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The met office rainfall radar for the SE had rain over the first 1/3 for most of the day . The remainder appeared to have stayed dry for most of the day . Sort of Cocking - East toward B'ton.
I am almost certain we can GO ! It will be damp in parts again tomorrow but te forcast for Fri is almost perfect .
Mivi . Ring Morn Hill campsite Tel: 01962 869877. Its 200 meters from the hotel Piha and Pschycle are staying at . You should be able to park up there for a few days , explain what you are doing , they might want £20 but its the only place i could find without a max 24hr stay .
Now , where and when to meet ...
I started last year from Bar End car park . It would be ideal to meet Piha , pscyle , Mivi at the top of Kings Lane / Chilcombe Lane at 0500.
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=450636&y=128495&z=120&sv=450636,128495&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=734&ax=450636&ay=128495&lm=0
Ok , so we miss out on 500 meters of road through winch town center .
If you are absolutely desperate to get a photo by the statue of King Alfred then we can meet there , but its a rubbish ride out of town.
If you are driving, Bar End Car park here.- http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=448806&y=128127&z=115&sv=448806,128127&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=734&ax=448806&ay=128127&lm=0
But you must be back before 0800 sat am or you will gat a ticket IIRC £7 a day. Bring Change . Meet 0445. Follow park and ride signs , if you are early and bored there are some huge Dirt Jumps between the cp and roundabout.
Aiming to catch a train C 19.00 from Eastbourne . dont want to be any later than that really .
Thoughts / comments / answers on a postcard to ......
Yep, looks like a go for me. Getting the pre-long ride anxiety now...will the trains be on time, will my tubeless tyres work (only fitted them last week!), will I get mechanical probs etc etc
[i] but its a rubbish ride out of town.[/i]
Not sure which route you're referring but Petersfield Road then footbridge over M3 route is okay if you're coming from the statue.
I put a comment about conditions this lunchtime on sdw near Brighton on here:
[url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sdw-or-any-looong-mtb-ride-flats-or-spds-which-would-you-go-for#post-2693431 ]http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/sdw-or-any-looong-mtb-ride-flats-or-spds-which-would-you-go-for#post-2693431[/url]
wind does seem to have dropped off a bit this evening as well.
Just checking but where is the finish classed as? Is it as per my pic below?
[img] 
[/img]
Will meet you at park and ride car
park singletrackmind, aim to be on
that train too!
Met you on the purbecks ride last
year and the surrey hills, mind you
don't think it will be such a jolly.
Rode amberley to winchester last year
including a few detours!
Looking forward to an epic day.
Nice one Rob, looks like that campsite will give me a downhill roll to the start point...phew. I'll call them in the morning and should mean i'm game on.
(me n' Jo rode Robs Bush on Leith at the weekend...wondered if you'd been for a 'roll around' in it lately?!)
I would like to do this but there's no way I can get to Winchester by 5am, so I'll set off and try and catch you chaps along the way.
Rich
Petersfield's a good alternative, if that's doable? Go south and meet them on Harting Down?
Thanks for the advice, but I have a hankering to do the whole thing (for better or for worse).
I'm out 🙁
Nowhere near recovered from a lot of riding last week and have been told I'm going ice skating 😕
Good luck to you all!
Tomorrows the big day then, I think this is the list of starters but feel free to correct this list....
5;00 am starters
Piha
Psychle
Singletrackmind
Barn
Mivi
The Germinator
Leaving later
Nuke
Wynne
Starting earlier!
Ming the Merciless
Not sure
Poldarn
See you there.
I'm driving over from Brighton in the early morning and parking in chesil st multi storey at 4.40am
(24hr max by ticket machine but if you call the parking office and tell them, then use the pay-by-phone method you can stay longer. Found this out from tourist board, it's what they reccomend as standard to all sdw-in-a-day riders.)
Will roll down to Bar End carpark to see if RDP/anyone is there, then go onto Kings/Chilcolm lane for 5am (it looks to only be 5-10mins?)
If anyone needs a lift and can get alongside a point on the a27 where i can pull over and load you, email me md-at-michaeldonne.co.uk
The last 40 mins in north Brighton have been moderate rain plus 2 x 5 mins v heavy rain which is continuing, but it does looks clearer on the hill, possibly didnt even get any rain.
I'm taking my old (now my wifes) Yeti ASR-sl shod with Trailraker 1.95's, sound like the right choice to you guys?
