One of England’s longest offroad trails would normally be muddy following the traditional downpour of April. However, it was dry and sunny, great conditions for a weekend trek from Winchester to Eastbourne.

The event organised by VOTwo was an early season ride covering half the 106miles of the South Downs Way on Saturday and the balance on Sunday, camping over in Washington, Wessex.

It was two years’ since I had riden the full South Downs Way but I found training and more comfort on a mountain bike made the rise far easier and I sucessfully rode some climbs I walked in Sept 05.

The ride started at Tesco near J9 of the M3 and coverred 56 miles with many climbs and rolling downs. The sun shone and it was a great days riding with some really friendly MTBers. When we reached the campside a great base was setup and plenty of space was available for setting up the tent. A big portion of grub and shortly after the sun disappeared the camp quietened down as 54 weary rides recharged their batteries for another day’s riding sunday.

The ride on sunday was faster than saturday. A cooler day with some grey clouds looming, occassionally burnt off by the sunshine, made the riding environment more comfortable. The greatest sight of the day was seeing Eastbourne in the valley after the last long climb. With a kick of final energy and a descent into the town made the final few kilometres pass quickly. Finishing outside the pier rounded off a great weekend.

A great weekend’s riding and a nice warmup for the Grand Fondo in May.

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