All Races
Gravel
Dirty Reiver
23 April 2027Northumberland, UK
Distance
200km
Elevation
2500m
Dirty Reiver is a legendary gravel event in Kielder Forest with routes of 65, 130 or 200 km, nearly 100% on gravel. Remote, demanding forest terrain with fast trails and technical sections: you need endurance, gravel versatility and solid nutrition and hydration management to last the long day.
Official siteHow NUA prepares you for Dirty Reiver
Builds your aerobic base
Trains race-specific efforts
Manages load & recovery
Fine-tunes the final weeks
Frequently asked questions about training for Dirty Reiver
How long do I need to prepare for Dirty Reiver?+
NUA builds your plan backwards from race day. For most gran fondos and similar distances, 12-16 weeks is the sweet spot — enough to build aerobic base, then sharpen race-specific efforts. With less than 8 weeks, NUA adapts the plan to focus on finishing strong rather than chasing peak performance.
What does NUA's training plan for Dirty Reiver look like?+
A weekly mix of Z2 endurance, race-specific intervals (climbs, sustained efforts, attacks), and structured recovery. Each week adapts based on your readiness, completed sessions, and how the previous week went. The closer to race day, the more specific the work — tapering kicks in automatically in the final two weeks.
Can NUA help if it's my first time at this distance?+
Yes. During onboarding NUA asks about your weekly volume, experience, and goal (finish, finish strong, target time). First-timers get a base-building approach focused on completing the distance comfortably. Experienced riders get more aggressive interval work and race-day pacing strategy.
Does NUA's plan for Dirty Reiver include indoor training?+
Yes. NUA prescribes both outdoor and indoor sessions based on your availability and weather. Indoor workouts export as ZWO files compatible with Zwift, Rouvy, TrainerRoad, and intervals.icu, and the full plan syncs to Garmin and Wahoo head units.