Isle of Wight Randonee

[ufkacbln]

Although it is sad to hear a tale of woe, I am glad I am not the only one who found yesterday a struggle!

The Gekko is slower and poorer on hills than the Catrike, but as it hadn't been initiated I decided to take it anyway.

The stat from Fishbourne was fine, but quickly became wet and slippery. Which caused further problems.... on a recumbent you gain time with fast downhills and sweeping curves, however there were so many people lying in the road having come off or standing in the road on blind bends fixing punctures that thsi was not possible. As a result by the time I reached Chale I was about an hour behind schedule. Caught up some time on the bottom stretch, and the Military Road, but started to struggle after Freshwater.

After that the hills became more and more of a struggle, whether that was because of the cold / wet and energy lost earlier I don't know. I have never felt that washed out on any previous year

However I made it in the end and am looking forward to next year.

Having said that I have just ordered a second Gekko with the Bionx assist for my wife, and if the distance claims are correct she wants to try the short route next year

 

[rvw]

Our bike computer had the short route as 33 miles which is pretty much what they claim. Some of the wiggles through Newport were challenging on a tandem so I guess they might be awkward on a recumbent too - and I'm not sure I'd want to be that close to the muddy bits of the cycle track, if it's wet again. But on the whole, the track is a very pleasant ride, or would have been if I hadn't been in pain!

Well done for making it round - I felt pathetic at bailing out, but it was the right decision.

 

[johnnyh]

Sorry to hear tales of woe, had a pleasant if cold 70 mile ride to Lymington on Saturday including a nice pub lunch in Verwood, and then on through the New Forest. Made good time and found ourselves showered and settled into our guest house at Wellow nr Yarmouth in time to watch the FA Cup final - following which we headed for a Chinese in Freshwater.

A nice breakfast of Porridge followed by a full English and we were underway from Yarmouth by 9. It drizzled or rained throughout, but felt good and the course gave no hassles (rain aside).
The only glitch was a bit of confusion amongst folk near Bembridge as to where the check point was, but I think everyone found the way in the end.

Had some nice chats with various folk on the way round, and loved chatting to the guy riding the 1900 Peugot, fascinating story and some effort!

The south coast hills didn't seem as challenging as I recall from 2 years back, just the new roundabout at Black Gang that nearly caught me out!

As I finished in Yarmouth the cloud started to break, and by the time I had been back to the guest house and showered, it turned into a gorgeous sunny evening, so a trip into Yarmouth for food and beer was the order of the day.

No hassles on the journey home today, and the bike has been stripped, cleaned and re-assembled to fight another day.

Looking forward to next year, think it'll be my 5th, and a great way to spend the bank holiday

... haa haa reading that lot back makes me realise it was a bit of a food and beer trip!

 

[2PedalsTez]

You all have my sympathy and admiration!
I decided to take a break this year and rode the Somerset hills Gran Fondo (round Cheddar) and had decent weather. I don't know what it is about the Randonnee; the last 4 years has only had one really sunny day. All the rest being wet or miserable.
I'm sure I'll be back again next year though and adding the food based element could make it a real bonus!

Oh and TMN, don't be afraid to say East Cowes is a godforsaken place... I used to live there and know it all too well!

 

[srw]

If that report all sounded too gloomy for words, here are some good memories:
A Delius moment (on hearing the first cuckoo in spring) somewhere in West Sussex
A swallow somewhere in the South Downs
Three swifts along the IOW cross-island cycle path
Realising that the road engineers had managed to miss the only flat bit of the Isle of Wight, leaving it first to the railway and later to cyclists
"Stop Look Listen - creaky ash trees"... right underneath a large cawing rookery
A spectacular view across Southampton Water, the Solent and the Isle of Wight (featuring the Spinnaker in Portsmouth) at the top of Teglease Down (and the realisation that that was one heck of a climb we'd just done).

 

[Red Light]

I started from Ryde at 8:40 and rode down to the first checkpoint at Wooton to avoid having to go all the way round to Bembridge again for the last stamp. Weather was miserable and my feet and hands were frozen - good job I decided at the last minute to take the full gloves as well as the mitts. Things started to dry out a bit after Whitwell and the wind on my back down the back straight to Freshwater helped. Then back round to Wooton and the ferry back from Fishbourne. The whole thing seemed to be the Tour de Puncture - there were literally people every few hundred yards repairing them. Mine fortunately waited till 100 yds from Witton - bit of sharp flint had cut through a Gatorskin and punctured the inner. Patched it up and borrowed a track pump to re-inflate it just in time to make the ferry back and avoid the hills back to Ryde. Worst bits - the weather. Best bits - the cakes and scoffs at all the checkpoints and the kids on the climb out of Gurnard Bay offering water or squash on a "no need to stop" basis and then running alongside to collect the cup back when you'd drunk it.

