Christmas Eve. 24th Dec. Officially the first day of the Rapha500, so it would be rude not to go for a cycle. I had a bit of a plan today. Having cycled around the island a few times before, this was going to be a variation on a "gravel" ride I've seen somewhere. It was adapted to go through as many new tiles on the island as I could do, while making it a sensible and coherent ride. (It took a decent amount of planning...)
Some of the bridleways I was going to be going along and over are somewhat etched into my memory from childhood. Images of massive and muddy hills, impassible clay and mud paths and all kinds of things like that. This made actually getting out and doing it a bit of a mission. Apprehension was high, especially as it was really breezy yesterday- and it would have been misery with a headwind for the first half. It's wierd what your head does to you.
It rained all night, and so the ground- already soft- would be sodden. A good thing that the 650bs were shod with Continental RaceKings. I took the Byways off before I came down... they are a summer tyre, really, especially if the "gravel" sections of the island were going to be as bad as I thought.
Setting off at first light, it might be about 6 hours before getting home. Multiple lighting options were put on the bike, and all were used at some point. (not because anything ran out, but rather, because I didn't want anything to run out).
A quick bash out of St. Helens and over to Bullen corner. It should have been fairly straight forward- and it was until I came across a rather inconvenient horizontal tree across a minor road/bridleway within the first 10 mins. Still, it gave a good opportunity to take a photo of what was, at that point, a nice, shiny bike.
After an exciting climb through the tree, onto the roads up into Ryde where I took a "short cut" that turned out to be, well, not. Back onto the road and then a right turn by the golf course and onto the bridleway- tarmacked- across to Quarr abbey. Now- if all bridleways were like this- ah- no need for anything like nobbly tyres. Apart from a load of washed leaves, it was a fairly pleasant ride across to Fishbourne.
Out onto the road and then a short section prior to a right turn and again, some fairly easy going bridleway. The secret, it seems, is if there is a house at the end of the bridleway, it's fairly well paved. If not... well- we're about to find out.
First there is a fairly useful amount of paved surface, and then a fun downhill section through Dunnage Copse where the bridleway degenerates into a mud/clay bath with not a lot of anything else apart from deteriorating grass on either side. In the middle is- yes, the obligatory stream. Again, thank goodness for the Race Kings which provide at least some level of grip down here.
Then into Havenstreet and a hard right into Wakershill copse- a delighful Gravel/mtb flavoured bridleway that is relatively wide. Though I do seem to remember a section that resembled a thin path that *would* have been covered in leaves, except that a track down the middle of the bridleway had been washed clean by a stream that had run down it... well, I say that the middle was washed clean. It was also washed clean away. Getting up there was quite fun, but at least the bottom of the path was relatively solid, despite having to negotiate multiple little steps. Was that here? I can't remember... but it was not the *only* path like this...
Out to the wide roaded section that lobs you onto the Downend road where an e-biker overtook me on the uphill. Only for me to then reel him in significantly on the flat section, until a sharp right hander took me down Burnt house lane- a real pleasure of a back road, so long as you don't come across any traffic- and I didn't until right at the end. Down to the road, across and up into Shide, before finding that the road system is very different to how I remember it (one way systems!) but fortunately my route very quickly takes me out of there and under Carisbrooke castle.
A swift down and up (and over two fords, which luckily have very well maintained cyclable bridges) and up and up and up through Clatterford until a very sharp left turn onto... yes... a bridleway about a bike width wide, with the middle washed away. A challenge to get up initially, but it gave way to some pretty decent riding up Bowcombe down and eventually across to Brighstone down.
This is the section that I looked over on the computer the day before and thought "dyou know... I don't want to cycle up that steep hill- its going to be minging. I'll switch the westwight loop around the other way and go down it instead". How precient of me. The trail was hard under tyre for a decent amount of time before I hit the top of the hill and it gave way to a descent of mud, loam, tree roots, clay and deep, deep leaves. On a steep hill. Going up this would certainly have been nigh on impossible in these conditions- and going down it was challenging enough. Technically there was another track off to the right, but I didn't go there, prefering to keep on the actual bridleway, which then gave way to a lumpy and slippy field. It wouldn't have been impossible in the other direction but it would have been a right slog!
A nice bridleway, and then onto a main road for a short time, before a swift left turn onto what could be one of my favourite roads ever. Especially in this direction. Down past Tapnell farm, the road is single track really, but beautifully tarmacked, fields as far as you can see (try to ignore the smell of cabbages... it is a bit Pratchettesque in that department)- ah- amazing riding.
Then down Wilmingham road, turn right opposite a fruit farm and onto a bridleway that could quite easily have been a footpath. Very thin, mud everywhere- an absolute clag fest. Not somewhere you would want to bike unless you had some decent tyres. And good experience on a bike. A bit of a fight ensued to get up and over this- and from the end of it, a right left onto a bridleway that you could have been forgiven for thinking was a B-road.
