Weekly Round-up: 15 Feb 2026
All the latest news, events, and results for NFCC Members from the previous week of two-wheeled adventures…
Gravel’n’GroggWith another wet weekend in the books, an unnamed dictator decided to try a new route to avoid the wettest parts of the forest for this week’s Gravel’n’grogg… I bet you can guess how that went? Meeting in Lyndhurst as usual, four riders were out for the full route, picking up one more at the halfway point in Brock. The first part of the ride went perfectly to plan. Dodging the traffic stuck at the temporary lights at Lyndhurst, Matt Knight finally realised how fast he could ride his bike when his brakes weren’t binding as the quartet made it to Brock in just over 20 mins, must be a record… |
 Heading back out of Brock with the pace finally settling, the routemaster came unstuck when the now quintet got to Beaulieu Aerodrome, which was probably wetter than it had been all year so far… Excellent choice! A few loops, twists, and turns through the tracks between Brock, Beaulieu and Lyndhurst, and it wasn’t long until the group made it back to the Nondescripts for refreshments. You’ll all be pleased to hear that a trio who ride home after the event used the tracks they chose to avoid on the published route… only to find them bone dry and perfectly usable. Note to all – Never trust a Phill Brown route plan. |
NFCC Annual AwardsOnce a year, NFCC is proud to honour Club Members for their excellent sporting achievements and those moments that will haunt coffee stops for eternity… This year, Lucy G & Phil G organised a marvellous evening at the Nodescripts Club in Lyndhurst, where Joe S presented awards for achievements ranging from super-human time-trial successes to carrying WD40 for hours on a club ride. A full list of awards and winners can be found here. |
Saturday Club RideWith the Met Office issuing an ice warning for Saturday morning it was deemed prudent to defer the start to 1100 where the mercury was due to hit the dizzying heights of 4C. Unfortunately, at least one rider, new member Mike didn’t see the comms, and the tell tale that is Strava dobbed him in showing that he was at the start for 0850. This does at least show he is barrel material but not nearly enough to get the award this week as the group was back to form with aplomb. |
 Two groups headed out at 1100 for what was about 90 minutes of riding into a stiff northerly as we headed up to Whitsbury. We made the turn there and headed for coffee at The Potting Shed where both groups reconvened. Some members didn’t get the memo about it being a coffee stop and Neil won the prize by ordering the ten course tasting menu. This prompted Dan to order extras but still not enough for this week’s barrel. There was some justice as Neil seemed to lapse into some sort of food coma on the second part of the ride as he was trying to put in an effort to ascend Bramble Hill whilst his body was trying to digest a mighty sausage sandwich. We welcomed back Joe for his first ride of the year. Alas it has been so long since his last club ride he could not remember the combination on his lock when it was time to leave and he was asking for tools to disable the device. Luckily after several minutes of faffing he remembered it was still set to the factory 000 and was free to leave. In the barrel? Not this week. |
 Thirteen riders were out this week. Twelve in club kit. Who was the maverick naysayer. Why it is club kit man Sean. He proffered pathetic excuses such as Barry had bought all the 2XL stock and there was nothing left in behemoth. Attired in black from neck to toe and topped with a white helmet it was thought that he had secured us sponsorship from Guinness. Barrel? You bet he his. A standout miscreant in a week of stiff competition. After coffee the ride split into different groups, half cutting out the extra loop around Nomansland and Bradshaw and half cutting short. Despite the cold it was a beautiful sunny day and the nicest day out so far this year. No mechanicals, well turned-out bikes and the roads were not as wet and filthy as they could have been. Thanks as ever to all for the camaraderie, quality riding, hard turns at the front and the usual laughs.– Barry. |
Pain on PortsdownThree NFCC riders were named on the start list for one of the first local-ish Open Time Trials of the 2026 season. Ben George checked the Phil Harris Misery Index and decided early on that a trip to Portsmouth to ride around in the wind and rain on the 16.4-mile undulating course was not on his agenda for the day. Sam Dorkings and Sien VdP were a little braver than big Ben, and not only started, but finished the course too! Sam put in a solid ride to cross the line in 26th place overall in 1hr44secs, and Sien’s 13th place overall was over 2 minutes faster than the other female entry, so she also clinched the overall Female Road Bike category in 48mins48secs. |
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. |
