The Routes
The Full Boar covers the whole of the Small Boar route but leaves the Small Boar to descend to the river Wye. It then re-joins the Small Boar route.
The Small Boar covers a loop within the Forest of Dean.
Shortcuts
The Woody Boar Shortcut curs out 1.4 miles of the Full Boar route and avoids a 200 ft ascent.
The Hog Shortcut cuts out 5.5 miles of the Full Boar route and avoids a 500 ft ascent. It misses out the descent to the river Wye.
Taking both shortcuts cuts out 7 miles distance (so you ride 36 miles) and cuts out 700 ft of climbs.
Start time
The start time will be 10:00 a.m.
The start will be staggered to avoid crowding and to avoid congestion on the route.
What technical level do you have to be at to undertake the full boar?.
As Forestry England have not permitted us to use old tracks that are not extraction roads, the route within the Forest (i.e. the Small Boar and Woody Boar) is now great for Gravel bikes.
Outside of the Forest, (i.e. the Hog and Full Boar) the descent from St Briavels and the Coxbury and Wyegate Lane section remain a technical challenge more suited to an XC MTB but not beyond the skill of an experienced CX rider.
- If the rider has ridden the Verderers (Blue) trail at Cannop Cycle Centre (i.e. in Sallowvallets Enclosure) then they should easily cope with the technical challenge of the Small Boar.
- If the rider has ridden the Freeminers (Red) trails in Sallow Valets then they should be able to cope with the technical demands of the Full Boar.
- BUT the riders are advised to ride within their limits, outside the Forest the course uses natural trails which feature hazards that must be anticipated. There is nothing that requires ‘jumping’ i.e everything can be “rolled”.
Based on the CTC grading the Wild Boar Chase (both Small and Full) would be Red grade due to distance and amount of climb. But while the Small Boar would be borderline the Full Boar is full-on Red Grade both for distance, climb and technicality. To quote the CTC for a Red grade “The route should be judged on the basis that a reasonably experienced rider riding within his/her level of skill and prevailing ground conditions, would not be expected to fall.”
– Dr John.
Can I use an E-Bike?
Yes, e-bikes are OK.
Is there a gpx download of the route?
A gpx download will be available closer to the day of the event. We will email riders when it is available.
Is the route separate for each distance or are the routes combined?
The full route consists of a large loop (the Full Boar).
There are shortcuts at 3 points:
- The first shortcut is for the Small Boar – the shortest route.
- Further on there is a shortcut called the Woody Boar.
- Further still there is a shortcut called the Hog.
So you can make your mind up which distance to ride while you are on the route.
I have entered the event – can I switch to another distance?
Yes, you can switch to a different distance – on the day if you like. We track the progress of riders at various checkpoints and use this information to work out which route each rider has taken. It is however the rider’s responsibilty to stop at each checkpoint they encounter.