So the day after our adventure I am sat contemplating not finishing the South Downs Way.  The weather was not kind to us on the day; it rained heavily all night before we set off and continuously throughout the day, turning the surface conditions into a chalky soup!  We left Winchester at 7am in the rain with temperatures of around 6 degrees.  After about 20 minutes we were both soaked to the skin and stayed that way for the next 12 hours.  

We cycled non stop for 11.5 hours and made it as far as Brighton; not as far as either of us would have liked but reflecting upon it today in the warm and dry we gave it everything that we had.  Grant is a veteran of doing the SDW and thought that this time was the hardest he has ever found it.  

During the day the surface conditions were energy sapping; very similar to riding through a thick, chalky soup.  Ideal for wearing out bikes but not great for the riders who were hoping to be skipping across the downs leaving clouds of chalk dust behind!  The hills were bearable as your temperature went up but the downhills varied between being tricky to downright dangerous with the only common thing that the moment you crested the hill and started on the downslope your core temperature dropped immediately.

Reading the above makes it sound like I didn't enjoy it; I did, I thought it was great but I am frustrated that we didn't finish when we both know that we could have and would have, had we ridden in the blazing sunshine of the day before.  I have got some great memories of the ride, probably the best one was descending Butser Hill near Petersfield, Grant said "be careful the rabbit holes are deadly" before letting the brakes off and speeding down the hill.  I followed and along with a no braking policy let my significantly greater mass bring home the downhill win!  Thinking about it this was about the only downhill where we could both see where we were supposed to be going....

I know that we will be back to finish the job, probably being a bit more flexible to hit a dry patch.  Thanks to all those who donated and offered support; you have been amazing! 

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Grant and I are cycling the South Downs Way on May 28th for the Teenage Cancer Trust.  The ride is 106 miles long and involves 12,000ft of climbing.  We are leaving Winchester at 6am on 28th May and aim to arrive in Eastbourne between 6pm & 8pm.

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