Friday 24th June – 'SDW in a Day' – initial roll call!!

Following on from this thread… here’s the current plan:

23rd June – Spend the night in Winchester (makes sense as I’m coming from London)…
24th June – Depart Winchester around 6-7am. 100 miles and 10,000ft of climbing later…
24th June – arrive Eastbourne at some point in the evening, hopefully by 9pm or so, in time for a beer and fish and chips for dinner. Overnight in Eastbourne in pre-booked accom.

This jaunt is weather dependent, if it looks like being wet and miserable then we’ll (or I’ll at least) postpone, I’m only keen on trying this if it’s warm and dry (not necessarily sunny, but that’d be nice 😀 )

If we do organise a group, then I think the plan will not necessarily be to ride together, people can go at their own pace, maybe meeting up at various points along the way as people rest etc. Will stay in touch via mobile and we’ll all definitely meet for a celebratory bevvie or two at the end. It may well end up that we all ride together, but that’s not the plan, it’ll be more of a bonus if it works out that way.

So… who’s in?

I’ll be on the beach in Barcelona, but I’ll be thinking of you, petal…. 😉

I shall probably be in Wincanton, moving in a strange, crab-like manner whilst reciting ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allan Poe.

Naked save for a pair of rather fetching turquoise and yellow Y-fronts, and pink wellington boots. Covered in copious amounts of my own faeces.

Then again, I may not. Who can tell? That’s the beauty of Life; you never know what’s going to happen from one moment to the next.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“‘Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door —
Only this, and nothing more.”

I’m gonna give it a give it a go with ya Psychle, lets see if we can’t get a few more Ibi’s to come along too.

I want to get out of London that day if Elfin is going to be running around in his underpants. Therefore i’m a little bit tempted although am not in particualrly good shape. I did it last year in two days and a little sleep in the woods somewhere. 3 weeks to get fit in may be possible.

My attendance will depend on confirming overnight stay with the fit lesbians in Winchester 😀

And sorting return journey without having to go via London on the train.

So Elfin, you’ll be doing something slighly less mad eh? Don’t send me any pics, the mental image is horrifying enough! 😯

Quick bump for the weekend crowd…

How easy/hard is the navigation? Any idea on accommodation prices yet?

How easy/hard is the navigation?

I think (hope?) that someone who’s done the route might be joining us (Singletrackmind), but I’m purchasing the appropriate map (Harvey Maps version, comes recommended) and will also have a Garmin 705 with the route loaded… fingers crossed I won’t get too lost!

Any idea on accommodation prices yet?

Will probably be staying somewhere nice in Eastbourne (pregnant wife is coming down to meet me and spend the weekend 😀 ), but in Winchester will be going cheap and cheerful. Haven’t looked at prices yet…

But if there’s big splits in the group as people go their own pace, how is the navigation going to work? Everyone has to come prepared to do it themselves?

The navigation is a doddle. You don’t even need a map.

Everyone has to come prepared to do it themselves?

I guess so… it’d be best if everyone had a map at least (I’ve just bought this one for £13).

Holiday Inn in Winchester is £90 for a twin and it’s near the start of the S.D.W.

tbh the last thing you want is a really hot day, it’s quite exposed up on alot of it with virtually no shade..

I might see you there – I’m planning on riding from Eastbourne to somewhere in the middle and then back to Eastbourne on that day.

If you like I can shout stuff at you on the climbs if you think it would help?

EDIT: that would be rude, so of course I won’t do that.

tbh the last thing you want is a really hot day, it’s quite exposed up on alot of it with virtually no shade…

Kind of hoping for around 18-20C or so, intermittently sunny with a bit of cloud and a breeze… fingers crossed! 25C+ and blazing sun might not be a lot of fun (better than pouring rain I guess), it’d probably result in serious heatstroke!

I’d like to do this, or at least as much of it as I can.

I’m new to Singletrack, to off road riding and all this madness, so hello!

My name is Barney. I built up my first bike in October (an Inbred) and have since also got a Boardman FS. I’ve never ridden either of them for more than 2 hours in one go, so perhaps this adventure is a bit crazy…?

