Start Time

8:30am – 9:30am

Finish Time

Event Centre closes 4:00pm

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!

Preview Video

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.

%

Physical severity

%

Technical severity

Short Route

kilometres

Mid Route

kilometres

Full Route

kilometres

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% 90%
  • CX (race style cyclocross) 80% 80%
  • MTB 80% 80%
  • MTB (29er) 85% 85%
  • Hybrid* 65% 65%
  • Road* 45% 45%
Warning: This ride contains off road sections and rough surfaces. Only use road bikes that are capable of some off road. DO NOT use any bike you do not want to expose to dirt and the risk scratches or some damage. Only use a bike with strong wheels and off road capable tyres. Remove mudguards prior to the ride.
Terrain Split: This is a rough guide to the mix of terrains on this event. Figures may be approximate, and the exact nature of surfaces and conditions will vary within each of these categories.
  • Tarmac 40% 40%
Predominantly B roads and smaller back lanes. Quality of road surface may vary greatly, and rough or broken lanes may feature as part of the mix. Busy or major roads are avoided wherever possible.
  • Gravel 45% 45%
Unmade roads, farm tracks, forest roads and broader, firmer gravel and dirt bridleways and byways.
  • Dirt 15% 15%
Dirt, grass and unmade bridleways, byways and tracks. May include less defined and semi-technical sections of riding.

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!
£TBA
  • 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.
£TBA
  • 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.
£TBA
  • 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
Once you’re ready to start, report to the start / finish area with your timing chap strapped to your ankle. Listen to the short briefing and ride across the timing mat as directed. As you go around the route, you will find bright orange signs and ribbons to follow. At route divide points, you will find yellow signs showing you which way to go to follow the Full, Mid or Short routes. These should guide you around the whole route, but use your map if you think you have strayed off course or have a problem with the route navigation. There are also emergency contact numbers on the edge of your map. Ride safely at all times, and remember that you are on public rights of way and roads. This is not a race, so please ride appropriately, and be friendly and polite to other trail users you meet. At the end of the ride, pass over the timing mat once again, and hand in your timing chip. For those interested in there ride time, these will be available on the computer screen at the finish.
Entry on the Day
You can enter the event on the day, although there is a small surcharge of £3 (so pre entering is recommended). Just arrive before the end of the registration period and pay at the desk.
Registration
Go to the registration desk on your arrival. If you’ve pre-entered via the internet or posted your entry, you’ll have a timing chip on an ankle strap to collect at the desk. If you haven’t pre-entered, pay at the desk and a chip will be allocated to you. Collect your colour A4 map at registration also. Next, get yourself ready to ride.
Following the Route
Follow the orange signs and orange ribbons (you will shown samples of these at the ride briefing) regardless of which route distance you are riding. Everybody follows orange. At route divide points, you will see a set of yellow signs, with “Full Route”, “Mid Route” or “Short Route” written on them, pointing in different directions. At this point, follow the right sign for the route you are riding. Once you get beyond the route divide point, you will start following orange signs and ribbons again.

(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
There will be food, water and energy mix at a feed station on the course to help you stay fuelled during the ride. Hot and cold food & drink and snacks will be available to purchase from the event centre before and after the ride. (Including our ever popular home made chilli!)

 

Rider Timings & Medals
Riders are electronically timed, with rider times displayed on a screen at the finish line. Gold, silver and bronze time bands are set as an optional ride incentive, and finishers medals are presented to reflect the time band you achieve.

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.