Spooky Supertouch cross bike for me. I reckon you'll get away with some faster rolling tyres - but don't blame me...
Bonty XDX(F) and XR1(R) after last nights recce from Firle to Alfriston. Slidey BUT fast.
Been a filthy avo in Brighton to the point I drove up dyke to see if downs were escaping it.Not really. This where sdw crosses the dyke rd[url= http://gallery.me.com/iphone/michaeldonne/100015#0 ]
Am getting cold feet....
I cycled that bit yesterday mivi and it was a lot better - been a proper monsoon in the area today. Does seem to be clearing a bit now and hopeully wind up top will dry it a bit.
I'm doign a 45 mile ride on the Downs Sunday so hoping as much as anyone that it clears up a bit soon.
Damn the Torpedoes! Full speed ahead!
Good luck, an biggup an nuff respek dat to all those completely insane people doing this tomoz. 😀
Nutters...
MIVI .- Check the overheads if you are bringing the bus? There is an open car park next door, but not sure if there are height restrictions and if you can still pay by phone. If you are overheight then there is a coach park about a mile away on Worthy Lane . 2.1mtr maximum in Chesil multi story.
. Germinater , please meet at the car park approx 0450 .
Pscyle and Piha . Are you going to roll all the way down the hill in the wong direction , to turn round and ride back up it , Or meet at the Kings Lane / Chilcombe Lane intersection ???????????
I dont think Trailwreckers are neccessary . I have refitted the Larsens , so hopefully it will stop raining now ( goddamit)
I'd go for faster tyres, psychle. There aren't that many truly muddy bits. If there is mud, it's more thin, slick mud rather than mud-tyre mud, so if you're sliding, you're sliding, whether you're on trailrakers or SB8s. May as well take the SB8s (say) and get the benefit on the dry bits.
I'm not a local expert though, does that approach makes sense to anyone else?
[i]does that apporach makes sense to anyone else? [/i]
not me - I'll be riding my Intense CC/System 5's like I always do unless it's really, really dry and I'm using the System 2's.
It's as much about trying to get traction on the climbs as being able to make the turns...
heading off for Winchester now, have added my mobile to my profile if anyone wants to call. Not sure what the join up plan is for tomorrow, hopefully Piha has it figured!
See you tomorrow everyone! 😀
large new rucksack purchased (capacity 16 litres of cake) in order to bribe myself to stick with the plan.
see y'all bright and early.
Ming ya dang fewl, kip in a bus shelter and set off with us....i'll worry about you in the dark (what would the ferrets do...).
I'm bumping this thread up a bit just to wish the Guys all the very best, strained legs, muddy tyres, blistered hands and.. huge smiles.
I know they're not reading this, but have fun, hope you complete it..
Weather looks good, swines!
Hope it lasts until sat next week, then its my turn....
Sat here in Patching not far from the SDW & the sun is shining. Hope everyone tackling this has a good day 😀
Started about 0100ish, rode for 14hrs 35 mins, 99.85miles, 6300 calories, 2 grumpy knees, a stiff neck and visited some very dark places in my mind on the way. Full write up to follow.
Awesome. Good job. Hope you enjoyed the journey out of the dark places!
It was the sticky dark places that did for me last night. I had to bail at Amberley yesterday having covered some of the worst 50 miles I have ever ridden.
Magnificent effort.
99.85 miles? Whatever state I was in I'd have done the 0.15 miles!
I did to where Mrs Ming was waiting with the car. It was all downhill!
I think 50 on current ground conditions is good going, 100 is brilliant
Bit concerned about the Wiggle 44 mile Downs ride Sunday unless it gets very dry, tbh.
Totally brilliant stuff lads..
Do tell all !!!!
There's bin no word from the main group.
I'm starting to get worried. 😐
(Scampers off with bike trailer to 'salvage' bits of bike which lie next to The Fallen, in a particularly callous and vulturistic manner)
Ha ha, no need for bike trailers, everyone made it to the end except for Wynne who was attempted the double (thanks for the email Wynne, hope your fine). I'll try to do a bit of a report later with piccies.
Thanks to the all the guys in the main group, without your help and encouragement I doubt that I'd have made it to Eastbourne.
Home .- Safe , warm and dry and now fed and watered .
All managed to meet up in Winchester in cold , but dry conditions.
Quick spin up through Chilcomb and out onto the start of the SDW proper.
A small ,elite group of 6 riders heading off into the unkown in a brightenin , cloudless sky.
