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How did it go?
They were intending starting at 6:45 so not scheduled to have finished yet ?
What a great day.
10 hours 50 - with about and hour and a half of stops on top. First bit to QECP was slippy, but beyond was dry...wind worked in our favour
feel suprisingly OK today!
Raining now so you picked right day 🙂
Congratulations to all.
Was a good ride. We certainly did pick the right day.
Feel alright today although my knees were feeling a bit achey on a slooooow dog walk this morning.
Good riding with you and Mike. Hope Will's feeling better soon. Big thanks to Dan as well.
Well done Nick! Good speed!
Congratulations to all.
erm...
Our effort wasn't to be, unfortunately. Jim called at midnight saying he'd been called into work on Saturday. So it was just Sion and me. Punctures and some navigation confusion sucked a bit of time early on, and Sion found that 100 miles with plenty of climbing on a road bike isn't quite the same off road. Phone call from Sion at the top of the descent into Cocking (I was at the bottom) saying he'd punctured, and he'd pinched a whole in his last inner tube with the lever getting it in. And he didn't have any patches. Back up the hill...
I had a bit of a strop while we fixed his tubes because I realised our pace was off where it needed to be, and we wouldn't get to Eastbourne before 10 cut-off (dark and trains) ummed and ahhed to Amberley about whether to be a **** and drop Sion, trying to work out how much pace I had, how much time I was losing waiting for him - I'd been lucky with punctures and feeling pretty strong. Sion said he'd get off at Devils Dyke as he was done in.
But with all the wondering and introspection (Sion had been a late invite and I was wondering whether I should have been clearer about the challenges, asked more about his fitness...) I started to have bit less fun on the hills, realised I was slowing down, did some more maths, figured Eastbourne was too far and it was too late, and I wasn't confident enough in my fitness to know I could pin it for the last 40 miles.
So I pulled the plug too, we stopped lots, looked at the views, walked up the steep bits, and after a longing look at the trail past Devil's Dyke, rolled down the hill into Brighton.
Pretty disappointed, because the last part of the SDW is my favourite, and I was really looking forward to the sense of accomplishment and fulfilment rolling down the hill into Eastbourne.
Still, not been on the mountain bike since January, just been riding to work, 5 miles pretty much flat, so I'm not beating myself up too much!
And it's still there...
Ned - yep they aren't going anyway.
Nuke - thanks for setting a great tempo 8)
Time to get back on a proper bike for some trail riding though!
Epic day out on Saturday....Beautiful route, sublime riding!
Couple of observations...A good GPS file does help, even if you have maps....although it's well signposted too.
Knowing where the taps are is also important. Despite warnings only one puncture..1 mile from Eastbourne!
Got to Eastbourne quite late on Saturday evening. Decided the return route on Sunday was a bridge too far bearing in mind the wind and we trained it back to Winchester. Now wondering when I can do it again!
I went it alone. Met a guy on the train at Eastleigh. Met another bearded guy at Winchester station, then saw him again with a puncture a few miles in. I did have to chuckle at the group of 3 who I met at by the old naval base who were 4 hours in and were ****ed. I doubt they made it. Saw one group of 3 around the A27 then again at Alfriston, one had a purple top on, they were still going well. I was flagging near the end, just made it for bang on 12 hours. Good fun day out, now planning to go quicker next time 🙂
Hi tommo, I was riding (standing) with the bearded puncture guy. Glad you had a good time. And a good time.
I've got another couple of dates in the diary for next month for another pop
we met an early group, 2 with no lids looking in real trouble early on on old winchester hill.
tommo, that was me in purple!
were you on a commencal, we passed a chap on one several times later in the day.
Nick - Yeah I was on the Commencal, muttering how tired I was out of Alfriston! You boys were looking strong at that point...
Ned - yeah I passed you just past the first road crossing out of Winchester, I asked if you were ok and you muttered something like "it's gonna be a long one". I did feel for you guys, a few miles in with a puncture is not good. Then I soon passed another group also with a puncture stop - four of those in that group I think.
ah yes you did look to be going backwards rather!
- i somehow had a 3rd wind! and the end was in sight!!!
well done on your own. Being in a team made it easier I think, gates, setting a pace etc...
four of those in that group I think.
on full sussers, fair bit of lycra, 40's-ish? We yo-yo'd with them up to Cocking. 3 of them passed Sion, punctured at the top of Cocking, then me at the bottom, but didn't think to tell me he was stopped. I guess they didn't need to, but it might have been helpful.