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Finish Time
The Kinesis UK Butser Hill Gravelcross: Classic UK gravel-grinding on the big chalk Downs!
From it’s base at the foot of the mighty Butser Hill, right on the spot where the South Downs Way gets serious, the Kinesis South Downs Gravelcross is a fantastic ride! Chalk tracks carve their way over these mighty downs, creating some of the best riding in the south, and some of the most iconic gravel riding in the UK! The hills are proper big beasts, the views are never less than stunning, and the ridge riding and descents are pure, pedal-pumping joy!
Chopping and changing between winding tarmac lanes, tracks and bridleways, and featuring sections of the South Downs Way alongside some great off-piste riding, this is mixed terrain riding at it’s best! The course variety will keep you on your toes, the backdrop will keep you inspired, and we will keep you fuelled and on track with the full package of organisation and support that you can rely on at CX Sportive events!
QE Country Park
Start Location
Queen Elizabeth Country Park
Gravel Hill,
Horndean,
PO8 0QEB
Route Stats
The lowdown on this ride in numbers, profiles and maps; where the route goes, where it hills are, how demanding it is and which bike to use.
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Physical severity
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Technical severity
Short Route
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Mid Route
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Full Route
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Bike Suitability
Which bike will be best or this ride? The Wildwood is open to any bike and any rider – but here’s our guide to which type of bike suits this course best.
- Gravel / Adventure Bike 90%
- CX (race style cyclocross) 80%
- MTB 80%
- MTB (29er) 85%
- Hybrid* 65%
- Road* 45%
- Tarmac 40%
- Gravel 45%
- Dirt 15%
Riding the Butser Hill Gravelcross
The Kinesis UK Butser Hill is all about variety and pace; keeping you moving and changing from surface to surface, and mixing up your physical output with the changing gradients of the choppy Chiltern Hills, it’s an exhilarating late winter ride!
The route takes you south to the Thames, dropping on farm tracks to Mapledurham, to break you into the rougher stuff nice and easily. from there it’s onto Goring on a mix of roads tracks that include your first taste of bridleway. The route then winds cleverly northwards by taking you up and down the Thames ridge, making the most of the contours to shape your ride.
The final stretch south levels out to take some the strain out of your last miles back to the finish. Amazingly, the route design fits the full 80km route into an area that never sees you more than 12km in a straight line from the event base! Excellent for winter ride support, or if you need to cut back in a hurry! At a time when the dark, cold and conditions make skinny tyre road riding about us unappealing as it gets, The Wildwood is a great choice, with the pace, variety and atmosphere to spur you on through the winter weather!
74km Full Route
The full Gravelcross challenge, taking on the best and toughest riding in the area!- Fully route marked by the event team
- Route map for all riders
- GPS files sent to pre entered riders (enter in advance to receive these)
- Rider timing by transponder tag. Results posted to these web pages.
- Mid ride Feed/Support Station.
- Finishers medals
- Hot food and drink available at event base.
- Emergency contact numbers for our team made available for you to carry with you.
- Additional late booking charges apply from 1 week before the event: +£2 in last week of booking, +£3 on the day entry.
56km Mid Route
A great day of riding, including the pick of the riding on the full route.- Fully route marked by the event team
- Route map for all riders
- GPS files sent to pre entered riders (enter in advance to receive these)
- Rider timing by transponder tag. Results posted to these web pages.
- Mid ride Feed/Support Station.
- Finishers medals
- Hot food and drink available at event base.
- Emergency contact numbers for our team made available for you to carry with you.
- Additional late booking charges apply from 1 week before the event: +£2 in last week of booking, +£3 on the day entry.
39km Short Route
Shorter, sharp and fun, a terrific ride that avoids the hardest sections of the longer routes.- Fully route marked by the event team
- Route map for all riders
- GPS files sent to pre entered riders (enter in advance to receive these)
- Rider timing by transponder tag. Results posted to these web pages.
- Mid ride drinks top up point.
- Finishers medals
- Hot food and drink available at event base.
- Emergency contact numbers for our team made available for you to carry with you.
- Additional late booking charges apply from 1 week before the event: +£2 in last week of booking, +£3 on the day entry.
Event Logistics
On the Ride
Entry on the Day
Registration
Following the Route
(Please note, in spite of our best efforts, signs can go missing or be tampered with during the course of the day. Make sure you pick up a copy of the route map at event registration, and carry it with you for use if needed. We also send out GPS files to all pre entries prior to the event, so if oyu want ot have the route on your phone or GPS device, sign up online now!)
Food and Drink
Rider Timings & Medals
PLEASE NOTE: rider timings are provided for personal interest only and time bands are an optional target that you can choose to ignore. This event is not a race. No winner is declared, and no status or prizes are awarded for ‘beating’ other riders. The ride time and completed distance for any individual rider is taken on trust and cannot be definitively verified by the organisers.