Drover's Roads & Vale Tracks.

212km cycling event starting from Tewkesbury. Controls at Mitchell Troy Gc, Sebastopol, Open Hearth., Shepherd's Patch and Tewkesbury., plus 3 information controls.

Spend a summer day exploring a mixture of roads and tracks (all public rights of way). The roads undulate, the tracks are on the flat. Dust-off your gravel bike for an adventure to places & vias not often travelled

A new event for 2020. An eclectic mix of rolling roads (one good climb) and nine off-road tracks (all by-passable - though extra distance incured). The controls are well experienced with audax events, hot & cold food & drink available at each. The first stage follows a drovers route west from Tewkesbury. Following a road stretch, you cross numerous river vallies, following quiet lanes to the second control at Usk. after a warm-up, the ride's major climb over Wentwood before dropping down to the Caldicot levels and some off-roading. Following some more roads and paths you cross the M48 Severn Bridge, quickly picking-up lanes and tracks (highlight cyan on map) on the way to The Black Shed at Shepherd's Patch. Continuing on Tow paths, lanes and traffic-free cycle routes you make your way to Gloucester Cathedral. Leaving the City centre on more traffic-free tracks, and lanes following the ancient droving route all the way back to the arrivee at Tewkesbury. A gravel bike would be ideal for the optimal progress, a hard tail MTB (with lockable forks for road) might make for easier track passage, but possibly slower progress when not on tracks. In either case, road tyres rather than out & out off-road rubber would be recommended.