Me and a couple of chums have had this saturday in the diary for a while to do the SDW in a day. W to E.
The insane amount of rain hasnt been ideal. How's it looking up there?
Is it worth still giving it a crack or throw the towel in early and ride elsewhere?
Also are all the water taps working? Or is there a website that might share the info.
We've done it before, but any fresh tips always welcome!
but any fresh tips always welcome!
Do it in the middle of summer 🙂
you won't drown, and some of it drains really nicely, but I imagine other bits will be slimy green chalk hell (some of the decents off the northern edge of it were at the weekend). I think you'll also struggle with light unless you're really quick.
Went from the windmills to Blackcap and back on Sunday, and it was in surprisingly good nick, but that section is one of the better surfaces. Some mates went a bit off the ridge and the mud was a nightmare.
Quite a bit of rain since, and more to come (heavy on Saturday at times too), so conditions will not be at their best.
Guess it depends on your tolerance for an 'adventure'
I live near the SDW, the climb up the SDW is already lethal, with the ice-like green chalk of death everywhere.
I think this might be the worst time of year for it, because the chalk is still hard from the summer. By mid-winter, it's all softened up, so whilst it's not ice-like anymore, it sticks to your wheels so much they will stop going round and your bike will weigh 30kg after 5 minutes.
so ultimately... its a bloody stupid idea 😀
This end (western) will be ok if it stays wet as the mud is watery. When it dries it gets gloopy and I'm not sure 100 miles on that will be fun
a week ago and you'd have been fine, but this week's rain has been the "It's Changed Now" weather.
as mentioned above the green chalk of death is back and the seasonal puddles and mud are in for the winter, if you've done it before in dry weather you'll have an idea of how long it takes you, add a significant chunk to that, take lights
on the plus side you'll have a tailwind and if you can postpone it to Sunday you'll hardly need to pedal
It's as slippery as **** near Brighton/Lewes. Save it for the spring.
I can’t imagine the climb from the Meon Valley Railway track up Old Winchester Hill will be much fun as a few horse riders along the bottom field combined with run-off will have churned it into a gloopy mess - I’ve been there to see people struggling to carry their mud-clogged bikes uphill because it was too heavy going/claggy mud to push. The descent from the top of OWH down to the Meon Valley Fishery can be slippery, as is the bottom of the next climb from Coombe Cross to Salt Hill.
Thanks for all the advice folks.... we have decided to postpone.
Spring time sounds a better bet! 🙂
Probably a sensible decision V7
I've done it a few times over a couple of days, and failed to do it in a day - that's still on the tick list.
I'd wait for an extended period of dry weather to make sure that it's in good condition - spring might be too early still. June/July are good candidates usually. You might get lucky with a dry winter of course.
I live near Chanctonbury Ring which is usually not too bad when you stay at the top but frankly it's not much fun ATM.
A couple of weeks back you would have been fine but we're in the SDW rainy season (!) now so as others have mentioned, the green chalk is making a comeback: worst point tend be the chalk descents around Harting Down (remember someone coming a cropper there on one of the Max Exposure SDW night rides years back) plus a few of the ploughed field crossings will be getting "interesting" (such as the run down to Upwaltham) and grass climbs will be a bit gloopy as well.
Save it for the spring.
pfft, summer or nowt. Spring is still plenty wet enough
Clocks going back on Sunday would have been a nice touch too as youd need to get up an hour earlier to catch the light 😀
Was out on it last weekend and the green chalk as others mentioned was lethal and when pure chalk unrideable whatever tyres, not too muddy but you won't die.
James
I did petersfield/QECP to Devil's Dyke yesterday...
80 KM took over 5 hours (but that was with fannying about in QECP a bit, and sausage roll stops...).
It's really wet - not 'sticky mud' as such, just LOTS of puddles on the tops and bottoms. The ground and chalk was significantly more slippy at the western end..once we got past Amberly mount (i.e your usual area) it was drier and more hard packed.
My advice... go for a ride, but do what we did and cut it short..just ride a chunk of the SDW as it's still a good ride, you'll just be a lot slower and more cautious, expecially on the chalky descents..your braking distance will be increased MASSIVELY!!!
DrP
I was out last night, touched the SDW for a little bit (around Beacon Hill). The grassy bits are absolutely fine but the chalk was slippery as hell, anything slightly off camber is lethal. Patches of mud about but nothing too horrendous yet.
thanks for the additional feedback folks.
We are doing an all-dayer in the Surrey hills instead.
Going to pencil the SDW back in for some point next year.
