Looking for a Steamboat Gravel training guide? You're in the right place. Below is everything FasCat Coaching has learned about SBT GRVL — Colorado's iconic Yampa Valley gravel race — distilled from years of coaching winners, analyzing power files, and getting athletes across the finish line. We've also packaged it all into a six-week Steamboat Gravel Training Plan that's included with the CoachCat App.
What is Steamboat Gravel (SBT GRVL)?
Steamboat Gravel — better known as SBT GRVL — launched in 2019 as the first professional-distance gravel race on the U.S. calendar, with a 144-mile course out of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It now runs four distances (Black at ~144 miles, Blue at ~100, plus shorter Red and Green options) across roughly 3,000 slots that sell out in under ten minutes. The Black Course climbs about 9,500–10,000 feet through the Yampa Valley; the Blue is in the 6,000-foot range. Either way, it's a long day of dirt roads, the occasional stretch of singletrack, fast pack dynamics on the rolling sections, and a temperature swing that catches almost everyone off guard.
Bottom line: Steamboat Gravel training is endurance-first, intensity-second. If you can't ride for 6–10 hours and still pedal at threshold on a climb, you can't race SBT GRVL well — no matter how good your 20-minute power is.
Watch: Race-Day Coaching Advice for Steamboat Gravel
Before we go deep on the training, watch our coaching breakdown of the right and wrong way to ride SBT GRVL — pacing, positioning, and the mistakes we see athletes make every single year. This video already ranks at the top of Google results for "Steamboat Gravel training":
The Steamboat Gravel Course: Where the Race is Won and Lost
The course changes year to year, but the selection points are remarkably consistent. Here's where SBT GRVL is decided.
Cow Creek and Fly Gulch (the early selector)
The first major punch comes early — Cow Creek and Fly Gulch sort the front group from everyone else within the first 30–40 miles. Riders go too hard here every single year. The fast initial pace feels comfortable because everyone's fresh and adrenaline is high, but the riders who win SBT GRVL hold back here and let the over-pacers come back to them.
The Steamboat Lake climb (the decisive moment)
This is where the front group gets cut in half. In Ben Delaney's winning 100-mile Blue Course ride (4:48:03), the Steamboat Lake climb required 356 watts normalized for 11.5 minutes — roughly 4.4 W/kg, with a five-minute peak of 375 W (4.7 W/kg). If you can't hold an effort like that on a climb three hours into a hot day, you're racing for second.
Trout Creek and the long grinder
After the Lake climb comes the section most riders hate the most — a long, gradual, deceptive grinder where you're already cooked but still have hours to ride. Pack dynamics matter enormously here. Riding solo is sometimes faster than a slow group, but it's brutal mentally. Our Steamboat Gravel Training Plan includes simulation rides that intentionally rehearse this exact feeling.
Corkscrew and the heat wall
The final 25–30 miles into the Corkscrew climb is where most finishers actually lose time — not on the climbs themselves, but to the heat. By mile 128 it can be 100°F. The race start was 32°F at 7am. Most people don't lose Steamboat Gravel on watts. They lose it on calories, salt, and core temperature.
How to Train for Steamboat Gravel
Good Steamboat Gravel training is built in two phases.
Phase 1 — Build a base (January through early summer)
From January through May or June, your job is to build the biggest aerobic engine you can. The right tool is structured Sweet Spot work — long, repeatable Tempo and Sweet Spot intervals that raise your aerobic ceiling without burying you. FasCat's 16 Weeks of Sweet Spot Plan is the canonical base block. Don't skip the rest weeks. Don't sub in random group rides for prescribed intervals. Consistency wins here.
Phase 2 — The six-week Steamboat Gravel Training Plan
About six weeks before race day, transition to our Steamboat Gravel Training Plan. Built specifically for SBT GRVL, this race-specific block does four things:
- Weekend simulation rides on varied terrain that match the demands of the course — long, hot, dirt, with intentional pacing practice.
- Mid-week Advanced Endurance work Tuesday through Thursday — shorter sharpening intervals (including our SBTG Ramps workout: 2 × 10 minutes at progressively rising intensity).
- A taper week in the final seven days that drops volume but keeps your top end honest.
- Equipment, fueling, and pacing rehearsals baked into every long ride. You should never test new gear or new fueling on race day.
The plan is included with every CoachCat App subscription and with all 1:1 FasCat coaching levels.
Steamboat Gravel Power and Pacing: What the Winners' Files Show
FasCat has analyzed power files from multiple SBT GRVL finishers, including Ben Delaney's winning ride on the Blue (100-mile) course. Here's what a top-tier Steamboat Gravel ride looks like by the numbers:
| Metric | Winning Blue (Delaney) |
|---|---|
| Total time | 4:48:03 |
| Average speed | 20.8 mph |
| Normalized power | 272 W |
| Power-to-weight | 3.33 W/kg |
| Intensity Factor | 0.83 |
| TSS | 326 |
| Steamboat Lake climb (11.5 min) | 356 W (4.4 W/kg) |
| 5-minute peak | 375 W (4.7 W/kg) |
| Final sprint (9 sec) | 1,138 W (peak 1,203 W) |
| Total feed-zone time | ~4 minutes |
For most age-group athletes targeting a strong sub-9-hour Black Course finish, our coaches see normalized power in the 3.0–3.5 W/kg range with similar 0.78–0.82 Intensity Factors. The pattern holds: most of the watts are spent on a few key climbs; the rest of the day is endurance and survival.
