NFCC Club Ride – Saturday 31st October – OFF ROAD

Weather forecast again this week is for high winds so not practical for a peloton type ride on the road. So again, this week will be an off-road ride. Ride is suitable for cross / gravel bikes as well as MTB’s and will be keeping to marked paths in the forest.

Meet at 0850 for an 0900 depart in Brockenhurst. No change to the Covid protocols so please arrive on time so we can get into groups of 6 or fewer.

Forecast for Sunday does not bode well either so if there are riders who normally ride Sunday who want to join the Saturday ride we can form another group to accommodate those.

Route at https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1327191?units=km

Route has been kept a bit shorter than usual as forecast is for rain as well.

After last weeks mechanicals please take special care through the ford at Acres Down where we had multiple punctures from a nasty hidden pothole.

Coffee stop at the community shop in Minstead. Please remember face coverings as it is a shop not a café so face coverings are mandatory.

Barry

Club Ride – Saturday 24th October

The weather forecast for Saturday is for high winds so not conducive to a peloton style road. Therefore, this weeks club ride will be off road. We’ll be keeping to the marked gravel paths of the forest with a few bits of road to join up the gravel sections. Cross / gravel / MTB bikes all welcome. Speed will be kept to match riders machinery so please don’t feel that you will be disadvantaged on a MTB. 

Usual meet at 0850 for 0900 depart from Brockenhurst. Please be at the start for 0850 so we can get into our groups of 6 or fewer. Usual Covid protocols still apply which unfortunately means members only, no guests or visitors and no joiners once we have left the start point.

Route at https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1320544?units=km 

Best chance for a coffee stop will be the Cider Pantry at Burley

Barry

Sunday Club Ride 25th October 2020

Meet as usual in the car park, Brookley Rd at 8.50 for a 9.00A.M start

This weeks route: brock/wootten/sway/boldre/stlenoards/hatchett then back to Brock for well earned refreshments at The Sett.

Route downloadable here: https://www.strava.com/routes/22669583

Usual and now hopefully familiar Covid-19 protocols in place.

Roads could be a little treacherous strong winds and heavy overnight rains so strong and grippy tyres an advantage, Mudguards will be appreciated by those riding behind you.

Hope to see a good turnout.

Phil

Sunday Club Ride 18th October

Meet as usual in Brookley Rd Car park 8.50 for a 9.00A.M start.

This weeks we plan to ride the 55K route out via Balmer lawn to Hatchett pond St Leonards/Beaulieu/Lepe/Beaulieu and Back to Brock for Tiffins at the Sett.

Downloadable here https://www.strava.com/routes/2734021243800905316

As of writing all Covid protocols remain in place and unchanged so groups of 6 or fewer, sadly no guests or riders joining on route.

As the Covid second wave begins to gather momentum it is important that we continue to observe and are seen to observe the protocols so please take care with social distancing at the meeting point.

Forecast is fair and almost unbelievably a windless day, surely the first this year.

Hope to see a great turnout.

Phil H

Club Ride Saturday 17th October

This week’s club ride will be a 90Km loop to the north of the forest and beyond with a coffee stop at Café Velo in Ringwood. Please remember to keep to the same groups of 6 when we’re outside Café Velo.

Please be at the start for 0850 for an 0900 depart so we can get into our groups of 6 or fewer in line with our Covid protocols. Unfortunately, this still means members only and no visitors or non-members.

Winter pace as the temperature has dropped significantly so thermal regulation is the order of the day (not getting hot and sweaty and then freezing when somebody has a mechanical). 

Route at:

https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1314546?units=km 

Barry

Sunday Club Ride 11th October 2020

Meet as usual Brookley rd 8.50 for a 9.00 start. To avoid the Drift planned at Balmers lawn on Sunday this weeks route heads west through Rhinefield/Bolderwood/Redshute/Rockford Poulner/Braggars/Burley and back to Brock for a Cafe stop at The Sett. Route downloadable here. 

https://www.strava.com/routes/14884866

No change to the Covid protocols so please be at the start at 0850 for an 0900 depart so we can get into groups. Please ensure you keep to a group of 6 or fewer at the start and that it is clear and obvious to all that there is separation between the groups. These protocols also mean that there is no change to the other key points, no guests or non-members and no joiners once we have left the start. We will maintain the guidelines of riding in groups of 6 or fewer to comply with the guidelines and protect riders liability insurance. Forecast is cold but sunny so should be quite pleasant. Hope to see a good turnout after last weeks washout. 

Phil

Club Ride Saturday 10th October

With the change in weather, daylight and conditions it’s time to make a switch towards winter riding. So, time to prep bikes for winter (if you haven’t already) and drop the pace and distance a little. It’s going to be appreciably colder than recent rides so the pace will be kept to a level to stop riders getting sweaty and then getting cold quickly.

This week’s route is made up of multiple loops so plenty of opportunity to shorten the route is you wish, just please advise the others in the group if you plan to do so.

No change to the Covid protocols so please be at the start at 0850 for an 0900 depart so we can get into groups. Please ensure you keep to a group of 6 or fewer at the start and that it is clear and obvious to all that there is separation between the groups. These protocols also mean that there is no change to the other key points, no guests or non-members and no joiners once we have left the start. We will maintain the guidelines of riding in groups of 6 or fewer to comply with the guidelines and protect riders liability insurance.

Ride will have a planned coffee stop at the Community Shop in Minstead at around 68Km. This is a shop not a café so please ensure you have a mask to use the shop and we can take drinks outside onto the green in Minstead.

Total distance is 103Km

Route at https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1306728?units=km

Barry

Sunday Club Ride 4th October 2020

The forecast for this weekend is pretty grim. Sunday is not quite so bad though and I know we have some members who will go out in anything so I'll post a route.

I think the route with the least bad roads is the Brock/Rhinefield/Bolderwood up and down/Minstead/Bartley/Ashurst/Ipley/Beaulieu/Brock.

Route here https://www.strava.com/routes/14921234

I have somehow managed to catch another bug so am using this as an excuse to avoid the bad weather.

Please remember that Covid guidelines etc are still in place and meet/ride accordingly.

Phil H

Club Ride – Saturday 3rd October – CANCELLED

Weather forecast for Saturday is looking pretty grim with heavy rain forecast all morning and a moderate northerly wind. In Phil H’s terms this rates pretty high on the misery index and not very suitable for a club ride. Nor would I expect much of a turnout. Therefore, I am not planning to run one this week especially as nobody is training for any specific events at present.

If there are any hardcore riders who want to meet up suggest they put a post out and see if there are any like-minded souls to share the misery with.

Take the opportunity to prep your bike for winter and we can resume next week and make a transition to winter riding.

Barry