[Closed] The SDW - just how hard to do in a day

I did it last year on the same day.... The simple answer is... Pretty hard.... I'm reasonably fit, but it's a long way and damn hilly.

I did it this year on the Whyte T130 as i knew it would be a long long day in the saddle and wanted the comfort.

DrP did it last year properly quick on a gravel bike.... But i wouldn't fancy it myself. However the terrain is perfectly suited to a gravel bike that's for sure.

I tend to take the view that off road miles count double so imagine doing a hilly double century on road.

For most people it's 10-15 hours of riding in one day.

People regularly do it on cross bikes but tend to pick their days. If you're tied to one date then you might want something a little more forgiving of a wet sdw.

I'd personally think a light hardtail with a rigid fork and light, high volume tyres was probably the best bet but people just seem to ride what they own and succeed 🙂

I'd agree - quite a bit harder than a road century and 10,000ft of climbing. More like a +150mile road ride.

I've done it on good summer days with a westerly in just over 10hrs (very enjoyable) and once a miserable almost 15hrs in the rain slipping on Down's chalk.

How hard it will be will be hugely dependent on the weather on your specific day and the previous days prior. Too much rainfall and it'll sap your energy / time, too much sun and you'll fry, too much headwind and it'll drain you.

The BHF sort the logistics of navigation, food & drink for you, so that's that sorted. But, it does tie you to just one date to do it on.

I did it last year on a "long, low, slack" 27.5 HT which was fine. 29er carbon race bike would be ideal.

I did a number of 100 mile road rides in my prep, plus regular 3-6hr local rides with LOTS of ascending.

It's all about prep & pace, eating & drinking & at the mercy of the weather.

I did it a couple of years ago. Training wise I built up to a couple of 60 or so milers (offroad) in the months before. I'm right by the SDW so used sections of it for training.

I think the most important thing for the day was nutrition. We ate proper food at regular intervals and stayed hydrated throughout. Apart from one guy who got on the gels early and was a jibbering mess by Ditchling. He was a Cat2 roadie too...so one would have assumed that he knew what he was doing. (He did make it!). As a group though, we were mainly weekend warriors. A few Gorricks and longer rides under our belts, but nothing too serious. It is doable.

Bike wise - a few of us were on 29 HT's. I was very happy with that choice. Towards the final third, the hills get sharper and I was glad of the weight advantage even if my arse had taken more of a pounding than the guys on short travel FS's. That said, it wasn't that noticeable a pounding. There are no technical climbs. a few chalky boulders and a bit of loose gravel at worst.

Set off at a sensible pace on a bike that you know and are comfortable on and you will be fine.

I did the shorter BHF ride the other year, which is the last 35 miles or so from Brighton to Eastbourne. That's a fairly big ride in its own right. The whole thing is a serious proposition, not just for the physical demands it puts on the rider but also for logistics. My BIL is a rider of some class, not a dour plodder like yours truly, and has attempted the SDW twice. Both times he got benighted following mechanicals (punctures mainly), out of food and cold. I did the Dragon Ride the other year too (240Km road) which was fairly brutal, and the SDW is [u]much[/u] harder. Don't underestimate it!

I thought it was fine. Some of the grassy drags were a bit of a slog. It was hot and windy when I did it, but the ground was solid. Did it on a full susser which was all I had, with stuff locked out most of the time.

I did it on a 7 inch travel bike, platform shock but no lockouts. Was carrying loads of spares and with thick wallrd ST high rollers on (talk of greasy chalk and cut-up tyres). Longest off-road ride I'd ever done before was 70miles and I'd only done one road century

Finished it but I was absolutely knackered, and I did walk on one of the longer late climbs.

I wouldn't do it that way again, obviously. Apart from that walk, I also can't remember that last 30 miles or so at all 😯

It's very hard IMO, don't underestimate it!

The best bike would be a lightweight XC full-sus with some fast rolling tyres. But people have done it on all sorts of bikes. It's bumpy too, especially in the summer, so using suspension will make it easier.

I live locally and have a 29er hardtail and 120mm full-sus. Personally, I'd pick the full-sus.

Sod doing it on a gravel bike. DrP’s best effort was on his rigid singlespeed 29er.

