Events/The South Downs Gravel X

The South Downs Gravel X

Gravel

Date

Sat, 29 May 2027

Venue

Plumpton, East Sussex, England

Countdown

May

Routes

Distances

60-75km

Climb, 75 km

1,400m

A fully-signed gravel sportive on the chalk of the South Downs, out and back from Plumpton in late May. Two routes, 75km or 60km, feed stations on course, a medal and a beer at the finish, and no cut-offs.

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The course

The route

75km (or a shorter 60km route) from Plumpton, East Sussex, on South Downs chalk bridleway, byway and farm track. Roughly 1,400m of short, sharp climbing, though the organiser doesn't publish an official figure.

Weather

Late-May, Plumpton

18°CTypical high

10°CTypical low

5°CColdest in 20 years

34%Days with rain

Highs around 18°C and lows around 10°C, but it has dropped to 5°C. Rain on 34% of days.

NASA POWER data, 2006-2025, the week either side of race day

Training

Training for the The South Downs Gravel X

We don't do generic plans. We combine deep knowledge of this race's demands with your recent training, then build a plan with you that progresses as you do.

Beina integrates directly with your existing tools to understand your current fitness, and synchronise your planned sessions.

Intervals.icu

Punchy chalk, no shelter

Typical sessions

Short, sharp scarp climbs onto the Downs, repeated all day rather than one long col

An exposed, windy plateau that rolls between the climbs with little shelter

Chalk that runs fast and grippy when dry but turns to slick paste in the wet

Flint-strewn tracks that jar the bike and puncture thin tyres

What your weeks look like

Typical sessions

Scarp Repeats: 8 to 12 times 1 to 3 minutes at 100 to 110% FTP on gravel climbs, full recovery

Tempo-in-Long: a 2.5 to 3 hour ride with 2 to 3 blocks of 15 to 20 minutes at tempo

Progressive Long Ride building from 1.5 hours toward a 3 to 3.5 hour peak on chalk and gravel

Chalk handling in both dry and wet, plus tubeless plug and tube-change practice

Not a generic schedule

Typical sessions

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

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