However the rainfall of the previuos week was enough to spoil the surface , which changed from Ok to almost swamp depending on the terrain.
I work approx 3 miles from the SDW near Cheesefoot and it was pretty grim and rather hard work. We made steady progress through the early hours heading ever eastwards . We almost got the gate routine sorted so the group didnt have to waste energy braking to standstill, then accelerating back up to speed.I got slightly geographically embaressed at the Warnford diversion again , but a quick cut through a feild saw us right . Puncture #1 for Pscyle ,Trailwrecker rotating on the rim and ripped tube at valve...
QECP first proper stop, bit of banter with a pretty girly who was starting work at 0820, then out the park over to Sth Harting down.
All running Ok , with the sun now warm on our faces , and the sky blue with a few fluffy white clouds. Good run up to the Devils Jumps and along toward Cocking , water and a bar at Cocking then up and over Teaglaze , which is my favourite section, up in the big ring and really making progress .
Pushed part of the hidous climb from the A286 up to Amberly , the chalk had rivers of water running down in the gulleys , so not really dry at all. Past the masts and onto whiteways , down the S shaped decent which is a test of your handling skills , with a swamp at the bottom. Blasted down to Amberly and through gate hell. Sodden ground round the feilds and a proper grind . Water and bar stop at the tap, Psycyle had some shooting cramps and was offered the train , but to his credit he carried on , suffering at the back in own personal world of pain .
Up Amberly mount , over Kithurst and the chance to get the average up . More water at washington , then up to Chantonbury ring. The climb up is one of worst .A walk / ride / walk got me up. Barn , Piha and Germ just ground it out in granny . The flat section after was wet and muddy with puddles of standing water , wrong line choice meant wet feet and a sideways moment .
We were motoring along toward Truleigh no bother , some good averages and no problems. Psycyle fell off the back, but to his credit stuck to it and caught us up at Truleigh hill. As did Nuke who rides about as as fast as a nuclear bomb shockwave . He started to 2 hours after us, and made it up over 50 miles.
Too long a stop and a chain repair /toilet break meant cold legs foor the run along to the Dyke, where Barn depearted to meet familly .
Nuke left us after the golf course, he was in another league and on for a good 11 hour time and we were holding him up.
Got seperated after Black cap, but regrouped at A27 crossover . Survived the fiddly bit down to Falmer Resevoir and Mivi had a moment when looking back realsied after 11 hours he could ride to home in 20 mins . Being a hero he too carried on toward the big ones , Itford and Windover . Blowing hard , bit still moving we made it up Itford . The temperature had dropped by now and the wind was cold and gusty . I was shivering , but a loaned Gilet made a massive difference. Core temp up and blood released out to the limbs and up to speed again.
Alfriston next , too late for the pie shop at 7pm, so no stopping and up to Windover . walk , grind , walk, grind and over the top . getting cold and light starting to drop , but the end is in sight ..
Blast down into Jevington then minor disaster as Germs saddle bolt sheared (RF natch) . So he , with blown up destryed legs had to ride out of the saddle for the last 4 miles up Jevington hill and along thr golf course, not fun .
Made it to the finsh at 20.10 , almost 15 hrs after leaving . The sticky mud making it slower . I did it solo last year in 13.20 , and i dont know where we lost the time .
Signage rubbish , BHF signage rubbish . Alot of those riders will struggle as it was raining steadily once we got the train back to winch , via clapham to collect cars . I had to stick a Daily Fail up my jersey for the ride down to the car , and it really worked . Got in car gone 11 . Broken man now, porridge and some High 5 and a mounatin of toast on the go .
Big respect to simon (psycle) dropped on every hill , but kept at , even when we were out of sight he dug deep and put himself through the grinder but was always moving on .
Great write up, big respect to you all.
Well done all. You're braver men than me, given the recent weather.
Chapeau!!
Well done all - character building stuff.
Well done all who completed it.
I had a stab at trying to the double - Eastbourne to Winchester and back in 24 hours. I know I have it within me, but for me to be able to do it everything had to go just right. It didn't - despite carefully watching forecasts and trying to evaluate ground conditions. I learnt a few lessons about self sufficiency - and that you don't have to be somehwere remote (like the Highlands) to get hypothermia.