It’s damn bumpy and the likelihood of multiple flint cuts could easily ruin your day.

Short travel 29er and a tailwind.

But mostly a tailwind.

I tried to do it a few years ago with my brother. Rigid 29er with appropriate gearing in dry and wind free conditions. It was FLIPPIN hard, we bailed at about 50 miles in. To be fair we set off late and hung around eating sandwiches at any opportunity. At the time I wasn't massively fit but even if I had been it would have been a struggle.

My tips would be keep moving at all times, eat properly and get an early start.

I think the most important thing for the day was nutrition. We ate proper food at regular intervals and stayed hydrated throughout. Apart from one guy who got on the gels early and was a jibbering mess by Ditchling.

I did the whole thing on gels (11) and High 5 (10 bottles I think), but not for everyone!

Pictonroad nails it for me - light XC 29er would be ideal, but mainly good weather. I was lucky in that I had a bit of time off work, knew I wanted to do it, so could just wait for a window where the weather was good.

Want to go and do it twice more - once to go a bit quicker; I went wrong twice, and once to do it a lot more slowly and actually look around me!

It's a big day, but like all these things if you pace yourself and keep fuelled you should be reet.

One successful,attempt and one failed attempt (do not set off like a scalded cat from Winchester on the hottest day of the year, you will feel very ill when you get to Amberley).

One successful attempt and one failed attempt (do not set off like a scalded cat from Winchester on the hottest day of the year, you will feel very ill when you get to Amberley).

Bloody hard and probably not the most exciting way to spend a long day on a bike

one thing that's alluded to a few times up there but i think is vitally important, having being involved in and accompanied several failed attempts is not faffing

start as early as you can and keep stops to a minimum, and when you do keep them smooth and efficient, don't sit down for a nice big lunch for example.
there are also 100 gates along the SDW so stopping at each of them and having a chat/haribo/look at the view (as mountainbikers are want to do) is best avoided, just keep rolling all the time, it doesn't have to be fast, just always moving, you can save a lot of time this way

echoing most of the above, weather and trail conditions will make the biggest difference, ride what you're most comfortable on, it's a long day, and if you can do 100 road miles you can do the SDW, just don't underestimate it

oh, and don't go the wrong way in the places everyone goes the wrong way

oh, and don't go the wrong way in the places everyone goes the wrong way

If only you'd told me that before I did it dammit!

I'd expect it to be way beyond my current capabilities, given my longest road ride is ~86 miles and ~6500 feet over ~6 hours moving time, during the last year. I'd hazard a guess it would require 12+ hours riding time plus breaks for me.

Personally, I would aim to start at the Winchester end (for a likely semi-tailwind) not long after sunrise, somewhere near the longest day (20th June?) and ideally during a period of dry weather days. On the Wazoo, 29er wheelset fitted, probably with 2.35 G-One Speeds (although Panaracer Gravel Kings, maybe SKs, might be better).

It's an amazing way to start the day, the views from summits like Old Winchester and Butser, first thing in the morning.

[img] https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0PmAx09LjHWtoeD3xUV-QDJU6rTbU86WnUUq6Oyk3EpOrvT4TkE992G7Hl6ZPHlkvpAlVWJY7N57oGnEzmw_NxJ87iAe8EHpdHhLH2rBSs1ODsyQjxWkt3vgfxLuOdZqXJGDiNKr6g [/img]

[img] https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/y8nlE5_dReCR6KgnpI7My5OprFtnSVXMgLwEKCktG3nRoLU0nvcttAlbjV3OgjCDRnGcTNxlXEl4J3_SbvdGo_1mxJVozUPWnpbUaz1hjGaCcBsyio2mC1TWGlx44MGX-wfD1vIgZw [/img]

Not done the SDW but have done quite a few equivalent long rides so a few generic tips.

