And so the sun sets on the Southern Divide

The Home straight

Monday finishers & routing woes

Beers at midnight

Sunday comes to a close...

Welcome to Sunday!

Day Three Part 2 and more finishers!

Day Three Part 1 and we have some finishers!

Day Two Wrap-Up

Day one comes to a close and just like that Day two begins!!

# The sun sets
As the sun set over Rochester castle, I waited to see our last rider back.
With her phone pinging like crazy from all the other riders cheering her to the end, Juman arrived into Rochester with the biggest grin on her face. 
Juman has nailed her first ultra race, and had a ball whilst she was at it. 
![IMG 0239](//videos.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/52AteztA7aHgQjDxI0SeXp/b5d8fa018a7aabaf356378ae40c6b9aa/IMG_0239.mov)

There were a few interesting wrong turns at times, and more punctures than she wanted, but she hasn’t stopped smiling since she started.  She was so nervous when she started, and after a small wobble on day 2, has been determined to not just finish, but also make the most of every minute of the available time.  I love a full value rider, just as much as all the others. One of the reasons that this isn’t a ‘race’ is that it gives the riders options to ride the route the way they want. 
Some love to be at the pointy end, challenging themselves to finish as fast as they can. Whilst others want to take in the atmosphere and the scenery of the spectacular south. 

This has been a fabulous group of riders, and it’s been an absolute blast following them across the south of England. 
![IMG 0238](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5wbRK1C8yUpX3xWRxu1Qyz/c4122656d95d4e1d48c40a34776dccd3/IMG_0238.jpeg)

# Reflections
I will be honest in saying that I never planned this route to be as tough as it was, and it did take most of the riders by surprise.  But there is no making following the Devon coast 'easy', mother nature has seen to that. We have nicknamed this section the Jaws of the Jurassic. This is a route that favours strong climbers.  Survive past Devon, and you start to find some let up between hills.

What kind of bike is approapriate though?  It's an interesting question.  There was a good mix of hard tail MTB's, and robust gravel bikes as well as a couple of full sussers. The full sus guys really had fun on a few sections, and did arrive at the end a little less broken.  But, there wasn't really much between the others.  If you have both a hard tail, and a gravel bike, the hard tail is probably the obvious choice.  However, if gravel is what you have, then get a BIG set of tyres on it, and a lot of gears and you'll be fine too. Technical mountain bike descents are kept to a minimum.

But, the tenacity of all the riders to get as far as they could was wonderful to see. 
There were no southern softies on this ride…these guys and gals are hard as nails!
Some are already lining up a rematch with the Jurassic next year. Never let the beast win!

Tom has already been busy putting together a video of his ride, which for anyone thinking of joining us next year gives a great flavour of what it takes to be one of the early finishers.  Great work Tom

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8OPD3BGiFfc&t=5s

Same again on 16th May 2024?

Stuart arrived a little after 1 am, very weary after a decision to unscratch on Monday morning. It had required a little personal admin on his part before restarting, which meant he was chasing the daylight, and found himself covering the whole of the North Downs section in the dark. The enormity of the undertaking was etched all over his face when he arrived. It was difficult to determine whether he enjoyed himself or not, but it was clear that he was happy to have completed it and enjoy a celebratory beer or two.

Sometimes riders thoughts immediatelty after the ride say a lot about an event and the riders, and so rather than hear from me, it seemed appropriate to share his comments that he shared a few hours later.

"First year at having a crack of the world of ultra distance racing, but tbh it's been about surviving for the most of it.
Totally cheated on this one and ended up staying in hotels as 95kg of me as well as a load of other shite that you dont use much made it more bearable. Posted the bivvy & sleeping bag and other stuff back home from Sidmouth and lost 4 kg. I did spend a few hours sleeping in a Dorset Barn until it got too cold.
I've learnt many things and have found that doing difficult stuff like this helps build confidence in one's own abiltiy. It has served as the rite of initiation for me, at the age of 51, that is missing from our society that you find in others.
Funny to think that a 51 year old only now is beginning to emerge from being a child.
Psychologically, that activity is a TOTAL trip."

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Definately Type 2 fun for Stuart, and I hope when he's recovered that he'll reflect in that most typical of Type 2 ways, by signing up for his next massive challenge.

Our Lantern Rouge Juman is still out on the route, but making really good time today.  Our finishers are sending out messages to her and watching her dot eagerly.  Come on Juman....nearly home


![IMG 0228](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4JUghgHvVhEToaguTKjzP0/c281f4bc1afdb0124ffd7ff00ed6bd84/IMG_0228.jpeg)The Tourist riders have the luxury of getting some sleep, and then slogging out long days. Sadly, that means I have long days, and sleepless nights, as the average ride from the most popular overnight stop is around 12-14 hours.  This means popping out to see riders into the night.

