.I found camping out in Friston forest the night before the ride was much more fun than getting a hotel room in Eastbourne.

And this is why bikes are great, as we’re all different.

Word of warning, some of the gates have very heavy bits of dead Tractor on chain to assist with closure and it’s not unknown for tired riders to let the weight clang against their rear mech towards the end, resulting in shitty shifting or snapped mech hanger.

I did it in a day a couple of times in my twenties, then on my 30th birthday and on my 40th.
It is my 50th in July and I will (hopefully) do it again in a day. Just started ‘training’ which means less time messing about in the woods and going on some bigger ‘proper’ rides. My problem will not be fitness (I think) but arthritis starting in my hands and a buggered neck that makes long rides tricky. However at the moment I don’t have a sensible bike and so might by a full suss 29er and then sell it on when I have done it.
I always have a pint at Devil’s Dyke and another in Alfriston. I also take on some peanuts for salt and protein just to keep me healthy.
When I started doing it bikes were pretty bumpy and I have done it on a rigid bike but my hands were wrecked, couldn’t feel most of my fingers. It is that aspect that I recall as the worst I think.

Done it loads, it’s doable if you can crack out a 100k road ride at pace. Just watch the off camber chalk and rooty sections under the trees.

Last year BHF SDW ride was hot, I’m talking really hot. Lot’s of folks cramping up due to not enough salt. I gave a NuuN tablet to a chap doubled up on a gate – he looked at it like pure gold. My pennies worth of advice is
1) Take sun cream.
2) Lube up on Bum Butter or similar, even if you normally do not.
3) Pack as lightly as possible. Aim for just rear pockets.
4) Use your exact kit for many weeks before.
5) Full Suss 100mm is plenty of bike, less tread the better.
6) One bottle with whole tube of Nuun tablets or similar.
7) Tubeless with worms tubeless repair kit.
8) Pump, CO2, patches, superglue, tyre boot, rubber glue, multitool, spare links, hanger, Leatherman Squirtx2, Levers (specialized EMT) big but work – always, gear cable down bars, chain freshly Putolined.
9) Do not take mates, you will make them on the way.
10) Take a small MP3 player and enjoy the day out.

The do not take mates is an odd one, I passed so many groups that were hanging around for Bob who had a puncture or Phil who was struggling and generally moaning and worrying about time. It is such a long way that you really cannot have many issues before you are never going to make it. Go yourself, set a personal challenge and chill. Having a relaxed attitude and pacing yourself is very important. At the start (5am) I was with the lead group, 30 mins in I stopped to take snaps of the amazing sunrise and just breathed the air for a bit, just amazing to be out starting an immense day. Sure everyone else charged on.. I also stopped for 30mins at QE park about 25 miles in at 7.15-7.45 and had was first in line for sausage sandwiches and fresh coffee. Trust me, those saved me in the hours to come.

The funniest thing is Winchester, the town and Pizza place had several obvious MTB’ers decked out in full gear wandering around the night before loading up on pasta. We all got chatting, the red wine flowed a little, nice night.

I am praying for no rain and a gentle tailwind. Wet and headwind and I very much doubt I will make it.

Doing the SDW – Winch to Eastbourne end of May.

Does anyone have the route I can download to my Garmin please?

LOL at DrP’s idea that he took a lot of food. That’s just a few snacks. Not done the SDW, but guess the WHW is about the same effort. This is what I ate on the ride itself:

coffee
scone and jam
two cheese ham and picked onion sandwiches
2 chocolate pancakes
honey roast cashews/peanuts
jelly babies
toasted pitta bread
Baton de Berger Salami
tin of Soup
Squeezy fruit purees
1 litre Apple Juice
1 litre grape juice
4 cans of Pepsi
1 can of Irn Bru
8 bananas
Packet of fig rolls
2 Ambrosia rice pudding
couple of slices of smoked ham
packet of wine gums
lots of water
oh and a couple of boiled eggs

four, yes, will look at that tomorrow for you.

Wally thank you – I’ve found a few on Google but the accuracy appears a bit ‘off’.

Found it four, – message sent for email details.

Sod carrying too much. When i soloed it last year I stopped at Amberley for a proper lunch and QECP for cake. Too early for the ice cream van at Ditchling though. Peanuts, pork pies and the taps saw me through in just under 12h.

