← All eventsThe Elan Valley Gravel
Remote mid-Wales gravel sportive around the Elan Valley reservoirs and moorland, with climbs linking the dams — self-reliant, weather-exposed, grassroots. Long and short routes; exact distance/climbing and the mid-September 2027 date are approximate (confirm with organiser).
A remote mid-Wales gravel day around the Victorian dams and reservoirs of the Elan Valley. Patchy signal, minimal feeds, you carry your own spares and food. A self-reliant adventure, not a supported sportive.
Estate tracks hug the water, then climb away onto open, exposed moorland. The reservoirs are linked by punchy-to-sustained gravel climbs, with fast forest fire roads and a tiring run back in.
It's a timed sportive with a rolling start, not a race. The uplands are among Britain's wettest, so pace the climbs, dress for cold wind and rain, and treat it as a long endurance day.
Is The Elan Valley Gravel for you?
- Self-reliant riders who can fix their own flat and keep warm. Signal is patchy and support is minimal, so it rewards anyone comfortable being their own mechanic in remote country.
- Steady climbers who ration the effort. The reservoirs are linked by repeated climbs, so it suits riders who pace them instead of attacking every one.
- Gravel riders happy on loose, rough surface. The estate and moorland tracks are rideable but rough, and confident handling saves real time and energy.
- Anyone chasing a proper mid-Wales adventure over a fast result. This is exposed reservoir-and-moor scenery and an all-day endurance ride, not a bunch race.
Training plan for The Elan Valley Gravel
A training plan for The Elan Valley Gravel 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.
- Repeated and sustained climbing on loose gravel, linking reservoir to reservoir on tiring legs
- Exposed moorland weather: cold, wet and windy, on some of the wettest uplands in Britain
- Self-sufficiency in remote country with patchy signal and minimal feeds, so you carry your own spares and food
- A long, durable endurance day with a tiring run back, not short race intensity
- Long Z2 gravel rides building toward the route's duration on hilly ground, the core durability session
- Repeated loose-climb tempo, 4 to 6 by 6 to 12 minutes on gravel climbs, for the linked reservoir climbs
- Sweet-spot blocks, 2 to 3 by 15 to 20 minutes at 88 to 93% FTP, for durability without heavy fatigue
- Back-half durability plus a full kit and fuelling rehearsal on a cold, wet ride
- 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
