The View From Here - a blog

+Greg_Kabulski try the Hemel one. It's easy to get to by train and the actual event is defunct. The Chinnor climb and descent through Wendover Woods are fab. The valley near Bledlow Ridge is special. Rest stop at the Hell Fire Caves in West Wycombe.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31345389

28/02/2024 – Welcome to hell

In 1993, when Manchester United played the away leg of their Champions League fixture with Turkish champions Galatasaray, they were greeted both at Istanbul airport and the Ali Sami Yen stadium with signs proclaiming “Welcome to Hell.” Hell it was. The Red Devils couldn’t assert themselves in the heated atmosphere, Eric Cantona was sent off and they lost the tie.

Cantona has the proverbial "early bath" in Istanbul

I found my own special place in hell – as Eddie Izzard would put it – at the Hell of the Ashdown sportive. This event has eluded me over the years, so I thought I’d check out HOTA, as it is known, and see what kind of a welcome it held.

Feeling welcome

As it turns out, it was a great welcome. Warm in fact. The turnout was impressive – something like 1,200 – who enjoyed a really well run event. HOTA started life as an inter club reliability ride and has developed into a seriously good challenge ride – 62 miles and 6,000 ft of elevation gain. Close to the golden ratio of 1,000 ft per 10 miles.

When the HQ is a craft beer brewery in Westerley, you are certainly incentivised to get round the course. And you need every incentive. When I set off it was barely 1C and didn’t rise above 5C. It was foggy for the first 2 hrs, which lent an extra sense of mystery and menace to the forest. The route starts as it means to go on, hitting Toys Hill before you reach the 2-mile point. Ouch.

The sun did poke through eventually, but only a little

The climbs keep coming. We are provided with an ominous top tube sticker that flags the main ones, plus the two feed stops. These are very well appointed. The first is at a rustic forest recreation area and the second a village had. The sausage rolls and cake kept me going. Real food always helps my tummy. I can take only so many gels and energy bars before another kind of hell hits down below.

Woodpiles and piles of snacks at the first rest stop

I’ve been coming back from a period of illness and bereavement, so I am a long way from race fit. My plan is to ride this like a training ride and build up my endurance before looking to kicking out a bit more. Maybe I’ll do that in a few weeks, but not yet. To emphasise the point, it feels like everyone else riding is incredibly strong. I do have to consciously work to forget about being constantly passed and just ride my pace. I must have been passed by 1,000 of those riding on the climbs. I believe I overtook just one rider on a black Sonder gravel bike.

Speaking of bikes, despite the rough and filthy nature of the roads, the vast majority of riders are on their Sunday best summer bikes. Very few winter trainers or mudguards are in evidence. There a healthy smattering of gravel bikes doing service. They all went passed me. There was group of four Kent Velo Girls in pink stripy kit riding in a tight group f four that seemed to be going my pace. I rode with or near them a few times, but not long. I was pretty much on my own most of the time.

The Kent Velo Girls at one of the two fords on the course

All the climbs, long or short, are steep. The steepest grade is 11%, but most seem to be 6-11% and they keep coming. It really is a great test of resilience. You are rewarded for or resilience with a splendid welcome at the HQ. Your given one of the locally brewed beers and rather excellent-looking burgers and fries are available. There’s a few stall with bikes kits and other cycling paraphernalia that adds some more interest.

I had driven down with +RichardM, who borrowed my driving gloves. He cunningly left his on the roof of the car. Anyway, he’s ridden a blinder, just over 4hrs and had come 140th overall, 24th in his age group. I am actually impressed. He’s had a long wait for me and looks half frozen, as I am 1hr 39mins slower than both him and my gloves. Even my gloves were faster than me, I reflect, but I’m not bothered by that. It was a thoroughly entertaining day out, well worth the effort to get out there, if you fancy it next year.

Nice blog, +Shannonball. I have just about warmed up.

As for the gloves, if only there was a category for riders wearing tweed...

24/04/2024 - Anniversary present

ICC had created a pot of money to spend on members to celebrate our 10th anniversary. One of the things chosen to support with our cash surplus was a subsidised weekend away in the New Forest. With an entire youth hostel booked, more than 70 of us rolled up to the Burley YHA with the prospect of two days of, arguably, the best gravel tracks in the south and/or some very pretty road riding through the forest and moors of this incredible beauty spot.

