Adventure cyclist Vin Cox has teamed up with Tempus Leisure (an independent ‘not for profit’ charity), Cornwall Council, and Pavé Velo – a bike shop in St Austell, Cornwall – to create his own unique vision of an Adventure Cross, sportive and cyclo-cross hybrid events that are already finding traction in the US, where they are known as a ‘Gravel Grinders’.
Set for the weekend of August 30 – September 1, the first Cornwall Adventure Cross will be a triple 34km loop through dramatic forest trails, broadleaf woodland paths, wild open moorland and quiet Cornish lanes, with the option for either relay team participation or solo glory. The event comes with some interesting extras too: on Friday evening, there will be a grand tour style ‘Prologue Time Trail’ around a circuit at the free campsite and on the sportive itself anyone with a competitive inclination can race along a few timed segments of the course. Both the trial sections and the prologue times will then be added up to find who was the quickest, making this a sportive with a genuine winner.
Sunday’s races also double up as the opening round of the South West Cyclo-Cross Series. All categories – novice, children, women, and elite men – are welcome in the races, and on the Friday afternoon there’s also children’s coaching from British Cycling.
For further details see adventurecross.co.uk or to read our interview with Vin Cox after his epic 29,000km world circumnavigation record click here.