[list]
[*]How used are you to long days in the saddle? Properly long as in most of summer daylight hours?[/*]
[*]Get your bike setup properly. What feels fine for a 3hr ride might be agony after 12hrs. This takes time (mainly recovering from incorrect setups) - see the first item.[/*]
[*]Allied to the previous item, get your kit sorted. Don't take stuff "just because" or "just in case". Everything must earn its place. This is a real balance between able to deal with problems and having to bail.[/*]
[*]As JoB says, don't faff! 30 seconds at each of 100 gates adds 50mins to your time! Look ahead, figure out which side of the gate is the latch and which way it opens.[/*]
[*]Try and do stuff on the move - eat, drink, check GPS, etc.[/*]
[*]Pace yourself - the ideal pace is one that you think you could do all day [b]and[/b] the next day. You should be able to hold a conversation whilst riding.[/*]
[/list]

I took about 18 months to get my bike setup correctly, if you do a 200Km ride and it's wrong it might be 6-8 weeks before you recover (nerve damage, etc.) and can try something new.

Good luck!

I'v done it a few times. You need to be relativley fit; helps if your in a group of similar fitness. 2-4 optimum any more is likley to faff. I'm not adverse to 100 mile gravel rides but not the SDW; in the summer (when it's fastest) some of the dry bits can be brutal on your wrists; it's likely to be ~ 10 hrs of riding time. that's tough on rigid by any measure.

event means you don;t need to worry so much about navigation, food or tap locations so much.

i wouldn't worry too much about off road miles - just make sure your fit, light and get some off road in. might be worth adding core strength workouts.

A friend did the BHF on a reasonable weekend warrior amount of training (few long ish days in the Purbecks) in around 13 hours. I would keep that sort of number in mnd if you're not 100% sure of your ability and pace it on that basis. The organised ride does remove a lot of the bothersome bits, or at least mitigates things like running out of food and drink.
I'd also focus on the climbing over the distance, be able to do that much - I thought it was around 4000M over the length? I've done a bunch of steady 90+ mile road rides on training under 2 hours, usually an hour, but I pack in as much climbing as I can.

I did it in July. I was riding for 13:15 with a total transit of 15:15. I'd trained reasonably well (within the bounds of what time I had available) and had done:

a) Some long-ish flat rides around Essex (e.g. 75 miles off-road).
b) A few trips to the Peak to get some major climbing in.

I'd never done 100 miles before, never climbed that much before (I logged 11,500ft) and never ridden for that long.

To echo what others have said:

1. Take some "proper" food. I had some sandwiches in additional to the usual gels/bars, and though by the time I ate my last one they didn't look that great they were *marvellous*!

2. Pick a dry day. I went in the rain and the chalk is lethal. I dropped the bike twice, and this resulted in a minor mechanical (dropped the chain a couple of times before I got it properly sorted).

3. Know where you are going. I had a GPS route, but getting power for that long is tricky. I found that I couldn't charge my Garmin 1000 on the out-front mount (the bar blocks the charging port) so mounted it backwards. Even so I made a couple of mistakes (I find QECP a bit of a headache) as there are just so many trails.

4. Enjoy it. Its a lovely route.

If you are interested https://www.strava.com/activities/1105992251

Rob

I did it with a mate a few years ago. Almost binned it about three quarters of the way through when I slid off on a wet chalky descent and put a nice little hole in my hand. Decided to carry on and finish. I found the hardest thing was the tedium. I wouldn't do it again.

Having ridden Petersfield to Brighton a few times, you really want a spell of dry weather a couple of weeks beforehand to dry out some of the wetter woody bits, late spring early summer means you get a long enough day and you don't get crisped. Having done it mid summer you can get properly cooked out there.
Take it steady and try and pace yourself.
I've only ever done it on a 5" FS, but a shorter travel FS or even a hardtail will be fine.
I've done it W-E and E-W and both are hard, W-E is preferable to avoid headwinds. The section East of ditchling has the worst climbs I believe.
Oh and make sure you have looked at where the taps are in advance!

I just looked at my Strava for the day. I commented "bloody hard ride" so maybe it was harder than I remember!
Set off at 7am, finished at 8pm.

For inspiration (or desperation) some of the [url= http://www.southdownsdouble.net/ ]times for the double[/url] are impressive. That site also has location info for the water taps.

If we're doing Strava links - [url= https://www.strava.com/activities/327382324 ]here's[/url] mine, I also got lost at QECP!

Hardtail + ThudBuster FTW

Good luck - I did the BHF one many years ago, I've been trying to get fit enough to do it again for the last few years but haven't quite get there; trying again this year, more seriously I hope.

Download and follow the BHF training guides, they're good at keeping you honest on the run-up to the event.