First back today was Steve Whitehouse, who stopped overnight in Godalming, and arrived at teatime, with an final time of 107 hours and 21 mins.  He booked a hotel, downed a beer, and settled down for an evening of food & reminising over the ride.

I showed him how to check his ridden route, as he was aware he took some rather interesting wrong turns.  At one point he ended up on the A3, and whilst sure I probably didn't put the route through there, his SAT NAV was insistent it was the right way.  Thankfully he lived to tell the tale, and we laughed when we saw some of the other wrong places he had been to.
On these kind of events it's really important to know how to use your tech.  Sat Navs all have their 'features', and re-routing is one that you have to understand (& turn off). It didn't seem to spoil his enjoyment though as he loved the adventure of it all.

Just before 10pm, Colin arrived full of beans.  Again he had a blast.  He has been soaking up every element of the ride, and had been itching to start it every since manning CP4 on the spring event. At CP3 Niel very helpfully reminded him that he needed to eat more, so he's been a man on a mission to consume maximum calories..it seems to have done the job as he completed the ride in 111 hrs 56 mins.

![IMG 0229](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6qskITr2vF8MKXhUmjwafu/996762eab27bd03f042d0312642fa17a/IMG_0229.jpeg)

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Still to come in are the two remaining riders.  Stuart, who scratched on Sunday, then had a change of heart this morning, is being powered on by Expresso and Red Bull, and is at the time of writing is 18km away, which means an arrival time of around 1:30 am.

Juman also had some interested route diversions this evening, as well as 5 punctures. The route down through the Devils Punchbowl isn't so easy to spot at night, which is where both Steve and Juman have struggled, accidentally staying on the road which leads to the main road. Juman looks to have picked out a cross country track to rejoin the route, and got back on track. She opted to sleep at Milford, and so all being well tomorrow should be able to arrive without too much time pressure on Tuesday afternoon.
Check back tomorrow to see the final picture.
Nite all....

Good afternoon, Marcia here, giving Kevin a break while he deals with his dayjob.
The first 2 tourist riders have been giving me sleepless nights, quite literally, as late/early hours arrivals from both of them after stopping at Petersfield overnight on Saturday. 
Martin McShane was first tourist back with a time of 88 hours and 23 minutes...only 2.5 hours shy of a challenge pace.  Not bad at all Martin.  I'm still not sure he quite believes it himself.  I think it's safe to say that he had the time of his life.  With Rochester closed on a Sunday night, I still found him a celebratory beer, before he wandered off to find his hotel.  I met up with him this morning, and it was clear that it still hadn't sunk him.  He was in equal measures waxing lyrical about what an amazing time he had, and then would stop, and it was clear he was reminising in his head about the scenery and all the fun he had. You were a pleasure to dotwatch, and your videos were fabulous.
Arriving at 1am, with a time of 90 hours and 34 minutes was Steve Wildman.  On Saturday night he booked into the hotel in Petersfield at 4:30 am with Steve Thurgood, which meant a late start on Sunday.  Steve T scratched as his mechanicals were just causing too many issues, leaving Steve W to continue on.  They were both initially on the challenge pace, but there is an option for riders to switch to tourist, which is what we did for Steve. 
So at 1am, we sat on a bench outside the castle drinking beer....He's already been telling all his friends about the ride and that they should all sign up next year.  We must be doing something right.

Fab ride by these two, who are now travelling home, probably eating their bodyweight in snacks.

We have remaining 4 tourists now out on the route.  It looks like another very late night for me, as I will see Steve Whitehouse, Colin and Stuart coming in through the evening, and it looks like Rochester might find 2 more drinking beer on a bench at midnight.

Finally I want to shout out to Juman.  The Women of Colour Cycling Community reached out to us earlier this year to help them get more women of colour on the start line of ultra races. Juman was really keen to take on the challenge, and represent the community. She made her ride plan, deciding on a Tuesday finish, and is executing her plan perfectly. She had a wobble on day 2, but gave herself a good talking to and has been on great form ever since.  This is our 3rd edition now, and although women riders have been in low numbers, we have only had 1 scratch to date. It's a woman led event, and we really look after our riders - we want everyone to finish! The riders all look out for each other, and some of those that finished at the weekend, went back out to cheer on those still riding.
If you're in the Hampshire/Surrey/Kent area today or this evening, why not pop out and give our remaining 4 a moral boost ![IMG 0209](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7lB1UsMHM4mp2JYSXpKMTR/2d0c065a77efdfcef4785dda558d18e4/IMG_0209.jpeg)

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Sunday and Day 4 are essentially over and thus the 'Challenge' Riders time limit has ended on this edition of the Southern Divide but there is still plenty to talk about.

