Route Preview

Adam Jones

Adelice Ashworth

Alex Boswell

Alex Grahame

Alex Thorel

Alli Holland

Andy Georges

Anna Carlqvist

Ben Bradley

Benjamin James Bollans

Clive Cosby

Colin Cartwright

Colin Smith

Dan Spinney

David Wong

Dicky Hibbert

Genevieve Hull

George Kitto

George Morris

Andrew Graff

Graham Spiller

Harriet Goers

Harvey Tye

Hashim Hassan

Helen Oldridge

Ian Trevis

James Gill

James Pearce

Jess Wood

John Adamson

John Wilson

Jon Pugh

Jonny Packham

Laura Massey-Pugh

Laura McAuley

Lizzie Dunthorne

Matt Dipper

Matt Slater

Michael Wykes

Musa Akinosho

Nathan Woodhouse

Nick Dobinson

Nick Hodgson

Nicky Shaw

Patrick Cope

Rhys Clarke

Samuel Russell

Sean Parrett

Steve Cole

Steven Smith

Tom Reynolds

Thomas Saunders

Will Ward

William Marston

Alison Dockney

James Scrivener

Elizabeth Brown

Laurence Brown

Jon Cox

James Page

Crew 1

Welcome to this year’s coverage of The Wild West Country, which is returning for the fourth time. It’s Rob Gardiner here and I’ll be quickly introducing the event before I hand over to Robbie Britton, who is back at the keyboard for WWC25.

## Introducing The Wild West Country
This fixed-route event is 845 kilometres long, with just over 11,500 metres of climbing, and sticks almost entirely to paved roads. Beginning and ending in the Cotswolds, it loops through the southwest of England, an area renowned for its short, steep climbs and narrow lanes.

60 riders will set off to tackle the route, departing in waves of eight at two minute intervals from 09:00 on Friday.
<iframe src="https://ridewithgps.com/embeds?type=route&id=50074535&metricUnits=true&sampleGraph=true&distanceMarkers=true" style="width: 1px; min-width: 100%; height: 700px; border: none;" scrolling="no"></iframe>

## What is new for 2025?
We have a few small changes for 2025 - the most obvious of which is the addition of our first manned checkpoint. This checkpoint is the Old National School in the tiny hamlet of Sampford Spiney, on the edge of Dartmoor. It offers riders an intermediate target, where they will be welcomed by the Windover Bikes crew.

Otherwise, the route remains largely unchanged, save for a few minor tweaks. The largest change is in the first 30 km, where we have had to detour around a closed road, meaning a slightly different (and marginally slower) route out of the Cotswolds.

What is not new - thankfully - is our start location, which remains The Bike Drop at Brimscombe Mill. This time last year, we were expecting the mill to have to close, but in a rare [good news story](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz04zdvz8dmo), sense has prevailed. 

## The Route in More Detail
### A fast start
The riding begins very slowly with a steep climb up Brimscombe Hill, but it soon speeds up as the riders cross the gently rolling landscape of the southern Cotswolds, so progress will be fast. The altered route for this year uses smaller lanes, so the pace may be slightly down on previous years though.

This deceptively fast progress will be a feature of the first 150km of the route. Passing over Clifton Suspension Bridge and descending Cheddar Gorge, the riders will be treated to some of the tourist sights. However, a headwind on this section is highly likely.

![wwc24-cheddar-gorge-12 (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/Zr74468GGAOTAXjb6WIkM/990d9f2a0a847c20e41099278d6a90f0/wwc24-cheddar-gorge-12__1_.jpg)

### The climbs begin
Once the riders pass Bridgwater (not one of the aforementioned tourist sights), the difficulty begins to slowly ratchet upwards as the climbs become steeper and more frequent. Their fresh legs will likely get them over the Quantocks with little difficulty, but the toughest section of the route lies at around 200km.

Here, they begin the first of two ascents of Dunkery Beacon, which are swiftly followed by the Porlock Toll Road. Although gentler than the main road, this is still a tough climb after what precedes it.

The following section contains yet more climbing through Exmoor and over to Woolacombe, before they finally happen upon some respite on the Tarka Trail. This multi-use path is the only flat bit of tarmac for miles and will likely be empty by the time most riders reach it, if they do not stop before then.

![wwc24-porlock-toll-04 (1) (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5ukNRk38yCGDIFd2WxhJbl/b2abd9500642ed80a3e534ac440bf677/wwc24-porlock-toll-04__1___1_.jpg)

### Across Dartmoor and towards the Purbecks
The recovery on the Tarka Trail does not last long before Dartmoor appears. Here, the manned checkpoint greets them, offering some additional recovery.

The route crosses the national park via a succession of tough climbs, culminating with Haytor, which is at roughly the halfway point on the route. For the riders who have gone through the night, they can expect to be getting here around sunrise.

Some gentler riding will follow as the riders make their way through Exeter, before they begin a beautiful stretch of Devon and Dorset coastline. For the next 100 or so kilometres, the climbs are a little smaller but just as steep and unrelenting.

This section culminates with the last few sharp climbs on the (misleadingly named) Isle of Purbeck, with spectacular views over the coast below. From the beautiful ridgetop road, the route drops towards CP3 on the coast. The final 1.5km are on a toll road with views over Kimmeridge Bay, where the CP is located.

![sam-dartmoor-wwc24-1 (1) (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5KK6qKmklB90wXq7Cg8qh9/04e647f62970bf16c8ce1fe4a48f3a47/sam-dartmoor-wwc24-1__1___1_.jpg)

### Inland and away from the hills
Swinging north, the route leaves the coastline behind. This inland riding brings with it much gentler gradients and faster roads, as the rolling countryside resumes. In fact, this section is relentlessly rural and actually offers surprisingly little in the way of resupply, which may present an unexpected challenge for riders.

With just over 100km to go, the Wessex Downs will rise up and greet the riders with a carved white horse. They will then fly between the standing stones of Avebury’s ancient circle, as the flatlands south of the Cotswolds offer up some precious easy riding.

A final loop of the idyllic Yanworth Valley is included to give a taste of the best of the Cotswolds (and some bonus climbs), before the route swings back towards the finish.

![wwc24-finish-04 (1)](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5eZULUC2STgN0qaF5duiOV/efe89e2643ed46b15a25cf0208a6d50b/wwc24-finish-04__1_.jpg)


The Wild West Country is a display of some of the finest roads in the South West of England, and ticking off some National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty via some short sharp climbs and winding lanes.

Wild West Country 2025 Tracking and Commentary

The Wild West Country 2025

DotWatcher.cc

The Wild West Country 2025

Distance — Elevation

Terrain

Website

Last Year's Female Winner

Last Year's Male Winner

Leaderboard

Solo

Pair

Events Feed