After Chris's post
here, I was wondering what he meant by a S24O, so I Googled it.
It would appear that a S24O is a sub-24 hour, overnight bike ride. You leave on one day, returning the next, with an overnight stop somewhere. Not really an overnight ride, like the Dun Run or the FNRttC, where you don't sleep - but one that involves camping out somewhere. Preferably wild camping or bivvying.
Kent Peterson (he of the Great Divide Race onna singlespped fame) is an enthusiast of this kind of riding and there's a good piece on gear at the
Rivendell site. I suppose it appeals to a lot of people in the US because they have so much less annual leave there and to get out camping for a few days requires much more forward planning.
Anyway, reading round the subject I think I really like the idea. Get on your bike onna Friday afternoon (I can often knock off at midday) and ride as far as you can. Fifty miles, seventy miles, whatever you can manage. Go somewhere different. When it gets dark, find somewhere remote and safe and sheltered and set up a really lightweight camp.
Get up the following morning, brew up, have breakfast and ride home, maybe by a different route.
I'm finding this strangely alluring. One of the things I'm not too crazy about with bike camping are multi-day trips where I get dirty and stinky and have to haul a load of crap round with me just to cope with it all. A S24O gets away from all this. You don't need much and you don't need to worry about the long term picture. All you need is what will keep you fed and warm and happy
tonight and nothing more.
I think I may be having one or two of this little adventures this summer. Anyone fancy joining me?