Ice Cream and Snow on the Isle of Wight - James Green

“I was out till midnight having a few drinks…” Liz Pepper put us to shame as we compared loading cars, ironing kit and 9pm bedtimesthe night before our very early start to circumnavigate the Isle of Wight. Nick had suggested the idea a few months back and kindlyplanned and organised the famous 130k Randonnée route, and a beauty it was.

We set off early Saturday morning from our Beckenham clubhouse to Lymington ferry terminal. A mix of Foxgrove’s finest - Racers,Pacers & Chasers representing all cycling levels within the club on what was set to be a family affair. Those travelling with Perry hadHeart FM & Smooth Classics, those with Dave a more Prodigy Firestarter vibe. Music choices aside, a smooth trip for all, albeit arrivinga little late. In a jiff, bikes unloaded, wheels slotted, shoes on, Garmins on, Lewis woken up and ferry tickets to hand.

The Isle of Wight is famous for being the most haunted Island in the world, and the sunniest place in the UK. As the ferry headed intothe mist, a sense of trepidation and excitement built at what lay ahead. A few croissants and cappuccinos and we arrived to glorioussun at Yarmouth harbour.

Click, click, beep and we headed inland to beautiful green farmlands on slick roads with no traffic, no hedges, and no wind. It felt likeBelgium on a good day.

20km of perfect roads and unusually calm weather passed as we approached a gleaming turbine factorybelonging to Vestas, the worlds largest wind farm company. Bad day for them, good day for us. Then onto a lovely cycle path alongthe Medina Estuary, a wealth of natural habitats. For ornithologists, this area has waterfowl, egrets, oystercatchers, black tailedgodwits, grey herons, and redshanks. For Cyclists, it’s just very pleasant.

The pace settled through the industrial heartlands of Newport, then through an area of streams and rivers on the eastern banks ofthe Wooton Creek as we headed towards Ryde. It had been plain sailing/cycling till this point, and then we hit a literal roadblock.Fences, trenches and machinery blocked the road, there was no way through… Of course there was. Expectedly unfazed, Perry andDave led us deep into the woods and out the other side faster than you can say “Bear Grylls”.

Lunch was at The Vine pub in St Helens. We sat in the beer garden doing what you do in beer gardens. Scampi and chips for mewhile Captain Condiment (Roger) enjoyed a burger with his salt, ketchup, mustard and mayo. The tell-tale signs of a party animal.

We descended from St Helens into beautiful Bembridge harbour, and then hugged the coast to Ventnor. Things got special here,how I imagine the Amalfi coast to be. The sea looked gorgeous, plants and trees only a subtropical micro-climate can give rise to.Majestic cycling as we motored along the cliff tops, everyone at high pace.

The first proper climb was up next, Blackgang Road. Helped by the scenery, 3k of 5% was despatched by all with relative ease. If youwondered about the title, then it came. Snow falling as we stopped to eat ice cream from a high cliff at Blackgang Viewpoint.Spectacular and bizarre.

Flattish farmlands followed, Perry “Man on a Mission” set a furious pace out front only to be reined in by Hannah, “Marshal on aMission and Guardian of the Club’s Ethos”.

And then the final climb, the infamous Freshwater. There is a reason it’s labelled one of Europe’s most scenic roads. It’s also tough,3.5k and 12% in places. New member, James Barnes, was having none of it, setting off like Marco Pantani in his prime. Nick led theattack and summited like a group leader should, out in front and full of support for everyone after.

Coming out of Freshwater, Dave (avec MTB) navigated us along an off-road cycling path alongside the Western Yar back intoYarmouth. It wouldn’t be a Foxgrove outing without a refreshment finish, so we decamped to the rather lovely King’s Head atYarmouth Pier. Strava stats calibrated over pints of sumptuous local ales. On the ferry back, Gavin sighted The Shard ahoy (100 milesaway) which after closer inspection was the Emirates Spinnaker Tower (Portsmouth). He’s on a half pint of Island Brew next time.

If I had to plan a perfect day’s cycling, it would go something like this… smooth roads, no wind, no punctures, great scenery, a publunch, great company, and no ghosts!

Thanks to Nick for organising and the rest of you for a great day out. Look forward to the next one.

