BigGee
Senior Member
- Location
- North East London
Well after being chased down the street by a man with his willie in his hands, this ride was about excretions as well as exertions!
England : Hampshire Night Ride Around The Coast - 14 March
- Thread starter StuAff
- Start date
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OP
OP
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
I had suggested a night IOW ride some years ago....thought it was a good idea then, but it got put on the mental back burner. Last year's Randonnee seemed to have been infected by an attack of Numpties in Lycra in the same way the Dun Run has been, so it got me thinking about it again. When I started this thread back in September, lots of other people seemed to think it was a good idea. Two recces later, I was more convinced still. And after the seven cycling samurai made their trip around the Island on Saturday morning, absolutely certain. That was an absolute cracker. Not perfect, by any means, some room for improvement as noted (which I'll come to), though some of the issues are out of my hands (Dear Wightlink, any chance of a car ferry or cat service from Pompey at 11pm or so? Thanks).
Unlike a regular FNR, no issues with having to rush to the station to get to the smoke for this one. Even a late finish at work would have left me with plenty of time to get home and get out the door in time to make the car ferry. As it happens, I was fairly early out the door on Friday night,and despite a somewhat elongated trip back down town to the terminal (traffic light sequence fail left me sat at one junction for a few minutes) no issues at all making the midnight car ferry. The five others making that way over had all survived the dubious charms of downtown Pompey nightlife unscathed. Pleasure to meet @HorTs and @JoeyB along with the select band from the usual suspects. Ferry over was uneventful- seemed a bit quieter than a fortnight before, no bad thing- before we met Eddie at Fishbourne. Then, it was safety talk time- I felt it was important to do one, partly because we had a couple of night-ride newcomers in the form of Joe and Matt, and partly because of the particular challenges of an unfamiliar route. Many, many, many potholes needed to be called out, for one thing. The occasional bollard, quite a few bungalows, though I couldn't assess their quality. This also had the added bonus of getting The Traffic out of the way- the other vehicles on the ferry outnumbered everything else on the roads. After the (relative) urban sprawl of Ryde, and that little incident Graham mentioned, we hardly saw a vehicle or a soul until first light.
The climb out of Fishbourne car park was a relatively gentle introduction to the local topography. There are flat sections on the Island, but most of them are of the blink-and-you'll-miss-it variety. The remainder of the route, even more than the Randonnee one, boasted all manner of undulation guaranteed to render the hill-phobic certain to never make the trip over again if they'd risked it. The FNRttC toughometer would need recalibration. The visit to Tesco (as others noted a remarkably large store for such a sparsely populated place) for necessary supplies was quickly done and dusted, before we headed back north to the aptly named Seaview, for the first stretch of coastline en route- bit of a detour but worth the view, before back south to pick up the 'regular' round-Island route to Bembridge. Following that, we sped down into Sandown- me somewhat less speedily that the others, as the newer of my Hope lights again rattled loose, and more seriously the Garmin decided to make a break for freedom (thankfully, the cable for the battery pack meant it dangled rather than dropped). Had to press on a bit to close down the rest after an impromptu fettle. Shanklin front again a very pleasant stretch, except of course the further you go down a cliff face, the further you have to go up...Shanklin Chine again proved a walker for me (and Charlie) though most managed to grind their way up it.
After Shanklin, we came to perhaps the most testing climb of the whole night, Cowleaze Hill. This attracted unfavourable comparisons with Ditchling. Not kidding. Twisty, turning, relentless overall gradient with no flattish bits for a breather, and 17% in places. Got up without walking this time, don't think I did on either recce. And then we sped on to Ventnor. Some, speeding on a bit too quickly...For the most part, my ingenious cunning in leading the ride from the middle/well back (
) didn't cause too many problems. At Bonchurch however, the front four on the road went past my intended turn (for the stretch along the front, and the community toilets if they were needed), or so I (rightly) suspected. Got Graham on the phone, 'we went down the hill, we'll wait'. The three of us made our way down, only to find Graham had gone looking for us. Whoops. A little extra wait then. Never mind...This did at least have the advantage of leading to the slightly-less-unpleasant climb out of town than the one from the front.