(A good thing about doing it with the BHF is the comaraderie along the route which must be worth an extra 20 miles or so, and the fact you can get into a gate-opening-and-holding rhythm with the riders around you.)

Good luck (again) 🙂

I've done it over 2 days many times but did over one day last year. It is very hard. Took 14 hours total (about 12.5 riding). Hottest day of the year. Nearly got heat stroke!

Pick June/July for lots of daylight and a lightish hardtail is perfect. (I've done it full suss and rigid). My one dayer was on a Stanton Sherpa with 100mm forks.

It is a cracking ride though. Just don't bother trying it in the rain as the chalk is too slippy and sticky. And don't forget to stop and look at the view from time to time.

I did it years ago, was very tough , ground was muddy/ sticky ,forced to,walk a lot. Won't be doing it again!

Did it last June, brilliant day out, perfect weather, a few tips:

- I got the 5:30am train out of Waterloo to Winchester. Meant I arrived at 6:30am.

- Used a 29er Giant XTC. Perfect tool for the job. CX wouldn't have been any/much quicker, and higher risk of puncture and pain.

- Work out which way the wind is blowing.

- Rely on the water taps along the route

- Most of the long/hard climbs are in the second 50 miles.

- Carry all the food you'll need.

Plenty of photos of my ride on Strava here: https://www.strava.com/activities/1019227665

I've done it MTB, CX, SSCX, fatbike, overnight, double - even when going well (sub-10hrs) it's still a hard day as you tend to push it harder. Weapon of choice for the summer / dry conditions would be a CX/adventure bike with MTB double chainset (24/38) shod with tubeless 40mm G-Ones - you'll appreciate the low weight more or the climbs rather than gains of suspension downhill. Climbs after Ditchling tend to be longer, rather than steep - Southease against a strong easterly is a slog. Sworn never to ride with anyone not tubeless again after someone got 5 punctures on an over-nighter. A road rider will get beaten up a fair bit if they're not used to riding offroad - good shorts and gloves essential. I've ridden it enough to know the route but have got lost, particularly East-West as it's less obvious. Tend to avoid weekends around mid-summer because of the BHF ride / other users / getting held up at gates. Green, wet chalk in winter can be a nightmare - wholly different ball-game.

Did it last year. Iirc over 10hrs total riding time.
Will make a big difference if you have a support vehicle. Less supplies to carry.
Also a decent mapping GPS. Less pfaffing around for directions. Trails are marked but just makes it turn-by-turn rather than looking for signposts.
Hardest part is the last half to Eastbourne.
Started at 6am reached Eastbourne at 8pm.
Fueled mainly on glucose / fructose energy drinks.
And the last part on gels.
Gave up on the oat bars after a 5 hours - they became unpalatable.

I did it two years ago (with McCraque who posted earlier). It's tough but I was expecting it to be tougher. That said I did a LOT of riding beforehand. Not very quick riding but I would ride 45 miles into work and then same distance back.

I should point out that being 40 yrs old (at the time of the ride) and 14stone, I'm not exactly lightweight and definitely starting to feel my age.

However,getting used to long rides in the weeks leading up to it helped no end. I got to know how to stay comfortable on the bike. I swapped my saddle to a more comfy one and I made sure my bike was in full working order so I'd be confident it wouldn't let me down.

The most important thing though was to get to grips with nutrition, as has been said. Working out how to keep yourself fuelled over long distances and time (without hitting the wall) is crucial in my opinion.

I also rode at a steady pace and rather than just drink water, I mixed in the bottle a powdered sports type drink at every water stop. You sweat a lot so that can really help. By spinning up hills in the granny gear I never burned out so managed to ride up every hill without stopping and didn't even find the ones near the end that tough. In fact I enjoyed the last few miles as I knew I was going to finish.

My Garmin gave me a moving time of 10hrs dead. It was probably more like 12-13 taking into account the food and water stops but I'm happy with that.

The bike I rode was a carbon 29er HT, you'd struggle to find a better tool for the job.

I should point out that being 40 yrs old (at the time of the ride) and 14stone, I'm not exactly lightweight and definitely starting to feel my age.

That'll be the Premier Inn Winchesters 6 pints of San Miguel and Steak n Chips offer the night before the ride!

