Weekly Round-up: 15 Dec 2024
All the latest news, events, and results from NFCC Members from this week’s two-wheeled adventures…
Calshot CauldronThe first senior racing back on the velodrome at Calshot in over 5 years took place on Saturday morning with NFCC’s Joe Shepherd the only club member racing… The laid-back approach to the day saw a number of more unusual events with the final race of the endurance category that Joe was part of being of “Unknown length.” The day went off without any issue and Joe had a successful first foray into track racing. |
Saturday Club RideI nearly had to put myself in the barrel this week as I incurred a puncture before leaving the house. I did however make it just in the nick of time, ‘doing a smithy’ as it’s known in the peloton. Barry was mysteriously absent this week. He claimed that this was due to EFF (enforced family fun) but many felt it likely that it was all part of his long-term CPA strategy (Christmas Party Avoidance). |
 Approximately 10 of us made it to Brock for the semi-baltic start. Only one club member had bothered to add Christmassy themed decorations to their attire this week and it is for this sartorial crime, and more particularly for appearing to be cheerful about the prospect of the approaching festivities when Uber-scrooge Phil H is writing up the report, that matt M finds himself in the barrel this week. We picked Phill B up en route before navigating Beaulieu with Robert, the human Derny taking the lead until heading off for a solo jaunt from Calshot. |
 We took a rare cafe stop at the Velodrome. Reaching the cafe through the hangar, which has the unusual characteristic of being significantly colder inside than out. They do have a ski slope in the hangar but I think someone needs to let them know that that’s not real snow. Most riders were content with a 100K-ish ride this week but with Axum and Graham, both (unsurprisingly) making it up to a 100 miler. Kudos to them both.– Phil H. |
End of Season Lunch & Dinner EventsA big thanks to the organisers and those who were able to join the NFCC end-of-year luncheon and dinner on Saturday – it was great to see so many happy faces out. Here’s to many more adventures together in 2025. |
Sunday Club RideThe non-descript Sunday forecast tempted out 14-ish members to the start line for our jaunt around the Ipley cross triangle/St Leonards loop. Dan S was nearly decapitated en route by some metal-clad loon but I’m happy to say that he survived and, because he runs a rear camera was able to lodge an early complaint with the boys and girls in Blue. Revenge is a dish as they say that is best served cold… Apparently, as he had just passed Jane on route to the start you could hear her gasp in horror as the car missed by a few centimetres.<.td> |
 A small band of die-hard speedsters formed a group and headed off into the distance, only to be delayed at one point by a puncture for Richard B. Richard likes to build his own bikes on a budget so whether or not his tyres were also bought off the back of a lorry is open to conjecture. They must have been going a pace or Richard owns an un-Harris-like competence in the art of tyre changing because group two never caught them. Group two enjoyed a very sociable ride at a very sociable pace. At the pointy-end Axum and I put the world to rights on numerous pressing issues of the day, Garmin statistics, chiropractic, the art world, political allegiances and the folly of assuming that people agree with you on stuff. |
 This week’s ride was also notable for the lovely tidiness of the ride with two neat lines at all times. At all times that is until on the downhill section from Roundhill campsite when we came across the woods cycle riders. The panoply of riders, spread as they were all ‘over the shop’ and riding everything from fat-bikes to off-road penny farthings seemed to spark something in the anarchic nature of our until then well-behaved peloton. Subsequently, the group split like a freshly laid egg under the mallet of destiny and made our way to the cafe in dribs and drabs. Everyone seemed in good spirits at the cafe and post coffee there was just time for Jane to complain about the sameness of the routes on offer on Sunday rides. Jane will be posting next week’s ride which I am promised will include a trip around the hanging gardens of Babylon and a sprint finish along the Champs Elysees.– Phil H |
Western CX League: MoredonWith no Wessex Cyclocross league this weekend, Jay T went off west and gatecrashed the Western CX league instead. Despite not being gridded due to racing outside of his normal league, and making the wrong tyre selection for the day, Jay said it was a tough day for the one bikers – those that ride the whole race on a single machine rather than have a pit-crew with a pressure washer! After an attritional race of longer than normal efforts, Jay finally crossed the line in 7th place finally looking the part in his new NFCC jersey. |
Get Involved:If you find yourself out and about representing NFCC, don’t forget to jot down a few words, snap a few photos and send them over to press@newforestcc.co.uk. |
