12-Week Training Timeline • Race-Day Checklists • Packing List
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“An excellent gravel weekend! Everything was well thought of. Event village had clean toilets and hot showers! . Great pizza, ice cream and coffee! Music at night was cracking. Very chilled vibe. Cycling was superb.”
— Mark UNKNOWN
“Great event! This is my second time at Muck 'n Mac and I'll definitely be back in 2025. Something for everyone to do in terms of afternoon/ evening activities, as well as the actual routes themselves. It is an extremely well organised event and cannot wait for next year!”
— Lexi Ligeti UNKNOWN
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.
Stage Block Recovery Rehearsal Weather Training Rolling Endurance 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 Long Weekender is approximately 75 km on both Saturday and Sunday.
Feeding, wet-kit management, bike service, and sleep after Saturday determine Sunday's timed-stage quality.
The enduro format rewards controlled transfers and deliberate efforts on the clock rather than constant racing.
Two Borders gravel days with the clock running only when it matters.
Muck n Mac Fest combines two substantial Scottish Borders gravel days with timed enduro segments, transfers, camping, and a festival at Traquair House. The venue and format lift the experience, while regional field depth and limited prestige keep it in Tier 4.
Riders explore "remote forest roads, flowing gravel descents, and hidden singletrack" around Scotland's oldest inhabited house with 900-year history. The grounds include ancient yew trees, Bear Gates closed since 1745, and access to the UK's oldest operating brewery.
May dates in the Scottish Borders carry weather uncertainty, and the event name "Muck n Mac" explicitly references mud conditions. The terrain includes "muddy forest trails" and "remote forest roads" that would amplify weather impacts.
The organizer's current Long Weekender description uses more than 3,000 m across two days as the planning baseline, with steep gradients, ancient woodland, and moorland passes. Exact 2027 gain remains unpublished and is deliberately not presented as a verified edition figure.
A small, highly rated Scottish gravel festival with a timed-segment format. (est. 2022)
A distinctive Scottish gravel weekender for riders who want racing, transfers, camping, and festival time in one package.
Expected Race-Day Conditions:
Climate: Scottish spring
Key Challenges: Variable weather, Rain likely, Cold possible
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 (Scottish Borders gravel enduro):
Reviewed Picks for This Course:
Top tire pick: Specialized Pathfinder Pro 40mm ($54.99) — See full analysis →
Climate Gear (Scottish spring):
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.
Muck n Mac Fest Start Time: 9:00 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
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 (93.2 miles): At ~12mph, expect ~7.8 hours on course. Endurance pace — target 60-80g carbs/hour (465-620g total, or 18-24 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: May dates in the Scottish Borders carry weather uncertainty, and the event name "Muck n Mac" explicitly references mud conditions. The terrain includes "muddy forest trails" and "remote forest roads" that would amplify weather impacts.
Plan your fueling around these conditions — heat and humidity increase fluid and sodium demands significantly.
Aid Stations: Rider support and feed stations are advertised; exact 2027 locations are pending the GPX files
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:
Cost of Trip: Budget-friendly (2/5)
Nearest Airport: Edinburgh (EDI) 90 minutes
Edinburgh (EDI) 90 minutes
Traquair has limited lodging. Consider Peebles.
Race sign-on is based at the event village; final 2027 hours are pending rider notes
Parking is included and based at the event village
The festival village advertises local catering, coffee, and bar service; carry the nutrition required between official support points.
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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