Intro
Off the back of the success of the inaugural Gravelton epic in May. We go again in September but this time the other way around. The Gravelton has to be one of the toughest if not most beautiful gravel rides in the Midlands.
No sting in the tail this time, the climbing is all at the start and based on feedback I’ve made some route tweaks to the original that gives you 80%+ off road. It should be another belter to see the Summer out.
If you want a 100+ mile offroad ride around the City of Brum to show off to your mates on your Strava CV, this is the one.
Read the blog post of my 2023 Gravelton ride here
The Gravelton Facebook Page is here
The Date
Saturday 23rd September 2023.
The Start & Finish
The Crown Inn, Withybed Lane, Alvechurch B48 7PN.
Start at a time to suit you. An early start no later than 8am is recommended.
The pub will not be open at the start and is not part of the event directly but somewhere to have a beer (two beer gardens!) and some food afterwards.
The RIDE
The ride is not an official event, it’s a self-supported group ride on the same route on the same day. You are on your own. Just rock up and ride with your mates and enjoy the day out on your bike then a pint and some pub grub afterwards.
Share your ride with other Graveltonions and join The Gravelton Strava Club
Ride whatever bike you want. Just have fun.
How to Enter
Entry is free, just turn up but I do advise you subscribe to the event’s newsletter to keep in the loop.
days
hours minutes seconds
until
The Gravelton Rewind
The Route
The route starts in Alvechurch and follows the original Gravelton route in reverse climbing the Lickey Hills, Waseley Hills and the Clent Hills before riders head north through The Black Country. Taking in a decent chunk of Cannock Chase, riders then head home south navigating Chasewater, Sutton Park and Pipe Hayes Park into Birmingham City Centre and out south back to the start in Alvechurch for a fast, flat finish along the canal. You are looking at 100+ miles + around 1700m of climbing in total. Just Epic.
Route files are available on the link below
https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2263830?units=km
Highlights
- FREE to enter
- NO Parking
- NO Number
- NO Feed stations
- NO Mechanical Assistance
- NO Photographer
- NO Medal
- NO T-Shirt
- 100+ mile route
- 70% offroad
- Great views
- Various surfaces
- Finish at a pub
- 1700m climbing
- A MASSIVE Achievement
The Rules
- Don’t drive to the event. If you need to drive, find somewhere suitable to park outside the village and ride in please.
- Be self-sufficient. There is no backup on the day
- Take your litter home
- Shut any gates
- It’s not a race, it’s a day out on the bike.
- Be courteous to other trail users. The route is open to the public and it gets narrow in places so be prepared to share your space nicely if you have to. A bell is highly recommended.
- Complaints. That’s a you problem. I’m not interested.
Parking
There is NO PARKING available at the event start under any circumstances.
The nearest official car park is Barnt Green Railway Station about 1.5 miles away which, to get to the start, follows the last mile of the route, otherwise riders driving will be expected to find suitable on-street parking away from the start and cycle in.
A GPS file from the station to the start is available here
There is also a public car park in Alvechurch behind The Red Lion pub but space here maybe very limited
Gallery
36x25 