Today has seen four finishers so far but that will become five before the day is out. 

It has been a mixed day with some changeable weather in different sections of the route including a fair bit of rain in the New Forest area. For those remaining "Tourist' Pace riders still out on the route there is a mini-heatwave about to arrive in the South East.

But back to those finishers... First in today was Martin Dunn in 80 Hours and 40 Minutes who arrived in Rochester a bit broken but very happy. Then in 81 Hours and 37 Minutes was Andy, followed by Peter in 82 Hours 17 Minutes. Then it was Will who finally rode away from his Dad, set a really fast final section time to bring it home with three hours to spare in 83 Hours and 7 Minutes.

At the time of writing, the other Martin has stopped for a cheeky McDonalds about half an hour away from the finish - we will catch up with him later and include him in tomorrow mornings update! After that, it's Stephen W who looks like he may finish in the anti-social bit of the morning - coffee Marcia?!

Out on the trail today we have had Duncan, the very first rider to scratch back on Thursday doing his best 'Trail Angel' deeds, catching up with riders still out there - good on you Sir! We have also had three more scrathes today. Duncan New, Steve Thurgood and Stuart Caughlin all decided to call it a day today after all three of them had some great rides.

So, with these scratches not to mention the time cutoff, the Challenge part of the Divide is over, but the Tourist riders still have just under two days to go and it looks like we will have a couple come in on Monday and if Juman can have a good two days she will bring it all to an end sometime on Tuesday evening!

There is plenty of new posts on instagram to check out this evening so make sure you look at those and we will be back here again tomorrow morning at some point with updates on the finishers that roll in during tonight.

![IMG 0183](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1emPSuWnkNdg9cK3wc94AC/99cef1b24b4535e82cc5ff67622aed0d/IMG_0183.jpeg)
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And welcome to the last day for the Challenge riders who have until 8:30pm tonight to reach Rochester.

They still have a decent chunk of time to get it done and if the weather in Canterbury right now is anything to go by, they will have a good day too! As of now, there are six riders who are somewhere between CP4 and the finish (a cluster of them getting to the CP quite late last night) and the lead Tourist rider Martin is only a little way from that last CP too so expect to see him roll in later today too.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Tourist riders still have until 8pm on Tuesday evening to complete the course and without exception are showing great determination to keep going and get to the end so don't forget to keep watching their dots too over the next three days.

Anyway, back to last night and as we reported, Hugo and Daniele were both closing in on the finish which they both duly reached, Hugo first in 63 Hours 51 Minutes and 40 minutes later Daniele in 64 Hours 31 Minutes. It was great to see them both get to the end and were both looking great still when they got there.

So it looks like we are going to have a fairly quiet first half of the day which I am sure Marcia will be glad of as she can catch up on a bit of sleep! We will get another report done later this evening to wrap up the Challenge part of the event but as ever, keep checking the tracker and instagram feeds between now and then.

![9d98dcb7-73ab-41f9-8537-15231aa00944](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7qixOC9jDEg0bE0RcwZyoQ/8e309773450fcf1d389d4ad7023b3f6f/9d98dcb7-73ab-41f9-8537-15231aa00944.jpeg)
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Saturday afternoon has continued to to see some riders finish.

The first woman over the line was Alli who was third overall with a fantastic, solid ride from start to finish and a time of 56 Hours and 57 Minutes. The only thing that seemed to be worse for wear was her brevet card which was more than a little damp!!

Then it was Tom - someone who I've got to know having finished the Escapade both times he's taken part and a dotwatcher who got out on the trail during the Divide this year. He's a great rider and all-round nice chap so it was fab to see him finish strongly! Coming over the line just under 60 Hours (59 Hours and 57 Minutes).

Then fifth to finish was Benjamin in 60 Hours and 44 Minutes. All the finishers so far have had a great time despite it being a hard route and although obviously tired they all seem to have been really quite chipper which is fab!

We have had another scratch tonight sadly with Seb deciding to call it a day near Dorking on the North Downs.

Things are not all done and dusted for the day though as we have two more riders Hugo and Daniele (two more of my event participants who are lovely!) that are, as I write about an hour out from Rochester. Then, next on the route is Lee who we are not really sure what is going on with - he has spent a lot of time off route and on roads over the last couple of days so we think he is just making his own way towards the finish.

