BHF South Downs Way 100mls in July - I am signed up

Lars1974

Hi all,

having done the BHF Ridgeway Randomee last year - this years challenge ride for me will be the full 100mls of the South Downs Way.
The event is run by the BHF and takes place on Saturday, 21st of July 2012.
I will be riding my Stumpy and I am already training for it...(ride at Swinley most weekends & spin sessions in the gym etc.)
I am sure some of you have already done this one and I would be great to get any tips and hints. I will of course take plenty of food & drink and tool kit etc with me...

Also, let me know if you are taking part as so far I could not convince any of my fellow riders or work colleagues to take part too...so I am signed up as single rider!

Thanks
Lars

apreading

Good luck - I was really considering this one, but went for the Asthma Beach to Beach (Bournemouth to Brighton) instead. Let us know what it is like though as I think I could be doing it next year.

BHF events I have done in the past were really well organised.

Lars1974

my training is now on plan. I rode around Swinley last week twice and also on the weekend and I will be doing another 25-30mls ride tomorrow evening.
I am planning to do parts of the SDW as practice (also to prep myself) for what is to come!

Is anyone else from here doing this event???

njee20

Very tempted, not signed up, but I keep meaning to do the SDW.

tuxpoo

Lars1974, Im over in binfield and I have signed up for this.

Started training, really from last august. Lost an enormous amount of weight (+60lbs).

Ive done some longer rides (+30 milers) around swinley , and a few others (chilterns, devon etc)
I have 35 miler marked out in kingsclere (watership down) for this saturday (guessed more like SDW).

Plan is to add aprox 3 miles to each weekend ride until around late 60s by weekend 7th/8th july.
Im spinning and doing HIIT at gym. Riding in the week when I can. Even road if weather gets really awful.

Swinley rides; I have been delibertly seeking out some longer fire road climbs south of forest. Over toward camberly and around the danger area theres some longer hills than in the main woods. (long for swinley). Just been extending normal singletrack rides to add these hills. Its actually quite grueling and time consuming to do +30mile at swinley just on singletrack.

I did the last 50 miles of the SDW a few years back with a friend. I was pretty hard , but I was nowhere near as fit as now.

Give us a shout if you want do some longer rides around the area. Understandably my regular buddies are shying away from the endurance rides I have planned.

Might want to check out this. ..http://www.testvalleytour.com/hot_mtb.htm
50 miler organised ride sunday 20th may. This fits nicely in my shedule and is fairly local.

Tux

Lars1974

@ Tux,

thanks for your reply...
i did ride last night from my house to swinley and than a swinley loop and back home (around 25mls) in finest english weather...for sure i am interested in meeting up for some ries together...i usually do the same loop so very interested to discover new routes.

i too do spinning at virgin gym in wokingham...

i cant do the ride on the 20th of may as i will be on holiday than.. but i am panning on doing parts of the SDW as part of the training...so if you fancy we can try that...(have a towbar carrier which takes 2 bikes).

anyway, lets see if we can hook up. i will pm you my mobile number.

Thanks
Lars

Tom120

Good luck - I was really considering this one, but went for the Asthma Beach to Beach (Bournemouth to Brighton) instead. Let us know what it is like though as I think I could be doing it next year.

apreading

Eh? Are you doing B2B too Tom? Is anyone else here doing it? How's the training going?

tuxpoo

Lars1974 wrote:

@ Tux,

thanks for your reply...
i did ride last night from my house to swinley and than a swinley loop and back home (around 25mls) in finest english weather...for sure i am interested in meeting up for some ries together...i usually do the same loop so very interested to discover new routes.

i too do spinning at virgin gym in wokingham...

i cant do the ride on the 20th of may as i will be on holiday than.. but i am panning on doing parts of the SDW as part of the training...so if you fancy we can try that...(have a towbar carrier which takes 2 bikes).

anyway, lets see if we can hook up. i will pm you my mobile number.

Thanks
Lars

Got your number

Training in full swing now. done a 25, 30, 33 and 35 over last four weekends.
I did a ride this sunday at watership down that had 4000ft of climb. and feel really good today!
Looking at doing a 37 miler this weekend and need to work out a route. Has to have at lease 3-4000 ft climb.
Looking at around nettelbed (ridgway/chilterns) just hoping for some dryer weather.
Another alternative is to do winchester to combe and back on the SDW. I have no idea what that section is like in the wet.
could be interesting

Tux

Lars1974

trying the SDW sound like a good idea. Least get in touch towards the end of this week.
i did 30mls in total yesterday - home to swinley and than 2 big loops there and back home.