After the road-closure-enforced detour to Whitwell, on we went to Blackgang, the biggest climb of the night (though a fairly easy one, at least when you're going clockwise) and our alfresco stop point. Moonlight view sadly somewhat murky, but still a great place to take a break, the best option under the circumstances. No chance of route confusion on the next few miles, and I think everyone enjoyed the Military Road. Ten very pleasant miles, relatively flat, westward. The headwind was fairly strong, but not too bad, though unlike the recce we couldn't hear the sea. Another stiff little legwarmer up around Freshwater Bay, before we rolled down into town. I'd already made clear, on the thread and again on the night, that the Needles would be optional depending on timing, how we were all feeling, and that this was the place to make that choice. Didn't take long to decide. We were about an hour quicker than Adam and I had been on the recce, and everyone felt great. Needles, and extra lumpiness to get there and back, it was then. Well worth it, though I was glad of having a 30x28 gear for the steepest bits. Terrific views, as Olaf's fine photos make clear, and decent road surfaces too (there's a bus that goes all the way down there, the bikes got parked in the bus turning point..).
From there, onto Yarmouth, and another detour off the 3054 thanks to Wight Roads closing off several hundred metres (part of it was useable, but after Adam's puncture on the recce I thought it best to avoid it) . The cycle track as used by the Randonnee is in good condition, thankfully, as was the road east. Back onto the 3054 and then up to West Cowes, the roads by this stage getting a bit busier but no problems, and that stretch was as pleasant as a fortnight before. After the chain ferry (very quiet), we bade our farewells to Eddie, getting the Red Funnel service back to Southampton. Then the six of us pressed on to Ryde. Graham's right about that last stretch, Lushington Hill was a bit busy and not terribly pleasant (admittedly better than a midweek afternoon...), there is an alternative for the bit to Wootton Bridge which looks good for the (hopefully inevitable) rerun (EDIT- duh, the way the Randonnee goes, and which runs nicely to the junction near Tesco. Sorted). And then into town for breakfast at Wetherspoons (helpful staff allowed us to park the bikes in their lobby, and excellent service). Joe and Graham opted to get the next catamaran, the rest of us went for the 1047. Uneventful crossing, apart from the mid-Solent traffic jam (!) that delayed it slightly. Charlie and Olaf got the handily-timed next service into Waterloo (I think, they'd have had time), and Matt and I made our rather shorter journeys home.
Could this work as a bigger ride? Definitely, but not without a few caveats. An earlier start would be a bit problematic on account of the ferry timings. The final catamaran from Portsmouth Harbour is 2215, the last car ferry before the midnight one is 2100. Hovercraft from Southsea is simply not an option as it can only take two bikes. The Red Funnel routes from Southampton are slightly better timed- last high speed service 2245, about the same crossing time- but a complete pain for me at least (no train I can get after work will get me there in time). And any other service means starting the trip with a doubtless more boisterous Ryde nightlife....
On the halfway stop issue: There is, as far as I can tell, nowhere open on the south coast of the island overnight- no 24 hour garages, no convenience stores, nothing. I contacted the Wayfarers (IOW CTC group) in the hope that they might strengthen our numbers and have an idea about cafe/church hall possibilties, but they never got back to me. There are plenty of cafes in Ventnor and Sandown, but whether any of them would open up....pass. Hence Tesco (and McDonalds next door-ish) were the only refreshment options I could find. And, of course, no chance for respite if it had been cold and wet. We were lucky on that score. Anti-clockwise routing would make no difference for the logistics on the southern side and mean people would have to do their food shopping in advance.
So, a rerun should be in order at some point...have to see if there's a suitable gap in the packed summer schedule...
Thanks everyone!
Unlike a regular FNR, no issues with having to rush to the station to get to the smoke for this one. Even a late finish at work would have left me with plenty of time to get home and get out the door in time to make the car ferry. As it happens, I was fairly early out the door on Friday night,and despite a somewhat elongated trip back down town to the terminal (traffic light sequence fail left me sat at one junction for a few minutes) no issues at all making the midnight car ferry. The five others making that way over had all survived the dubious charms of downtown Pompey nightlife unscathed. Pleasure to meet @HorTs and @JoeyB along with the select band from the usual suspects. Ferry over was uneventful- seemed a bit quieter than a fortnight before, no bad thing- before we met Eddie at Fishbourne. Then, it was safety talk time- I felt it was important to do one, partly because we had a couple of night-ride newcomers in the form of Joe and Matt, and partly because of the particular challenges of an unfamiliar route. Many, many, many potholes needed to be called out, for one thing. The occasional bollard, quite a few bungalows, though I couldn't assess their quality. This also had the added bonus of getting The Traffic out of the way- the other vehicles on the ferry outnumbered everything else on the roads. After the (relative) urban sprawl of Ryde, and that little incident Graham mentioned, we hardly saw a vehicle or a soul until first light.
