Am i pushing myself too hard?

MTB noob

This post is so i am not making a stupid decision.

I am planning to do a 30 mile cycle ride the 21st august with my mate but on the 25th we are going to attempt to cycle the whole South Downs Way in 1 day.

I know that it is quite a distance but i know theres water taps along the way and we will bring phones, high energy food etc... but is it wise for a 15 and a 16 year old with £350 bikes to go on a expedition like this?

I would appreciate input from everyone

Thanks

mcnultycop

When I was 15 or 16 I used to think nothing about going out all day and doing a 70 mile loop (on my Orange Clockwork, even with blinkered vision your modern bikes are probably better) with no planning at all. Now I can't go 15 miles without planning it like a military operation.

I'm sure you'll be fine.

cooldad

That depends on you, if you are a giant unfit blob maybe not, but I would expect any roughly fittish teenager to be able to do it.

cat_with_no_tail

No, MTFU!

In my day....... 56 miles to school, all uphill............... no shoes............ in the rain................ etc etc

If you feel fit enough, do it. If not, don't. Simples.

cooldad

Cat With No Tail wrote:

In my day....... 56 miles to school, all uphill............... no shoes............ in the rain................ etc etc

School? You posh bastard, I was already down the mines as an embryo.

paul.skibum

Dont forget to ring your mum every 5 miles to let her know how you are getting on. And take a clean pair of pants with you in case of an accident.

30 miles should be fine - SDW should be fine too. There are bail out options along the way after all with train stations and hospitals and so on.

bartimaeus

It's 100 miles and there's 3,500m of climbs... see Bikedowns for the profile. This website also tells you where to find the taps... so you don't need to carry a heavy water load. I've not ridden it all (only QE to Pyecombe), but plenty on here have I think... one of the big challenges is that you are faced with a series of 200m climbs from rivers back up to the ridgeline, and these are stacked towards the end of the route. Up to the halfway point the climbing is mostly relatively short and sharp - but from then on it can become a bit relentless!

njee20

and these are stacked towards the end of the route.

Err... depends which way he's doing it!

You'll be fine, just do it. As said, plenty of options to bail out, particularly as you live somewhere around the halfway point. If it's getting dark/you've run out of food/you're losing too much blood/you're dead you can just bail out.

bartimaeus

njee20 wrote:

and these are stacked towards the end of the route.

Err... depends which way he's doing it!

Very true ... I foolishly assumed West-East as I could not conceive of riding 100 miles into a headwind!

bartimaeus

Oh, and there's a very handy farm shop right opposite the tap in Cocking, so take some money and have a quick stop for refreshments.

Red.Devil.Ghost

Having never ridden this route, I don't know what kind of speed you can hope to maintain, but it should be doable in a day.

At least you can take a phone with you and call for help if you need it. Keep your fluid intake high for a few days before to keep your hydration at a good level. Being well hydrated is not just drinking a lot on the day of the ride. Don't be doing it on a hangover. Eat decent healthy food as well and you should be fine.

jeannot18

I have done in June but over a couple of days. I am not as young as you are (50) so I will have to be honest and say that I found it very hard (Winchester to Eastbourne). We got lost a few times and ended up doing 117 miles in total. There is nothing very technical about the downhill bits, but with the climbs there are a few nasty ones. We did it on dry weather but I would imagine that if it is wet it would be even harder. The guy I have done it with is more of a roady, and has done many times London to Paris, and also London to Amsterdam and he said that it was much harder (but you would expect that as cycling on road is not has challenging as MTB). A lot of people have done in one day, and even the return leg within 24 hours. So yes it is doable but it is not a walk in the park, mainly due to the climbs and not so much the distance. Get yourself a decent map, you will need it as sometimes the post signing goes a bit awol.
Enjoy it though, it is a wonderful part of the country
JC

cooldad

TBH sounds really boring.

bartimaeus

100 miles of challenging climbs and excellent views: what's not to like?

Other than the 3,500m of fire-road downhills

Shackster

Start very early, plan on riding for around 14 hours. Have your return journey planned.

Take plenty of food.

There are several bits where it's easy to go wrong, so if you have a smartphone, download a gps app such as motion-X and download the mapping for the whole route in advance, do not rely on getting a 3G signal, because you won't when you most need it! Don't leave the app running all the time, just refer to it when unsure.

Or take a map and know how to use it. There are maps showing just the route and a bit either side, which is ok if you don't go too far off route.

Oh and I would try a longer ride first if you have time, say 50-60 miles; it's not just fitness you need to do the whole thing in one day; you need gear that works and to be honest, a bit of luck with the weather.

I'll probably be abused for this, but personally I'd abort it if it rains a lot in the week before, as the first 45 miles will be a nightmare (if you go west to east)

Have fun!

ilovedirt

I'm sure I remember you starting a thread because you could ride everything better than everyone else and were getting bored? I'm sure you'll be fine

diy

Worth having a read of this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=10008&t=12846492

It is a very challenging ride and to be honest unless you have been training for months or are mega fit, you've got no chance. Its not the distance that kills you its the climb. over 3km of climb of which over half is done in the last 35 miles.

You'll need to start around 5AM, 14 hours on a first attempt is a good time. I'd work on a plan that has you doing it in 15.