Anyone done it? Its near to me but I dont know the trails in that area. Worth doing?

How local are you? I’m in Reading and rode a lot of the trails in the Chilterns north/west of there. I imagine its a lot of that sort of farm track and assorted byways like here. Good fun if you like nice scenery and lots of miles.

I’ve just bought a cross bike so I’m tempted, although more likely to get the gpx and ride it the week before in peace and quiet.

I did it a couple of years ago with a mate, we were going to do the long loop but bailed and did the shorter one in the end as he was struggling with mud…

I’m thinking of doing the roadie one on Sunday this time…

I’m doing it with a few others. Cross bike. I’ve not done it before but I imagine it’s going to be brideway/farm tracks for the off road bits. Starts to the South of Newbury so Wayfarers Walk/Watership Down might well feature.

If I get bored with the route I’ll just ride back to the start on the road, I know that area fairly well.

How local are you?

Very but all my offroad riding is to the North East of Newbury, this goes South and West

Yeah the description mentions Watership Down and Comb Gibbet. I know the roads around there but not any trails. Might as well give it a go

I’m tempted, although more likely to get the gpx and ride it the week before in peace and quiet.

You’ll need more than a gpx as its this weekend. I suggest a flux capacitor!

You’ll need more than a gpx as its this weekend.

This weekend? I shall avoid the south of Newbury 🙂

Probably know those trails well if it’s in and around the wayfarers. Shall check out the gpx later today.

I spoke to a mate about it and he tells me it’s quite chalky like the Ridgeway. With the conditions lately, i decided it was arguably better to not pay money to ride down 4×4 ruts.

In fairness, you could simply rock up, park by the school and follow the same arrows the rest of them are, obviously you save 25 quid, don’t get a sticker on your lid or an “official time” and it would be very poor form if you were to raid the feed stops for cake and drink…

But it wouldn’t be unheard of.

I’ve ridden Coombe to Watership down many times on the cross (ran it one year, theres a Coombe to Overton 16 miler that’s a really nice run) – you’ll want mud treads and will still likely go on your arse once or twice on the chalk.
I usually do that then bail on road to the Test / Bourne valley home, it’s a nice round trip. Not as well travelled as the Ridgeway by any means.

If you do it look out for the De Havilland memorial stone on Seven Barrow as you slide by.

Going that way its not too rutty actually but it will be wet and sloppy till you climb to Watership Down.

wet and sloppy

Why I’m usually on the road bike these days 🙂 Had a dry few days though, might be ok.

For Jan its actually been quite dry. Think I’ll do it just as a way to explore new route options easily. Could ride out and follow signs but I would feel bad about it!

I’m more used to the riding around Farnborough these days, Minley is running so dry at the moment you could see the ground bounce under the rider infront!

My flux capacitor is off for its annual service so I may give it a miss whilst it recovers then and try in a few weeks.

Mud

I saw the forecast and went road riding. Mate described it as “bloody horrible”.

I’m thinking of doing the roadie one on Sunday this time…

Hope you like sleet, snow and freezing rain!

Signed up to do it, woke up feeling rough as guts… Sort of glad I missed the bad weather, but £25 wasted…

Apparently the long route got shut!

If the weather in Newbury has been anywhere near as miserable as it has been around Southampton this weekend, I’m not surprised.

Rode past the guys setting out the XC course of Friday on the Wayfarers near Ashmansworth, it was a bit of a mud-fest most of the way from there to the road near Coombe Gibbet, can’t imagine it’s in a good state after 100+ riders rode it Saturday.

Headed out on CX today & had a quick chat with the man from Evan’s who was putting the course diversion in place, he said it was close to being cancelled. The snow was starting to settle on the road up at Coombe Gibbet. It was pretty grim out.

I did the long route sat. MTB/CX mix of riders 50/50 would be my guess. Took us 5 hours in total for 44 miles. Huge fun, but very wet cold and some quite tough muddy climbs. Fell off on first really muddy rutted section. There were long sections of mud/ruts and comedic sliding around.

Never been quite so muddy and wet before but excellent burger van made it all worth it. No way was it a 3/5 difficulty.

I read this thread last week ,saw the forecasts& know the terrain.
Fair play to anyone who tried to do it .
Horrible day.
Lovely place to ride when dry.

There was a huge plenty of dark humor and everyone stopped for the poor blighters with thorns in their tubes, Tubeless FTW. I did see a couple of female partners looking like there would be swift revenge on the extra loop.

Glad I rode my MTB rather than CX bike but still bailed and only completed the short route as got to the split point and was feeling a bit too cold and wet to face the full distance. It’s the muddiest I’ve been for a long time and took me longer to clean everything afterwards than it did to do the ride.

Some proper muddy faces at the finish 🙂

https://www.instagram.com/p/BeLz_vOhkMF/?taken-y=rideitcyclingevents

Took us 5 hours in total for 44 miles

Strava tells me I took about 4hours so all up time would be similar. Legs ruined today

4h36min with an unscheduled stop in Whitchurch when we missed a turn.

fair play to anyone who completed it. I ride up there quite a lot but avoid it like the plague between November and February as I know exactly what the ground conditions get like. I can only imagine it was nothing short of horrendous. 40miles xc round there is quite tough in good conditions.

4.13 for the long route. Two riders listed at 2.42 for the long route. Either they are bloody fast or did the short route!

My 9 year old raced cx at Abingdon in that so MTFU 😀

(it was 10 minutes plus a lap and it took him a while to be able to speak after but he was grinning once in front of the heater with a hot chocolate)

Wouldn’t have done it in that weather, sounds like a lot more offroad than I’d have thought in a CX sportive – the odd one I’ve done was more like a road ride on unsuitable tyres. Might have to dig out the gpx for summer use.

It was mostly off road. TBH it wasnt that bad. I only had to push a few times and was running Schwalbe g ones.

Thread resurection

Anyone have a gpx, fancy doing the route again after good weather.

Not sure if you can get the GPX from it, but this is the original route map from the site. If not, it should be fairly straightforward to retrace it from the onto ViewRanger / Where’s My Ride..

Thanks..i’ll get on it!