Weekly Round-up: 14 Dec 2025
All the latest news, events, and results for NFCC Members from the previous week of two-wheeled adventures…
Gravel ‘n’ GroggIt was more of a paddle’n’pint this week rather than gravel’n’grogg on the soggy forest… Seven riders started from Lyndhurst and, before even reaching the midpoint in Brock, were knee-deep in a flood at Ober Water. Barry picked the right weapon for the job when we caught up with him in Brock, having arrived on his XC mountain bike. A trouble-free second half with just a few wet patches to navigate at RAF Beaulieu, and a few deer to avoid in Denny Lodge, meant we made it back to the pub in good time for a well-earned debrief. |
Saturday Club RideThere comes a point on a Saturday Morning when Barry “The Great Dictator” Wootten is out of town, where everyone has a nervous look around to see who’s going to take responsibility and lead the march out of Brockenhurst… This week, Phil Harris left everyone in no doubt who was in charge, cracked the whip as soon as the church bells tolled for 9 am, and led the bunch away post haste. Heading west this week, it wasn’t until the peloton arrived in East Boldre that Matt shouted up, having noticed Neil was no longer with us… or more that Neil never was with us, and was in fact left behind at the start, having sloped off for a comfort break at exactly the wrong time. We’re not sure who deserves to be in the barrel more this week, so before we go any further, we’ll throw them both in together. |
 Finally back to a complete bunch, the ride continued as one through Beaulieu and on towards Lepe. The morning was made up of a peculiar mix of damp foggy patches and warm sections in golden winter sunshine – the latter nearly spoiling Graham Fletcher’s day with the low sun blinding him as he approached a pile of fly-tipping on Inchmery Lane. Narrowly avoiding an early submission to the waste pile, we had the pleasure of putting up with him for the rest of the ride. It wasn’t long until the thought of coffee got the better of riders, and the standard race to the coffee shop ensued across the open forest and back to Steff’s Kitchen for refreshments. |
 After everyone was suitably refreshed, the second half of the ride was a bit light on riders, with half the bunch heading back home from the Beaulieu stop. The remaining riders followed the planned route through Ipley Cross, picking up a few extra horsepower on the way, and on to Ashurst, before the plan was to follow the cycle track back to Lyndhurst and retrace the route to Beaulieu and back to Brock. Just three riders made the full route this week out of the 11 that started, with some longer than usual rides banked this deep into the winter, chapeau! |
Sunday Club RideA fairly mild winter morning tempted 18 members out for Sunday’s club ride. Two groups set out for one of our shorter, flatter routes out to Ipley Cross and St Leonard’s. Both groups made steady progress with group two landing, rather satisfyingly at exactly the target pace of 26kph for the third time in the past four weeks. We unfortunately misplaced a few riders en route, but happily, they did make it to the cafe alive and kicking. Not much else to report besides a couple of pleasant hours spent in good company, and it wasn’t raining. |
Wessex Cx Rd. 10 – Dalton BarracksDalton Barracks always seems to be a favourite course for the seasoned Wessex CX rider, but this year’s club novice wasn’t all that pleased with how the day went… The flat course circles through an air-soft shooting range at the army barracks and mixes the perfect amount of hard-pack with rutted tracks and big, sloppy puddles – but the danger of punctures from buried hazards is ever-present. The early racing saw Matt Knight in the Masters 40-49 open category having a great day out – despite a few unplanned ground inspections resulting in a leaky knee – he fought hard from the back of the pack and crossed the line in 34th place. Later in the day, Emma Shepherd was in action in the Women’s race, finishing in 14th place overall in the race, and 7th senior rider, leaving her missing out on the extended podium by just 22 seconds! In the final race of the day, Joe Shepherd and Phill Brown were battling it out in one of the larger fields of the season so far. Joe had a solid race, hammering in consistent lap times for 18th place. Phill wasn’t having any of the beginner’s luck he had experienced so far this season… after a three-way battle for third place ended early with Brown having a puncture, a quick trip to the pits and a borrowed pump gave him another half a lap before the sealant gave up. Commissaires permitted him to run back to the car park to grab a spare rear wheel, which lasted the rest of the race, unlike his front wheel, which only lasted another two laps… Three punctures later, and a longer-than-desired wait in the pits, he finally limped over the line dead last. |
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. |
