Mint Gravel Social Ride/Group Start - 28th June, Kendal
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2025 6:48 pm
If the South Lakes BikeFest/Staveley 3 Valley Challenge and the JennRide weren't enough Cumbrian off-road action for you in June, I'm 'organising' a Mint Gravel group start on Saturday 28th. All welcome. Here's the contents of a mail I sent out earlier today.
Mint Gravel - Group Start plus FKT News
On Saturday 28th June we’re planning a casual ‘group start’ ride of Mint Gravel, our 160k mixed-terrain loop around South Lakeland. This is not a race, nor a strictly organised event, just a somewhat laid-back self-supported social ride that you’re welcome to join.
The plan is to roll out from Gooseholme Bridge, Kendal at 7:00am and to meet back up at The New Union pub just around the corner from 6:00pm onwards. Download the route, grab your bike (a chunky-tyred gravel bike or hardtail MTB is recommended), food and drink, show up, and then it’s entirely down to you …
Last year, we held our inaugural group start on a day of non-stop rain, with Sally O and Zach S completing the route in a time of 11h 35m. Hopefully this year the weather will be more forgiving! We naturally split into a couple of groups last year, and we envisage something similar happening this year.
If you want to join en route, or plan your arrival back in Kendal, here’s a breakdown of how long each section of the route takes riding a brisk 12h 30m finish pace: It’s pretty easy to get to and from Kendal at any point on the route.
FKT News
Last month, Felix Barker set a new self-supported fastest known time on the route with an impressive ride of 9h 45m, bettering Richard Wood’s previous effort by an hour. Chapeau, Felix! We still don’t have a women’s FKT recorded, and would love to address that. If you need some additional encouragement to give it a go, Mint Gravel is now listed at www.fastestknowntimes.org.uk so your achievement will be seen alongside plenty of other speedy riders and established routes.
Please ask if you've any questions. And please share this mail with anyone else you think might be interested in riding the route. We hope to see you soon!
– Pete and Helen
Mint Gravel - Group Start plus FKT News
On Saturday 28th June we’re planning a casual ‘group start’ ride of Mint Gravel, our 160k mixed-terrain loop around South Lakeland. This is not a race, nor a strictly organised event, just a somewhat laid-back self-supported social ride that you’re welcome to join.
The plan is to roll out from Gooseholme Bridge, Kendal at 7:00am and to meet back up at The New Union pub just around the corner from 6:00pm onwards. Download the route, grab your bike (a chunky-tyred gravel bike or hardtail MTB is recommended), food and drink, show up, and then it’s entirely down to you …
- Aim to get around the full route as quickly as possible.
- Ride as much of the route as you can in 12 hours then head back to Kendal.
- Join midway through and ride through the finish.
- Complete the route in as long as it takes.
Last year, we held our inaugural group start on a day of non-stop rain, with Sally O and Zach S completing the route in a time of 11h 35m. Hopefully this year the weather will be more forgiving! We naturally split into a couple of groups last year, and we envisage something similar happening this year.
If you want to join en route, or plan your arrival back in Kendal, here’s a breakdown of how long each section of the route takes riding a brisk 12h 30m finish pace: It’s pretty easy to get to and from Kendal at any point on the route.
FKT News
Last month, Felix Barker set a new self-supported fastest known time on the route with an impressive ride of 9h 45m, bettering Richard Wood’s previous effort by an hour. Chapeau, Felix! We still don’t have a women’s FKT recorded, and would love to address that. If you need some additional encouragement to give it a go, Mint Gravel is now listed at www.fastestknowntimes.org.uk so your achievement will be seen alongside plenty of other speedy riders and established routes.
Please ask if you've any questions. And please share this mail with anyone else you think might be interested in riding the route. We hope to see you soon!
– Pete and Helen