Was reading about the Dirty Kanza and it sounded like a fun thing to do. Is it a thing over here?

Yes. But you should ride a mountain bike at these events instead because we don’t have the same kind of roads and it rains all time time so gravel = mud.

Yep, grinduro a couple of weeks back, lots of folk talking of taking MTB next year instead.

Dirty Reiver is the nearest thing and is awesome

Or the rather be cycling / cycling weekly adventure cross series?

yourguitarhero – Member
Yes. But you should ride a mountain bike at these events instead because we don’t have the same kind of roads and it rains all time time so gravel = mud.

Depends can’t think of anything on dirty reiver that required a mountain bike!

Depends can’t think of anything on dirty reiver that required a mountain bike!

exactly, 40mm tyres on a cx perfect

Salisbury Plain would be epic for one. I’ll take you down for my fav end-end ride if you like. 61miles with 3300ft of climbing and 2/3 gravel. Ludgershall to Westbury White horse and back.

https://www.strava.com/activities/79211615

Shall check out the Dirty Reviver.

CH, that a race?

No it’s not. Ooo- you should do SPAM if they run it this year though. That’s not really gravel though, more mud gravel and tarmac 🙂

And technically a sportive I guess but they publish finish times which is close enough 😆

The metalled roads of the Plain would be excellent for a gravel race/ride, I agree.

Strada Bianca, Wiltshire stylee!

The Chalk holds up well on the more established tracks. On the SPAM Winter/other events, if it’s wet, some of the routes they take are clagfests of utter clag! Great rides, even with that!

CrossHair, I used to live not far from a part of that route, in Nethers. Cracking country for a rigid HT back in the day, and I ride there a lot now on my Diverge! Good part of the world. (Stonehenge Ales, Swan at Enford, etc!)

I worked there for a year CFH and was lucky enough to get to go in almost every single grid square- including the impact areas 🙂

I love the Plain!

Rode there the other week and was super chuffed to see 6 Bustards 🙂

The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust organise a “gravel” ride yearly on parts of the Plain that is often not accessable due to military activity as part of their Neolithic Marathon day. I’ve done it a few times and its been very enjoyable.
Not on this year due to unexpected army activity but well worth checking out next year.

I like the look of that CFH.

I quite fancy doing some gravel-fondo type rides around the Afan/Margam area, but the fire-roads are pretty large diameter gravel from memory so might not be super comfy

The Dorset Gravel Dash is very good, but as some of the above, is more a big 100miler on a variety of surfaces, some of which is gravel. Same ethos as a gravel grinder though – you need to be self-sufficient (1 no. cake stop excepted 🙂 ). Any bike will do and whilst there are lots of cross/gravel bikes, Gee from here tends to win it on a hardtail.

Other than that, there’s the Dirty Reiver, but that is a route-marked race with feed stations. Not the same ethos, although a lot more gravel/fireroad.

Not in the uk, but this looks good for next year and closer to a US Gravel Grinder format, but closer:
http://www.jeroboam.bike/en/jero

Yup, I did the Kielder cross challenge (same organisers- well route planners –
as Grinduro) a couple of years back. Total gloop and mudfest and just wished I had my mountain bike.

Maybe it’s a ‘north’ thing

Imber Range on Salisbury Plain will be open over the Bank Holiday weekend which means that Imber Church will be open. Hot drinks and squash will be available in the church so could be useful for a mid-ride stop. Details:

http://www.imberchurch.org.uk/events.html

You’ll have the opportunity for a massive gravel ride criss-crossing the Plain and the only roads you’ll encounter is if you cross the A345 or A360.

Don’t forget the epic Monster Miles in Keswick.

Kielder cross challenge (same organisers- well route planners

No, it isn’t the same organisers.

The Distance in Galloway. Sure there’ll be more on the way in 2018 😉

Galloway Gallop – 2017 Adventure Cross Series