Training plan · Hampshire
New Forest Tour training plan 2027
Saturday 18 September 2027, Gang Warily recreation ground. 162 km with 1,231 m of climbing.
In short
Give yourself 12 to 16 weeks for the New Forest Tour on Saturday 18 September 2027. The Long route is 162 km (101 miles) with 1,231 m of climbing on open roads, south from Fawley to the coast at Lepe and then right round the edge of the National Park. The organiser rates it 2 out of 5, so the day turns on pacing a long, rolling ride evenly, eating from the first hour and giving way to the ponies, cattle and deer on the Forest roads. On WattPlan's model of the course, a rider with an FTP of 230 watts weighing 75 kg rides it in about 5 h 30 min.
The New Forest Tour at a glance
| Date | Saturday 18 September 2027source |
|---|---|
| Start and finish | Gang Warily recreation groundsource |
| Distance (Long) | 162 km (101 miles), 1,231 m of climbingsource |
| Distance (Middle) | 119 km (74 miles), 832 m of climbingsource |
| Distance (Short) | 75 km (47 miles), 496 m of climbingsource |
| Roads | Open roads through the New Forest National Park, shared with traffic and with animals that roam free. Riders follow the Highway Code and the New Forest Cycling Code.source |
| Route | South from Gang Warily to the coast at Lepe, then a loop of the Forest through Beaulieu, Lyndhurst, Bramshaw, Downton, Fordingbridge, Brockenhurst and Sway.source |
| Start | Gates open at 07:00. The Long route starts between 08:00 and 09:00, the Middle between 08:45 and 09:30, the Short between 09:15 and 09:45 and the Rook between 09:45 and 10:00.source |
| Finish | The event finishes at 17:00.source |
| Difficulty | 2 out of 5 from the organiser: wide forest roads and a few gentle rises.source |
| Entry for 2027 | Open now: £49 for the Long route, £45 for the Middle, £35 for the Short and £15 for the 17 km Rook, £5 more on the day, plus a small booking fee. Online entry closes at 13:00 on Wednesday 15 September 2027.source |
| On the day | Chip timing, feed stops, mechanical and medical support, massage and a finisher's medal. Bring your own bottle: the feed stops are plastic free.source |
| Getting there | Free parking on site. The nearest station is Beaulieu Road, about 7.5 miles away.source |
The course
Profile from WattPlan's model of the course (160.3 km routed over OpenStreetMap roads with SRTM heights, © OpenStreetMap contributors). The organiser's figures are in the table above, and their route is the one that counts on the day.
Your power and time on the course
Enter your FTP and weight and WattPlan's route model rides the course for you the way a long day is best ridden: harder on the climbs, where a watt buys the most speed, and easier on the flat, at an effort you can hold to the finish. The figures below are for 230 W and 75 kg until you do.
| Climb | Summit (km) | Length | Average | Steepest | Your power | Your time |
|---|
Eat at about km 23, 45, 66, 88, 109, 131. Riding something else? The free pacing calculator does this for any route from its GPX. In the app, Route analysis adds your own fade over a long day, the wind on the day and a pacing file for your bike computer.
How long to train for the New Forest Tour
Twelve to sixteen weeks of structured training suits most riders for the Long route, which means starting between late May and late June for 18 September. The Middle route, 119 km with 832 m of climbing, needs about ten to twelve weeks, and the 75 km Short about eight.
Most of the build falls in the summer holidays, when the days are long but the weeks are irregular. WattPlan builds the weeks from today to 18 September around the days and hours you can ride, and adjusts the plan when you miss a session.
What the course asks of you
The Long route takes in the whole boundary of the National Park. From Gang Warily it runs south to the coast at Lepe, with the Isle of Wight across the water, then turns inland through Beaulieu and Lyndhurst to the north of the Forest around Bramshaw and Downton, and comes back through Fordingbridge, Brockenhurst and Sway.
It rolls rather than climbs: 1,231 m over 162 km, with no long hills. The higher ground comes in the middle of the day, from about 45 to 105 km across the north and west of the Forest, and the last 50 km from Brockenhurst are lower and flatter. Riding it well means holding an even effort over rises of a minute or two instead of attacking each one. The calculator above rides the course for your FTP and weight, harder on the rises and easier on the flat, so you can see what an even day looks like in watts and how long it takes.
