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I'm supposed to riding for 3 hours on the downs on Monday while Mrs Zip has afternoon tea with her friends.
Checking the weather to see how wet I'm going to get I see that it's going to be 33 degrees and sunny. Being a Surrey person, all my rides tend to be under tree cover.
Will I be baked to death out in the sun?
I rode the last half (60 miles) to Eastbourne on Friday. You'll be fine. Just drink lots. And cool off by sticking your head under the taps!
Just carry more water than you think you’ll need
This is a stupid statement
I’d take 3 litres of water
The South Downs are not totally devoid of trees. Where are you riding?
What they said, plus lather on the factor 50.
If riding from Amberley I’d head for Houghton Forest to fill your time. A Garmin or Strava heat map should guide you to the trails. You can follow the South Downs Way and be baked against the chalk double track or look for the bridleway just up from the George and Dragon pub for a more shady ascent. If it had been a day I was free I’d have happily shown you around
Useful info thanks.
Hadn't thought to go west.
Soak a baselayer in cold tap water just before putting it on under your jersey.
1250l squash bottles fit nicely in standard bottle cages iirc from '18.
Get two Topeak bottle cage mounts that can be attached to bar or seatpost, so you can have 4+ bottles.
Inflate tyres with water as an emergency backup. 🤣
Hadn't thought to go west
You could go east for a couple of runs in the Steyning Bowl, there are some signed sanctioned trails there but your three hours will soon run out as I think it is a little further and maybe a little harder to find
This is a good entry to the Houghton Forest trails, the car park and cafe where all the motorcyclists gather
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ds7cZ9tjPJ6dsB2q6
and the Steyning trails start here
https://maps.app.goo.gl/knKw4gNbdA47kJmS9
Thanks Mr B.
Given how warm it'll be, find some sunscreen that won't melt off you on the first hill. Apply a few hours before riding, so it can dry on.
Light colours can reflect heat and UV - don't let that chalky track burn the underside of your chin (or nose).
Likewise - eye protection. You don't want chalk blindness.
Plenty of water, snacks... and most importantly: a reliable communication device. 👍
Nothing but to add other than I just checked - 6 years ago this Monday, I did Amperley - Eastbourne whilst down on holiday (my wife's best friend now lives in Lewes). A chalky sweaty sun blast as I remember - another planet away from my native Scottish muck!!
Critique my route. Ignore the finish.
Clockwise or anti?
https://explore.osmaps.com/route/27499147/Ambeley
Looks fine as an XC route. There is nothing on it that matters which way you go imho but anticlockwise (as you have plotted it) gets a big chunk of climbing out of the way at the start so I'd probably do that. Are you confident you can get around it in 3 hours or is time not too important? It would be nice to stop for an ice cream in Arundel by the river or down by Swanbourne Lake and if you need to cut some miles there is a bridleway alongside the river (down Mill Road, past the Black Rabbit, starts at Offham) which can be nice or horribly overgrown and I don't know which at present 😀
Weather forecast for Arundel...
https://www.wunderground.com/hourly/gb/arundel/date/2025-6-30
Not the typical prevailing SW wind, starting E and swinging around to SSE during the day, so choose when you you want some wind help or at least not have a headwind making it harder!
If you were doing the South Downs one way, definitely a day to be heading towards the Winchester end, unless you're mad. 🤣
Mr B , I'm more than happy to cut miles for ice cream!
I rode the Amberley river run today , and they have cleared 75% of it including the fallen tree . It’s not too bad .
Was excellent. Cheated( survived ) by taking my e-bike. Baked a bit on the first climb but altered my route to take in as much woods as possible. Saw loads of interesting bits to the side but stuck with my route.
Compared to route finding in Cornwall the sign posting was amazing. People of Sussex I salute you. It was a day of seemingly endless downhill . Hit 30 at one point my fastest off road speed , and 35 on the road , my fastest on knobblies.
Had to bail out towards the end and return on road as I was running out of time.
The scenery was pure Mint Sauce. Bright blue skies certainly enhanced the views.
Amberley castle is certainly worth a visit, the ladies didn’t save me any cake but the views are epic.
Once we retire the I shall swap North for South Downs and am really looking forward to it.
Thanks for the heads up , I would never have gone west otherwise.
https://strava.app.link/V8CZN3yDEUb
“Cheated( survived ) by taking my e-bike.”
I commute on an ebike and it’s such a delight in this weather! Glad you had fun - the SDNP and SDW are much better signed than many places, even I sometimes don’t get lost…
One midsummer, think it was 2012, did the SDW from Winchester to Eastbourne, the average temperature was 11 degrees and we had a 20mph headwind all the way.
Compared to route finding in Cornwall the sign posting was amazing.
think it was 2012, did the SDW from Winchester to Eastbourne
I remember the first time I did it (end to end) - there were land/rights of way disputes at the time. Many of the signs were missing. Quite an adventure trying to figure out which way to go (injured as a result).
I wish I'd seen this thread sooner - I did the full length on Tuesday, some of the heat management tips would have been fantastic!
I sweated off most of my suncream, so I now have a silly tan that's visibly darker on the right (south facing) side. Otherwise a good day for it, although I missed the tailwind I was hoping for. 32deg average over the day, 37degree max.
I never wear sunscreen and my legs are as white as ever. My dream is a cyclists suntan.
I used the Nivea Dry and Protect suncream which is supposed to be resistant to sweat and water during my SDWIAD attempt recently. Still got a tan/mild burn. I applied it three times over an 11 hour period when the bottle says reapply every 2 hours, but who's got time for that?