Cheers 🙂

Some last minute fine-tuning of the route today. Found another two taps, and moved the start/finish closer to Ivinghoe Beacon, using a footpath that the National Trust have actually reclassified on their land as a cycle route. Also futzed around a bit at Wendover today…got rid of a road stretch there and put in a lovely (official Ridgeway) climb. I only recently got full 25k OS mapping from Tracklogs and there are some Ridgeway labels that don’t appear on my previous 50k maps that I’m only now discovering. I think it’s all sorted now though :-).

Looks good. I’m in Didcot and am up for this at some point.

Fair play. Will watch with interest.
Another Grimm’s ditch fan 🙂 .

Conditions look pretty great for this, trail fast and dry, what wind there will be should be on your back on the last leg.

Good luck!

He’s on his way.

(Picture via Mrs Pedalhead on Facebook)

drofluf – Member
Conditions look pretty great for this, trail fast and dry, what wind there will be should be on your back on the last leg.

Good luck!

I spoke a bit too soon 🙁 Just had a massive, unforecast, downpour here

Go pedalhead. 😀 Wishing you good luck on such a beautiful national trail. 8)

Good luck, looking forward to seeing the stats!
I live closer to the SDW than the Ridgeway now, but it still feels like ‘home’ to me, the Avebury end.

Reached the turn in 6h22m, so going well!

Anyone know what he’s riding? Heading up to the Ridgeway later so will give him a shout!

Anyone know what he’s riding?

guessing singlespeed ti frame.

good going so far going on the tweets.

Might have to revist the Ridgeway, not riden there for 15 years at least 😉

Looks like a Salsa hardtail of some description, either a polished finish or grey, with light blue decals.

But I am looking at a tiny photo on a terrible phone, so could be completely wrong.

Edit – numplumz is right I think, probably titanium.

Looks like a Salsa hardtail of some description, either a polished finish or grey, with light blue decals.

I think it was a Salsa Selma that he rode on his recent South Downs Double.

Mark’s wife here! He’s hit the halfway point (Ivinghoe Beacon) at 6 hrs 22 mins 51 secs… and that was around 13:20 so my humble apologies for delayed posting!

(p.s. yes, Salsa Selma… soon we will be a two Salsa Selma-riding family :-))

FWIW Mrs Pedalhead here again, and I am the lucky one riding the ti frame these days… 🙂

And I did take much clearer photos… feel free to poach a different one 🙂 Pedalhead on Twitter has a photo of him at the start with the bike, FWIW…

Current location? Nearing the end?
Gwaaan Pedalhead!!

Looks awesome! Me and a friend did part of the ridgeway last weekend, was a really nice ride.

Current location? Nearing the end?
Gwaaan Pedalhead!!

Saw him at the top of Smith’s Hill at about 1815, stopped for a brief chat, he was going well

Thanks for the updates. 😀

bravo pedalhead.

Hi all! Well that was fun… Kinda 🙂 On our way home now. My total time was 13 hours 26 minutes 15 seconds. Pleased with that as my stretch target was 14 hours. Good to meet you, drofluf. Nice bike :-).

Likewise, hope I didn’t delay you too much!

Thanks for that! I’ll not be doing the double, but gives me inspiration for a single at some stage. Well done on your ride.

Awesome stuff, singles on the card for me too, maybe next week if my hand is healed!

Pedalhead you’ve earned a beer or 2

Wow that’s fast. Well done!

Bookmarks the ridgeway double and gets my training shoes on….

DrP

Great to hear there’s so much interest in riding the route :-). I’m really happy with how it’s come together…it’s a good ‘un. Bit bumpy mind, 175 miles of that on my rigid bike and my arms are bit sore this morning!

Here’s my ride on Strava… http://www.strava.com/activities/195171633

That’s seriously impressive pace there for such a long ride !

Thanks weeksy! I did try & ride above my usual comfort pace on this one (paying the price this morning!). It’s not often I wish for gears, but this one really would be so much faster with gears…and possibly some front suspension – it’s bumpy. This inaugural time is definitely there to be beaten by someone on a more sensible bike :-).

Oh, and to answer questions about the bike…

[url=https://flic.kr/p/pf5Thi]at the start[/url] by pedalhead_Mark_Goldie, on Flickr

It’s a Salsa Selma singlespeed (not Ti – Scandium and carbon). Running a 33/19 with OneKey chainring 😀

Would you not recommend a cx bike then? I was thinking of having a go at the single.

Some sections would be ideal on the Cx, some… a bit bumpy.. There’s a couple of bits over Swindon/Wantage way that are particularly bumpy… but they’re not that long in all honesty. I can’t say it would be my bike of choice.. but it would be fine mostly.

Excellent work, that must have been challenging in parts!

The section by Kingston Blount must have been uncomfortable!

Yep I’d agree with weeksy. Some stretches are begging for a fast CX bike. I think the bumps would do me in though…a lightweight geared hardtail is the ideal tool for the job I reckon.

Would you not recommend a cx bike then? I was thinking of having a go at the single.

Haven’t done the full route but a lot of the Ridgeway West of Streatley is very rutted so I’d want at least a mtb sized tyre and preferably some suspension. Think you’d be very beaten up on a cx

adsh – the Kingston Blount stretch of the Ridgeway was indeed no fun at all on the rigid 🙂

West of Streatley isn’t nearly as rutted as it was. A lot of its been made good in recent years.

Oh, and I’ll be updating the web site with the final route this week. You could of course just download my Strava track, but that won’t have all the tap locations 😉

Most of the rutted bits are now closer to Avebury, past Barbury Castle.

Great time for a good distance – SS too – jolly well done!