I left Eastbourne about 5.30pm on 23rd June. It went wrong from the start. It chucked it down for the first two hours. Then a strong headwind really chilled me. Ground conditions were awful. I reckon on being able to ride 99% of the SDW normally, but I ended up walking about 30% of the 50 miles I managed. I was in my lowest gear on some of the flattish sections near the start, just trying to make some headway through the gloop. I was on my cross bike, on the drops just trying to get into the lowest tuck to to make progress into the wind.
Every time I nearly dried out I got soaked again. In addition I was wearing prescription glasses which just kept getting filthy and which I had to stop and clean about every two miles. Even though I'm familiar with the SDW and I had excellent lights, because I couldn't see well, I missed a few turnings and had to retrace my steps.
My bike got so clagged that something (stick, vole, rock - I'm not sure) got stuck in my rear mech and bent the mech hanger. Gear changes went up the swanny. There was some severe runoff too. Most of the climbs and descents were running with water, and the lower lying sections had turned to a clayey morass.
By about 1030pm I knew I wouldn't make it to Winchester and I had long abandoned all thoughts of the double. I tried to get to Amberley in time to take the last train to London, but I missed it. Then I tried to find B&B in the village. No luck. The pub had just closed so I went back to the station and tried to get my head down in the waiting room. I didn't get to sleep. About 2am I sat up with a jolt, shaking uncontrollably. I'm pretty sure I was hypothermic. I walked round the village trying to find anything to keep me warm - bin bags, textiles, old carpet - anything really. Nothing. I contemplated climbing into a large wheelie bin - but it was locked. So I was just walking round shaking and I knew I couldn't manage like that for long.
In total desperation I returned to the pub and knocked on the door to see whether they had a room. The landlord was understandably not very happy to be woken up. Turns out they don't have rooms, but after initial anger he and his wife were tremendously kind and gave me a thermal top and leggings and a sleeping bag as well as a flask of coffee and sent me back to the station (because, perfectly reasonably, he didn't want a random stranger in his pub in the middle of the night).
I went back to the waiting room. I didn't sleep but I did manage to get warm and pass the time until the first train at 6.26am. I returned the kit at about 6 and got on the train. I really don't know what I would have done without their help. The consequences would have been good.
I feel like a total idiot. I am an experienced long distance extreme/endurance cyclist and I normally get my clothing/kit choice just about right, but I really mucked this one up. The day before I had packed and then unpacked my bivi bag, thinking that I'd always be able to bail out safely somewhere. I hadn't counted on the effects of ground conditions, exhaustion and elements. I also think that because I am very familiar with the SDW I was complacent about its dangers.
It's bad enough to get myself into a dangerous situation, but to then burden random strangers with the responsibility of getting me out of it is almost unforgiveable. Although I was perhaps unlucky, my equipment was not adequate and I hadn't got a plan B. Pretty stupid.
Lastly, apologies to anyone who heeded my 'fast rolling tyres' advice. My fifty miles the other night were harder then any of the complete SDWs I've done, so doing the whole thing with those ground conditions is a tremendous achievement.
I'll be back for more, but not for a little while.
Rich
(Bows down to those greater than himself)
Fantastic effort. Hats off speshly to Psychle, who is completely mad no way was he getting me involved in such insanity. No thank you. I'd need a [i]lot[/i] more training to even contemplate doing something like that. 😯
This is not something just anyone could do, it takes a hell of a lot of bottle to attempt, and serious determination to achieve. Speshly in crap weather!
I'm well impressed.
See all those people 'ooh that Psychle he just buys fancy bikes don't actually ride them'; well, just shut up! 😀
This deserves to be a Singletrack mag article. Do youse have pics?
Jeeze Wynne. 😯
That sounds just like a 'worst nightmare' scenario. Proper horrible. Proper, proper horrible.
I'll be back for more
Nutter! 😆
That was hard. It felt truly never ending from Brighton.
For me, backache was the only real problem along with the soul destroying relentlessness of it.....but I always get backache and I knew it wasnt my kind of ride, just wanted to tick it off the list.
Unlike 12 hour enduros usually being approx 1 hour laps, the point to point nature of this made for quite a difference. The sense of a need to pace carefully, not blow up a muscle and get stranded meant I was always being easy on the pedals. This, and not puffing so hard probably explains why I was fine at the end and my digestive system was holding up.....usually my downfall on enduros. I'm amazed how I feel today...been for a walk, gardening later. This is such a contrast to enduros that i'd trained for but which would leave me ragged for days after.
Yet I still think i'd call it the hardest bike ride i've ever done.
Well done gang, everyone really hung in well.