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@poopscoop, can I suggest, just to pop a thought into your head, you have a look at the King Alfreds Way.
what was the damage from the first ride/fall - didn't see the full details
Just want stop the thread being locked.
Did bugger all biking last year, sod all. Family commitments etc.
Desperate to get upto some little adventures this year but it's really dependant on family being to help out with things. We shall see.
I'd like to ride the Ridgeway, just that alone would be great. The SDW is always on my mind for summer as I just love every aspect of it. Utterly beautiful. Some of my most pleasant memories of recent years are thanks to riding the SDW. I even fondly smile about the crashes now. Riding Peddars Way there and back was great too, really enjoyed that.
Need to get fit, again... lose weight, again and find out why my right knee is giving me problems even such I am just walking these days.
I never realised how much I *need* to ride a bike as I did last summer, when I couldn't. It had/has a really negative effect on me.
Whatever people's riding plans are this year, have a great time doing them.🚴🌄
Just want stop the thread being locked.
"Don't let the story end!
Quite right. I don't want my SDW story to end either. Great memories of great rides with great people. Always an adventure.
Not sure what the next one will be.
Hard freeze coming in a week or two...
in regards to the ridgeway i would love to cycle the whole thing as i live not far from the avebury end of it and have only ridden a short part of it (i just ride marlborough downs usually (when i do ride there). furthest i have ridden is to liddington castle near marlborough i think it was called.
like you i also haven't ridden very much for a long time now and would like to remedy that too,so need to start riding again as i have too much gap between any ride i do tbh.
good luck @poopscoop with it man ,i always like reading up on your rides and fair play to you for doing the sdw also (i would love to ride there one day but too far away unfortunately.
@racefaceec90 - I did (40 miles) of the Ridgeway as part of the King Alfred's Way at the end of last September, it was probably the best part of the KAW in my opinion. We went from Avebury to Streatley as part of the KAW route, great views, big skies and great tracks, a warm sunny day also helped the vibe. Could be a very good two day ride, Avebury to the Thames (Streatley/Goring), overnight there and ride back the next day.
Scoop, i can put you up for the night/nights if you do Ridgeway. We're about 500m from the Ridgeway route. Heck i'll even ride some/all of it if you want company, but understand if you want to solo it. I know the Avebury>Goring side very very well and the Goring>north side reasonably.
Ridgeway double was awesome but the single would be just as cool, ride half the published double route west to east for a dramatic finish at the beacon. I don't think it would be anywhere near as hard as the SDW progress is pretty good for most of it.
I don’t think it would be anywhere near as hard as the SDW progress is pretty good for most of it.
I'd agree, it's not as tough as the SDW.... but it's not exactly flat either.... there's enough inclines to keep you honest without killing you off...
I now live 500 miles north of the SDW and now hanker for riding loops around Ardnamurchan, Moidart and bits of the HT550 but still have great memories of a decade of midsummer rides along the SDW.
If you really want to get ‘lost’ in a riding bubble then a SDW overnighter is a great way to do it - ride from Winchester and watch the sun rising on the horizon and timing your arrival in Eastbourne for when the cafe opens for a cooked breakfast.
I’m less sure that the residents of Eastbourne have forgiven me for the time I was sprawled on the pavement outside Tesco Express stuffing pork pies in my gaping maw one Saturday at 6am, mainly because of the waft of a 10 hours of perspiration, heavy dew and sheep poo before I turned around and rode back home…
Was up on the SDW at Firle on Sunday ... was absolutely lashing it down!
Can't wait for the hot dusty days to return
Really hope the mods will indulge this bump.
I kind of really need to keep this thread alive as it means (in my head anyway) that I have a chance of riding my beloved STW again next year.
Edit: How odd, it's not bumping the thread?
Yes it did! Many fond memories of the SDW, W-E, E-W, overnighters, double-attempts,
Thinking how I can use the SDW (well - J&J to E'bourne, or to Chanctonbury and back) as training (post tibial plateau fracture) for the marmotte next June......potentially a little ambitious....
You should join us @Poopscoop for some of those SDW miles
I've always wanted to give the SDW a crack, possibly over two days, staying in a B&B halfway. No way i could do it in one day!
Will be doing it in 2 days in April if the weather is nice. I am super lucky to live in Findon, very near the half way point so train to Eastbourne and then overnight at home and on to Winchester.
This has been a brilliant thread which I hope Mr Scoop will add to!
I’ve done it a few times. Each time had its own challenge.
Would quite like to do it again, the last time was on a Marin Pine Mountain with my bike packing gear. Rigid semi fat bike made out of the worlds heaviest scaffolding.
Not sure I’d do it again in a day. I had a mechanical that was an absolute killer. Don’t know how but the cassette came apart, still on the hub, but don’t really know what happened to it. I could only use a couple of gears, mainly stuck in the same gear though. Pushed up quite a few hills. Ridiculously hot day as well. I didn’t make it to my campsite which was 12 miles outside of Eastbourne. As soon as I got to Eastbourne I just rode straight up to the De Vere Hotel and booked a room for the night. I was pooped!