The climb out of Fishbourne car park was a relatively gentle introduction to the local topography. There are flat sections on the Island, but most of them are of the blink-and-you'll-miss-it variety. The remainder of the route, even more than the Randonnee one, boasted all manner of undulation guaranteed to render the hill-phobic certain to never make the trip over again if they'd risked it. The FNRttC toughometer would need recalibration. The visit to Tesco (as others noted a remarkably large store for such a sparsely populated place) for necessary supplies was quickly done and dusted, before we headed back north to the aptly named Seaview, for the first stretch of coastline en route- bit of a detour but worth the view, before back south to pick up the 'regular' round-Island route to Bembridge. Following that, we sped down into Sandown- me somewhat less speedily that the others, as the newer of my Hope lights again rattled loose, and more seriously the Garmin decided to make a break for freedom (thankfully, the cable for the battery pack meant it dangled rather than dropped). Had to press on a bit to close down the rest after an impromptu fettle. Shanklin front again a very pleasant stretch, except of course the further you go down a cliff face, the further you have to go up...Shanklin Chine again proved a walker for me (and Charlie) though most managed to grind their way up it.
After Shanklin, we came to perhaps the most testing climb of the whole night, Cowleaze Hill. This attracted unfavourable comparisons with Ditchling. Not kidding. Twisty, turning, relentless overall gradient with no flattish bits for a breather, and 17% in places. Got up without walking this time, don't think I did on either recce. And then we sped on to Ventnor. Some, speeding on a bit too quickly...For the most part, my ingenious cunning in leading the ride from the middle/well back (
) didn't cause too many problems. At Bonchurch however, the front four on the road went past my intended turn (for the stretch along the front, and the community toilets if they were needed), or so I (rightly) suspected. Got Graham on the phone, 'we went down the hill, we'll wait'. The three of us made our way down, only to find Graham had gone looking for us. Whoops. A little extra wait then. Never mind...This did at least have the advantage of leading to the slightly-less-unpleasant climb out of town than the one from the front.After the road-closure-enforced detour to Whitwell, on we went to Blackgang, the biggest climb of the night (though a fairly easy one, at least when you're going clockwise) and our alfresco stop point. Moonlight view sadly somewhat murky, but still a great place to take a break, the best option under the circumstances. No chance of route confusion on the next few miles, and I think everyone enjoyed the Military Road. Ten very pleasant miles, relatively flat, westward. The headwind was fairly strong, but not too bad, though unlike the recce we couldn't hear the sea. Another stiff little legwarmer up around Freshwater Bay, before we rolled down into town. I'd already made clear, on the thread and again on the night, that the Needles would be optional depending on timing, how we were all feeling, and that this was the place to make that choice. Didn't take long to decide. We were about an hour quicker than Adam and I had been on the recce, and everyone felt great. Needles, and extra lumpiness to get there and back, it was then. Well worth it, though I was glad of having a 30x28 gear for the steepest bits. Terrific views, as Olaf's fine photos make clear, and decent road surfaces too (there's a bus that goes all the way down there, the bikes got parked in the bus turning point..).
From there, onto Yarmouth, and another detour off the 3054 thanks to Wight Roads closing off several hundred metres (part of it was useable, but after Adam's puncture on the recce I thought it best to avoid it) . The cycle track as used by the Randonnee is in good condition, thankfully, as was the road east. Back onto the 3054 and then up to West Cowes, the roads by this stage getting a bit busier but no problems, and that stretch was as pleasant as a fortnight before. After the chain ferry (very quiet), we bade our farewells to Eddie, getting the Red Funnel service back to Southampton. Then the six of us pressed on to Ryde. Graham's right about that last stretch, Lushington Hill was a bit busy and not terribly pleasant (admittedly better than a midweek afternoon...), there is an alternative for the bit to Wootton Bridge which looks good for the (hopefully inevitable) rerun (EDIT- duh, the way the Randonnee goes, and which runs nicely to the junction near Tesco. Sorted). And then into town for breakfast at Wetherspoons (helpful staff allowed us to park the bikes in their lobby, and excellent service). Joe and Graham opted to get the next catamaran, the rest of us went for the 1047. Uneventful crossing, apart from the mid-Solent traffic jam (!) that delayed it slightly. Charlie and Olaf got the handily-timed next service into Waterloo (I think, they'd have had time), and Matt and I made our rather shorter journeys home.
