← All eventsThe Centurion
Glorious Gravel Hampshire distance challenge on Wessex chalk gravel from Thruxton — rolling flinty byways and downland. 100/217km, fully signed, feed stations, no cut-offs; the 217km is a genuine all-day endurance event. Date approximate (mid-July series pattern).
A build-to-distance gravel sportive on the chalk of Hampshire. Two routes out of Thruxton: a 100km century or the 217km Centurion, a genuine all-day endurance ride. Mid-July, fully signed, feed stations, no cut-offs.
The surface is firm chalk and flint, fast when dry and slick when wet, rolling constantly across open downland. No big climbs, just a near-constant up-and-down that stacks up over the miles.
There are no cut-offs, so you ride your own pace. That makes the 100km an achievable big day. The 217km is still huge though: freedom to go slow doesn't shrink the distance.
Is The Centurion for you?
- Riders chasing a first gravel century or a double-century day. With no cut-offs, the distance is the only test, not the clock.
- Patient diesels who fuel well. The day rewards even pacing and eating from the first hour, not top-end punch.
- Anyone comfortable on firm, flinty chalk. It isn't singletrack, but wet chalk turns slick and needs a smooth, unhurried hand.
- Riders who want a big day without mountains. The climbing comes from constant rolling terrain, not brutal ascents.
Training plan for The Centurion
A training plan for The Centurion 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.
- Up to 217km of rolling chalk gravel, a true all-day aerobic effort
- Constant up-and-down that never lets you settle into a rhythm
- Firm flinty chalk, fast when dry, slick and claggy when wet
- July heat on exposed downland with no shade and real gaps between feeds
- Long Z2 gravel rides built steadily toward your chosen route distance
- Back-half durability: steady tempo efforts placed late in a long ride
- Sweet-spot blocks, 2 to 3 x 15-20min at 88-93% FTP for all-day power
- Multi-hour fuelling rehearsal at 60-90g of carbs an hour
- 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
