← All eventsThe Downs Divide
Glorious Gravel's big southern endurance day — a 162km chalk-and-flint line linking the North and South Downs from Cranleigh, Surrey (also a 102km route). Fully signed, feed stations, no cut-offs, e-bikes welcome. Date approximate.
Glorious Gravel's big southern endurance day: 162km of chalk and flint linking the North and South Downs in one loop from Cranleigh in the Surrey Hills, on a mid-August Saturday.
There are no big cols and almost no flat. Just relentless rolling bridleway, up and over every chalk ridge, on a draining surface that taxes your legs from the first hour to the last.
It's a savage day by duration, not danger. No cut-offs, full signage and a shorter 102km option take the pressure off. But this is a genuine 7 to 11 hour effort on gravel, and pacing decides it more than power.
Is The Downs Divide for you?
- Endurance grinders who thrive on rhythm. The day rewards holding a steady tempo for hours, not explosive efforts over the top of each climb.
- Riders who fuel well. On a long gravel day, eating on schedule from the very start matters more than peak power in the legs.
- Anyone stepping up to their first really long gravel day. The 102km is a legitimate first target, with the 162km a big goal to build toward.
- Riders confident on loose ground. Chalk goes slick when wet and flint runs loose, so comfort on a draining surface saves time and punctures.
Training plan for The Downs Divide
A training plan for The Downs Divide 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.
- No long flats and little recovery between climbs, hour after hour on tired legs
- Countless chalk and flint bridleway drags, a rolling-resistance tax paid every kilometre
- Fuelling under load: 70 to 100g of carbs an hour, or the back half falls apart
- August heat on exposed Downs ridgelines, where hydration matters more than warmth
- Progressive long ride: build from 3hr toward a 6 to 8hr gravel day, mostly Z2
- Event-pace long: hours at your target Downs Divide intensity, feeding for the full distance
- Sweet spot gravel: 2 to 3 x 20min at 88 to 93% FTP on rolling climbs
- Chalk and flint handling plus tubeless plug practice, for loose-surface confidence
- 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