Could this work as a bigger ride? Definitely, but not without a few caveats. An earlier start would be a bit problematic on account of the ferry timings. The final catamaran from Portsmouth Harbour is 2215, the last car ferry before the midnight one is 2100. Hovercraft from Southsea is simply not an option as it can only take two bikes. The Red Funnel routes from Southampton are slightly better timed- last high speed service 2245, about the same crossing time- but a complete pain for me at least (no train I can get after work will get me there in time). And any other service means starting the trip with a doubtless more boisterous Ryde nightlife....
On the halfway stop issue: There is, as far as I can tell, nowhere open on the south coast of the island overnight- no 24 hour garages, no convenience stores, nothing. I contacted the Wayfarers (IOW CTC group) in the hope that they might strengthen our numbers and have an idea about cafe/church hall possibilties, but they never got back to me. There are plenty of cafes in Ventnor and Sandown, but whether any of them would open up....pass. Hence Tesco (and McDonalds next door-ish) were the only refreshment options I could find. And, of course, no chance for respite if it had been cold and wet. We were lucky on that score. Anti-clockwise routing would make no difference for the logistics on the southern side and mean people would have to do their food shopping in advance.
So, a rerun should be in order at some point...have to see if there's a suitable gap in the packed summer schedule...
Thanks everyone!
Last edited:
OP
OP
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
Opinions differed about that. Joe for one thought there wasn't much difference in climbing between the two routes, I'm pretty sure it's tougher. Certainly is without sunshine and four stops for tea and cake
Eddie_C
Über Member
Stuart
Thanks for organising this and for carrying out two recces (and to Adam, of course). Great night out and splendid company.
On the comparison with the Randonnee I'm with Joe: there didn't seem that much difference to me. And I don't necessarily associate the Randonnee with sunshine and benign headwinds..
I look forward to the rerun in the summer.
Eddie
Thanks for organising this and for carrying out two recces (and to Adam, of course). Great night out and splendid company.
On the comparison with the Randonnee I'm with Joe: there didn't seem that much difference to me. And I don't necessarily associate the Randonnee with sunshine and benign headwinds..
I look forward to the rerun in the summer.
Eddie
HorTs
Über Member
- Location
- Portsmouth
I have nothing to say that hasn't already been said except my personal thanks to Stuart for arranging it all, though I do have a few poor photos I can add.
Brief stop at Freshwater Bay
All lined up at the Needles
View of the Needles
On the Sun Deck of Wight Rider II
Good pose
View of Portsmouth
Banana
Brief stop at Freshwater Bay
All lined up at the Needles
View of the Needles
On the Sun Deck of Wight Rider II
Good pose
View of Portsmouth
Banana
JoeyB
Go on, tilt your head!
- Location
- Fareham, Hampshire
Wow, what an epic ride!
Short report - Awesome, epic, loved it! Everyone should do a night ride at least once in their life.
Long report - See below...
I put my name down for this ride on a whim, without much thought, a month or so back. Less than two weeks before the ride it suddenly dawned on me that I was actually going to have to do this, and backing out wasn't an option. I've done a couple of group rides before of similar numbers and on both occasions I struggled with the group pace (ie super quick). With that in mind and worried that I hadn't done a ride of note since January (a tough 70km around the New Forest) I figured I better get some sort of warm up training in to get my legs going again. I had 12 days to get myself into some sort of shape, so week 1 went like this (all before work apart from the Saturday ride)...
Monday : 30km easy flat local circuit
Tuesday : 20km lumpy local circuit around Portsdown Hill & Boarhunt
Friday : 30km easy flat local circuit
Saturday : 50km easy flat circuit / lump circuit in a weird sort of 'figure of eight'
On the week of the ride I only managed to get out on the Monday morning. I had just fitted a 12-30t rear cassette so I did the lumpy 20km circuit to test it out. Beyond that I did nothing else until the actual ride on Friday.
I opted to take the afternoon off work on Friday, so I had a fairly relaxed day which I think helped. I made a conscious effort to eat well so had porridge for breakfast, left over pizza for lunch and pasta for dinner. I also chucked some CNP Pro Energy stuff in as well for good measure.
