Yeah, definitely ..

AWESOME 🤪🥊

Sort of missed this thread after the original post, but you lads did a great job of seeing the Downs and the jumping in the sea at the end .

Well what can I say 👍🤩🤩🤩🤩🤙

What was the Spesh you did it on? Looks like a Camber evo? I’ve been meaning to take mine on my annual SDW trip, but always end up taking my hardtail and regretting it mid bumpy descent.

Awesome looking trip

Photos! some from the proper camera, some from the phone.

dovebiker just out of Winchester

picton road field – cheeky over the shoulder number.

that sunset you’ve seen a couple of times before

I meant for this to be a much longer trace, but messed up the settings and didn’t have the heart or the enthusiasm to shout pictonroad back for another shot. Wish I had. Would have been worth it!

coos

climbing out of Alfriston – getting hot again!

100! not 99.5 like strava tacked me down to. should have left it running for the run to breakfast and the station

the final ordeal – 10 yards of pebble beach in bare feet

one of the best swims ever experienced

Awesome 👏

flippin’ ace pics too. well done 😉

Flipping awesome Photos. Dang, you should have said on the trace, I’m not doing it again…😂

Yes, it’s a Camber frame, perfect for it.

Just adding some thoughts in case there was any doubt: a SDW overnighter is ruddy brilliant.

Can’t get it out of my head. beautiful light pretty much the entire ride, bar possibly the last hour and a half when it was getting into yer common or garden hot, sunny day.

The wildlife was a real treat, never seen so much in a ride.  Barn owls particularly, don’t usually see them on night rides near me.  A couple of times I had bats almost fly into my helmet light then turn away.  I have an image in my head of the second one: dark, reddy brown fur, grey wings with lighter grey highlights around the ribs/fingers in the skin of the wings.

Definitely the most comfortable time of day to be riding: cooler, less fluid loss, no need for sunscreen, and quiet – we had the trail to ourselves for hours and hours, apart from the above mentioned wildlife!

I’ve ridden the whole trail a handful of times, over two or three days and in one, and always planned to swim at the end, but it’s always been a rush to do other things: find out about trains or rush for the last one, get some food, or its evening time and starting to chill down a bit.  Arriving at an empty beach and a cool sea at 8:30 in the morning with nothing to do for the rest of the day but eat breakfast and make our way home, was actual bliss.

Very glad I took so many photos, some just grabbed on the move on the phone from the pocket, some a bit more considered from the proper camera.  There were some views from the dawn that I’d part forgotten!

Yes it was tiring, and a bit of a drain going overnight.  I got home, had a pub lunch with mrs and littlest, showered then slept like the dead until the evening.  I woke up a couple of times not knowing what time of day it was, or even what day it was!  I reckon the SDW takes a weekend out of your time, whether you’re doing it 2 days or one, and I was right enough by the next day, so all in all, on a par with other approaches.

Summertime overnighter – an absolute treat!

And thanks very much to dovebiker and especially pictonroad for joining me.  Having someone still pedalling when you feel like a walk or a nap means you keep going, even if they might be thinking exactly the same.  After dawn the distances between me and pr stretched out a bit, both quicker than the other on different sections, but we knew by then it would come back soon enough, so we could just keep going.  Good partner, good match for pace and fitness and good company. Thanks again!