A beautiful ride through the New Forest
There's a choice of four routes, all starting and finishing in Brockenhurst. The three longer routes cross a landscape of open vistas and autumnal woodlands while quiet roads and gentle hills make the shorter rides ideal for families.
Family-friendly Route - 15 miles - following forest tracks so nearly all traffic-free. NOT suitable for racing bikes!
This end-of-season Wiggle South Downs 100 event is unique. Not only can you pit your wits against a challenging course spanning Hampshire and Sussex, but youll also be able to take on one of the climbs against the clock on closed roads... a real chance to give it your all, as if you were gunning for a polka dot jersey.
If a timed hill-climb wasnt enough as part of a sportive, then notching up a century adds an extra layer of attraction to the discerning endurance rider. With a whole feast of ascents to tuck in to youll have certainly earned the right to feel proud at the end of this classic event.
Heading out from Chichester, well start you out on a gradual climb, easing you into a day comprising over 5,000 feet of ascent. The road takes you north and soon enough youll be in amid the whale-backed mounds of the South Downs. Make yourself at home the national park and its numerous ups and downs will be your host for the whole day. Be prepared for one particularly rapid descent just after Duncton indeed, as well as testing your ability to climb, the route is peppered with technical drops, testing both your handling and your nerve.
14th October, Salisbury, Wiltshire
Salisbury Race Course, 14th October 2018
The Gold Rush is an intense ride, featuring 75, 55 & 38km routes, criss-crossing the lanes and droves of the Chalke Valley en route to Shaftesburys iconic Gold Hill, then brining you back to the start on a series of long, fast CX perfect drove roads. The ride offers full and comprehensive route marking, feed and support stations and electronic rider timing, and there will be hot and cold food, drinks and snacks, plus free energy products.
This is perfect CX country in fact it could have been created for the event. The course area is a natural amphitheatre for your riding pleasure. The tiny river Ebble traces the floor of the valley that forms the backbone of a course which winds you constantly up and downs to the north and south. The ancient drove roads atop each of these downs, along with the narrow valley road, form the main arteries of the route, while the lanes, tracks and trails between the three weave in the detail; testing climbs that top out at 20%, descents that will send your stupid grin count off the scale, and a procession of picture box villages, scenery and views to lift your soul!
Highlight of the route is the climb of Gold Hill (the iconic setting for the classic Hovis advert); a 1 in 4 gradient on (occasionally) grippy cobbles that will test your heart, legs and grimacing skills! Its a true classic of a climb that should be on your bucket list, and youll get a special award if you can ride the whole thing clean!
Other course highlights include Zig-Zag Hill (in both directions), which boasts the most hairpins of any hill in Britain; gradients of up to 20% dropping into (and climbing out of!) the steep, Chalke Valley, and of course those long, straight, gently descending drove roads to the finish (some of the best gravel riding tracks around!)
Now in its sixth year, this winter gem is not to be missed!
Starting just south of Basingstoke, were perfectly set up for a great day in the saddle. After leaving the event centre, were quickly out into the countryside and enjoying a seasonal spin that should keep you warm in the December air! The route is mostly undulating and is one of the flatter rides of the series, but will still throw up a credible 4,600 ft of climbing (long route). Riders will head east and then south along quiet country lanes before skirting the South Downs for the return leg.
This ride is a fantastic opportunity to explore the Hampshire countryside and clock up some winter miles, all of course whilst getting in good stead for the festive period and year ahead.
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