As Stu says above, this was to be my first night ride, as such I was extremely paranoid about being able to stay awake let alone being able to cycle 110km+ during the process! Add to this the fact that this particular route was being billed as even lumpier than normal, I was a bit concerned to say the least!
I left Fareham at about 10:30 and took the dedicated Bus lane / cycle route all the way to Gosport, there was a bit of night life to wade through on the Gosport ferry over to Pompey but nothing abnormal. I made my way round to the car ferry and it was here I met my first comrade @BigGee. We made our introductions and took the plunge to purchase tickets, knowing that at least two of us had committed! @HorTs , @redfalo & @charlie b arrived shortly after, followed finally by our ride leader for the evening - @StuAff
As @BigGee mentioned in his report, I also struggled with the long pause whilst we crossed the solent. The car ferry was warm and comfy and the longer I sat there the more I wanted to be back in bed! Nonetheless I took the opportunity to get my final caffeine hit (as did @redfalo I noticed) and prep myself mentally.
Once over in Fishbourne we met @Eddie_C and had a safety briefing. This was a good call by Stu as I for one had no idea about the call signs and they proved invaluable in avoiding the various road based 'features' throughout the ride, although I'm not too sure what a bungalow is...I'm assuming it has a meaning other than the obvious??
We pushed on to Ryde and this was the first time I got a feel for the ride pace, it suited me well and instantly put that worry to bed, phew! Other than the drunk chap putting out an invisible tarmac fire the run to Tesco was uneventful.
Standout points in the first half of the ride were the houseboats through Bembridge and the esplanade run at Shanklin (I think), the short sharp climb away from the beach was interesting to say the least! It was during this first half that I realised that I definitely want to do more night rides, the lack of traffic and just the peacefulness were a joy to experience. By this point I was also fully awake, with no obvious sign of tiredness kicking in. I don't remember too much else of this section other than two stiff climbs, the first one being the hardest of the ride In my opinion, reading the reports above I think it was the Cowleaze Hill climb.
It wasn't until we stopped at Blackgang that I started to feel the cold, the sweat that had previously been keeping me warm had now cooled off and I was feeling it! I decided to put another layer on, which was tough as it meant stripping down to base layers first!! When we got going again I was still feeling the cold and the headwind was making things worse. Fortunately at this point we picked up the pace and made really good time over the next 10 miles or so, this is just what I needed to warm up again. I remember riding alongside Eddie as we approached the Freshwater Bay climb, we couldn't decide if it was the main climb or just the warm up act. We were delighted when it turned out to be the main climb! The descent into Freshwater Bay was epic as always. We stopped at the bottom and took in the scenery, the first signs of daylight starting to break through, another moment where I knew I'd made the right decision to do this ride.
We made our way round to the Alum Bay amusement park and at this point the group made the call to carry on up to the Needles Battery. I must admit I could have easily passed on the opportunity but I'm glad the decision was taken out of my hands as the views were certainly worth it at the top.
The next phase of the ride from the Needles to Yarmouth and then Cowes isnt quite as interesting as the first half, but nonetheless it was very enjoyable in a traffic free environment. Thankfully we took a slightly different route into Cowes and therefore missed out at least a couple of nasty climbs. Other than almost slipping arse over tit whilst boarding the chain link ferry, I don't remember much of this section of the ride.
It was here that we parted company with Eddie, and then made our way on to Ryde. By this time the 'night ride' element had long gone. Traffic had built up to a steady pace and it was time to tuck in and pay attention once again! There were a few more short climbs as we came back through Fishbourne and then into Ryde, at this point my legs were heavy and I didn't have much left in the 'climbing tank'. I noticed @BigGee and @HorTs still had plenty to give and were still flying up the hills. I also recall a local overtaking us on the section back into Ryde, we then reeled him back in on a nasty climb only for him to peel off into his driveway...Doh! No scalp there then lol.
We arrived at Wetherspoons and after a quick discussion about bike storage we got ourselves inside. I had been visualising a Wetherspoons breakfast for the entire ride, but when I arrived I decided a coffee would do. Graham and I both decided we would get the next ferry, I for one was keen to get back and try and make the most of the remainder of the day.
Back over in Pompey, Graham and I said our goodbyes and I made my way ferry crossing number five, back over to Gosport. By now my legs had used up their reserves and the 6 miles home was tough, I just about managed to overtake a rather large woman on a rather compressed dual suspension MTB...not a highlight I will want to remember lol.