 

[Aperitif]

Didn't take the edge off though, I had a great time.

Well done! That's the best possible feeling after a testing ride - sounds taxing for all. This effort adds to the little milestones that have popped up for people this weekend...LouiseL's 400km Brevet Cymru, a TMNIOW randonnee, AnythingButVanilla achieving a maiden FNR and Mice not getting caught out. It was a bit hair-raising (if only!) reading Steven and Rachael's exploits but everyone's efforts makes ordinary work seem like an easy option! As 'consolation', it is raining at the moment!

 

[bridgy]

Sorry to hear about the problems some of you guys had! It was cold as well as wet and I'm sure that took more out of me than normal. I've never eaten so many cakes at checkpoints before either!

Good fun despite the weather though - I loved the live piano playing at the school in Yarmouth where we stopped for lunch - made for a great (if slightly surreal) atmosphere to go with the great homemade cakes and rolls!

 

[Julesh]

I'd forgotten about them - they were fantastic weren't they! I felt guilty saying no thanks, but I just knew that if I'd stopped I wouldn't have got going again on that hill, and I wasn't sure if I could take a drink and hand the cup back without accidentally running the small good samaritan over .

Weren't they great. Like you I wasn't willing to stop on that slope and was also having trouble unclipping as all the grease had washed out of my pedals

 

[PpPete]

Not much to report from me...
Met srw & rvw at Southampton ferry terminal, Dave D and his Sotonia crew on the ferry.
Rode with TMN for a while in the morning.
Utterly failed to spot any ATMs on the way round so unable to purchase much at checkpoints - red funnel breakfast and a few sandwiches sufficed.
As mentioned above - saw innumerable punctures being repaired on every corner, thankfully not affected by any myself.
Found the last few hills into Cowes rather taxing - thank goodness for the triple.
Longish wait for the chain ferry, but plenty of time in the end for the 15:30 ferry back to Southampton.

Legs a little weary on the Monday, so my Bank Holiday 200km DIYxGPS was taken at a "relaxed" pace.... preetty much the same rolling average, despite being significantly less hilly.

 

[ufkacbln]

Found the last few hills into Cowes rather taxing - thank goodness for the triple..

Although not "hilly" in the way that the South side is the fact that they are at the end is a killer.

The fact that the one at Gurnard, the rise from the ferry at Cowes and that vicious dip at Whippinham are all in the last 5 or 6 miles is a real grind

 

[Dave Davenport]

Not much to report from me...
Met srw & rvw at Southampton ferry terminal, Dave D and his Sotonia crew on the ferry.
Rode with TMN for a while in the morning.
Utterly failed to spot any ATMs on the way round so unable to purchase much at checkpoints - red funnel breakfast and a few sandwiches sufficed.
As mentioned above - saw innumerable punctures being repaired on every corner, thankfully not affected by any myself.
Found the last few hills into Cowes rather taxing - thank goodness for the triple.
Longish wait for the chain ferry, but plenty of time in the end for the 15:30 ferry back to Southampton.

Legs a little weary on the Monday, so my Bank Holiday 200km DIYxGPS was taken at a "relaxed" pace.... preetty much the same rolling average, despite being significantly less hilly.

You should have said you were short of cash Pete, I'd have bought you a cake or three. You could have paid for my four quid a pint beer on the ferry back!

Chapeau on doing 200k on Monday, we got home about 5pm and then dashed straight out for what turned into a seven hour session so the only cycling related thing I did on Monday was clean the bikes.

Take the fixed next year, you know you want to!

 

[Red Light]

I'd forgotten about them - they were fantastic weren't they! I felt guilty saying no thanks, but I just knew that if I'd stopped I wouldn't have got going again on that hill, and I wasn't sure if I could take a drink and hand the cup back without accidentally running the small good samaritan over .

I took a squash and swallowed too much at once so it went down the wrong way. Then spent the rest of the climb coughing and spluttering. It was the thought that counted though and they seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves.

 

[Red Light]

Weren't they great. Like you I wasn't willing to stop on that slope and was also having trouble unclipping as all the grease had washed out of my pedals

I didn't stop, they just passed it to me as I cycled by and then ran alongside till I'd finished drinking it and then took the cup back.

 

[ufkacbln]

........ the kids on the climb out of Gurnard Bay offering water or squash on a "no need to stop" basis and then running alongside to collect the cup back when you'd drunk it.

Its things like that which make this ride so worthwhile!