Then we have quite the gap of about 110km - some are moving still and  some are clearly stopped for the night. The morning will show where they have all landed and give a flavour for how Sunday will play out for the remaining Challenge Riders.

Check back again in the morning for another update and don't forget you can get your fix of photos over on the instagram page.

![4E6C0629-7002-434C-AC8D-D7A84E554043](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5SUWoti9q4Y58jETGW2McA/155d474a7dfac6b0764ab58b4ed3c128/4E6C0629-7002-434C-AC8D-D7A84E554043.jpeg)
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Saturday is definitely going to be a tale of two halves, maybe two and a bit!

With the lead riders going through the night as they quickly advanced on the finish things were looking quite stable at the front. But no.... Marcia was out on the route late last night and saw leader Alex just before a descent into the Devils Punchbowl - a section I, and Escapade riders are familiar with. It's rough and rutted in places and even on an MTB can be challenging, especially in the dark. Within minutes of their meeting, Alex had gone over the bars and bent his mech hanger not to mention a bit of damage to himself. Was everything about to change? 

It turns out not, and with a straightening of the hanger he was able to keep going and presumably with some gears at least. The first three remained in the same order throughout the remainder of the night and early morning and all of a sudden they were less than 60km from the finish.

Marcia continued to demonstrate that on these 'shorter' events the organiser often sleeps far less than many riders and rolled into the finish in Rochester when the leaders were less than an hour out!

And with that the first two came over the line! Alex was first in with a fantastic time of 51 Hours and 44 Minutes followed by Rhys a little afterwards in a time of 52 Hours and 24 Minutes.

Both riders were in good spirits although Alex may need to get himself checked over in the aftermath of that accident last night - hopefully it's nothing more than being a bit bruised and battered.

Next up we expect to see Alli arrive mid-afternoon and then Tom and Benjamin later on in the evening. After that it will depend how the group who are passing CP4 now decide to approach the final section with either a late one tonight or an early one tomorrow - either way I think Marcia may need some extra coffee!

Further back there is a line of riders between CP2 and CP3 now, some on the Tourist pace and others on the Challenge option that are going to have to start to really dig deep now. And please do keep an eye on our Lantern Rouge - Juman who is through CP2 now and ploughing on with all the tenacity and mental strength you need when you are riding on your own and distanced from the rest of the field. Everyone on the track will be suffering in some shape or form, but when you are on your own that suffering can amplify...

Only one more scratch so far today and Ivar, the rider from Amsterdam having to call it a day after developing a nasty gastric bug.

Meanwhile, the weather appears to have settled down and actually become quite warm in what looks like might be a last hurrah of the year before the temperature once again starts to slide.

There will be more news again later today when we should have had some more finishers and also have a bit more of an idea of how the next group are doing so check back mid to late evening for that.

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Friday saw a continuance of the order of day one really, some rain, some sun, some rainbows and a frequent change of how many layers of clothing were needed! Autumn has continued to make it's arrival felt and at times has been quite chilly - especially after some rain.

Riders were pushing on towards checkpoints - for the midfield CP2 was the target for many, and hitting the ferry opening hours was very much the goal. There were some epic efforts through here and a significant number of Strava Segment records it seems. There was some woe here too - Stuart Caughlin missed the last ferry by just 10 minutes and may have shed a tear at the thought of the 28km detour he had to do as a result!

Up at the front Alex continued to tap out a metronomic pace and also continued to look remarkably (and annoyingly!!!) really fresh whenever he was spotted! Rhys was still keeping him honest and not much more than a coffee stop behind him and then still in third was Alli our first woman on the track. All three of them passed through CP3 at Corfe Castle during the day and in fact the first 8 riders all got through during Friday. Our leader then pushed on and went through CP4 on Friday evening with Rhys doing the same a minute after midnight and Alli a couple of hours later.

The riders are now well spread over the entire route as we really start to see the division between the Challenge and Tourist paced riders. The eagle eyed amongst you will have spotted that Lee Putnam is only vaguely followed the route, taking a lot of roads rather than the off-road route where he is having some navigation issues.

As fatigue, injuries, and mechanicals started to take their toll we had a couple of scratches during Friday with both Phill Stamp and Tom Fletcher calling it a day. There was at least one bike shop stop for some gear repairs for Steve Thurgood but he soon got going again.

So, as it stands we look set to have at three finishers in Rochester on Saturday morning and possibly some others later on in the day. Check back later to get our next updates!