I always have a pint at Devil’s Dyke and another in Alfriston. I also take on some peanuts for salt and protein just to keep me healthy.

🙂

I’m planning to do it for the first time this year too, was planing to do it last week but wasn’t fully prepared so now aiming for the last week in July. Using this as a GPX for the route, anyone confirm it’s a good one?

Strava SDW Segment

I’ll be doing just over 110 miles as I’m doing it solo with no real support. Planning to stay at the Winchester Travelodge the night before and set off at 5am, the car will be left in Eastbourne somewhere so I have a target to aim for. A friend who has done it a few times said I’d be fine if I can do a few 30 milers in a week without feeling like crap, did 145 miles last week all round Welsh trail centres so my fitness is there now. I’m just going to focus on keeping moving at a steady pace and keeping fed and watered at regular intervals while not focusing on the miles to go! I’ve done the L-Brighton the last 2 years without any issues at all so long days in the saddle isn’t the issue. Last week’s riding taught me that I can keep going at a lower pace for hours and hours so I should be fine as long as I keep to my pacing goal.

Hope everyone who’s doing it this year has a good one 😀

Dear god, I feel sick just looking at the list of thegeneralist’s food!

Down to do this on 15th July (22nd if weather postpones), I’m accompanying a friend whose riding it raising sponsorship funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Trust.

Great thread, picking up tips, keep em coming 🙂

If it’s wet, be very careful on the faster sections of flint/chalk road. I was bombing along the Graffham Common section thinking I was making really good time when the front wheel went from under me and I crashed hard, ripping my shorts, damaging a boa on my shoe, and mangling the rear mech and hanger. Sad times.

Take sime tyre patches cut out of an old toothpaste tube. Had this happen a couple of times in the last few months on the South Downs flint.

That reminds me to pack a little bottle of sealant and those large tubeless patches with superglue. Last year I found the worms and tool kit saved me, but it was just a large hole, not a tear.

I’ve only tried it once so far and failed after about 80 miles. This despite having happily ridden far further for far longer on road bikes many times. Some pointers from my experience of that ride (and many other shorter rides on the SDW). This obviously isn’t aimed at the sort of people who are likely to knock it out in 10 hours, this is for the losers like me 🙂

– Logistics can be the biggest issue. If you’re able to sleep at one end or can get someone to collect you by car then great, but if you’re relying on trains it’s a three hour journey from one end to the other. I chose to get the earliest train from Winchester to Eastbourne on a Friday, which resulted me setting off at 8am. If I was doing it again I’d start in the small hours and get the train at the end.

– In mid summer the ground is hard, with baked-in impressions of horses’ hooves and tractor tyres in places, and if you’re on a rigid bike the terrain will beat you up. YMMV: some people do it on cross bikes, of course.

– The weather can make or break it. The day I did it was as humid as any I’ve ridden in, with a big thunderstorm that broke in the evening. I’d have taken a miserable winter’s day over that, without a doubt.

– As with any big ride, don’t come into it with a big sleep deficit (this also scuppered my attempt).

– Note the position of the taps: if it’s hot and/or humid you’ll need them. Also note the locations of food close to the trail (unless you’re the sort who can exist all day on gels and Haribo). If you don’t know these spots and find yourself randomly looking for food or water at any point then finding it elsewhere normally involves a significant detour which won’t help your endeavour and will normally necessitate a climb back up to the Way.

– The above advice about tyre boots is sound. Flint cuts are a real risk.

– If you have a GPS, use it. For the most part the signposting is good but there are a few points which can really trip you up. Load up a tried and tested GPX file and set an off-course warning: if you do that, you don’t need to watch the GPS for navigation but you’ll avoid wasting time and energy on accidental diversions.

– Don’t assume it’s going to be fun. The views are nice but it’s the sort of trail that when you’re just chewing on it for a whole day you’ll probably start to see all its bad points and not its good points. But if you finish, it’ll all be good 😉

Did it last Sunday (7th)

8am Winchester – 5:45pm Eastbourne

forgot how hard those last few hills are

has anyone got a GPX or link to the BHF route please? I live fairly close so thinking about going and doing a couple of rides 40-60 miles ish to assess the likelihood of me doing the whole thing (in a day – definitely want to do it over 2/3 days as well at some point) 🙂

amt27

Think we spoke briefly on Kingston Ridge above Lewes just before Southease.
You were certainly going well for someone with 80miles in there legs at that point.