Building to 162 km
Build the long ride by about 30 minutes every two or three weeks until you have ridden four to five hours on rolling roads, three or four weeks before the event. Ride it at the effort you plan to hold on the day, and practise eating and drinking as you go.
Once a week, add two or three blocks of 10 to 20 minutes at a hard but steady effort. They build the strength to hold a good pace on the long drags and into the wind across the open heath.
Ponies, cattle, deer and open roads
The roads stay open to traffic, and ponies, cattle and other animals roam free on most of them and can step into your path without warning. The New Forest Cycling Code asks riders to pass animals slowly and give them plenty of room, never ride more than two abreast and leave gaps for cars to pull into, and the organiser asks you to give way to the animals at all times.
The event falls in the deer rut, so look out for deer as well. The organiser lists lights and bright clothing as essential kit when fog or rain is forecast.
Fuelling, the finish and the weather
The event finishes at 17:00 and the Long route starts between 08:00 and 09:00, which leaves eight to nine hours. Riders who set off at 09:00 need to average about 20 km/h including stops. There are feed stops on the route, but bring your own bottle because they are plastic free, and eat every 45 minutes from the start, around 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate an hour.
Hurn, the Met Office station south-west of the Forest, averages a high of 20 °C and a low of 10 °C in September, with rain on nine or ten days of the month. Mornings can be cool, so start with arm warmers or a gilet you can pack away.
Your plan to 18 September
WattPlan builds the weeks from today to Saturday 18 September 2027 around the days you can ride, and eases off before the day. Take a rider with 230 W of FTP who rides 3 to 5 hours a week now and has an hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays and up to 4 hours on Saturdays: a 16-week plan starting Monday 31 May 2027 has 6 weeks of base, 6 of build, 3 of peak and 1 of taper. It opens at 4 hours a week and builds to 8, with a longest ride of 4 hours. Pick your own days below to see yours.
Free to start, and the New Forest Tour is filled in for you. Premium adds the whole plan to race day and adjusts it when you miss a session or ride harder than planned.
Questions riders ask
How long should I train for the New Forest Tour?
Twelve to sixteen weeks suits most riders for the 162 km Long route, so start structured training between late May and late June for Saturday 18 September 2027.
How hard is the New Forest Tour?
The organiser rates it 2 out of 5. The Long route is 162 km (101 miles) with 1,231 m of climbing on rolling Forest roads, the Middle is 119 km with 832 m and the Short 75 km with 496 m.
Is the New Forest Tour on closed roads?
No. It runs on open roads through the New Forest National Park, shared with traffic and with animals that roam free, and riders follow the Highway Code and the New Forest Cycling Code.
What time does the New Forest Tour finish?
The event finishes at 17:00. The Long route starts between 08:00 and 09:00, the Middle between 08:45 and 09:30, the Short between 09:15 and 09:45 and the Rook between 09:45 and 10:00.
How much does the New Forest Tour cost?
£49 for the Long route online, £45 for the Middle, £35 for the Short and £15 for the 17 km Rook, each £5 more on the day, plus a small booking fee. Online entry closes at 13:00 on Wednesday 15 September 2027.
Where does the New Forest Tour start?
At the Gang Warily recreation ground in Fawley, Southampton SO45 1GA, in the south-east corner of the Forest. Gates open at 07:00 and parking is free. The nearest station is Beaulieu Road, about 7.5 miles away.
More event training plans
Sources
- New Forest Tour, official site
- New Forest Tour 2027 Long route map, UK Cycling Events
- The New Forest Tour 2027 on Let's Do This, the official booking partner
- New Forest Cycling Code
- Met Office, Hurn climate averages
- UK Cycling Events results, including the 2026 New Forest Tour
WattPlan is not connected with the New Forest Tour or its organiser. We've done our best to make sure everything here is accurate, from the details the organiser had published when we checked on Thursday 8 October 2026, and we'll update this page as more details come out. Confirm dates, routes and rules on the official site. Times and power figures come from a physics model and are estimates, not predictions of your result.