← All eventsHONC — Hell of the North Cotswolds
Mixed-surface off-road endurance ride from Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe (North Cotswolds). 50/75/100/140km on tarmac, farm tracks, byways and bridleways — significant off-road. ~1,250+ riders, 40+ year original. Next edition ~5 Sep 2027 (approximate).
This is not a smooth-tarmac sportive. HONC links quiet Cotswold lanes with farm tracks, stony byways and muddy bridleways, so tyre choice, grip and handling matter as much as fitness.
Named after Paris-Roubaix and more than 40 years old, it is arguably the UK's original gravel event. It runs out and back from Sudeley Castle in Winchcombe, with routes from an accessible 50km up to the 140km epic.
There is no single mountain climb. Instead a near-constant stream of short, punchy hills on rough ground, so the difficulty is cumulative. Dry, it runs fast and dusty. Wet, it becomes a mud-fest.
Is HONC — Hell of the North Cotswolds for you?
- Gravel, cyclocross and MTB riders comfortable off-road. A road bike is slow and miserable on the tracks, so this rewards handling as much as engine.
- Riders who meter their effort. Hundreds of short punchy climbs reward steady pacing, not red-lining the first hill you see.
- Anyone choosing their step up. The 50km is a genuinely accessible entry point, the 140km a proper big day out.
- Tinkerers who enjoy the tyre-choice puzzle. Matching tread to a dry or wet forecast is half the battle here.
Training plan for HONC — Hell of the North Cotswolds
A training plan for HONC — Hell of the North Cotswolds 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.
- Hundreds of short, punchy climbs on loose or muddy ground, never one long mountain pass
- Off-road climbing costs more energy than the same gradient on smooth tarmac
- Hours of rough ground tire your hands, upper body and concentration, not just the legs
- Weather swings it wildly: dry is fast and dusty, wet can double the difficulty
- Off-Road Punch Repeats: 8 to 12 x 1-2min hard on short off-road climbs, spin recovery
- Long Off-Road Endurance: 3 to 4.5hr on gravel and mixed terrain, your key weekly ride
- Event-Bike Simulation: long rides on the actual bike and tyres to lock in handling and fuelling
- Handling drills on loose, muddy ground to cut the energy cost of rough terrain
- 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
