Weekly Round-up: 19 Aug 2024
All the latest news, events, and results from NFCC Members from this week’s two-wheeled adventures…
Gravel ‘n’ Grog TuesdayThe club’s new ride, ‘Gravel ‘n’ Grog’ got off to a fabulous start on Tuesday. 12 club members met up at 5.45 in Lyndhurst car park in perfect weather to set off at 6.00. The route down to Brockenhurst is pretty easy riding with a handful of gates to navigate. The gates proved a handy way of keeping the group together but in any case no one seemed to be in a great rush to hammer it around the course. At Brockenhurst we were a couple of minutes early to pick up the second group of riders (3) so Jane ‘fell on her sword’ and manufactured a small crash landing with the help if a small dog, just to keep all the timing tickety boo. |
 Not too much damage done we met group two at exactly 6.30, as planned. The group picked up one more rider on route making it sweet sixteen. Richard is a veteran of linking up with club rides just as the cakes are being served and it turns out the smell of craft beer prompts just the same homing instinct within him. All 16 hit the pub at spot on 7.30 ( it’s all in the planning) for an ale or two, chew the lead annd for a couple of historic photo’s and then we made our own ways home. Great start to GnGT, Hope to see another bumper turnout next Tuesday. |
Saturday Club RideThirteen riders made the Brockenhurst start for this week’s club ride in excellen riding weather. Route was a 127Km hilly one to the north. Unusually we had more volunteers for Group One so it was a 7/6 split into two pelotons. After about 45 minutes Group Two stopped when Sean had a puncture. He re-inflated his tyre and we carried on. Alas, a short while later it had deflated again, and Sean decided to cut his losses and head home. A sensible plan some might think but it as just an act of barrel avoidance based on his history of inflating a tyre three times before deciding to put a new tube in it! |
 We continued our way north out of the forest and through a sequence of hills before meeting up at a very busy Broughton Community Shop for coffee. Matt K decided to swap groups for the return leg. At Kings Sombourne, Phill B and Phil G peeled off to meet up with the SDS TdF Femmes ride near Winchester. No worries we still had two Phil’s left which as we all know is plenty! I was beginning to think my work here is done. Nothing barrel worthy last week, thirteen riders smartly turned out, bikes whizzing along like well oiled machines, excellent peloton riding but then normal service was resumed. Shortly after this Group Two passed Group One as Phil H fixed a puncture. Obviously armed with prior knowledge of Phil’s aptitude in puncture repair and knowing that you measure the repair time on the hour hand and not the minute hand Robert decided to head back solo. |
 Group One got back on the pace and soon passed Group Two on Benger’s Lane at Mottisfont. Demonstrating all the loyalty of an alley cat, Matt K who had started in Group One, switched to Group Two, jumped on the back of Group One, and then rejoined Group Two. For this triple renegade action Matt earned his place in the barrel this week. The ride continued as planned back to Brock without incident and in good humour. A few riders decided to round it up to 100 mile plus, Phill B, Phill G, Matt K, Graham and Neil S. Neil stayed out the longest and logging over 200Km. Kudos to all. |
South Downs Social: TdF Femmes Rideout & Watch PartyTwo NFCC riders joined the South Downs Social: TdF Femmes Rideout & Watch Party on Saturday afternoon organised by Claire Johnson from Sotonia. A planned 40km route took a team of women on a clockwise route form the city center, along some of the nicest country lanes on offer to the east of the city, then back along the old railway/canal cycle paths in time for the last 10km of the race. Emma Shepherd and Lucy Greehy completed the full route with the eight rider team joined by the two Phills who escaped the clubride in search of |
Sunday Club RideAnother bumper turnout this Sunday as 20 made the start line on what had been a cool damp morning that quickly gave way to warm sunshine. As far as I’m aware no serious dramas were inflicted on any of the three groups. We did come across some guy lurking in the undergrowth at one point but that was just Phill G who, presumably awakening from his woodland home took the opportunity to add to the clubs photographic record and to take the group’s total up to 21. |
 A cow-jam delayed things for a while at Hatchett pond until the third group passed the second group who had been patiently waiting in line like other normal road users. This escalated into a full mutiny as all of group 2 joined them ‘filtering’ the traffic like ne’er do-wells and leaving the now theoretical ride leader on his tod tutting and slightly lonely. Things tend to get a bit messy on the run-in to Brock from Hatchett pond but generally the newly composed groups behaved and a good number made it to the Daisy tea rooms for our usual tipples and some excellent looking orange cake. |
RTTC National 12 hour ChampionshipCC Breckland hosted the RTTC National 12 hour Championship this weekend on B12/8. Only a handful of weeks after setting NFCC’s 24 hour women’s time trial record, Sien vdP managed to break her own club record by half a mile, and add another incredible ride to her palmares from a multiple record breaking time trial season. Covering a whopping 230 miles at over 19mph – Sien finished 6th overall in the women’s category and as the only rider to to take on the even on their road bike. After the even, Sien commented “I love riding, but that wasn’t fun. Hardest race I’ve ever ridden. Mind wasn’t with it, nor was the body. Painful from beginning to end. Only highlight was being bowled over by the dog at the end…” |
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. |