To add insult to injury I had to put my Garmin in my bag to charge (I know, bad planning!), I then made a wrong turn fairly near to Eastbourne, came of the SDW in the wrong place, ended up riding around in a big circle.
Here’s my link from my ride….might give someone the inspiration to give it a go….that was on a pretty naff £600 bike, completely stock. Picture of the bike and the hills/views.
https://strava.app.link/JCqBrTu0bwb
I think next time I’d stay at the YHA place that’s about halfway. I’d also do it on my gravel bike, I’ve done it on a road bike with 33mm tyres and that hurt and a super lightweight XC hardtail with 100mm travel. But I’d like to give the Planet X Tempest a go with 42mm tyres (and a very small chainring!)
Close to 12000 feet of climbing according to Strava and again just Strava guesses but I worked through 7800 calories….probably earned my beer after that.
Hoping to do it again in 2023.... realised just that it's been 10 years since i last did it in a day so long overdue a revisit. Picked up a new 100mm front and rear fs xc bike this month which i reckon will be perfect for the job
It lives! It didn't show as being bumped for me last night, honest.Lol
Thanks you so much for the invite, get kind of you but I fear I won't be turning a pedal for a while yet but soon.😁
A very Happy SDW New Year to you all and good luck to those that ride the SDW this coming year!
Rode the SDW with a few friends over two and a half days in August 2021 and loved it (despite horrendous cramp in both legs after the first day).
The views are tremendous and there are some cracking sections of trail on the route. Yes, some of the climbs are horrible but they are worth it.
We camped at Cocking on the first night. We had been relying on the pub being open to get food but due to COVID restrictions nothing was open so we ended up with just a couple of energy bars and half a bag of Jelly Babies for dinner.
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Breakfast at Cadence Cycle Hub at Upwaltham the next morning was very good and very welcome.
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The second night we stayed at the YHA at Truleigh Hill. We had booked a shared room for the 5 of us and it was spot on. Secure bike storage, decent showers, good food and beer.
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Then it was on to Eastbourne for the finish and fish & chips.
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For info, I used my Sonder Broken Road. 100mm travel forks, 2.4" xc tyres (WTB Ranger), 1x11 gears with a 32T chainring and an 11-42 cassette. It's now been upgraded to 12-speed, 10-51 and this will make some of the hills easier to ride next time.
I missed this thread originally, @Poopscoop but have really enjoyed reading it today and it has made me want to ride the South Downs Way again. Let's see what this summer brings...
Great thread resurrection! Just pondering what to do this year, KAW is on the list as local, but I've got unfinished business with SDW in a day on a fatbike. Didnt quite make it following a missed turn and ending up in Lewis, then it got dark and I only had blinky lights.
Less of a pub lunch stop next time!
I'm glad you're keeping it alive poopscoop, this is one of my favourite ever threads.
I'll do the SDW again I hope.
I hope the mods will indulge me again.
Utterly daft but if the thread is locked it'll make me a little sad for reasons I'm not entirely sure of.
Pretty much zero chance of me riding the SDW or even Peddar's Way this year but still. You never know!
Please forgive the bump mods.
It's for the same reason so posted above, a year ago.
I might actually do something about it this coming year. My son has expressed an interest too.
What could go wrong with poopscoop and son of poopscoop riding the SDW at the same time? Other than creating some sort of singularity of course.
(-;
Singletrackularity surely?
Despite living just 10-15 miles from it I've never ridden it's whole length so nice to have this bumped up.
Kids are old enough now that we might manage a weekend/three day trip of it at some point.
I'm planning doing it again this summer, I did it in 2022 on rigid Whippet so the acquisition of one of those heavily discounted Epic Evos earlier in the year means I need to do it again.
If you do decide to do it keep updating the thread, I have a feeling you won't be riding it without bumping into a few people from here 🙂
I did it with a mate in two days 7 years back.
One night at a camp site, cars parked a both ends.
I'd underestimated how hard the climbing would be, lots of shorter steep climbs compared to my longer shallower local rides.
Great adventure, but a lot of driving from Nottingham with 100 miles to pick up the 2nd car at the end.
It was bone dry and summer when we did it. I looked at the chalk and wondered what it would be like in the wet
I missed my usual 2 days on the SDW this year as my riding buddy has got himself a girlfriend and is otherwise engaged!
But my wife bought me the Mint Sauce book for Christmas, and now I've got a real hankering to get up there soon despite the green chalk!
I would like to see a trip report from Poopscoop²...!
Was just thinking about this, earlier...
Train from work to Winchester on Friday - Premier Inn
Saturday to somewhere around midway - b&b or youth hostel
Sunday to Eastbourne - train home
I saw your pic on Page 3, @Poopscoop, at the bottom of Butser Hill - it was right at the end of Day 3, after about 8 hours riding, for us doing KAW, and lets say I wasn't happy. Heavy CX bike loaded up, had to push it from the gate just part way up the hill. My mate bailed with his knee for day 4, I managed with a shed load of pain killers till the last two of us got back to near Stone Henge.
Done this over one and two days. Tip from me given west to east the hills get bigger as you get more tired, is aim for 60 miles day 1 and forty miles day 2; c Upper Beeding