Slop fest on summer tyres 🥴

Stockbridge loop solo - 💯 sun 🌞

Afternoon Walk

Morning Ride

Late autumnal colours with Toby

200 miles 
22,000 feet of climbing
200 gates 

Elapsed time 21 hrs 46 minutes

I fell in love with the South Downs and the South Downs Way 15 years ago on a brief jaunt up to Cheesefoot Head and onwards in the direction of Gander Down with my friend Jamie Franklin. That toe in the water became a more deep-seated interest years later when we relocated to the Winchester area, and I had easy access to the western end of the route. 

A first attempt of the SDW in one direction with Jamie Franklin was thwarted by a side wall tyre gash and resulted in us abandoning and getting home on the train from Worthing. 

A year or two later I was back for another go and this time completed the route one way on a gravel bike, this time with my pal, Tim Robinson. The thought of turning round and doing it all over again on that day was unimaginable. But the idea of a double had been sowed in my mind. The stories on this website had inspired me and I knew I had to give it a go. A common thread in these stories is the weather conditions. As the summer solstice approached and I saw clear skies and warm overnight temperatures forecasted, combined with the dry spring that we had this year, I knew it was time. 

Alarm set for midnight after a few hours’ sleep, I was up and then parked my car at the train station in Winchester. I did this just in case I had to bail again with a mechanical, and also to preserve my light batteries as I was worried that I coukd potentially be going long into a second night. 

I set off from the King Alfred Statue at 0100. Being familiar with the western end really helped in those hours of darkness. My progress was only halted by the rare site of an albino badger whilst I was ascending the rutted and rooted climb on the way towards the Sustainability Center.   

As the day dawned I enjoyed a light tailwind easing me Eastwards. Two men doing yoga on the top of their campervan facing the sunrise were the first humans I had seen since leaving Winchester. The scenes were bucolic with mist collecting in the valleys of this timeless landscape. These were the golden hours.

Coffee, Pepsi and crisps were purchased at the South Downs YHA, Itford and then it was onwards for the final push of the outward leg to Eastbourne. By this point the sun was getting high and the heat of the day was starting to accumulate. 

In Eastbourne I grabbed a tuna baguette but I had no appetite by this stage so it was shoved in my jersey pocket. The heat that was rapidly building and the copious volumes of carbohydrate I’d been having were taking their toll and it was here that I then entered a bad few hours. I basically stopped eating as I could not stomach anything. I over heated and I had a couple of hours covering less than 10 km each and I was on the cusp of abandoning. I felt very low and the enormity of what was to come started to overwhelm me. I phoned my wife, Francesca, and she told me to just do one more hour and then reassess and repeat. I also then regularly stopped at the taps and bathed myself in water to try and dissipate some heat. The combination of breaking the remaining time into small chunks and cooling off regularly had a massive impact. I also joined by a chap on a gravel bike who was making his way back to Exmoor. We had good chats which really perked me up as it took my focus off myself and gave a real sense of perspective.  As the heat of the day started to abate, I mentally recovered and realised that I could do it.

Back onto the gels and chews and energy drink. My legs were rejuvenated and I started to recognise my home training areas. Being back on familiar stretches of the route made a huge difference – I could mentally tick off signposts and gates that I knew.

Butser Hill always looms large over most training rides for me, it’s the longest and steepest climb in my home area and it was no different on this ride. I knew that once it was conquered, I really was on the homeward stretch.

My focus then switched from just finishing the challenge to trying to squeeze under 22 hours. As darkness approached, I pushed through the last 30 km or so and finished on an absolute high ripping along familiar tracks. The descent down Telegraph Hill into Winchester felt like a dream, the flickering lights of my hometown welcoming me back safely into its comforts and conveniences. 

Good luck and safe riding to any of you out there who get this far in my story and take on this challenge. 

See you out on the trails. J

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Jonathan S

South Downs Way Double

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Slop fest on summer tyres 🥴

Stockbridge loop solo - 💯 sun 🌞

Afternoon Walk

Morning Ride

Late autumnal colours with Toby

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