DrP did it last year properly quick on a gravel bike.... But i wouldn't fancy it myself. However the terrain is perfectly suited to a gravel bike that's for sure.

Not quite - I did it sub 9 hours on my rigid SS, which was perfect (for me!). Though it's an XC bike, i run fairly large vol tyres (Bonty XR4 2.4 front, Geax sag 2.2 rear at the time..now a 2.2 XR3 rear).
Front sus would be 'nice'. FS is not needed, but is fine if you have it.

I've ridden about (ish..?) half of it, from winch to Worthing, on a CX bike.
That had 32C tyres with tubes, up to something like 55psi.. Was fun, but not comfortable.

I'd like to give it a bash again on the tripster with 2" 650b wheels one day..

It's a fun ride. But.. make no qualms, ruddy hard going!
There's LOTS of climbing. But just remember, generally after each climb it's flat 'up top' for a bit, then drops down again. Essentially, the climbs don't go on forever.

It's a great ride though - rite of passage I reckon!!

DrP

Hard

Did the BHF 18 months ago. Very hot and got all kinds of sun/heat related afflictions.

Whyte 901 and that was the perfect bike.

Didn't do any specific training (in fact was first time I'd ever ridden a bike more than 25 miles) but was fit from road cycling and running.

Absolutely amazing experience though.

However,getting used to long rides in the weeks leading up to it helped no end. I got to know how to stay comfortable on the bike. I swapped my saddle to a more comfy one and I made sure my bike was in full working order so I'd be confident it wouldn't let me down.

Only done the SDW over 2 days but echo the above as my experience from doing some long events / 12 hour solo Gorrick, etc.

In particular - the saddle you found comfy for a 3 hour ride where you are frequently shifting position might not be comfy after eight hours of predominantly sitting on it.

Consider raising the bars. The climbs aren't in general steep enough to become an issue with the front becoming all wanderey, and any losses in aero are way offset by less neck and back strain.

Likewise, lose the helmet peak, so you don't need to keep lifting your head to be able to see past it. YMMV but that was the single biggest (comfort) improvement for me.

The climbs aren't in general steep enough to become an issue with the front becoming all wanderey,

Only time I've made it up Amberley Mount without dabbing was on a bivi ride with a couple of kilos in a bar bag!

Nothing more to add really but seeing as this is my backyard I wanted to post !

My choice of bike when I did it in day was a very short travel FS, a Kona HeiHei. Enough spring to take the bumps away but still very light climbing.
I trained by working up to 60 mile sections of various sections of the SDW so when it came to the event day I didn't need to worry about route finding.

Watch out for the chalk in the wet. Slippery as teflon.
Watch out for the flint in the wet and the dry. Can rip tyres very easily

Enjoy it 🙂

Only time I've made it up Amberley Mount without dabbing was on a bivi ride with a couple of kilos in a bar bag!

I always hate that hill. I remember my HRM screaming at me one day but I managed to clear it.

I thought the hill after Amberley was worse. Washington is it? It seemed to keep going on and on!

Try it mid winter, in the pissing rain, on a singlespeed!! Then you learn to hate it!!

DrP

I found it hard enough over 2 days!

The ground was dry, no significant wind, on a light xc 26er hardtail. I'd done a few off-road training rides of about 35 miles, and figured we'd be in the pub by lunchtime on the first day, but I wasn't expecting quite that much climbing...

Last two years BHF rider. It’s great.
1) Travel light, I mean extremely light. One back pack of tools and a tube of NUUN salty tablets plus bottle.
2) Be in the 5am start group.
3) Tubeless
4) 100mm carbon full suss worked well.
5) Let everyone race ahead, take music and chill.
6) Eat proper food 7am at Queen’s Park.

You might be 1/4 in distance wise in 2 hours but you are definitely not 1/4 in!

Enjoy, great event, great atmosphere.
First year 14 hours, second year 10. Go steady and stop little.

Try it mid winter, in the pissing rain, on a singlespeed!! Then you learn to hate it!!

DrP

Shan't! 😀 I prefer to remember it sunny. 8)

Nibbling on Minley Manor. That's going to be sunny, right?

I thought the hill after Amberley was worse. Washington is it?

