CX Sportive - The Gold Rush

w00dster

Quick question for anyone from here who is doing the Gold Rush CX Sportive on the 15th Oct or knows the terrain around Salisbury / Cranborne Chase.
http://www.cxsportive.com/events/gold-rush-cx/

I haven't signed up yet, just wondering if my choice of bike and tyre are appropriate? Thinking of using a Trek Domane Disc with Bontrager CX3 Team Issue Tyres, these are 33mm wide. I could possibly go wider with a tyre, but a 35 may work - not tried it yet. Thinking maybe a Panracer Gravel King with 35mm will fit due to it not being knobbly. But then the 33''s may offer better grip if its muddy.

My other option would be to use a mtb, but mine is a plus bike and likely to be overkill and pretty slow going on the course.

hdow

The route includes Zig-Zag Hill which the organisers claim has the most hairpins of any road in Britain. Is this true?

Bealach na Ba has at least as many but the real winner could be Serpentine Hill (Sa Calobra) on Bute with 13.

jamlala

I rode it today with my Schwalbe 33 cross tyres and slashed them to bits on the flint! Got away with only 2 punctures but I think maybe they were the wrong choice tyres. Kinda put me off going tubeless again as I had to put tubes in, but maybe this isn't the right terrain for them. Still learning!

w00dster

I used my Bontrager CX0 32mm's. Clinchers. No flats.
No grip what so ever on the early muddy stage though. Pretty decent grip on the gravel but proper boneshaking, i had my tyre pressure too high to try and reduce potential flats.
In hindsight i think i would use my XC hardtail for the next event with tubeless mud tyres.
Some of the road sections werent great, single lane country roads with on coming traffic on one of the wet slippy downhills springs to mind. Overall though pretty good fun.