Long Route
100km | 2680m
medium Route
73km | 1890m
short Route
52km | 1180m
Ride Overview
Scottish Borders gravel riding at it’s finest. The Scottish Borders Gravel Epic will climb, contour and descend the forest tracks of famous Glentress, the Golfie, Elibank, Traquair and Cardrona. Glentress has been the heart of mountain biking in the borders and it is becoming the heart of gravel riding too.
Sweating up, flying along and descending down miles of quiet forest gravel, the Scottish Borders Gravel Epic has it all.
Highlights
- Starting and finishing at Glentress, the home of the UCI MTB World Championships in 2023
- Earning endless views over the Tweed Valley high above the tourists
- Build up during the season to peak for the epic distance and elevation gain of this ride
Included in Entry
Fully Signed Route
Our team work tirelessly to create the best gravel routes in the UK. All courses are fully signed so you can just enjoy the ride.
Checkpoints with Proper Food
An epic ride deserves proper support. We have tea, coffee and cake at the first feed and sandwiches & crisps at the main feed. Checkpoints are approx every 30 - 35km
Accurate GPX Files
A few days before the ride, we will send GPX files for all of the route options so you can follow the course on your GPS as well as the signs.
Mechanics Available
At the rider village & at selected feed stops we have mechanics available to help with any bike issues. We also have spare inner tubes, CO2 & more .
Rider Support Vans
We are here to make sure you have a great day on the gravel. If you have any major mechanicals or need collecting, support vehicles are a phone call away.
Beer at Finish Line
You will be greeted at the finish line with a beer & food available from our food truck. Perfect to chat about your day with fellow riders.
Event Program
26th September: GPX files and pre ride briefing video sent by email to each rider.
28th September – 7.45am: Ride village in Glentress opens. Collecting your ride number takes approx 10 mins.
28th September – 8am to 10am: Ride start. We will give you a short ride briefing and set you off in small groups.
28th September – 6.30pm: Rider village closes
28th September – 7pm: Link to ride times & rider photos sent to each participant by email.
Long Route
Starting at Glentress, the route climbs straight away up through the forest and weaves its way to the wind farm, high above the Tweed. It then descends on a mixture of forest trail and bridleway to the valley where the first feed stop will be.
After, the route climbs through the MTB haven of the Golfie at Tweed Valley Forest Park, it then descends back to the valley. The route then heads south of the river and you feel like there are gravel tracks for miles… there are. Elibank and Traquair Forest have the best gravel in the area, and you switch off from everything else apart from the riding.
After another feed, the Cardrona Forest awaits with a sweeping descent and one final hit at Glentress to see you back to the event village after what will have been a big day out on the bike!
Percentage of Route Off Road: 80%
Distance:
100km
Elevation:
2680m
Difficulty:
5/5
Medium Route
The medium route will miss out the longer climb up the wind farm above Glentress and cut a little bit of distance on the second half of the ride out, but apart from that, you will still experience the best gravel this area has to offer.
Percentage of Route Off Road: 80%
Distance:
73km
Elevation:
1890m
Difficulty:
4/5
Short Route
The short route makes the most of Glentress forest and also includes a cycle along the Sustrans cycle path which runs through the Tweed valley.
Percentage of Route Off Road: 70%
Distance:
52km
Elevation:
1180m
Difficulty:
3.5/5
Bike Selection & Packing List
Bike Choice: The route has a good mixture of quality off road gravel trails, a few short techincal bridelways and some small b-roads, so we recommend a gravel bike though a mountain bike will be fine. E-bikes are allowed on all of our rides. Remember to have some good climbing gears on the bike too.
Tyre Choice: A gravel bike would be better for this route. We would recommend 40-50mm width.
Packing List: Bring equipment to be self sufficient on the route (inner tubes, sealant, multi-tool, pump or CO2 etc). We recommend a bell to warn walkers / runners of your presence for the section on the cycle path.
Clothing: September in the borders should be nice but even if the forecast is good, the weather can be very changeable so pack layers & a waterproof jacket. Helmets are mandatory, you will not be able to ride without one.
FAQs
The ride starts and finishes at Glentress with a rolling start any time between 8am and 10am. There is free parking onsite as well as toilets & refreshments. We will send the ride village address by email.
Yes, e-bikes are allowed on all Glorious Gravel ride. These must comply with UK law.
We have first aiders & mechanics at the feed stops. There will be a phone number on the back of your ride number – call this if you need collecting.
Yes, we start between 8am and 9.30am and set people off in small groups so the off road sections are not too busy. Please come to the start line with anyone you want to ride with, we will give a short ride briefing and set you off.