To be honest, that might be the one I'm thinking of!

Amberly is tougher from the foot to the top... pretty straight.
Washington, after the A24 is much longer but way more ‘doable’.

DrP

I thought the hill after Amberley was worse. Washington is it? It seemed to keep going on and on!

Known locally as Cardiac Hill, but in my mind easier than Amberley.
Much more fun coming down, especially when there are no walkers about !

I'm guessing the perfect bike would look something like this:

[img] [/img]

Did it in 2016 and signed up for this year.

I worked up to 100 off road miles a week over 3 months.

Whyte T130s

Stopped for 5 min every hour and ate a scotch egg, nuts, energy bar, golden Virginia rollie.

Get a bell. Gets the walkers out the way.

Invest in a tough side wall tyre set up. I didnt and had to bodge it. The flint is bad.

I'm local to the start so knew how bad it can be when wet or dry.

Be in the first 5am group.

Vasaline your bits.

Sun cream.

No shame in walking up towards the end.

It's great. Loved it.

Wife's meeting me at the end then attempting a night out in Brighton with friends.......

Did it last year in 2,5 days, it’s a hard ride and I’d say don’t under estimate it. We are looking to do it in two days this year.

If the wind is against you it’s not easy - day 2 for us was all day wind in face and I was shattered.

BUT I’m 99% roadie and dint do a lot of off road.

If you're using a support crew, get them to make sure the clutch on their vehicle doesn't break ten minutes after you've started your ride, meaning you have to make do with two water bottles and a tangerine for the next 100 miles.

Best fast summer tyres?

Continental Race King 2.2 rear/ X King Protection 2.4 front - my current set up on the Swift I'll likely be taking?

Schwalbe Snakeskin Racing Ralphs...even Thunder Burts?

Reinforced Maxxis Ikon's?

Any found by locals to work better than others and not cut up?

Anybody riding around 29+? Too much weight up the hills?

I'm over the other side in the New Forest and 2.1 Thunder Burts are all that's needed but its all soft ground and fire roads. Plan on doing it this summer...

I've never had an issue with flints. Maybe I'm just lucky, but personally I wouldn't be swapping out a fast tyre for a reinforced tyre because of the flints.

Used cx speeds, tunder burts, RaceKings, X King RaceSport, SB6, fire XC Pro. Had punctures pre-tubeless days, but not sidewall cuts.

Not quite - I did it sub 9 hours on my rigid SS, which was perfect (for me!). Though it's an XC bike, i run fairly large vol tyres (Bonty XR4 2.4 front, Geax sag 2.2 rear at the time..now a 2.2 XR3 rear).
Front sus would be 'nice'. FS is not needed, but is fine if you have it.

I've ridden about (ish..?) half of it, from winch to Worthing, on a CX bike.
That had 32C tyres with tubes, up to something like 55psi.. Was fun, but not comfortable.

I did it somewhat slower (taking the view that finishing was more important than going fast). I had fairly uncomfortable hands (might have just been a feature in the gloves, I got a blister on each hand in exactly the same place, think there was a seam or something on the gloves I was wearing). I did finish in the dark (this was expected), but about 1h ahead of our schedule (using trains to the start and from the finish).

If I did it again, I'd consider fs rather than the ht I did it on last time
(but might go HT again as I find it comfier for my spine in that it makes me move about on the bike more), wouldn't really want to do it on a cross or gravel bike much as I'm sure it would be possible. There are no huge boulder fields but plenty of lumpy bits that are not ideal in the dry with no suspension. I'd also try and go a bit faster than I did last time.

The West Highland Way has almost identical stats but I would say is considerably harder. That's not to say the SDW is easy though, it really depends on what you call fit etc. and whether you want to do it in under 24 hrs in intense pain at the end or comfortably spin along it in under 10.

For the record I was riding about 5000 or 6000 miles that year, had done a 6h pairs race the day before last, and was about 13.5 stone or so. Didn't do any specific preparation.

I haven't done this but I've done a few longuns including [url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/ridgeway-double-attempt ]the Ridgway double.[/url]

Few suggestions if you want to be efficient:

1) Don't worry too much about being as close as possible to the longest day. The weather in July is statistically drier and you don't lose much daylight.

