The Henley 100 (Day Ride)
Riders: John, Becky, Barney & Tinashe
Saturday 26th September
Distance: 99.53km | Elevation gain: 1,413m | Time: 6h 21m
View the ride on Strava
We found this route on BIKEPACKING.com. It's designed to be ridden over two days, but we decided to take it on in one.
Getting There
Becky and Tinashe cycled to Paddington and caught the 07:08 to Henley-on-Thames, changing at Twyford, with a total journey of 57 minutes. An off-peak open return was £25, and you don't need to reserve a bike space. It's one of those journeys where a missed connection means an hour's wait for the next train, so we were glad to make it. John and Barney drove up separately and met us in Henley.
We all met around 8:15 by a café in town and got going. An early start is a good way to get the most out of the paths before they get busy.
The Bikes
Becky and Tinashe rode mountain bikes, and John and Barney were on gravel bikes. John was riding the Singular Kite, which has just come into stock and is on display in the shop, so pop in and check it out. The route has a fair few technical sections, so a gravel bike with wide tyres works best, though a hardtail mountain bike handled it just as well.
A tip from experience: if you run Di2, charge it the night before. One rider (who we won't name... it was Barney) arrived to find his mech was flat and had to complete the ride in a single gear.
The Ride
Somewhere in the Warburg Nature Reserve, Barney picked up a puncture on his tubeless setup. We tried spinning the tyre to get the sealant to do its job, but it wouldn't seal, so we plugged it, pumped it up, and were back on our way.
We settled into an easy pace and worked through the route. Climbing starts about 7km out of Henley, with the first chunk running until around 12km. From 17km to 43km the climbing is fairly constant, so get a warm-up in.
Along the way we came across a pheasant feather, and Tinashe decided it belonged in his helmet. It rode the rest of the route with him.
At 44km, Ewelme Village Stores serves really good filter coffee from a pot, and crumpets. There's a sign at the counter that sums up the ethos: "We do not do fast food, we do food as fast as we can." Worth the wait.
Wallingford, at 52km, is a great halfway point for food and snacks. Waitrose did a hand-made Spanish tortilla, sandwiches, pastries, juice and water.
From 44km to around 69km the route stays fairly flat with some rolling hills. From 70km to 90km there are four chunky climbs, and the last 10km are pretty much all downhill.
A Reminder to Stay Alert
In the last 3km, a tree stump got the better of Tinashe and sent him over the handlebars. Luckily there was no damage to the bike, and just a few scratches on the rider. Antiseptic wipes, Savlon and plasters later, we carried on to the finish, and remarkably the pheasant feather stayed firmly in his helmet through the whole thing. It was a good reminder to stay alert, look out for each other, and carry a few first-aid basics.
Planning Your Own Henley 100
When to go: late spring to early winter (April to October) is best, as some trails get very muddy over winter.
Getting there: train to Henley-on-Thames, or park at the station's long-stay car park (charges apply) or free on-street at St Mark's Road.
Heads up: pheasants are released in large numbers in early September, so keep an eye out.
Fancy joining us for the next one? Drop us a line or pop into the shop for a chat.