How are people getting from Eastbourne to Winchester if leaving a car in Eastbourne?

wilburt – Member
How are people getting from Eastbourne to Winchester if leaving a car in Eastbourne?

Cycling 😉

lol 😆

I see it got sub 24hr doubled at the weekend on a CX bike, my wrists hurt at thought
https://cordal.cc/

Train via Clapham Junction is the easiest route from one end to the other.
Ive done it 3 times, failed on 2 attempts as well. 1 x mechanical and 1 x serious bonk at Truleigh hill.
T’is a grand day out but so weather dependant.
I use a single bottle now as there are more taps than before and they are every 8 miles apart , give or take, so come up quickly.

Its also got more sanitized over the years too. There is also a BW detour that saves a few mtrs above Cocking.

Beware some of the gates used to have barbed wire around them or across the bottom , so riding into them hoping they might magically open could result in a puncture.

@Bez 80 mioes of the sdw does not make you a loser in my book !

Did this last weekend (3rd June) probably one of the best days i’ve had on the bike, probably aided by perfect conditions.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1019227665

I’ll get a blog post done, but a few tips:

– A 29er with front sus was ideal. A CX bike would have hurt.
– Make a note of the water taps/stops. I ran out and forget where they were, but did manage to find one not too far away
– The route is all signed, and very well too, I still took 3/4 wrong turns, so best to have a gpx file as well
– Savory food was a god send. Boiled eggs are the future.
– I took basic spares, but plenty of food, all held in an Alpkit bag on the bars
– As Njee said, there are loads and loads of gates, averages out at 1 a mile I think…
– The second half (Winchester to Eastbourne) is harder… Those hills…

It’s a brilliant route and i’ll go back in a few weeks and do it again.

I did it on an 80mm singlespeed hardtail. Fitted it with a thudbuster for the run though.

BHF 15th July, boring train question. Had hoped for lift back but unlikely to happen now.

What are the chances of me getting on a train back to Winchester that evening? Are they accommodating or will they tell me where to go? Don’t mind getting the last train at 10 ish; may not be there much before! (Plan would be to kip in van both evenings)

Would it be any better in the morning? Could bivi Eastbourne Sat night.

(Looks like might be industrial action on trains to make it more fun.)

Cheers

I believe you’ll be fine,if they are running. I’ve gone back on the evening and the morning after before with no problem.

Trains run quite late into the evening, past 11pm and you can still get back to Winchester. I’d be more worried about Southern Trains industrial action. Bad planning is getting to Eastbourne after the chip-shop closes

Ha – I’m 8th on the SDW strava leaderboard!

As if!!

DrP

Link us up Dr P. I’ve got 12 days until my attempt.

I’m hoping for <12 hours.

Lol must remeber chips shop. But you think I be okay even with the BHF event?

GHS, me and a mate have booked the Seaview guesthouse locally and staying over.

I’m doing it on the 15th* too. A friend is doing it to raise funds for a MS charity & I’m riding it alongside him. We have our own support vehicle to ease logistics. We’re in the Premier Inn in Winchester Friday, Eastbourne Saturday. We’ll be the unlikely duo on a white Specialized Enduro carbon & a tiny 650b green hardtail, say “hi” if you see us.

*22nd if weather is pants.

Will do qwerty, we’ll be on a green Spearfish and likely a Whyte t130 in sky blue.

Some great advice here. I have tried it twice, completed once.

First time was with a group of mates, stopped halfway at Amberley and had beers and a good meal. Rained off at Lewes on day 2, chalk was lethal and we decided to go home.

Second time went about 65 miles day one solo, pub dinner and then on at 6am next morning. Kind fellow from STW joined and helped motivate me to Eastbourne. He also shared a gpx file, which was a massive help.

I had a 5in full susse, overbiked but nice to have suspension all round. I was not very fit but it is a great sense of accomplishment.

I did faff a lot and ate three breakfasts on the way, so I am sure I could have been more efficient!