Within 100m you go from something that is nigh impossible to ride on, to a humungous wide, flat, pisted path. It's insane.
I don't just mean it from a cycling perspective. Imagine you are on a mobility scooter and you're on the nice path, and think- oooh, there's a bridleway just across the way, it is technically the same class as the one I'm on, I'll go and check it out. Absolute no go. I'm coming to the thought that we should have classification systems for bridleways like we do for roads. Just think of the carnage if your motorways, a-roads, b-roads and unclassified were all on maps and just classed as "road". It'd be insane.
I digress.
South and into the outskirts of Yarmouth and then a significant amount of road to get me to Alum Bay (via a couple of tiles) and then out to the Needles Battery and the Coastguard houses.
The Tour of Britain was meant to be finishing here this year, but was cancelled due to the Queen passing away. Shame, it would have been amazing to see the expressions of the riders as they passed the house on the corner with all the crazy gnomes in the garden. Ah well.
At the top, I thought I'd see what was going on with the track on the south side of the down... It's a square that has not yet been covered and it looks like there is only a footpath there. And yes. There is a lovely path, fairly manicured, and in WAY better condition that a number of bridleways that I've been subjected to thus far with a lovely sign on it saying "NO BIKES". Sigh.
So back the way I came then.
Mostly road and a bit of amusement on bridleways until Freshwater hove into view, and the prospect of a triple whammy of hills. Freshwater golf course (Afton/Compton down). Mottistone down and Limerstone Down. (and Northcourt Down afterward as a bonus). These three downs are a great way across the area, but there is a fair amount of up and down on what can be slightly sketchy ground. It's mostly chalk, with some grass, and, you guessed it- mud. The last time I went across all of these in a row was on a trans-wight run (trying to relive the trans-wight challenge of my Scout days- but this time in the daytime- and on foot). I've never cycled on these tracks before and so the ascents were playing on my mind a bit.
Still, there is little else to do except get on and pedal- making sure that you're well fed. In all honesty, the ascents- yes- were a bit challenging, mainly due to what was under the tyres paired with the gradient and the tiredness, but it wasn't as desperate as expected. However, by this time my bike was utterly covered in crud and gear shifting was getting somewhat sub-optimal, so there were definitely points where it was the bike that I was fighting against, not just the conditions.
Across the top of Limerstone I managed to fall off twice in quick succession- into 2 MASSIVE puddles. It was one of those classic - the puddle is too deep, so go up and around it on the verge. Not concentrating, I toppled rightwards on the first one and barely unclipped in time- going shin deep into a puddle that was already a fair way below me- and half the bike got a dunking. A bit of swearing and I got out, and onto the bike, ready for the next one, about 20 yards down the way, for EXACTLY the same thing to happen, except now my hands went in and 3/4 of the bike- upside down. Great, so my haribo is now soaked in grimy puddle water, my gloves are soaked in the same stuff... at least the gels are self contained and the water bottles have some kind of mouthpiece guard on them. We'll see how ill I get from this.
After straightening out the handlebars (yes, it was that bad), and sorting out the mudguards so that they didn't scrape the sides of the tyres, I set off again down to the road- where it was a bit more sheltered to stop and re-sort the mudguards prior to heading up Northcourt down- another of those Bridleways you could literally mistake for a B-road- until you turn right and go down a crazed mud slope through a field that you are wondering if it actually is a footpath or not- and being very thankful that you aren't going UP it.
Through a field- that really feels like you are picking up a lot of field in your tyres, onto a road where most of said field gets flung back at you, through Kingstone and down to Chale and onto a road for a fair amount of distance to get to Godshill. No- not really gravel, but this section gets me two more tiles that are fairly out of the way- so utterly necessary,
North through Budbridge and the small trail that I could have sworn was a footpath- where I nearly fell into a river. (ah- memories of family walks here as well)- an absolute mudfest, made more exciting this time by the sheer amount of horse crap and churned mud- up to Horringford, and then a barnstorming (maybe not- I was on nobblies) ride on an A road throuh Apse Heath (again- for tile necessity) and into Lake and Sandown (ditto) before heading up through Yaverland, Brading and back to St. Helens across the marshes.
Back in just under 6 hours. just over 100k, 2000m of ascent and a marvellous tour of the best the Isle of Wight has to offer in terms of "British Gravel".
Hilarious.
So there you have it- an extra 38 tiles got. This was before....
And this is after.
All Good Fun.
As you know- I like stuff that works- and I'm not sponsored by anyone. Anything I use is because I've paid for it and rely on it.
Bike: Fairlight Secan. Tyres: Conti Race Kings. Lights: Exposure Joystick and TraceR, with Alpkit backups. Nav: planned on Komoot and exported to Wahoo bolt. Shoes: Northwave Arctic GTX. Gloves: Endura FS260 mitts under Spatzwear long fingered winter gloves. Food: High5 gels, a couple of Aldi titans and a bag of Tangfastics.
Job's a good'un .