Some arrived early on Friday and got an extra ride in, but I couldn’t get away before 3pm and arrived around 5.45pm. Actually 6pm. It should have been 5.45, but using Google maps for directions it took me down a hideous track which turned out to be a dead end with pedestrian access only to the YHA. Hideous for cars, but after a 3-point turn, I reflected that it would be superb for a gravel bike and that tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

Here's a little walk the YHA around on Friday night:
https://youtu.be/3eufcuJvBO0?si=0l7Xy7_Z­¬-I9e1j8r

All the dinners and breakfasts were laid on at the hostel, but I got tempted out to the pub for a couple of beers and an exceptionally tasty venison Bolognese. I spotted a dessert menu that included sticky toffee pudding, crumble and Nutella and brioche bread and butter pudding. Somehow I evaded this triple temptation, but considered the latter would be an excellent apres ride reward…

I can resist everything but temptation, as they say

The YHA was the perfect base

Those doing a road ride set off at 9am and the gravel groups 30 mins later. I plumped for the 104km option, figuring go big day one and see what’s let on Sunday.

One of the road groups setting off on Saturday

After 3 or 4 road groups had gone off, the gravel ones clipped in and rolled out. The 104km group felt like it was about 20 or so strong. Throughout the day it ebbed and flowed and became two or three groups of carrying composition. Gates seemed to bring us together. The chosen route was based on one from Bikepacking.com, but we had to ride. Bit to join it. This seemed to involve a field, a bog, a river crossing, mud and more bog. So much for a gentle warm up.

Craig made light of crossing this river/creek

The weekend was marred by quite a few flats and one or two spectacular mechanicals. Richard was three hours out by himself on a long distance solo mission when his rear mech failed. Lucy had an issue with her big chain ring and made a plea for a spare 105 compatible replacement on WhatsApp.

Zac’s colourful bike – those cool blue tyres misbehaved and both front and rear flatted

Lucy’s unusual mechanical

Once we’d cleared the early soggy challenges, we reached more typical New Forest gravel paths and it was simply heaven. 100km usually leaves me a little bit battered, but I finished somewhat unbattered.

https://youtu.be/cfVPInckdpI?si=2X_JXMa0­¬3-jXXt3t


I found watching Juan’s video oddly relaxing – yours truly in green with the orange bike

The rest stops were well chosen First we had lunch at the Potting Shed in Hungerford, where there was loads of space for bikes, loads of calories on offer (the sandwiches were huge) and loads of time on our butts. Almost a full hour. Oops. But the weather was so pleasant and it was lovely sitting an d chatting. Why were we here again? Oh, yeah, to ride.

I honestly could have stayed at the Potting Shed all day

We swung on and enjoyed another super session on the trails to Woods Cyclery in Lyndhurst, which is both a bike shop and café. There were mouth-watering cakes and some mouth-watering bikes and assorted cool components and accessories on offer.

We came upon a couple of serious log piles and I insisted that the group stop and get some photos as it is the law of gravel riding to have a log pile pic or two.

It is a legal requirement of all gravel rides to take a photo when you pass a log pile

I’m sure you all know there are wild horses and donkeys wondering around the forest. Many. It always amazes me each time I’m in the forest how relaxed these creatures are with humans, cars and bikes. They act and move like they couldn’t give a stuff about us. Our group did have a moment with a non-wild horse. We did everything you’re meant to, but the rider was very nervous and this alarmed the poor horse who did a small circular charge and then calmed.

Perhaps the sweetest moment of the ride for me was seeing a baby donkey lying on the grass and dozily looking up and blinking. I regret that I didn’t get a shot of it. Please post one below if you did.

The kind of picture the internet was made for - thanks to +BiancaB for this image

This was just after seeing the dozy donkey

The terrain looks innocuous here, but Davide had just got through a very technical section

Saturday night Grainne and Graham organised a quiz at the YHA and I took to opportunity, as founder, to tell a little of why and how the club was formed. Well, everyone I chatted to wanted to know, so it made sense to me. Worth repeating that welcome for all and openness to accommodating riders of every level is still strongly in evidence. Keep hold of this, my friends, it is very special.

I had a second night in my “Land Pod” and after breakfast headed out for another gravel session. This was a bit of a comedy of errors. It seemed like everyone was doing the one route I hadn’t loaded. While I fiddled around trying to load it, they headed off. Steve H held back with me and we set off – at some pace – to catch up. Somehow we never did catch them until we reached the rest stop at Buckler’s Hard. It turns out they had been going the wrong way round the route.

The route turned out to be 75% road, which initially peeved me. By the time we’d done half the ride my legs were feeling the pace of the day before and were completely happy with less gravel. I found myself at the pub and sought out the dessert menu. Nutella and brioche bread and butter pudding – the best group of words in the English language. Well, they were that day.

I had to eat a spoonful before I took the photo – sorry

Taking a moment to capture the New Forest vibe in the run in of the last few miles on Sunday

A big thank you to the organisers - especially +Grainne - your club email says special events and this was special. Where to next?