North Wales Gravel Epic

Yesterday was another early start, two on the bounce for the second week running. Yuk. Friday morning’s normal cardio step class was replaced with a Schwinn Spin bike repair at the gym which had a broken Gates belt. A favour to the owner, then work, then a drive up to my parents in North Wales for the weekend.

Anything that requires me to get out of bed pre-7am is an early start!

I entered the North Wales Gravel Epic a few months ago on impulse. I normally baulk at paying £40+ entry fees but at the time it sat a couple of weeks before The Gravelton Rewind and I justified it as good training, an oppo to see the parents and some new trails to ride.

Fast forward to the week before the event and I received an email saying it was postponed until Oct 7 without any real explanation why except unforeseen circumstances or something to that effect. I was quite disappointed at the bland, quite blunt email. I get things happen. I used to organise Sportives for 1000+ riders, so I know what curve balls can come your way but customer service 101, be honest and be transparent. It would have been nice to know what went wrong.

Anyway, after a restless night’s sleep (I never sleep well the first night away from home) I got up at 6.30am and downed a big mug of tea and ate some honey on toast and a banana . I put the bike on the rack and left about 7.30am, it was a 45 min drive to the start at a school in Ruthin. I didn’t really know what to expect as it was my first Glorious Gravel event and I hadn’t done a sportive outside the Mad March Hare for years.

I was directed to the car park by a marshall which was pretty full by now. The event was busy but not hundreds and hundreds, probably a couple of hundred max. The setup was quite low-fi. A registration easy-up, and a start banner + start line tech. Toilets were in the school building. You simply queued, gave them your name and you were given your number, which doubled as your timing chip, and a couple of cable ties.

I was already dressed and ready to go, I just had to put my shoes on, affix my number to my bars, cable up my Garmin to the power bank and I was ready so I scooted over to the start line and joined the queue where small groups got a short rider briefing about signage etc and then we were released and away we went.

The bikes riders had were eye-watering. Exquisite looking carbon steeds from Pinarello, Giant, Ridley vs my alloy Dolan GXA. It looked more like the start of road race than a gravel event with some riders donning aero helmets & white (yes white!) road shoes but there were a good number on mountain bikes too to be fair.

I rolled out at the front of my small group and dropped through Ruthin Town and began an endless road climb up the valley into a bastard headwind. A couple of riders latched onto me as we ascended the first steep pitch and I began to pull away from my group. When the valley road flattened out they took over headwind duties and the one rider was either very strong or burning matches because I was questioning being sat on their wheels out the wind. Then as the road kicked up again they eased.

The road seemed to just go up and up and the wind got harder and harder until we hit the Clocaenog Forest and turned off and dropped a little before right offroad and onto the first gravel.

The forest roads were in good nick. Damp but the climbing hadn’t finished yet. We climbed past wind turbines, a couple were partly obscured by cloud reminding how high I was, but the sound was quite eery. Like a jet engine in the distance.

Signage for the event was pretty comprehensive. Day-glo pink arrows which were easy to see offroad but in sometimes hard to spot places elsewhere and quite small too.

After topping out in the forest, I dropped down to edge of Llyn Brenig and turned left into a monstrous headwind. Riding across the dam wall, the wind was buffeting the riders quite hard from the left. I was having to lean into it at times.

25km done and the first feed was at the Llyn Brenig Visitors Centre where I stopped and refilled my bottle and munched a a waffle and a packet of crisps. The forecast was warm but looking at the low cloud, wind, choppy waters on the lake, it definitely felt autumnal so I didn’t hang about.

I was off for a lap of Lyyn Alwen now which sits across the road from Llyn Brenig. More decent forest roads again. I could see riders in the distance which was a carrot. I was entered into the 120km long route but the more I rode around the course battling the wind and gradients, I knew I was pushing on too hard and slowly telling myself to just do the 80km medium route. A quick calc in my head told me I was on for around 4+hrs + 2hrs more if I rode the long one. I hadn’t decided yet but I decided to just carry on and see what happened.

I crossed the head of Llyn Alwen and finally got some rest from the wind. The trail is a good mix of gravel single track and forest road that winds in and out the trees with one tough section that climbs up and over the moorlands before turning back into a tailwind across a cool wooden bridge.

As I climbed away from the lake on a long straight forest road, I looked at my Garmin and I was less than half way around and 2hrs in. I wasn’t blowing up but I could feel my legs were complaining so the decision was made, its the medium route.

At the main road there was some confusion with riders floating about. The sign pointed straight on but my Garmin said left for 650m. I trusted the Garmin which was correct and everyone followed.

We picked up the gravel path which runs parallel to the road and has some stinging climbs on it and some deep stream crossings before it topped out and dropped down to the edge of Llyn Brenig again for a brutal few km into the headwind back to the feed again which doubled up as feed stop #2.

This time they had some savoury rolls which was a nice change to the sweet stuff but like most events I struggle to eat. I did get a roll down me and another packet of crisps and I did nick a handful of jelly babies too before I rolled off back the way I came over the dam wall for the 3rd time before a steep drop off down into the valley below.

I was at the farthest point of the course now and couldn’t wait to turn and enjoy the tailwind home. I did turn but it was straight up a 20% road climb then back into the forest for another never-ending slog back up to the wind turbines. The sun was beginning to peek through the clouds now too.

After a lengthy descent I popped out on a main road and in my head I’d convinced myself it was downhill all the way home now but it was up again for half a mile then back into the forest for a bit more climbing, just to finish me off, before I finally saw Ruthin in the distance.

The trail joined a broken, unused lane which dropped for quite away then the tarmac improved and I was faced with a couple of short but stinging kickers just to finish me off. On the second one I passed a guy who had taken a pee and was getting back on his ebike only to come flying past me on the hill. Bastard. I had him on the remaining descent into Ruthin though.

Just the short, sharp climb back into the town, a short descent then a climb back up to the school and I was finished. The sign on tent had become the 3rd feedstop if I’d intended to carry on to complete the long loop but I was done. Quite a hard day.

So what did I make of the event for £40? I don’t know what else I was expecting at the start but it seemed a little amateurish. Free coffee maybe or even a coffee van? It definitely lacked an event atmosphere with that anticipation you get. No one was really hanging around and chatting. Just getting ready to go as soon as possible.

The signage was fine once I got used to scanning for it like a Terminator in built up areas but it worked well offroad despite a wrong sign and a missing sign. That happens.

The feed stations were pretty good although having to ride the dam wall 3 times to get to #2 was a bit of pain but I understand the logistics of it.

The route was pretty good but I reckon I could have done better with my Mr Gravelton hat on.

We were promised an event photographer but another bland explanation, ‘couldn’t make it’ and when the times dropped on an email last night they were completely wrong. My time was 21:46, ridden at 305km/h!

So for £40, I thought it was a bit poor really and a reason why sportive-type events are dying on their arse.