Once I got home I stumbled into the shower, had another coffee and then got into bed. I only managed a couple of hours kip and then decided to watch the Rugby. I eventually gave in and hit the hay at about 10:30 and I can safely say I haven't slept that well for a LONG time.
I'd like to thank Stu for arranging an epic ride, and also to Adam (whom I am yet to meet) for the two previous recces. The effort you both put in beforehand made for a great end result. It was also a pleasure to meet and ride with Graham, Charlie, Olaf, Matt and Eddie. Hopefully we'll meet again soon on one of the London based night rides, I'm definitely a convert!! Whilst initially scared by Stu's reports of this route being harder than the
already tough Randonee route, I didn't actually find this route any worse. Perhaps it was due to the fact I was in a group or possibly even because I was distracted by the fact I was riding at night! Either way, this was a thoroughly enjoyable ride and I recommend it to anyone else considering their next night ride. I'll certainly be signing up for the next one.
Short report - Awesome, epic, loved it! Everyone should do a night ride at least once in their life.
Long report - See below...
I put my name down for this ride on a whim, without much thought, a month or so back. Less than two weeks before the ride it suddenly dawned on me that I was actually going to have to do this, and backing out wasn't an option. I've done a couple of group rides before of similar numbers and on both occasions I struggled with the group pace (ie super quick). With that in mind and worried that I hadn't done a ride of note since January (a tough 70km around the New Forest) I figured I better get some sort of warm up training in to get my legs going again. I had 12 days to get myself into some sort of shape, so week 1 went like this (all before work apart from the Saturday ride)...
Monday : 30km easy flat local circuit
Tuesday : 20km lumpy local circuit around Portsdown Hill & Boarhunt
Friday : 30km easy flat local circuit
Saturday : 50km easy flat circuit / lump circuit in a weird sort of 'figure of eight'
On the week of the ride I only managed to get out on the Monday morning. I had just fitted a 12-30t rear cassette so I did the lumpy 20km circuit to test it out. Beyond that I did nothing else until the actual ride on Friday.
I opted to take the afternoon off work on Friday, so I had a fairly relaxed day which I think helped. I made a conscious effort to eat well so had porridge for breakfast, left over pizza for lunch and pasta for dinner. I also chucked some CNP Pro Energy stuff in as well for good measure.
As Stu says above, this was to be my first night ride, as such I was extremely paranoid about being able to stay awake let alone being able to cycle 110km+ during the process! Add to this the fact that this particular route was being billed as even lumpier than normal, I was a bit concerned to say the least!
I left Fareham at about 10:30 and took the dedicated Bus lane / cycle route all the way to Gosport, there was a bit of night life to wade through on the Gosport ferry over to Pompey but nothing abnormal. I made my way round to the car ferry and it was here I met my first comrade @BigGee. We made our introductions and took the plunge to purchase tickets, knowing that at least two of us had committed! @HorTs , @redfalo & @charlie b arrived shortly after, followed finally by our ride leader for the evening - @StuAff
As @BigGee mentioned in his report, I also struggled with the long pause whilst we crossed the solent. The car ferry was warm and comfy and the longer I sat there the more I wanted to be back in bed! Nonetheless I took the opportunity to get my final caffeine hit (as did @redfalo I noticed) and prep myself mentally.
Once over in Fishbourne we met @Eddie_C and had a safety briefing. This was a good call by Stu as I for one had no idea about the call signs and they proved invaluable in avoiding the various road based 'features' throughout the ride, although I'm not too sure what a bungalow is...I'm assuming it has a meaning other than the obvious??
We pushed on to Ryde and this was the first time I got a feel for the ride pace, it suited me well and instantly put that worry to bed, phew! Other than the drunk chap putting out an invisible tarmac fire the run to Tesco was uneventful.
Standout points in the first half of the ride were the houseboats through Bembridge and the esplanade run at Shanklin (I think), the short sharp climb away from the beach was interesting to say the least! It was during this first half that I realised that I definitely want to do more night rides, the lack of traffic and just the peacefulness were a joy to experience. By this point I was also fully awake, with no obvious sign of tiredness kicking in. I don't remember too much else of this section other than two stiff climbs, the first one being the hardest of the ride In my opinion, reading the reports above I think it was the Cowleaze Hill climb.
