Cyclocross Sportive
It was Wet. It was Muddy. It was Cyclocross!
A new addition to Evans RIDE IT series for 2018 sees them partnering with Crawley Wheelers to host alongside the Ardingly round of the Cyclocross National Trophy. You get a chance to test your skills with a starting lap on the National Trophy Cyclocross course then watch the elite riders race in the afternoon after the ride.
The sportive cross course includes a mix of lanes, cycle tracks and bridleways so is suitable for MTB, cyclocross, adventure road bikes with tyres that can handle some off road riding. The route took us away from Ardingly past Weir Wood Reservoir before we joined the gravel tracks of the Forest Way into East Grinstead. From here we pick up some more gravel cycle tracks taking us along the Worth Way to the outskirts of Crawley before picking up a series of bridleways through Tilgate Forest and Oldhouse Warren. We continue on through Balcombe then it’s a picturesque skirt around the edge of Ardingly Reservoir before returning to the finish to collect a finishers medal.
Like all Evans events the course is fully waymarked, you can ride with others or at your own pace and there will be a feed stop around half distance along with a sweeper vehicle should you need support on your ride.
Some parts were pretty muddy!
The starting loop on the National Trophy Cyclocross course is optional for those that want to sample what the elite racers will compete on later in the day.
It had rained the night before and there was a slight change to the course and some of it was pretty slippy ! It was a really good mixture off off road, single track and road riding. Plenty to eat and drink at the food stop and lots of people turned up. A well marked course with something for everyone.
A good mixture of terrain
Itinerary
Be prepared to get wet and muddy. Oversocks and full finger gloves were welcome. A well stocked saddle bag with essentials is always good practice and a willingness to pedal hard and get nowhere in some of the muddy parts!!
Well marked out course
Good mixture of terrain
Free photographs and a medal at the end
Well stocked feed stations
Good atmosphere
Got to ride a lap of the National Trophy Cyclocross course
Watching the elite compete at the end