2) What JoB said - don't stop, and don't expect to stop. When you need to refuel, stop, grab what you need and get back on the bike asap. Even small stops add up to many hours wasted.

3) Plan your stops and know exactly where you are going and what you're buying. On my ride I pored over maps and explored likely towns with street view, so that when I came to the places I knew exactly where I was going to find the shop.

4) Nice tyres helped me. I went on the site from that guy who tests tyres and decided Ralphs would help - and he was right. Bike felt really fast.

5) Relax. Take it really steady especially at first, and don't fret about time. Just be confident you're safe, in control and all you have to do is sit there and spin and eventually you'll get there.

6) Even in summer (especially if doing in June) it can be surprisingly chilly at 5am.

You can compare the SDW with other long distance rides on [url= http://selfsupporteduk.net/ ]selfsupported.net[/url], from the fastest times it would appear to be among the easier. The time for the SDW there is for the [b]double[/b]!

Ridden the SDW a couple of times on my rigid 29+ including a double - I'm not a big rider. Extra effort needed on the hills to keep them rolling, but the bigger footprint and grip means you can keep going when others on regular bikes are walking e.g. Amberley. Best was on an overnighter where you're hitting speeds faster than your headlight throw - I was able to drop my mates riding regular MTBs on the descents as they minced their way down as they were getting bounced around on the babyhead loose flints.

I did this ride a couple of years ago with a friend who new the way fairly well but we still managed a wrong turn somewhere around Brighton which added an extra climb to the day! One of the best days ever on bike though.
I'd like to do it again this year and have thought of buying a GPS so that I have something to follow. What one would anyone recommend for MTB'ing and the SDW in particular?

I'm guessing the perfect bike would look something like this:

Calling robcolliver ...

He is skiing at the moment, he has done more legs of the SDW than anyone here, so listen to what he says.

Think is planning a leisurely double this year.

He is skiing at the moment, he has done more legs of the SDW than anyone here, so listen to what he says.

He tends to turn around at the end and ride back, and wears his bibs outside his other clothing, so I'm not honestly sure his advice is any better than anyone else's here.

And the 'If you can do a road century , you can do the SDWIAD' is balls.
I can ususally knock out road centurys in 6 - 7 hours . My best time on the SDW is 12.20. So not in any way comparable . Use road milage for training, find a mahooosive hill and ride up and down for hours as training .

Forgetting the BHF day I have always done it on a Fri. Less walkers so less agro , you can blast every decent knowing no one is going to do something dumb as you arrive.

Its tough , physically and mentally. Carrying enough and not too much or too little is tricky. Pacing yourself is also tricky .

Always start early
Carry some spare undercarriage lube
Stop every 20 miles but only breifly. Beware extended rests at Truleigh Hill YHA.
Use a 750ml bottle and small back pack.

I did it several years ago on my On One whippet with absolute minimal kit - was a hard day but a great experience.

I can cross a guy about half way pushing his panniers up heavily laden bike DOWN a hill. Stopped to ask it he was OK - he replied he was doing it over 4 days, hence the baggage - his brakes wouldn’t hold him on the downhills so he has to push downhill. He was properly miserable and wondering why he was bothering. Made me feel so much better about my ride!

First attempt 10 years ago I failed (hurty knee and lack of commitment), second attempt last year, I finished it! I did it on a 5.75" XC orientated susser, pace was slow and I walked a fair few hills. My moving time was 13hrs!

My wife supported us and met us about 4 times to supply food (and freshly cooked hot pizza at one point - campervan win!) which really helped. We had one long section with no meet and that was a push.

Its a long day/evening in the saddle if you are not racing fit, plus we got up at 2am to drive there for a 6am start.

https://www.relive.cc/view/1121035290

If anyone wants a base about halfway, PM me and you can hang out at my gaff/park in my drive etc!!!

DrP

If a road century is genuinely not a problem, and you’ve done some properly long rides then you’ll be fine, but is hard

If a 100 Miles on road takes a bit of recovery, or you’re not used to 12 hrs on the bike it’ll be tough

I’m hoping to try the double later this year.

I do think cycling is one of those things that if you pace yourself and keep fuelled you can keep going, and in that respect 'if you can do a century you'll be fine' holds water; I don't think anyone's actually suggesting the level of effort required is comparable.

