Date
Sun, 29 Aug 2027
Venue
Bala, Gwynedd, Wales
Countdown
August
Distance
145km
Total climb
2,900m
Around 9,500ft of climbing packed into 90 miles. That is roughly 105ft up for every mile, one of the steepest one-day rides in the UK, out and back from Bala on the edge of Snowdonia.
Create a free training plan for the Wild Wales Challenge
7-day free trial, no card required
The course
The route
Out and back from Bala on minor Welsh mountain roads through Snowdonia, with a shorter 65 mile, 7,000ft option. The signature climb is Bwlch y Groes, the highest road pass in Wales at 546m.
Weather
Late-August, Bala
17°CTypical high
11°CTypical low
5°CColdest in 20 years
62%Days with rain
Highs around 17°C and lows around 11°C, but it has dropped to 5°C. Rain on 62% of days.
NASA POWER data, 2006-2025, the week either side of race day
Training
Training for the Wild Wales Challenge
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.icuA relentless climbing day
Typical sessions
Near-continuous climbing, climb after climb with almost no flat to recover on
Bwlch y Groes and the early passes hit in the first 30 miles, punishing anyone who starts too hard
Rough, gravelly, unswept surfaces that demand real respect on the descents
Gearing makes or breaks the day, tall gears get punished on the steep minor roads
What your weeks look like
Typical sessions
Long hilly endurance rides building to 5 to 6 hours with 6,000 to 7,000ft, your key weekly session
Threshold climb repeats, 3 to 4 by 12 to 15 minutes at FTP on a real climb
Climbs saved for hours 3 to 4 of a ride, training your power-to-weight under deep fatigue
Back-to-back hilly weekends, a long Saturday plus a hilly Sunday, to rehearse all-day climbing
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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Get your Wild Wales Challenge plan.
7-day free trial, no card required.
