White Horse Challenge | 70 Mile

Time standards

All finishers will achieve Bronze standard. Although the ride is not a race, some riders will want to time themselves. Women move up one age category. The ride has therefore been graded into the following Gold/Silver categories:

Long route

• Age up to 39 years | 5h00m/6h00m
• 40-49 years | 5h20m/6h20m
• 50-59 years | 5h40m/6h40m
• 60+ years | 6h00m/7h00m

Medium route

• Age up to 39 years | 4h00m/5h00m
• 40-49 years | 4h20m/5h20m
• 50-59 years | 4h40m/5h40m
• 60+ years | 5h00m/6h00m

GPX route

The route is displayed on the map above.

Overview

This will be a useful early-season ride that will enable riders to gauge their fitness level as they cycle through Wiltshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire some significant climbing.

Start and finish is at the Memorial hall in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The route has been designed to travel along some of the most beautiful parts of Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire (especially the Marlborough and Lambourn downs).

Each white horse you pass is a symbol of time – some prehistoric, some Victorian, all part of a journey that blends physical challenge with cultural depth.

A lot of care has been taken with the route to ensure that it challenges participants. Relatively quiet roads with good surfaces have been selected to keep away from as much traffic as possible.

Map

White Horses

• At least 24 white horses are known across the UK, although not all are visible today.
• There are believed to have been 13 in Wiltshire, eight of which can still be seen.
• Most of them are chalk carvings.
• Only the Uffington horse, in Oxfordshire, is of prehistoric origin, dating back some 3,000 years. The Uffington horse is one of only four that face to the right.
• Marlborough was cut in 1804 by schoolboys.
• In 1780, Dr. Christopher Alsop of Calne created the Cherhill white horse.
• The Devizes horse was cut in 1845 by local shoemakers.
• Hackpen's origin is uncertain, although it may have been created in 1838 to mark Queen Victoria's coronation.
• Westbury is the oldest Wiltshire white horse and dates back at least 300 years.
• A new white horse was carved in Pewsey in 1937, but the original one dates back to about 1785.
• The horses are mostly chalk figures, made by cutting and removing the turf to reveal chalk beneath. It is then filled with loose chalk.
• They vary in size. The largest is Uffington at 365ft (112m) long and 110ft (34m) high.
• There are at least five known white horses abroad - in America, South Africa, Mexico, Morocco (which has two) and New Zealand.

Event HQ

Shrivenham Memorial Hall
Highworth Road
Shrivenham
Swindon
Oxfordshire
SN6 8BL
UK

Parking

There is a public car park in Shrivenham. Also, there is a significant amount of parking available on public streets close to the Memorial Hall (place of registration). There are also many spaces for parking along the main street in Shrivenham without any need to pay on Sunday. 

Included

• Clearly signed route with marshals to help at key locations
• Electronic timed event
• Two well-stocked feed stations
• Finishers medal
• Mechanical support kindly provided by Tony Staples (Mobile Cycle Medic, Shrivenham)
• Official photographer
• Individual times will be added with Gold, Silver and Bronze standard
• Results will be published on the website shortly after the event

Optional extra

• Event tech T-shirt available in S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL sizes (order at the same time as entering) £10

Sponsorship raised from this event will be donated to the Prospect Hospice.

The Prospect Hospice offer unparalleled end-of-life care services for a community of more than 330,000 people in Swindon, Marlborough and north east Wiltshire.

If you prefer not to collect sponsorship, there is an option to make a donation to the Prospect Hospice instead.

Entry fees