That's as opposed to, for example, running, where jumping from a 10k to a marathon would be pure idiocy and likely to end horrendously, I think a long bike ride is much easier without any 'dedicated' training.

The first proper long ride I ever did I'd never done more than about 80 miles (on the road), and decided off the bat to go and ride all three of the original CyB trails twice, 96 miles and 17000ft of climbing I recall. Was tired after 4 hours, but it never really got any worse, just plodded on.

My problem is that I rarely do rides longer than 2.5 hours.

If I try my legs go "Nope, that's your lot for the day" after 152 minutes.

I think it is easier to step up distance on a bike but extra time in the saddle needs working up to.

@wwaswas - try dropping the intensity, the trick to going for long rides is keeping the pace down (unless you are a serious athlete), you should be able to hold a conversation easily.

If your legs are seizing up after that sort of time then I'd look at hydration and nutrition followed by bike setup.

IMHO 5-6hrs doing 100 miles on road is nothing at all like 12hrs off road. My rule of thumb is off-road miles count 3x on-road miles in terms of effort, esp. on a fairly lumpy route like SDW.

I’m starting to think about doing the BHF in a day event.

When I did the SDW over 2,5 days last year it was on my Orange Four - would this be too much bike for the day ride and would I be wise to look at getting a different bike?

My rule of thumb is off-road miles count 3x on-road miles in terms of effort, esp. on a fairly lumpy route like SDW.

Whilst I’d say that’s a gross overestimate; 1 off road km = 1 Road mile seems pretty reasonable. So the SDW is like a hilly 160 mile road ride. That’s not the same as saying “if you can ride a road century comparatively comfortably, then you’ll be fine”, which I do agree with.

The “keeping the pace down” etc approach is pretty hard on the SDW west to east as the climbs in the last portion are pretty steep and long. Crawling home just isn’t an option!

I done the BHF last year and planning to do it again this year. Was a good day out, it is a tough one but the views etc are great. The Gates can be a pain and some of the walkers are proper grumpy!

I started with 2 bottles but lost one rattling down a hill about halfway so just filled up the remaining one at every stop. I also had a top tube bag that was loaded with peanut M&Ms and salted peanuts that I was grabbing a handful of when I could see a hill looming. Which seemed to work well..

I was on a 650b xc FS and other than a puncture at 85miles and the chain running a bit dry it was spot on. My total moving time was just under 9hrs so it was plenty quick enough. A 29er may be better overall but the FS was a godsend dealing with the bumps.

Good luck!!

Hey, that was a piccie of my bike! It was taken during my SDWx4 ride a couple of years back.
There is loads of good advice here about the difficulty/toughness of the ride, so I would simply say "the will to prepare outweighs the will to win" so modify this quote and just do the saddle time on the bike you are going to use.
There was a fair amount of comparing road bike saddle time/miles to mtb saddle time/miles. If its an off road event with a need for a pace and effort changes, where is the advantage of doing steady road time?

Start off slow, expect to get slower and use tyres and bike setup that will last - I have messed about with lighter, better rolling tyres and gone back to SB8's for the SDW.
Go and learn the route if possible or get a gps loaded so there is no navigating needed - I run a line on the screen with no background maps so it is immediately obvious if you are off route.

Finally, eat early, eat often.

Finally finally, remember to look around - it is some of the best country in the country.

Things I learnt when I did Amberley to Eastbourne and back in a day.

Bike position - bearable for 6hrs is not good for 10-12

It is not possible to ride
it all in Z2 the hills will have you at threshold

Don't descend unless you KNOW you are on course

Be unfashionable and have a hugely low gear for late in the day

Eat and drink a lot but only stuff you have already trained with.

2) What JoB said - don't stop, and don't expect to stop. When you need to refuel, stop, grab what you need and get back on the bike asap. Even small stops add up to many hours wasted.

I'm confused why you think hours stopped are hours wasted. Your approach sounds positively unpleasant to me. One of the highlights of the WHW for me was eating loads of reasonably nice food.

Fair enough, if you're going for a podium, then push on. But if you're just out to enjoy a long ride then get the pies in

On a similar length ride I ate:

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 boiled egg

Gnome gnome

TEAM EatMore