But then, what does crazy mean these days?

Navigation? You set off from Winchester on that grassy chalky up’y and down’y track and keep going until you get to Eastbourne.* If you get lost, you’ll be on the news (for all the wrong reasons).
barn. you’ve done two hours at a time at most? You might do it, you probably won’t….you might even die trying.
It’s a lovely day out if it’s not raining. It’s proper crap if it is. I bet it’s a bleeder on a very hot day.
I’ve done it three times. I like it. The logistics are a nightmare getting down there and back again from Manchester though.

*There’s slightly more to it than that but not much.

My name is Barney. I built up my first bike in October (an Inbred) and have since also got a Boardman FS. I’ve never ridden either of them for more than 2 hours in one go, so perhaps this adventure is a bit crazy…?

Howdy Barney 😀 . You’re welcome to come along mate, but seriously, it’s going to be a good 13+ hours in the saddle on the day, 100 odd miles with around 11000ft of climbing… it’s going to be tough and if the longest you’ve ever ridden is 2hrs…? If you’ve got a chance sometime this week, perhaps head out for a full days ride, from 8am to 8pm or so and try to cover around 100 miles, see how you feel doing that? A) It’ll be a bit of training and B) You might find it’s a big ask (or you might find it easy!), if you find it ‘easy’, then I reckon the SDW will be doable for you (not that I really know what I’m getting myself in for, but that’s part of the attraction and one of the reasons I’m trying it!). Of course, you could be a marathon runner who’s supremely fit but new to cycling, I don’t know!

This isn’t really going to be a group ride, more a loose collective… anyone who comes along will need to be fully self-sufficient and prepared to ride solo, as riders will spread out according to their own personal plans and abilities. It may be that we’ll end up riding mostly together, but I’m not counting on it!

I’d be up for this but can’t make that date unfortunately. Have fun!

Is thinking of ‘…and back’ on the Saturday a little daft?

Train journeys from Winchester are cheaper and shorter.

enjoy the big bulls in the fields which were all too common for my liking!

Is thinking of ‘…and back’ on the Saturday a little daft?

Up to you mate… does sound pretty hardcore, but then, you’re young and fit! For me, I’m staying in Eastbourne for a couple of nights with the missus, it’s only £5 or so from there back to London, it’s £29 for a single to bloody Winchester!

how fit are you lot?

im not sure entirely why but i think im kinda up for this (subject to wife approval) but, whilst i’m fit-ish i am no xc whippet. I dont fancy being dropped and doing it solo!

cheers, mark

If i drive to Winchester is there an alternative for getting back there from Eastbourne other than getting the train and changing at Clapham junction!

Any local’s have any ideas,

And no I’m not going to ride back with TSY, going to save that for my 2012 challenge when I attempt the SDW double 😯

enjoy the big bulls in the fields

You’re not kidding, a crazy calf went for me on friday evening on the climb above southease, luckily it ran on past down the hill, that couid of been embarrassing.

Seriously forget it if there’s a headwind of more than 10 miles – took me 5+ hours from Devils Dyke – Eastbourne in 20mph headwind – even downhill was slow – very hard, loved it though.

Van Halen – Member

how fit are you lot?

im not sure entirely why but i think im kinda up for this (subject to wife approval) but, whilst i’m fit-ish i am no xc whippet. I dont fancy being dropped and doing it solo!

cheers, mark

Mark,

I’m no xc whippet either but I’m giving it a go and I’ll be stubbornly churning out the miles. I’m thinking about setting off at 5am and travelling at about an average of 7.5 to 8 miles. I reckon that at 7.5 mph the SDW will take about me 13.5 hours (not counting food and drink stops and the odd wrong turn!). I’m not out to break any records but I have been wanting to give this a crack for a while now.

EDIT; The double is bonkers!

I have provisionally booked the day off work . So wind and rain permitting hope to be able to partake in this adventure.
It is not an easy ride, If you have not ridden 50+ miles in hilly terrain off road, or think that currently you could not make a 50 mile off road ride then this is not for you. Imagine doing a 33 mile ride in 4 hours, then doing it again , and again .

