Sherpa Performance Gravel Race, 27 Jul 2025
The Sherpa Performance Gravel Race at Euston Estate, Suffolk, was my first-ever gravel race. The course consisted of four 17km laps across private estate land, with a mix of grass, gravel, and sandy tracks. Traffic-free but far from easy, the terrain was relentless and offered no smooth sections across the entire 68km.
I was entered in the Female Masters category, starting in a mass wave with the Masters men. With only six women in our field, I had no expectations other than to finish. I started near the back, unsure of what to expect and having opted out of the 17km sighting lap!
The race opened with a long, grassy 1km climb—an energy-sapping drag that set the tone early. Rain earlier in the week had fortunately packed down some of the sand, making those sections more rideable, but the course was still brutally rough. My gravel bike handled the conditions brilliantly, but I made a rookie mistake by forgetting gloves. By the end of lap two, I could feel the blisters coming on, but I channeled my inner Lizzie Deignan (a la Paris-Roubaix!) and pushed through.
My first lap was my slowest, as I settled in and got used to the terrain. But once I found my rhythm, my diesel engine kicked in. I didn’t get any faster, but I didn’t slow down either, which allowed me to pick off a few of the riders ahead over the rest of the race.
On lap three, I was questioning whether I would get to do the 4th lap due to the time cut off, but a lovely rider from St Ives CC offered some much-needed encouragement. Together, we stayed just ahead of the race leader, which meant we were allowed out for a final lap with 47 minutes to complete it. Given each lap was taking around 45 minutes, it was tight—but doable.
Tim’s advice to ride at Tempo turned out to be spot-on. There was no room for heroics, just steady, consistent effort. I crossed the line in third place in the Female Masters category, proud, blistered, and smiling.
A tough but brilliant introduction to gravel racing—and hopefully the first of many.
Julie Taplin