The magic happens here: deliberately dig a fatigue hole ({{TSB}} goes to -25), recover just enough, then dig another hole. This is where fitness sharpens.
Rolling Endurance Surface Transition Training Dress RehearsalShed fatigue, maintain sharpness. Volume drops 30-50%. Intensity stays high but duration decreases. Week 11: {{TSB}} rises to +5 to +10. Week 12: TSB targets +15 to +25 for race day. Fitness doesn't improve—the goal is to remove the fatigue layer so you can express the fitness you've built.
The flagship course combines 100+ miles, 6,815 feet of climbing, and repeated surface changes.
The organizer does not mark the course and requires riders to use GPS files across gravel, pavement, and trail sections.
The organizer's completion target assumes a 10 mph average through 6:00 PM; fueling must survive a full day rather than only the fast opening miles.
One hundred miles of punchy Georgia gravel, pavement, and singletrack outside Atlanta.
Dirty Sheets is no generic local gravel loop: the 2026 flagship stacks 100+ miles, 6,815 feet, pavement, gravel, singletrack, and doubletrack into an unmarked course. Full SAG, aid stops, prize money, hand-made trophies, camping, and a complete weekend lift the experience; regional prestige and field depth keep it in Tier 3.
The official 100-mile page lists 6,815 feet of climbing. There is no single marquee ascent; repeated punchy Chattahoochee Hills climbs accumulate fatigue across the entire course.
All profits support MTB Atlanta trail building and maintenance, and the organizer uses locally built trail sectors and hand-thrown Georgia trophies. The race directly reinvests participation into the terrain riders use.
Camping, two pre-race pickup parties, a shakeout ride, post-race food and drinks, live entertainment, free photos, and a Sunday coffee ride make this a real weekend rather than a number pickup and finish-line banana.
A community-built Atlanta-area gravel race known for punchy terrain, hand-made trophies, and an unusually complete race-weekend experience.
A serious hundred-mile mixed-surface race hiding in Atlanta's backyard. Travel for the course and community, not for a nationally stacked field.
Expected Race-Day Conditions:
Climate: Georgia fall
Key Challenges: Cool morning start, Warm afternoon possible, Humidity
60-90 minutes Z2 endurance. Keep legs moving, nothing hard. Optional: 3 × 1 min Z4 to keep neuromuscular system awake.
45-60 minutes Z2. Maybe 2 × 3 min G Spot if you're feeling restless. Don't go hard.
Rest day or 30-45 minutes very easy spin. The last hard workout was 4-5 days ago. Everything now is just maintenance.
45-60 minutes Z2. Include 3-5 × 30 seconds Z5-Z6 (openers to keep legs sharp). Last real ride before race.
Travel day (if traveling) or rest day. Optional 30-minute easy spin if legs feel heavy.
30-45 minutes Z2 with 3 × 1 min Z4 openers. Course preview if racing Sunday. No heroics.
20-30 minutes very easy spin or complete rest. Do what's worked for you previously.
Tire Setup (Punchy Georgia mixed surface):
Reviewed Picks for This Course:
Top tire pick: Vittoria Terreno Wet 40mm ($79.99) — See full analysis →
Climate Gear (Georgia fall):
Drivetrain: Chain clean and lubed. Shifting smooth across all gears. No chain slip under power.
Tires: Tubeless sealant fresh. Tire pressure set for race conditions. Check for cuts, sidewall damage.
Cockpit: Computer charged and mounted. Bottles/cages secure. Bento box organized.
Wheels: Thru-axles tight. No spoke issues. Hubs spin smoothly.
Don't: Install new chain race week. Change tire pressure drastically. Add new untested equipment.
Essentials: Spare tube (even if tubeless), tire plugs, CO2 cartridges (2-3) or mini pump, multi-tool with chain breaker, quick link, tire levers.
Nutrition: Gels, bars, chews—whatever you practiced with. Bottle with sports drink pre-mixed. Extra water bottle.
Other: Sunscreen, chamois cream, arm warmers/vest, rain jacket (if forecast), extra base layer.
Race essentials: Bib number and pins, race chip, ID and emergency contact info.
Dirty Sheets Gravel Grind Start Time: 8:30 AM men and 8:45 AM women. Set your alarm for 5:30 AM.
Wake up. Coffee if you normally drink it (not the time to change habits). Breakfast: 100-150g carbs, minimal fat, minimal fiber. Oatmeal with banana and honey, bagel with jam, or white rice with a pinch of salt.