Last time I took alot of 5 min breaks and pushed the bigger hills. This time I will take more gels and slightly less food. I have a lighter , faster bike and hopefully wont get lost this time. Would like to do start to finish in 12 hrs , but will wait for stragglers. Its early enough in the year for another go if it takes 13+

Intend on getting the train back to Winch in the evening , via Clapham . The commuters can enjoy my smelly body.

Sweet, good to have you board guv! So, so far we have:

Psychle
Piha
Singletrackmind
TSY (maybe?)
Realman (maybe?)
Hugh Jardon (maybe)

Not sure whether to book accom & trains now or wait to see what the forecast is looking like… is anyone planning on overnighting in Winchester on the 23rd? Fancy splitting a twin-room rate? I don’t (think) I snore 😀

Oops, didn’t see this other thread…yep, I’m still up for it, wind and rain permitting and all that.

Hope to get down this week to do the 65miler or possibly Winchester to Dorking…if I survive that, I’ll be there on the 24th 😀

Psychle,

I will be stopping in Winchester on the Thursday. Happy to split a twin room and Holiday Inn Winchester have twin rooms at £80 atm(with an onsite restaurant).

Yep I’m in… might drive down if there’re people trying to get back to Winchester that evening.

Whilst I do understand that watching a ‘newbie’ bail after 20 miles would not get the day off to a great start… I am still keen to give this a go.
I can ride 100 miles a day solo on my road bikes and am generally fairly fit (for a sleep-deprived 37 year old father of two young-uns).
I’ll carry a map, be self-sufficient and promise not to constantly say “are we nearly there yet?”

I have somewhere to stay in Winch and will probably exit at Brighton, depending on legs/brain.
Day off work is booked so what do you think… can I join in?

Of course mate, you don’t need permission to join in! you’re almost certainly fitter than I am if you’re doing 100 mile road rides regularly 😆 Don’t worry about us, or at least me, I’m not a racing snake, just a regular joe out for a challenge. I hope I make it (and having my wife waiting for me at the end will be an incentive!) but really don’t know if I will or not… fingers crossed eh? 🙂

This is one of the days I have earmarked for doing the SDW again, so I might see you lot on my travels. (Fairly decent weather permitting, of course). Have fun and good luck – it’s a proper big day out!

I did SDW in two days last June and I know it’s not easy (and not as easy as you’d expect) so best of luck to you all, it’s a great ride!

A couple of thoughts:
1.

The navigation is a doddle. You don’t even need a map.

Ignore this man. I don’t mean to be rude but although the nav is not that complicated, there are a few places where signage is not obvious and if you take a wrong turn down the wrong hill, that’s 15mins the wrong way, which is 30 mins off your schedule. Do that twice and you’re finishing in the dark.
You’ll also be running on empty towards the end so you don’t want to be wasting energy earlier on by taking scenic diversions IMO.
2. Water – you’ll need loads. The water stops are well placed and relatively easy to find but you won’t want to miss them if you plan on staying hydrated ie: if you miss one and your camelbak’s empty it could be an hour till the next which could be serious. I found a website with OS map refs for each one and marked each one on my paper map.
3. Food. You’ll need loads. More than you expect
4. Pace – SDW hills take a lot out of you, expect an average of 6mph unless you’re a racing snake. FWIW I rode a 122 miler on my road bike a month earlier and was as fit as I’ve been and the 2nd half of the 2nd day required a lot of refusal to stop…

It’s a bigger effort than it sounds so you should be bloody pleased with yourselves when you’ve done it 🙂

I have never been mistaken for a racing snake, and at 14st 9lbs on the scales this morning it’s obvious why 😥

Have a reasonable level of bike fitness (average about 7-8hrs per week) and I like to think I have a good ‘all day pace’, did the full Trans Wales last year and was pleased with my efforts.

Ok, just put this into my diary. If an email circular goes out can someone include me? Email in profile

Sorely tempted, will probably get the last train to winchester and start there and then. You’ll probably overtake me about lunch time.

I live two minutes from the end of the SDW in Eastbourne. Is there anything you might need at the end of the ride, that I could help with?

I’m not hugging anyone.