← All eventsRidgeway Gravel Epic
Glorious Gravel sportive on the ancient Ridgeway chalk downland from Newbury, Berkshire — 110/70/50km of rolling North Wessex Downs gravel. Fully signed, feed stations, no cut-offs, e-bikes welcome. Date approximate.
A day out on the Ridgeway, Britain's oldest road: an ancient chalk trackway running high along the crest of the North Wessex Downs, out from Newbury on a late-August Saturday.
110km on the long route, with 70km and 50km options. Around 1,650m of climbing, though that figure is estimated, not published, so treat it as a guide.
This is a Glorious Gravel sportive, not a race. Fully signed, feed stations on course, no cut-offs, e-bikes welcome. The 50km is a genuine first-gravel-day. The 110km is a real endurance day.
Is Ridgeway Gravel Epic for you?
- Riders drawn to an iconic route. The Ridgeway is one of Britain's most famous gravel-able trackways, and this is a fully-signed way to ride its best chalk crest.
- Steady tempo riders. The chalk downland is a relentless rise-and-fall with no long recovery, so it rewards a rider who meters the effort rather than surging every roller.
- First-gravel-day riders, on the right route. No cut-offs and a 50km taster make it welcoming, while the 110km is there when you have built the long rides.
- Anyone happy to be self-sufficient. Feed stations help, but the exposed crest has gaps, and a flint puncture is the classic mechanical to be ready for.
Training plan for Ridgeway Gravel Epic
A training plan for Ridgeway 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.
- Sustained tempo on chalk and flint, where power on gravel runs 5-10% slower than the same effort on tarmac
- Relentless rolling climbing along the downs crest: gentle but constant up-and-down, no big cols, no long recovery
- Exposure on a high, open crest, with August heat and headwinds draining energy where there is little shelter
- On the 110km, 4.5 to 7 hours of fuelling under load, where under-eating early means fading in the back half
- Progressive Long Ride: build the gravel long ride from 2.5hr toward 6hr, mostly Z2, the core adaptation
- Sweet Spot Gravel: 2-3 x 20min at 88-93% FTP on gravel climbs for rolling-climb durability
- Tempo-in-Long: a 3-4hr ride with 2-3 x 20-30min tempo blocks to hold effort deep into a ride
- Chalk and flint handling plus tubeless plug practice, so a loose rut or a flint cut never ends your day
- 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
