The first May bank holiday weekend seems to come around ever more quickly each year. We are faced with the May double again - grin or groan!? The first weekend is the Isle of Wight Randonee - a grin followed by The Walk the Wight two weekends later - becoming a bit of a groan - ha! Both - hands up - are fantastic events and as an extended family in various combinations we have been doing them for years - groaning about the tyranny of them is part of the deal.
This Sunday past was the Isle of Wight Randonee organised by The Wayfarers Cycling Club. They have been organising it brilliantly for years as a gift to cycling and to encourage people to get involved. Their organisation is quiet and low key. It is a free event. It is not a race. It is something anyone with a bike can have a go at.
There is a mini randonee but the one we always do is the main one which is 100k - 66 miles. It follows the designated round the Isle of Wight cycle route - so mainly coastal but not entirely. It involves many many hills - ha! If you are a regular cyclist with a racing bike (with lycra) it is probably a jaunt. We are not. We have bikes with fat tyres - that you cannot pick up with one finger. George went round on a mountain bike. We pride ourselves in not wearing lycra too - not entirely for vanity reasons (we do not have any lycra) but a combination of a cycling helmet, skin tight rainbow lycra and those weird cycling shoes does create a rather bizarre look - ha!
Numbers of participants have varied over the years. In the early days there was a higher percentage of occasional cyclists who like us toiled around and took hours to do it. Our kids have grown up doing it. My youngest son Rich started off doing one leg - and two the next year etc etc. Nowadays there seem fewer also rans like us - there are more pelotons - more groups from the mainland - more lycra. This year there were apparently 3500 starters - so a really strong uptake and it is good to see Wayfarers have been so well rewarded for their efforts. (Ps it rarely seems busy because cyclists are spread out around the route. Having said that there is a strong sense of being part of something bigger and there is camaraderie amongst us cyclists - ha!)
On Sunday we were gifted a perfect cycling day. Clear and sunny - not much wind except that created by our speed - but cool. One of the challenges was what to wear. Easy to be cold - easy to be too hot.
A bit more about the route for the Randonee. It is circular and you can join it (start) at any point. You of course finish where you started! You register at one of the 7 bases and then get a stamp at each base as you go around. A full card card entitles you to a certificate and a medallion - but we are past this now and head for the pub instead. The mainlanders mainly come into East Cowes or Fishbourne. The route is now always clockwise but in past years it used to alternate but for organisational reasons this had to change. Our preferred route has always been clockwise anyway. Leave Seaview at 7.45 - register at Bembridge just after 8 (nervous anticipation) - Alverstone Village Hall (excitement), Whitwell Village Hall (a needed mid morning cup of tea in proper china mugs), Yarmouth Primary School for lunch - a highlight - yummy mummies of the PTA put on a fantastic spread of soup and rolls and cakes and and healthy stuff. Over the years you learn ie not to sit too long on little chairs designed for 8 year olds - and don't eat too much - it doesn't help you over the next 30 miles if you feel sick - ha! - on to Cowes (back to civilisation) , East Cowes via the floating bridge and Wooton are the main finishing points with bikes and people strewn everywhere. To be strictly correct we should then cycle back to Bembridge but we cycle to where we started - Seaview - arrive around 3.30 to 4. So that is a long time in the saddle - as accumulated stops would be less than an hour.
The great thing about the Isle of Wight Randonee is it really is the best way to see the Island. The scenery is great and you travel at a speed that allows you to take it in. Yes the Island is hilly but it is very suitable for cycling and a full circumnavigation is a very natural and satisfying target to achieve. The other great thing is the distance. It tires you out. You know you have done a lot but it is not so far that it totally drains you and it is well within the compass of someone reasonably fit who is prepared to put a bit of effort in. I highly commend it indeed.
I took just a few photos - I would have liked more - but on the Randonee stopping and smelling the roses was done on the move so to speak - and activating a mob camera while pedalling along was found to be impossible.
