← All eventsCambrian Mountains Gravel Epic
HARDER, REMOTE (grade D) gravel sportive in the wild mid-Wales Cambrian Mountains from Llanidloes — 119/50km, long sustained climbs, real remoteness, feed stations, no cut-offs. Climbing estimated (~2,600m). Date approximate.
One of the wildest, most remote days in the Glorious Gravel calendar. 119km through the Cambrian Mountains, the empty spine of mid-Wales, starting and finishing in Llanidloes in mid-June.
Roughly 2,600m of climbing on forest fire roads and open moorland track. Mostly non-technical, but the scale and exposure are the test. Long gaps between feeds, patchy signal, little shelter.
No cut-offs, but don't be fooled. The 119km is a committing six to nine hour day where fuelling and self-sufficiency decide it, not peak power. The 50km samples the same wild ground for less.
Is Cambrian Mountains Gravel Epic for you?
- Riders drawn to genuinely wild terrain. Few roads, little shelter and long gaps between feeds are the appeal here, not the drawback.
- Diesel engines who pace a long day. The climbs are long and sustained, so it rewards a steady tempo over anyone who attacks the first ascent.
- Self-sufficient riders who prep their kit. A mechanical far out here is serious, so it suits people who carry proper spares and know how to use them.
- Newer gravel riders eyeing the 50km. It's a legitimate taste of big remote gravel without committing to a six to nine hour day.
Training plan for Cambrian Mountains Gravel Epic
A training plan for Cambrian Mountains Gravel Epic isn't a generic base build. Beina reads the event's exact demands, looks at your specific profile and the time you actually have, and maps a highly adapted plan to the start line.
- Long sustained mountain climbing, endurance ascents rather than short punches
- Real remoteness: long gaps between feeds, patchy signal, carry for the quiet stretches
- Full exposure on the high moorland, wind and wet with no shelter
- Six to nine hours on the 119km, where pacing and fuelling matter more than peak power
- Progressive long ride building from 3hr toward 6 to 7hr on climbing gravel, mostly Z2
- Event-pace long ride, 5 to 7hr over big climbs at target IF with full fuelling rehearsal
- Sustained-climb endurance, 4 to 5hr with several 20 to 40min climbs at tempo
- Remote, exposed rides in bad weather with full layers and spares, for self-sufficiency
- Built from your current fitness and the time you actually have
- Adapts every week as Beina learns how you respond
- Syncs your sessions straight to Garmin and Wahoo
- One clear next session, never a wall of spreadsheet