It wasn't until we stopped at Blackgang that I started to feel the cold, the sweat that had previously been keeping me warm had now cooled off and I was feeling it! I decided to put another layer on, which was tough as it meant stripping down to base layers first!! When we got going again I was still feeling the cold and the headwind was making things worse. Fortunately at this point we picked up the pace and made really good time over the next 10 miles or so, this is just what I needed to warm up again. I remember riding alongside Eddie as we approached the Freshwater Bay climb, we couldn't decide if it was the main climb or just the warm up act. We were delighted when it turned out to be the main climb! The descent into Freshwater Bay was epic as always. We stopped at the bottom and took in the scenery, the first signs of daylight starting to break through, another moment where I knew I'd made the right decision to do this ride.
We made our way round to the Alum Bay amusement park and at this point the group made the call to carry on up to the Needles Battery. I must admit I could have easily passed on the opportunity but I'm glad the decision was taken out of my hands as the views were certainly worth it at the top.
The next phase of the ride from the Needles to Yarmouth and then Cowes isnt quite as interesting as the first half, but nonetheless it was very enjoyable in a traffic free environment. Thankfully we took a slightly different route into Cowes and therefore missed out at least a couple of nasty climbs. Other than almost slipping arse over tit whilst boarding the chain link ferry, I don't remember much of this section of the ride.
It was here that we parted company with Eddie, and then made our way on to Ryde. By this time the 'night ride' element had long gone. Traffic had built up to a steady pace and it was time to tuck in and pay attention once again! There were a few more short climbs as we came back through Fishbourne and then into Ryde, at this point my legs were heavy and I didn't have much left in the 'climbing tank'. I noticed @BigGee and @HorTs still had plenty to give and were still flying up the hills. I also recall a local overtaking us on the section back into Ryde, we then reeled him back in on a nasty climb only for him to peel off into his driveway...Doh! No scalp there then lol.
We arrived at Wetherspoons and after a quick discussion about bike storage we got ourselves inside. I had been visualising a Wetherspoons breakfast for the entire ride, but when I arrived I decided a coffee would do. Graham and I both decided we would get the next ferry, I for one was keen to get back and try and make the most of the remainder of the day.
Back over in Pompey, Graham and I said our goodbyes and I made my way ferry crossing number five, back over to Gosport. By now my legs had used up their reserves and the 6 miles home was tough, I just about managed to overtake a rather large woman on a rather compressed dual suspension MTB...not a highlight I will want to remember lol.
Once I got home I stumbled into the shower, had another coffee and then got into bed. I only managed a couple of hours kip and then decided to watch the Rugby. I eventually gave in and hit the hay at about 10:30 and I can safely say I haven't slept that well for a LONG time.
I'd like to thank Stu for arranging an epic ride, and also to Adam (whom I am yet to meet) for the two previous recces. The effort you both put in beforehand made for a great end result. It was also a pleasure to meet and ride with Graham, Charlie, Olaf, Matt and Eddie. Hopefully we'll meet again soon on one of the London based night rides, I'm definitely a convert!! Whilst initially scared by Stu's reports of this route being harder than the
already tough Randonee route, I didn't actually find this route any worse. Perhaps it was due to the fact I was in a group or possibly even because I was distracted by the fact I was riding at night! Either way, this was a thoroughly enjoyable ride and I recommend it to anyone else considering their next night ride. I'll certainly be signing up for the next one.
Shadow
member
- Location
- edge of the south downs
Another convert - excellent!
Chapeau to you, sir.
(And chapeau to Stu and the others who completed the ride).
Chapeau to you, sir.
(And chapeau to Stu and the others who completed the ride).
redfalo
known as Olaf in real life
- Location
- Brexit Boomtown
OP
OP
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
CharlieB
Junior Walker and the Allstars
- Location
- Therivermeadowatthepileofstones
Agreed. That takes me back a bit…
Oh, and thank you Stu and y'all for a ride of much variety and gradient. All I wanted to say has been said above, so sorry I'm late again!
Good call and exercise of democracy to go up the hill to see what is probably the Island's most stunning piece of scenery. Wouldn't have missed that for the world.
Just how do Wetherspoons dish out a (v. good) Full English for less than four quid?
CharlieB
Junior Walker and the Allstars
- Location
- Therivermeadowatthepileofstones
No, it was a rhetorical question.
Actually, yes.
Minimum waged staff?
Actually, yes.
Minimum waged staff?
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Pale Rider
Legendary Member
We are not men, we are remastered more than 20 years later.
I bet D-e-v-o never thought that would happen.
