The Battle in the Bowl

The Battle in the Bowl takes place at Matterley Bowl near Winchester on June 12th, and is inspired by both it's location's history and geography. Matterley Bowl was used as a troop base in WW2, and in the run up to D Day, Eisenhower chose the venue to address his gathered forces. The huge natural Amphitheatre has a few kilometers of fast gravel track running around it's perimeter, an undulating grass basin that will accommodate over a mile of taped off technical course and a soaring track climbing around the rim of the horseshoe bowl some 60 metres above the floor of the bowl. All of which will feature on the massive four mile lap, joined up by a flying forest descent to get you back down to the main arena.

Battle in the Bowl will feature a full schedule of races, headlined by the two hour Elite Super CX. This will be an endurance test for event the most seasoned cross racer; the course is going to be (mostly) fast throughout, but the scale and duration of the race will test how well you can sustain that speed. The Elite race will be open to cross and gravel bikes only, but will be preceded by Open Warfare - the 5 lap (20 mile) Open Category race for bikes of all stripes, including MTBs, 29ers or whatever you care to pitch up on. There are even specific single-speed and fat bike categories, plus bravery awards for those choosing the most outlandishly inappropriate steeds! The day's schedule will also feature junior races and CX skills sessions, with more to be announced!

Battle in the Bowl promises to be a spectacular day of racing, on a breathtaking course for both riders and spectators. 90% of the circuit will be visible from the main arena, so there will be plenty to watch while you're not actually racing, plus family and friends will be welcome to come for the day and cheer you on!