Start sipping sports drink. Begin hydrating and topping off fuel. Apply chamois cream and sunscreen.
Arrive at start area. Check in, use porta-potty. Get your head right.
Light warmup ride: 10-15 minutes easy spinning. Wake up the legs.
Final gear check: bottles filled and secured, nutrition in pockets, tire pressure verified, drivetrain sounds good. Run through your performance statements mentally.
Openers near the start: 2-3 x 30 seconds at race effort with easy spinning between. Gets HR up, legs awake, reminds body what fast feels like.
Roll to start line. Find your position. Deep breath.
6-2-7 breathing if anxious. You're ready. Trust your training.
Your Fueling Math (100 miles): At ~12mph, expect ~8.3 hours on course. Lower intensity — fat oxidation increasing — target 50-70g carbs/hour (416-583g total, or 16-23 gels).
Carb targets scale with duration: shorter races burn more carbs per hour at race intensity, while ultra-distance events shift toward fat oxidation and GI tolerance becomes the limiter (Jeukendrup 2014, van Loon et al.).
Enter your details for a complete race fueling plan — carbs, hydration, sodium, and an hour-by-hour strategy.
Your numbers are the easy part.
Hitting them at race intensity is a trained skill — gut training over 4-6 weeks, bottle logistics, heat adjustments when the plan meets the weather. The custom training plan builds your fueling protocol into the actual training weeks, so race day is a rehearsal, not an experiment.
BUILD MY PLAN — FUELING INCLUDEDGet race-day tips in your inbox
What Riders Say About Conditions: A mid-October Georgia start usually avoids peak summer heat, but a long day can still move from a cool morning to a warm, humid afternoon. Rain changes the gravel and trail sectors far more than the paved mileage.
Plan your fueling around these conditions — heat and humidity increase fluid and sodium demands significantly.
Aid Stations: Multiple well-stocked aid stops plus roaming SAG support
2-3g carbs/kg bodyweight. Low fat, low fiber. Familiar foods only. 500ml water with meal.
One gel (24g carbs) with 200ml water. Tops off blood glucose.
Focus on pacing, positioning, settling in. Sip on drink. Heart rate is spiking, gut blood flow is reduced.
First gel or equivalent (24g carbs). Start your fueling clock. Hydrate consistently.
Consume carbs consistently by the clock. Target rate depends on race duration: 80-100g/hr for races under 4 hours, 60-80g/hr for 4-8 hour events, 50-70g/hr for 8-12 hours, and 40-60g/hr for ultra events (12+ hours). At lower intensities fat becomes your primary fuel and GI tolerance is the limiter. Set a timer. Your brain will be stupid. It will forget to eat.
Practice eating real food on easy rides. Start with 40-50g carbs per hour, mostly solid. Build tolerance gradually. SGLT1 transporters can double in 2 weeks of consistent gut training (GSSI).
Increase toward your race-day target rate. Mix of liquids and solids. Practice eating at tempo pace. Your gut adapts to what you train it for.
Hit your race-day target rate (see duration-scaled targets in your prep kit). Race nutrition only (gels, drink, bars you'll use on race day). Practice at race pace. For ultra events (12+ hours), include savory and mixed-macro foods alongside gels.
Stick with what worked in training. No new products. Trust your gut (literally).
Known Suffering Zones:
Budget Planning:
Entry Fee: ~$85
Cost of Trip: Moderate (3/5)
Nearest Airport: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), approximately 30 miles from Serenbe
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), approximately 30 miles from Serenbe
Stay in or near Serenbe for the shortest race-morning transfer; broader south-Atlanta lodging is available around the airport and Newnan.
Thursday evening in College Park, Friday evening at MTB Atlanta HQ, or race morning in Serenbe
Organizer-directed field parking at Serenbe Flower Meadows, 10690 Hutchesons Ferry Road
Bring race nutrition to Chattahoochee Hills; registration includes post-race food and drinks.
Spin in Z1 after crossing the finish line. Let heart rate drop gradually. Stopping abruptly causes blood to pool in your legs.
20-30g protein, 60-100g carbs, 500-750ml fluid with electrolytes. Chocolate milk, protein shake with banana, or whatever the finish line has.
You lost 1-4 liters of fluid. Drink 500-1000ml within the first hour. Add electrolytes. If pee is dark yellow by evening, keep drinking.
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