Steamboat Gravel Fueling Strategy
Nutrition wins or loses Steamboat Gravel for more athletes than fitness does. Here's the FasCat playbook:
- Carbs: 75–100g per hour for most riders. Many female athletes do better at 50–75g/hour. Race-pace days are not the time to be in a calorie deficit — your body needs fuel and your gut needs to be trained to absorb it.
- What that looks like: Ben Delaney took 8–10 gels and several packs of energy chews across his 4:48 winning ride, with feed-zone stops totaling about four minutes for the entire race.
- Hydration: Pre-hydrate the day before. Sodium matters — bring salt pills if you're a heavy or salty sweater. The midday heat will dehydrate you faster than you think possible.
- Heat strategy: Ice in your jersey at the long aid stations. Pour water on your arm warmers, jersey, and helmet. Cooling is calories saved.
- Practice it: Every fueling and hydration choice on race day must have been tested in a long simulation ride first. New gel flavor on race morning is how you DNF.
Gear and Equipment for SBT GRVL
- Tires: 35–45mm semi-slick gravel tires. Don't run sticky XC compounds — the dirt roads are fast.
- Bottles vs. hydration pack: Either works for the Blue. Most Black Course finishers use a hydration pack plus 2 bottles. Your pack should be reachable from the saddle without slowing down.
- Layers: Arm warmers and a light vest at the start; ditch them at the first aid station. Sunscreen and sunglasses are non-negotiable above 7,000 feet.
- Bike fit and shorts: Whatever your most comfortable pair of bibs is — wear that. Fresh chamois cream. Test it on a 6+ hour ride first.
Race-Day Strategy: Let the Race Come to You
The single most useful piece of pacing advice for Steamboat Gravel — also the title of our top-ranked YouTube video on SBT GRVL — is to let the race come to you. Don't chase early surges. Don't bury yourself on Fly Gulch trying to stay with riders you have no business riding with. Sag-climb if you need to. The riders who win Steamboat Gravel are the ones who are still strong at mile 100 — not the ones who looked great at mile 30.
Steamboat Gravel Training Plan FAQ
How long should I train for Steamboat Gravel?
Build a deep aerobic base from January through early summer (8–16 weeks of Sweet Spot work is ideal), then run our six-week Steamboat Gravel Training Plan in the final block leading into race day. The race-specific block sharpens endurance, gravel-specific race intensity, and simulation-ride pacing.
What power numbers do you need for Steamboat Gravel?
Ben Delaney's winning Blue Course ride was 272 W normalized at 3.33 W/kg, IF 0.83, 326 TSS over 4:48. The decisive Steamboat Lake climb required 356 W (4.4 W/kg) for 11.5 minutes. Sub-9-hour 140-mile age-group finishers commonly hold 3.0–3.5 W/kg overall with similar Intensity Factors.
How should I fuel for Steamboat Gravel?
Aim for 75–100g of carbs per hour for most riders (50–75g for many female athletes). Ben Delaney took 8–10 gels plus several packs of chews across 4:48 of racing, with about four minutes of total feed-zone time. Practice fueling on long simulation rides — never on race day — and prepare for temperatures that swing from 32°F at the 7am start to 100°F by mid-afternoon.
What tires should I run at Steamboat Gravel?
Most fast finishers run 35–45mm semi-slick gravel tires. Test your full setup — tires, hydration system, shoes, kit — on long simulation rides before race day.
How hard is the Steamboat Gravel course?
The 144-mile Black Course climbs about 9,500–10,000 feet. The 100-mile Blue is about 6,000+ feet of climbing. The selection points are Cow Creek (Fly Gulch), the Steamboat Lake climb, and the long grinder after Trout Creek. The final 25–30 miles into Corkscrew can hit 100°F — most riders lose the most time here, not on the climbs themselves.
Is the FasCat Steamboat Gravel Training Plan included with CoachCat?
Yes. Our six-week Steamboat Gravel Training Plan is included with the CoachCat App and with all 1:1 coaching levels. Weekend simulation rides plus mid-week Advanced Endurance work, finishing with a taper week.
The Bottom Line
Steamboat Gravel rewards athletes who train the right things in the right order: a big aerobic base first, then a focused six-week race-specific block, then disciplined pacing and fueling on race day. Get those three things right and a strong SBT GRVL finish is well within reach.
Get started with our Steamboat Gravel Training Plan today — it's included with the CoachCat App, and your first week is free.