Trip Planning - Cycling the South Downs Way

I have recently begun planning a multi-day mountain bike trip, to cycle the whole of the South Downs Way - a 160km (almost 100 miles!) trail of on- and off-road cycling (advertised here).

I had heard about the South Downs Way quite a while ago and fancied giving it a go, but I never had the chance due to work commitments. Plus I was unable to take time off work outside of the stipulated holidays, meaning I couldn't organise anything at a suitable sort of time! I tend to worry that I won't go through with things, and finally having an opportunity I really didn't want to waste it. I therefore decided to advertise my trip on a forum called Explorers Connect, figuring that if other people joined me I was then committed and could not let them down.

Planning and effectively being the 'leader' for a trip like this feels a little daunting, but also very refreshing and exciting. The planning is going well too: so far I have recruited team mates, obtained all the route information & mapping, and made up a comprehensive kit list. We have a planning meeting tomorrow to firm up the details, so I'm really looking forward to getting together with everyone and seeing who these people are that have put their trust in me via the internet!

This trip will be unsupported meaning we will carry all our gear, and we will camp or bivvy for our overnight stops. This means that an important part of the planning will be kit selection, and in order to keep the weight down we will share equipment wherever possible, e.g. tent, jetboil, bike toolkit etc. - although we'll make sure we each have a toothbrush!

Don't worry - I have a bigger bag for the actual trip!