Weekly Round-up: 20 July 2025
All the latest news, events, and results from NFCC Members from this week’s two-wheeled adventures…
15 Challenge Aggregate Rd.3Round three of the NFCC 15 Challenge Aggregate was cancelled due to a lack of entries and high winds forecast for the evening. |
…a3crg Goodwood Time Trial LeagueGoodwood Motor Circuit offers traffic free, pothole free & stress-free time trialling, and NFCC’s Ben George has been making the most of it. At the latest round on Wednesday evening, Ben recorded the 10th fastest time on the night, finishing the 10-mile event in 21m37s. |
Thursday Chain-gang Training RideA group of 7 out for this weeks chain-gang and set out as one group. The initial pace was pretty hot with Phil H getting a PB on the segment out to the A35. Unfortunately, we soon dropped two riders with a third dropping off on the immediate climb off the A35. Matt M had fallen prey to starting the hill at the back of the group and probably would have been OK had he started further up the line, but all’s fair in love and chain-gang so unfortunately dropped off a little and didn’t manage to get back on. The remaining four kept it pretty tight and remained in chain-gang mode until Wilverley rise when one more dropped off, leaving three to enjoy the wind assisted blast back to the start. With Dan S and Ed B looking particularly strong, we managed a respectable average speed of 36.8KPH. The first three to drop off had regrouped and rode together, reaching the finish line not too much later. A type 2 style, fun ride as always. Kudos all round. |
Saturday Club RideWith a mixed forecast and the odd rumble of thunder reported in the press, it was a one-group affair for this week’s Saturday Cub Ride. The mixed bunch were delighted to see Ben George turn up, especially as the first ten kilometres were directly into a relatively stiff breeze – not only that, but he was one of the few who turned up with mudguards, so had no excuse to be stationed right at the front. The ride headed east from Brock towards Hatchet Pond for a lap of the Sowley Lanes and on to Beaulieu, where Phill Brown finally dragged himself out of bed and joined the ride. |
 A familiar loop of the quieter roads out to Lepe and the whole pack could start to smell the coffee at Steff’s Kitchen. In true Saturday Ride fashion, Matt Knight started to whinge about his soggy rear tyre as we approached the end of Stanswood Road and an uncontested vote meant he was left there on his own to investigate the issue, while the group performed the pointless ritual of riding around the one-way system at Calshot – with no Matt Smith present, the constitutional requirement to pass a bathroom every 10km was truly wasted this week! |
 In his true gentlemanly demeanour, Phil Jones was the last one to get his coffee and cake and still seemed to be chewing on his enormous wedge of flapjack three hours later by the time everyone else drank their coffee, finished their cake, had their helmets on, and were saddling up ready to leave – nothing worse than having to neck a hot coffee while choking on your cake in the middle of a ride, so the whole bunch, excluding Phil J, have no excuse but to squeeze themselves collectively into the barrel this week! |
 Heading back through the Sowley Lanes, the riders started to disperse with Ben G the first to dismiss himself and return home for family duties. After passing through Pilly, Paul H tried his best to be dismissed, having to effect an emergency reattachment of this saddle bag, but the group kindly waited for him a little further along the route. It was calm and quiet until Crow Hill where the Tour de France obviously had too much impact on a few, and it turned into a Stage 12 Pogacar reenactment, but unlike Pogacar, Brown waited for his rivals. The bunch regrouped at the bottom of the hill, where we said goodbye to another three comrades. |
 After weaving their way through Ringwood, Moyles Court, and on to Milkham Junction, the elastic finally snapped and the group disbanded further and down to just three riders completing the full route and making their way back to The Absent Pony for a full debrief and ice-cream – certainly not what anyone who started in the rain expected at the start of the ride, that’s for sure.The FULL Saturday club ride experience with a surprising 30km/h+ average for most. – Phill B |
Sunday Club RideDespite the highly variable and somewhat threatening weather forecast 15 made or very nearly made the start line for Sunday’s club ride. A couple more, presumably still working on sundial technology, failed to make the start and joined en route. Two groups were formed with the Sunday speedsters taking the lead at what can only be described as a pedestrian pace out of Brock. Group two, consisting of just 4 old crocks and 2 new riders, Claire and George, followed. At some stage, we were joined by Andrew B, who had perhaps wisely packed his waterproof and later by Steve B, who hadn’t. |
 After scaling Bolderwood in light rain, the heavens opened in a biblical downpour. Glasses that had been removed because we were blinded by the rain were quickly re-donned as the needles of rain pierced our eyeballs. After a quick discussion about whether a shortcut or abandonment should be considered, Steve B. posited that we should all put our Big Boy Pants on and continue, so we did. The weather did improve, although at that point we couldn’t have got any wetter, and from Bartley we were faced with the prospect of 30K more riding into a 30KPH head wind. |
 Despite the unrelenting headwind, we made adequate progress as a group until, at the base of the drag to Hatchett pond, Pete N made a Pogacar-esque bid for glory. From this point, things got a bit ugly and the group was stretched along the road in dribs and drabs, much like Day 15 of the ToF. There was something resembling a re-group before we ascended Col de Church lane, a necessary evil, before reaching the safety of the cafe. Group one must have sped up a bit because they were well into their cafe treats by the time that group two arrived… Good chat as always before heading our various ways home.Great to welcome new riders Claire and George, who rode well and coped admirably with all things ‘group cycling’. – 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. |
