Gravel/mtb/road rides/events/challenges recommendations

Further to some of my previous posts I’m going to try and build my fitness/time on bikes by booking some organised events for next year.

thinking of stuff like Calder divide, Brighton to london, Dunwich Dynamo etc.

Anyone have any recommendations or suggestions for ones to do?

would like to fill my diary up.

Anything run by Velo29 – although may not suit your location.. well run and well planned scenic routes.

Ride to the Sun – definitely the most chilled of rides

https://www.ridetothesun.co.uk/

I’ve done the Great British Escapade for the last couple of years, Kev who runs it does a good job.

Southern Divide is a bit harder (so I hear) but also worth a look -seems to get good reviews

I’m tempted by some of the Further events next year, but if I get on LEL I’ll be very road focussed.

What about just booking a few days holiday and undertaking a challenging route – say the Badger Divide?

matt_outandaboutFull Member
What about just booking a few days holiday and undertaking a challenging route – say the Badger Divide?

yep plan on doing that as well.

Glorious Gravel?  I’ve done several of their events this year. I started off just wanting to finish the long versions, but then started to up my pace in later ones. A great way to get motivated and explore different parts of the country.

https://www.timeoutdoors.com/events/gravel-rides/yorkshire

UK Rides

https://gravelrocks.cc/

Yorkshire Coast Dirt Dash

Winter Event

https://www.granfondoguide.com/Events/Index/9279/yorkshire-moors-gravel-epic

https://battistrada.com/en/cycling-calendar/united-kingdom/north-yorkshire-county/gravel-bike-rides/?r2=3626&category=19&biketype=4

Home

https://www.elite-wheels.com/events/kielder-borders-gravel-epic-2024/

https://allmountainadventures.wales/events/

A good range of events from 62 up to 799 miles to test yourself.

Did the Headstock 500 this year, and it was a proper challenge.

For road, have a look at the Audax UK calendar. 50km events right up to LEL at 1500km.

@si77

Thanks for the link. When they say the 200 can be completed over 2 days presumably that’s down to you to find a bivi spot. Or at they suggesting you ride all night?

To the OP look at The Racing Collective. I’ve done Cotsduro and Oxduro and enjoyed both. The Glorious Gravel Dorset is a fab route

@ampthill

It’s self-supported so effectively up to the individual to decide how to play it.

If I end up doing it it’ll be a ride through the night. Others will no doubt find a suitable bivi spot or B&B. For the 500, I rode through the first night and stopped at a B&B for the 2nd.

For a one day off road event I would recommend the Heaven of the South in May. Very well organised, lovely routes and there’s a raffle for their charity’s which is always well supported.

Heaven of the South

Anything run by Velo29 – although may not suit your location.. well run and well planned scenic routes.

They do some really quite nice events now – so many Sportive organisers went off into the realms of “bigger, harder, tougher, the toughest ever!” and while V29 do organise some pretty epic events, many of them are down at the more realistic / enjoyable end of the spectrum.

I did their York – Lincoln – York event (262km) a couple of years ago and the general organisation and atmosphere and support turned what could have been a pretty long and soul-less day out on a bike into something really quite fun.

I like the look of the Glorious Gravel, not got around to doing one yet.

Also worth keeping an eye out for some of the Gran Fondo events in Spain and France. Basically huge (mostly closed roads) sportive / race event, usually pretty cheap to enter. I did a 140km one in Southern Spain a month or so ago, featuring a 35km climb more or less from the start! There’s a well-known gravel event called Badlands out that way too, run as both an organised mass-start event but also a “free to ride whenever you want” thing. https://badlands.cc/

Last year I did two of the Focal events rides, the Dirty Reiver and the Frontier 300. Both were brilliant and worth the effort of travelling that far for them (I’m in the South East of England). The Dirty Reiver always sells out pretty quickly which kind of speaks for itself, the Frontier 300 is more of a challenge but an awesome day out on the bike and less popular.

As mentioned above

https://www.audax.uk/choose-a-ride/calendar-events/

You can search for events near where you live, or find lots of interesting new stuff if you fancy travelling further afield.

I like to get a train(s) to somewhere, and then ride home.

Route taken depends on which bike I take, my last trip was 200 miles over 3 days (including the 1/2 day to get to the start point.

Much easier logistically getting the train out and riding back rather than the other way round. It’s a bit stressful racing to get to a pre-booked train especially when you have a mechanical.

For road, have a look at the Audax UK calendar. 50km events right up to LEL at 1500km.

+1

The entry fee is usually only a fiver or so, and for that you get unlimited tea and cake at some of the control points.  There’s usually a good spread of abilities too on the <300k events so it’s sociable whatever your fitness level.

HONC? Hell of the North Cotswolds?

Not too far from Leam.