Weekly Round-up: 26 Apr 2026
All the latest news, events, and results for NFCC Members from the previous week of two-wheeled adventures…
Saturday Club RideA bumper turnout of around twenty riders turned out for this weeks club ride. The planned route was 130Km in and around the forest. The full range of club kit was on display with temperatures at the start around 10C with a real feel of 6C and ending up around 20C with a real feel of scorching. Phil H was still feeling the cold after his winter in warmer climes and was the only one trying not to get his legs tanned (and is probably still bronzed anyway). Matt K has found the perfect solution by dragging Eloise out for the first leg and then dumping all his excess kit on her to take home like an unpaid domestique. Childline have been informed of this exploitation and as the only rider in the family without a Bianchi we hope she gets rewarded for these efforts! |
 We welcomed Andy for his first club ride and Nick C for his first Saturday ride. Nick’s are getting like Phil’s and Matt’s as we’ve acquired three of these in the last month or so. We headed west in two pelotons with plans to pick up Rich W and Smithy en route. All went to plan and we rendezvoused just after 1100 for coffee at The Potting Shed. All was going smoothly until we got to Rockbourne. Here despite the fine electronics provided by Mr Garmin and Mr Wahoo, the investment in GPS satellites and clear blue skies to ensure that GPS signals were uninterrupted, and a well plotted route, four riders on the front missed the right turn despite the rest of the group shouting at them. So it’s a large barrel this week to accommodate Sean, Neil S, Nick C and Smithy. There was some mitigation in that Nick was unfamiliar on how the routes are posted for Saturday rides and Smithy is only on the front about as often as Halley’s Comet passes earth. But Neil and Sean have previous form (and asked for several similar offences to be taken into account) for this so no excuses there.Post coffee we started to shed some layers as it was getting very warm. Barry had started out with a fair amount of kit stuffed in his jersey pockets but after taking off excess kit he looked like he was carrying more kit than the Duke of Edinburgh hikers we passed. Group One started it’s inevitable disintegration as riders headed for home. Group Two said adios to Smithy and Adrian at Moyles Court, Rupert at Beaulieu and then Nick and Sean at East Boldre. |
 There was so Second Coffee Stop as the usual bleaters from the back were still in Mallorca. Heading back to Brock it was suggested that the Foresters Arms might be a better bet for some cooling carbohydrate refreshments. The remaining riders were all easily led and a pleasant afternoon was spent in the sunny pub garden before the inevitable slower ride home. Julie was tracking Barry on the Stalk My Husband App on her phone and could see where we were. She ascertained that we were either in the Foresters or Boost Bike Shop but guessed right! Extra kudos to Phil J, Matt K and Mark for rounding up to 100 mile plus. For Matt that’s four on the trot and Mark’s ride was the longest of all and he still topped it off with a run off the bike as part of his Ironman training. Plus he had the benefit of Lanzarote type weather to help his train this week.Thanks to all for the usual camaraderie and bonhomie. Thanks to all for taking turns on the front as despite the lovely summer weather we still had a bit of an easterly to deal with. – Barry. |
Sunday Club RideAnother beautiful if rather chilly start and another bumper turnout. 24 riders made the start line, welcome to newbie George who acquitted himself well on his first group ride. We split into the now customary 3 groups with groups one and two quickly setting off into the distance as group three set about fixing Andrew D’s puncture and wrestling the tyre back on to a recalcitrant wheel. Progress was hampered by the apparent necessity to do this entirely by thumb power despite the invention of tyre levers some centuries ago. We did eventually get moving, albeit into an annoyingly perky headwind. I couldn’t help but notice that there was a marked reluctance to join me at the sharp end. One or two made guest appearances, thought better of it and dropped off but eventually Jane was the brave rider that hit the front and stayed there. She quickly realised her mistake but muscled it out for a few K nonetheless before, duty done slipped back into the slipstream. |
 A remarkable amount of traffic accompanied us towards Hatchett pond and at the top of Beaulieu hill, I am in fact remarking on it. First dozens of Norton? Motorbikes and then the most random assortment of vintage cars that you could ever wish to see. Bill M earned ire of at least one of these antiquarian autophiles by having the audacity to be blown by a strong wind a couple of inches further into the road. The only hill on this weeks route of note was the one up Beaulieu hill, a piece of road infrastructure reaching for the stars by attempting to claim the worst road in Europe award for the fifth year running. This week’s Hill monkeys were the usual suspects Dan S and Richard B, closely followed by the remainder of the groupone-ers. |
 Group three made steady progress whilst groups one and two were beasting it around the route taking personal bests, group one really getting into the spirit of things by Chain-ganging the return leg to Brock. Group two took a short break at Lepe, (never let it be said that its ride leader isn’t sensitive to the demographic sensitivity of the group), which saw Newbie George make an unfortunate visit to the tarmac. Whilst on the one hand he did remember to unclip from his pedal he also chose the wrong leg with which to do so. Luckily no serious damage was done and we were soon onto the return leg with a helpful tail wind. Back at the cafe, Group oners were already overdosing on coffee as is traditional as group three held some ‘lively’ conversation around subjects as diverse as the way that different nations measure the gallon, Kilometers versus miles and the retirement of our club members children!Lovely and warm again at the cafe and great company as always. – 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. |
