Weekly Round-up: 16 Feb 2025
All the latest news, events, and results from NFCC Members from this week’s two-wheeled adventures…
Leeston HC Rd.16On the other side of the planet, Phill Brown is still making the most of summer in the southern hemisphere and joined the local handicap race again on Thursday evening. Despite what looked like was going to be a good race on paper, only three of the six riders from Brown’s group showed up making it a tough evening in Canterbury’s trademark winds. The trio worked well together but didn’t manage to catch the rider ahead who started with a six-minute advantage despite their over 43km/h average speed! Having been caught by the scratch group, Phill rolled over the line behind the main pack with just the leading elite rider left from the scratch group in a final two-man chase for the line. |
Saturday Club RideIn an effort to be a “glass half full” optimist, it wasn’t as cold, wet and windy as last week’s sufferfest. The raincloud on the weather map was still enough for some of the more hydrophobic members to bail out at the last minute and go on Zwift instead. Graham being one, but he was also concerned that his recently acquired Gran Canaria suntan could wash off! To support these members, the club is pleased to announce a new addition to our excellent range of kit. Those who find the winter conditions too challenging can now order a fleece-lined club onesie with a new snowflake design for those chilly Saturday mornings. |
 There were just nine riders at the start so two groups of four headed out. Lucy went ahead with plans to meet us later. Phil J missed the start having broken his chain en route to Brockenhurst. No problem for an ace mechanic like Phil, chain duly repaired he saw a group of NFCC jerseys heading up the road near Setthorns. He gave chase, and was gaining until they came to a hill and the group seemed to accelerate. Eventually, St Phil of Lyndhurst dropped back and paced him to the group. He then pointed out that there was another group behind and he didn’t need to spend all that effort chasing Group One. Phil manfully stayed on the wheels of the fast group and held onto Phil G’s back wheel like a limpet. We all met up for coffee halfway and he was pleased to join his regular ride buddies in Group Two for the rest of the ride. Great effort from Phil but for chasing the wrong group he’s taking his turn in the barrel this week. |
 The ride was thankfully non-eventful. Good group riding, no mechanicals although that will probably change next week when Phil H is back! We did have one hazard on the road. There was a lot of sand blown onto the road at Lepe which made the road very slippery. Luckily everyone navigated the hazard with aplomb. Coffee was taken at Steff’s to Go in Beaulieu. We were grateful that all ten of us could fit inside the café rather than be outside. Although it did feel extra cold when we set off again. Lucy joined Group Two for the rest of the ride and we also picked up Richard P near Furzey to bring the number of riders out to eleven. |
 The ride this week was a fairly standard 105Km around the forest. Nobody did any excessive post-ride extras and generally took the sensible option of getting home and back into the warm. It was the first Saturday ride for Carl who was a welcome addition to the group and did more than his fair share on the front so thank you Carl. Big effort from Adrian this week. With a bike chain that had less oil than a single chip that was probably costing him about 20 Watts, he pushed his grinding chain that was drier than the Sahara all day for the whole route.Thanks all for the camaraderie as usual and kudos to all that are showing up for the February rides. You know you’ll get the reward for all this work later in the year. – Barry |
Pringle Homes Summer Series Rd.2 – Badger Blitz HandicapBack on the circuit known for the “Winder Worlds” in Canterbury, Phill Brown joined a group of more than 60 riders for round 2 of the Pringle Homes Summer Series, known as the Badger Blitz Handicap. Feeling way out of his depth in a group of some seriously strong riders, Brown lined up in (once again) a reduced group of just five riders out of the eight on the entry sheet for the 60km race. The winds were again blowing as seems to be standard for the region, and Phill felt even more out of his depth while working with the group to maintain an average speed of over 50km/h for the first few kilometres of the race… thankfully, this was just the tailwind section! The first rider from the group was dropped before the end of the first lap, leaving more pressure on the quartet to work well together. Smooth, longer turns on the front were the name of the game and having caught everyone on the road ahead, the final chase unleashed in the chicane to the final 1.5km straight to the finish line. Phill made the final selection, along with one other from his group and two of the top riders in the race. With about 400m to go, the final sprint kicked off and Brown made it to the line in a well-earned third place, covering the near 60km course in just 1hr 22 mins. |
Sunday Club RideWith nearly a dozen riders at the start and more due to join en route, we made the sensible decision to split into two smaller groups. The morning was dry, but the bitter south-easterly wind ensured no one felt particularly warm. For Group 2, everything was going smoothly, with the pace just right, fast enough to keep warm but not so hard as to break a sweat. That was until Graham’s puncture. We all stopped to spectate as he delivered a masterclass in how to fix a flat, including an ambitious attempt to refit his rear wheel backwards. Fortunately, we were back on the road before having to test our survival skills by starting a fire. |
 Meanwhile, Group 1 was setting a blistering pace, with several sprints and attacks keeping things lively. Richard B recorded a wattage peak of over 1.5 kW, energy that to be honest might have been better spent maintaining thermoregulation at the café. Unfortunately, the ride took a serious turn when Group 1 witnessed a bad crash involving two cars at the A35 Lyndhurst Road junction. The club did itself proud, stopping to assist, with special kudos to Dr. Ed B, who stayed at the scene until the ambulance arrived. Hopefully, all involved will be okay. |
 Most of the group decided to go to the café, where the cold forced even the hardiest among us to abandon the usual cake in favour of something warmer. Sitting outside wasn’t exactly comfortable, but at least the provided blankets made it bearable. Once again, Phil G’s decision to lug his bike rack around for the whole ride paid off, as he sat smugly in his puffy jacket.All in all, an eventful and despite the temperature, enjoyable ride… Let’s hope for a warmer one next week! |
Muc Off Brass Monkeys XC MTB at Minley.Jay T signed himself up for a day with what he described as perfect ground conditions, a big lap, and a good flowing course made up of a mixture of single-track, open sections and fire roads. With the choice for the riders to choose 2, 3 or 4-hour race durations Jay went for the 2-hour sprint! A great start put him in the front three overall, managing to stick with the youngster’s pace for half of the first lap before settling into a steady rhythm. Despite a couple of small spills as the going got slicker, Jay held his position to the final flag bringing home the “W” and the top spot on the podium in his Open Vet category. |
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. |