37mile sound like a plan..
thanks
Lars

James_R

Good luck, it's an awesome route for sure, I did the Lemming trail last year, all I can say is the hills are just bigger than you can imagine, but just keep pedalling and you get to the top of them, it's awesome fun to ride. Good luck

Lars1974

i will be doing a training run on the SDW this weekend...not sure yet how far i will go but i will start from winchester end and just go....

probably saturday or sunday, but not sure yet.

bartimaeus

Lars1974 wrote:

i will be doing a training run on the SDW this weekend...

Take it easy... some of the chalk is still pretty slippery after all the rain we've had, so you'll find some sections firm and dry, some sections muddy and sticky and the odd slippery patch.

Lars1974

I did go for a ride round Swinley again - shame i did not check before that the gorrick race was on - could have joined that as training - anyway I did my laps.

as for this coming saturday i will head to SDW start @ Winchester in the morning and cycle from their - not sure how far but at least 35mls.

tuxpoo

Lars1974 wrote:

I did go for a ride round Swinley again - shame i did not check before that the gorrick race was on - could have joined that as training - anyway I did my laps.

as for this coming saturday i will head to SDW start @ Winchester in the morning and cycle from their - not sure how far but at least 35mls.

I would join you but I'm working.

I managed 45 miles this saturday (second longest ride ive ever done on MTB ) . Linked up loops in swinley, tunnel hill, minley, blackwater valley. Quite pleased, but defiantly noticed stiff legs.
Had slight twinge of cramp in the last 4-5 miles, which was a bit worrying.

I get monday off, so im off to kingsclere to try a 47 miler .

Good luck on saturday.

Lars1974

update: i was out last night in swinley in the very muddy and wet conditions and went over the handlebar... :oops:

will have to go for x-ray on my shoulder later...hopefully its clean and NO fractures...otherwise no riding for me for a while...

NOT happy
Lars

Lars1974

update: had x-ray and luckily no fractures, but bruising of the shoulder joint! painful yes, but could have been worst!
anyway, my new Harvey SDW map arrived today - once again there is an upside to it.

Lars1974

tuxpoo wrote:

Lars1974 wrote:

I did go for a ride round Swinley again - shame i did not check before that the gorrick race was on - could have joined that as training - anyway I did my laps.

as for this coming saturday i will head to SDW start @ Winchester in the morning and cycle from their - not sure how far but at least 35mls.

I would join you but I'm working.

I managed 45 miles this saturday (second longest ride ive ever done on MTB ) . Linked up loops in swinley, tunnel hill, minley, blackwater valley. Quite pleased, but defiantly noticed stiff legs.
Had slight twinge of cramp in the last 4-5 miles, which was a bit worrying.

I get monday off, so im off to kingsclere to try a 47 miler .

Good luck on saturday.

do you have a map of the trails of the " loops in swinley, tunnel hill, minley, blackwater valley." as i have not done tunnel hill, minley or blackwater and would like to ride this loop... thanks
Lars

diy

If anyone is interested I will be arranging Devils dyke to Eastbourne and back some time mid June. Its a good bench mark to test if you are fit enough, since it about 75% of the effort of the SDW 100. Its around 60 miles, but its got most of the 10k climb (since the DD-EB section is the hardest) and you are in to the wind on the return. It will take around 6-8 hours. We set off about 8AM and finish 2-4pm. Timing really depends on the wind.

The advantage of doing this is 1 its a loop, so no logistics issues, 2 you learn the last section of the ride, which will help you when you on the day, when you are pooped.

Lars1974

Definitely interested in that ride...as long as it on a weekend day...its fine.
mid June is also perfect. thanks
Lars

tuxpoo

Lars, hope your all fixed now.

Check out ...
http://www.trailbreak.co.uk/trail_rides/index.php?go=eventinfo&event_id=120708

100k two weeks before on the big ride on the same terrain. Im Def in on this one.

I did the Test valley 80k this sunday. Only 25 of 250 riders finished the 80k ... I was one of them

It was tough!

still sore today.

Lars1974

after 3 weeks of very little training due to holidays (although i did use the gym there..) and 5 days at the Isle of Man TT - i now will start my countdown to the big ride and train hard!

i may even squeeze in this event - either the 40 or the 65mls...if anyone fancies...
http://events.summitmtb.co.uk/2012/05/s ... great.html

other than that i will cycle to work too to get saddle time up.

