Weekly Round-up: 2 Mar 2025
All the latest news, events, and results from NFCC Members from this week’s two-wheeled adventures…
Saturday Club RideWow, a sunny, bright and clement Saturday without too much wind! The weather gods truly smiled on us this week, so it was time to venture further afield for the first time this year and head out to the Chalke Calley. Unfortunately, Smithy punctured on the way to the start. But there were plenty of riders for two strong pelotons this week. Lucy set off on a solo ride off road in search of bakeries but as she was grumpy on the back of a gruelling night shift it was probably for the best she rode solo this week. |
 We headed north on the first part of a planned 106Km route to Broad Chalke. At Tinkers Cross, just north or Fordingbridge the parable of the tortoise and the hare was re-enacted as group two passed a stricken group one with Sean dealing with a puncture and damaged rim (his wheel not a saddle induced injury). The puncture and a slow one for Micheal were caused by some led than perfect calling out of the hole in the road by St Phil of Lyndhurst so his beatification may need to be revoked. But in the meantime, it’s enough for him to be in the barrel this week. |
 Group two made it first to the café at the community shop in Broad Chalke and had first dibs on the cakes, group one followed and then Richard P made it to the rendezvous. Barry peeled off for a trip north complete with luggage on a bike that weighed more than a small planet. On his ride back along the Chalke Valley he passed the heroic Smithy who had fixed his puncture, rode solo all the way to Broad Chalke only to miss the riders leaving the café by a couple of minutes so it was a long solo ride this week. Normally this would be barrel worthy but given the determination to get onto the group, the effort made not even your heartless scribe could give him that banishment this week. Back to Brock the ride was pleasant and blissfully uneventful. Axum inevitably rounded up to 100 miles plus.Thanks to all for a very pleasant Saturday and let’s hope that we get more of the same weather for the rest of March. – Barry |
Sunday Club RideDespite the cold start to the day and with the promise of clear blue skies 18-ish members made it to the start line for this weeks Sunday club ride. We welcomed back one of the clubs favourite Phill’s (5th) from his antipodean travels but all was not well as he had suffered a flat just before arriving. As he had only arrived home at 8.00P.M the previous evening and had suffered an approximately 30 degrees C dip in tempreature over 24 hours we will overlook his slight grumpiness at the start. |
 We split into two even groups with group one leaving, as tradition dictates about 30 seconds before Phill was actually ready to join them. He could be heard muttering as he left the car park and I couldn’t help but wonder how he would make them suffer for that later in the ride. Looks like group one held a pretty steady pace albeit with the some solid efforts on the hills. Phill obviously delighted in punishing Richard B and Dan S on Pipers wait where he posted the 2nd fastest time for this year with Richard and Dan both in or around the top ten. Richards time of 2.20 (6th in 2025) notable for his average power output of 349 Watts, reasonable effort. |
 Group 2 left shortly afterwards and enjoyed a comfortable chatty ride in the afore promised sunshine. Peter N was group two’s Pipers wait monster but I think it’s fair to say that competition was less fierce in that group. Having warmed up somewhat on Pipers Wait, some decided that a few of the 8-9 layers that they had started with had become a tad superfluous but riding without gloves on the downhills was still a pretty bracing experience. We made our way back to Brock and up to Setley ridge to rejoin group one and a cheered up Phill B for the traditional coffee, cake and all things Bike and random things not bike. Looks like Richard B and Joe O still had enough in the tank to put the hammer down on their ways home.Hopefully the lovely start to Spring is the herald of things to come. – Phil H |
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. |