![IMG 0068](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/21STMU2YaH6bBpk9L3REco/a02bbc3eafc5e6ca3f0cd43af1be9ad1/IMG_0068.jpeg)![IMG 0077](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3Tc1eEGS2li7LPXWJhaivg/d794552c5a91d15681e1292a22efdfdb/IMG_0077.jpeg)![IMG 0146](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/CjVDKP6IkRENj2POx4F8x/2fe5cceb22ac35b0fa11f6ed34e807b4/IMG_0146.jpeg)![IMG 0160](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/Z5UsyAZlpL3bWQZTGUYIu/135e01f7d643fed1e3d2cb3aeaba57f6/IMG_0160.jpeg)![7b251dab-f229-47e8-91ce-4588976ed09a](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7oUNtjwBTUvA8Axc5KDObC/14b06d3914af71229f8d3e6cbc81685e/7b251dab-f229-47e8-91ce-4588976ed09a.jpeg)![04aba2f9-c7bf-4a80-9b5e-9a713566e3dc](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3iAXdkODFVmVHXrCQ6QrZH/485165ddc3ab04ee3edf5dba23537b15/04aba2f9-c7bf-4a80-9b5e-9a713566e3dc.jpeg)![IMG 0166](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2gmWsiho2uqjcMCNhNYBm9/f16789eae68fa068a8fec349c4171abb/IMG_0166.jpeg)


As last nights post suggested, some riders were stopping for the night and some were pressing on and that remained the case with only the first few  riders pushing on around the ferry diversion to get to CP2 in the small hours before in turn stopping for a well earned sleep.

At the front, Alex remains in first place but close behind are our first female rider Alli and just behind her Rhys. Tom had a night in a hotel so is a little further back now but still going strong.

The midfield is all quite close together with only a coffee stop or puncture repair separating them. Further back the riders form a steady stream of dots going back where some of the 'tourist' pace riders are continuing to push hard whilst having the comfort of a bit more time...

There have been two more scratched this morning unfortunately - Lee Chance was having navigation and mechanical issues and Lee Cox had to head home.

There is some more rain forecast today and there is a decent chance of getting wet at some point for most of them by the looks. The overriding theme on WhatsApp and Social media this morning though has been some amazing pictures capturing sunrise and the stunning views on this route!

I'm off to a meeting for most of the day so unless that ends up being really dull (which is possible!) there won't be another update until tonight. Remember though, Marcia is updating her social media throughout the day so you'll be able to get some updates on instagram too!

![IMG 5121](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3Y4YQBeDduN66JWzlWllU0/86f855b1e180382665c74e79c31d68f2/IMG_5121.jpeg)![34ae033c-7df7-4f75-a3fe-d05df4f176e9](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/01MeVzjkXAFXXCRn0wwmxz/22d5b3e84afaa88df89dad4793daf1a1/34ae033c-7df7-4f75-a3fe-d05df4f176e9.jpeg)![dd8c5b20-58f5-40a4-8b06-3674b7e67bec](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3L6asojwC8QrRwgXXM5VZa/1863bd77e547e7b1ef523909ac70a131/dd8c5b20-58f5-40a4-8b06-3674b7e67bec.jpeg)![IMG 5128](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6WNXc4a2SRTkqSMMOPIK88/f626938c67e39b9c759d2e8239e5518e/IMG_5128.jpeg)![5eb21817-ff23-45d9-ae76-f77494844a85](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2MWapBKQ9W6IEx3ZPfLu5M/8e9a1b08a21470480e7a20bbd4b45b5f/5eb21817-ff23-45d9-ae76-f77494844a85.jpeg)![13f25b51-42e9-42f2-ab76-51c9fd513fb2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2pliU7d4yGrEPdWf4dDjEQ/011ee5399caa307c0e5a214b077c696f/13f25b51-42e9-42f2-ab76-51c9fd513fb2.jpeg)![34499e34-f787-4b09-a4eb-5294799a123f](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6MotFmqyUlHuAVAaa197XJ/ef73fff4b0268dd59971afcbe4fd1f63/34499e34-f787-4b09-a4eb-5294799a123f.jpeg)

Kevin Francis

The Southern Divide - Autumn Edition 2023 Tracking + Commentary: This Southern Divide of the UK from Land's End on the Atlantic to the Kent coast uses ancient byways, mining trails, wild moors, forests, military gravel roads,  and a bit of single-track, all sewn together with a few bits of tarmac.

The Southern Divide - Autumn Edition 2023 Tracking

This Southern Divide of the UK from Land's End on the Atlantic to the Kent coast uses ancient byways, mining trails, wild moors, forests, military gravel roads,  and a bit of single-track, all sewn together with a few bits of tarmac. Riders are transported across the south coast along an ever changing landscape, where variety is the spice of life.

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The Southern Divide - Autumn Edition 2023

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