Lars1974

update: have just signed me up for the 65mls ride next sunday!!!

tuxpoo

Im working this weekend otherwise i would have been on it.

I have been using the chilterns for longer rides over last few weeks. Its going to be muddy.
It wil be a real test to anyone at the moment.

good luck.

Lars1974

i did ride yesterday the Summit Sixty Five - and it was a tough event as a lot of the lanes where pretty muddy



i manage to get through it all though and finished after 8h43mi...with and avg moving speeding of 8.9mph but as it had to take many stopps it too me longer than planned...

a lot of people did switch to the 65 k instead of miles at the foodstation (because of the muddy conditions) - which meant i rode from mile 30 on my own all the way to the finish!

the event was perfectly organized and signposted.
here is a short report on the event website:

http://65.summitmtb.co.uk/

anyway it was a good training ride and i only hope that the weather will be dry the week before the SDW100 as i dont fancy mud again.

diy

Thats a good result given the conditions. I have been finding it hard going to get out with the rain. Its going to be grim if its as wet as it was last year. It added another 2 hours to my time last year.

I have been trying to predict a break in the weather to organise Devils Dyke to E-bourne and back, didn't fancy doing it in high winds and driving rain, considering the return leg is hard enough anyway with the head winds.

I've potentially got my eye on sat/sun this weekend - weather permitting.

Lars1974

i am planning to do a local training ride this Saturday AM - not sure yet where to go...but maybe a chiltern hills or just a large Swinley loop - anyone fancy joining let me know.
thanks
lars

apreading

Lars1974 wrote:

i am planning to do a local training ride this Saturday AM - not sure yet where to go...but maybe a chiltern hills or just a large Swinley loop - anyone fancy joining let me know.
thanks
lars

Ask on the London Calling thread or http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/SwinleyforestMTB/ for the best response especially if Swinley.

diy

I'm possibly doing DD to Eastbourne return this Saturday - weather depending. Will be making a go/no go friday. likely to be me + 1 rider leaving before 9am. From DD nat trust car park.

tuxpoo

I would have joined you on the DD to eastbourne, But did 70 miler on weds (winchester to cocking hill and back) so need to space the next long ride out til early next week. Im also really keeping pace down to avoid killing my self.
In saying that; Im averaging 10mph on the first half of the downs and 7 mph on the second(its tougher).

Ive checked out most of the SDW intraining now. Stick some mudguards on and slap on the insect repelant. The lying water is swarming with nasty bugs. Something even bit my lip. There is alot of mud and the chalk is pretty slippery especially in the morning dew or rain.

I will prob be doing a ride early next week (tue) thinking of Amberley station to eastborne then catch the train back. Its only 53 (did I say "ONLY" 53 ) but its the tougher half and its a chance to check out the route and water stops again.

Hats off to you for aiming for DD to eastbourne and back. Im recon thats as tough as the whole route . That last 20 miles is Killer.
Keep an eye on the wind speed and direction if you are doing an A - B - A, as the easterly is unnoticeable on the way out but hard as hell on the hill tops on the way back.

Lars1974, Im about at swinley on saturday morning. But Im only doing a general loop with the MTB britain guys. I keep the pace up as they seem to enjoy the challenge of chasing me round the woods.

The end of wednesdays ride I felt good. I really starting to think Im ready for the whole thing. Something I really doubted and few months ago. A year ago I would have died at 20 miles of the SDW.

Keep up the training guys! Just over three weeks to go!

diy

Yep did the DD-EB return last year as a benchmark of fitness the return is 150% as hard as the eastbound leg due to head winds. I reckon its 75% of the effort of the whole thing. about 65miles but the same overall climb as the full 100. Thanks for the tips on mozzy spray. It was muddy last year - added 2 hours to my sdw total time - dont fancy doing that one again.

If anyone wants to join me I will be in the national trust car park (black volvo xc90) pub car park. I will be leaving by 8AM so you need to get their by 7:30 to be sure of catching me.

This year will be my 4th year doing the sdw, was hoping to improve my time, but well behind on my fitness - still far to heavy

anyone joining us:
water supplements (there are plenty of taps so you just need powder/energy additives) a water pack capable of holding 1.5 to 2l is fine.
food - 8-10 flapjack cakes and some nannas or whatever
2 tubes. pump, tools, patches (rain jacket etc)
chain lube if its muddy. lube was a life saver last year.