Here is the link if you fancy taking up the challenge next year - no doubt we will be there (touchwood) - grin and groan - ha!
http://www.cycleisland.co.uk/index.php/randonnee-details/event-details
This Sunday past was the Isle of Wight Randonee organised by The Wayfarers Cycling Club. They have been organising it brilliantly for years as a gift to cycling and to encourage people to get involved. Their organisation is quiet and low key. It is a free event. It is not a race. It is something anyone with a bike can have a go at.
There is a mini randonee but the one we always do is the main one which is 100k - 66 miles. It follows the designated round the Isle of Wight cycle route - so mainly coastal but not entirely. It involves many many hills - ha! If you are a regular cyclist with a racing bike (with lycra) it is probably a jaunt. We are not. We have bikes with fat tyres - that you cannot pick up with one finger. George went round on a mountain bike. We pride ourselves in not wearing lycra too - not entirely for vanity reasons (we do not have any lycra) but a combination of a cycling helmet, skin tight rainbow lycra and those weird cycling shoes does create a rather bizarre look - ha!
Numbers of participants have varied over the years. In the early days there was a higher percentage of occasional cyclists who like us toiled around and took hours to do it. Our kids have grown up doing it. My youngest son Rich started off doing one leg - and two the next year etc etc. Nowadays there seem fewer also rans like us - there are more pelotons - more groups from the mainland - more lycra. This year there were apparently 3500 starters - so a really strong uptake and it is good to see Wayfarers have been so well rewarded for their efforts. (Ps it rarely seems busy because cyclists are spread out around the route. Having said that there is a strong sense of being part of something bigger and there is camaraderie amongst us cyclists - ha!)
On Sunday we were gifted a perfect cycling day. Clear and sunny - not much wind except that created by our speed - but cool. One of the challenges was what to wear. Easy to be cold - easy to be too hot.
A bit more about the route for the Randonee. It is circular and you can join it (start) at any point. You of course finish where you started! You register at one of the 7 bases and then get a stamp at each base as you go around. A full card card entitles you to a certificate and a medallion - but we are past this now and head for the pub instead. The mainlanders mainly come into East Cowes or Fishbourne. The route is now always clockwise but in past years it used to alternate but for organisational reasons this had to change. Our preferred route has always been clockwise anyway. Leave Seaview at 7.45 - register at Bembridge just after 8 (nervous anticipation) - Alverstone Village Hall (excitement), Whitwell Village Hall (a needed mid morning cup of tea in proper china mugs), Yarmouth Primary School for lunch - a highlight - yummy mummies of the PTA put on a fantastic spread of soup and rolls and cakes and and healthy stuff. Over the years you learn ie not to sit too long on little chairs designed for 8 year olds - and don't eat too much - it doesn't help you over the next 30 miles if you feel sick - ha! - on to Cowes (back to civilisation) , East Cowes via the floating bridge and Wooton are the main finishing points with bikes and people strewn everywhere. To be strictly correct we should then cycle back to Bembridge but we cycle to where we started - Seaview - arrive around 3.30 to 4. So that is a long time in the saddle - as accumulated stops would be less than an hour.
The great thing about the Isle of Wight Randonee is it really is the best way to see the Island. The scenery is great and you travel at a speed that allows you to take it in. Yes the Island is hilly but it is very suitable for cycling and a full circumnavigation is a very natural and satisfying target to achieve. The other great thing is the distance. It tires you out. You know you have done a lot but it is not so far that it totally drains you and it is well within the compass of someone reasonably fit who is prepared to put a bit of effort in. I highly commend it indeed.
I took just a few photos - I would have liked more - but on the Randonee stopping and smelling the roses was done on the move so to speak - and activating a mob camera while pedalling along was found to be impossible.
Here is the link if you fancy taking up the challenge next year - no doubt we will be there (touchwood) - grin and groan - ha!
http://www.cycleisland.co.uk/index.php/randonnee-details/event-details
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| Team Shoulder down to just 3 starters this year. With son George and his partner Laura |
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| Whitwell is so lovely. They serve tea in china mugs. Much appreciated at 10 in the morning |
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| Heading to Freshwater bay at the end of the Military Road |
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| Some big hills to go up but some great ones to go down on to. There is a great descent down to Freshwater bay and you know lunch at Yarmouth is not far away and an easy ride. |
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