The Gravelton seems popular. 220+ people have responded to my Facebook event page over the weekend which has spooked me a bit. What if just half of them turn up? So i’ve created a sign up form to guage real interest just in case we get a flash mob on the day. Other than that. Great news and I’m happy.
In total I’ve probably spent 6+ hours on the route so far. A combination of local knowledge, OS maps and Google Streetview. I’m quite forensic when I create a route. Checking, double-checking which is the bit I actually enjoy the most lol. This usually works but I will recce some unknowns in due course to make sure. It’s looking good though and should be a real test of riders’ gravel mettle on the day.
Latest Tweaks
Sutton Park get’s a slight re-route to take riders offroad more rather than just using the tarmac through the middle
I’ve opted for a shorter, more direct road section straight out of Sutton Park which does push the route upto 170km (I promise there won’t be anymore). The benefit is this is now the longest continuous road section on the whole route at about 6.5km or 4 miles and the offroad has sneaked upto over 75%. Not bad and worth it for the extra 5km of offroad
A good portion of Marquis Drive on Cannock Chase has been flicked onto a parallel path as I forgot the end was one way and I’ve diverted around Tackeroo campsite now too. It’s surprising what you find when you dig into the detail.
The Sting in the Tail
Do not underestimate the end of the ride. Riders will get a flat starter with a nice lumpy main course around Cannock Chase. Their dessert is a finish like something out of Liege-Bastogne-Liege. With 100 miles in the legs if you don’t have anything left these otherwise tame little spikes will fuck you up.
Can’t wait for the stories afterwards
Stats
Let’s finish with some route stats courtesy of plotaroute.com
Distance: 170km
Elevation: approx 2000m (70km uphill)
Highest Point: 310m
Steepest Gradient: 17.8%
Longest Ascent: 1.9km
The last 3 stats are all in the last few km. Eat that.
Adios
That’s a hell of a lot of interest!