*After the year we’ve had, we all needed this*

A stark change from zwifting alone in a dark damp garage, I find myself in the car park of Beckenham Sports Club (that might not sound like an upgrade but trust me, it is!). It is awash with the unmistakable Foxgrove CC pink, white and blue. The sun is shining, and I am about to ride on real roads, with real people for the first time in a long time.

 All emotions are very positive and everyone is on a high.

We turn left out if the club. I make it 50 metres up the road and I realise there isn’t enough air in one of my tyres!  Oh no! I panic and think it’s over before it’s begun!

 It’s been so long, and in my excitement to get back out again, I’d forgotten to do the proper checks on my bike. Luckily the club has a resident roadside repair specialist, Dave. He whipped out a gas canister and I’m spinning again in seconds.  

Feeling a little more confident on the bike, I turn my attention to the route. It’s full of some of the most stunning views of the north Kent countryside that are possible to see on a bike.  

Annoyingly these views are not all accessible by cycling on the flats and downhill. Not long in and the calves, quads and hamstrings are fully engaged as we meet a bit of an incline on our way out towards The Ridge.  

Hills are where the benefits of cycling with a club like Foxgrove really kick in. This isn’t a cycling club based on elite performance and racing each other. It is a group of cycling enthusiasts at varying levels of experience and ability who just LOVE getting out on their bikes and supporting each other! As cyclists, we know hills are tough: they pull your energy, require higher focus and can be REALLY painful. All of that is made a bit easier with a wheel to pace off and some supportive words from the gang.  

With the first few hills successfully out of the way, we press on towards our coffee (and massive piece of cake) stop at Four Elms. Having set off in two groups, we now get to meet up a little over half way to shake off the legs and refuel. 

Massively differing re-fuel strategies follow. While our table choose the high-sugar carrot cake option, the next table have curiously chosen to tuck into halloumi, bacon and egg baps with hash browns! 

With bellies full of grub and caffeine, we’re now a little worried about the journey back to the club which will wind further through Kent.

Having found a steady cadence and a surprisingly co-operative stomach, we reach a tense part of the ride… Now, as a few of the members will let you know, I’m not one for analysing a route (or loading it on a Garmin…) before a ride 🤭! So, as we approach the roundabout at the bottom of Sundridge Road (off Jct5 of the M25), I’m really hoping the guys in front don’t turn left to take us up Starhill. 

I mean, I’m REALLY hoping they don’t turn left.

I cannot describe my elation as Steve and Perry take the second exit and guide us towards Polhill. This is by far the easier option to get us up and over, and cruise back to the club for a San Miguel and a mountain of Mini Cheddars that I can already taste. 

Perry and I find an extra gear and power up to the top, wait for the others and regroup. It really is largely downhill from here and an enjoyable jaunt back to where we started.

Ride over and sun still trying its best to shine, we are back at HQ with a drink in hand chatting rubbish about how much we love cycling.  

A much needed few hours of escapism, adventure, change of scenery, social interaction, cake and beer. 

*After the year we’ve had, we all needed this*

written by Ali

Whitstable or bust: Foxgrove CC day at the seaside

Back in early June, Liz Pepper suggested a club ride to Whitstable for early August.  Depending on the route, total distance would be 100-120 kms (65-75 miles to old codgers like me) and about 1000 metres of climbing.  At Foxgrove we tend to run two levels of cycling group.  An ‘elite team’ known for their speed (16-18 mph average) and amazing exploits in the more challenging events and sportives such as L’Etape, Maratona, Ride London and so on.  Oh, and their ability to consume vast quantities of lager!  The second ‘leisure group’ who are just as keen on their cycling but usually happy with shorter distances and 12-14 mph average speeds.

As a relatively new member of the club’s leisure group the idea of riding to the seaside appealed to me but the distance and climbing were about three times my normal repertoire.  Maybe as once upon a time as a teenager I might have possibly done 40 miles but not since picking up cycling again many decades later!  Anyway, I thought well there is a couple of months for training and maybe the leisure group could set off earlier (hours?) and arrive at Whitstable around the same time as our speed merchants.

In the end it was decided we would ride together as one club group at a pace that would make sure everyone got there in one piece.  One of the rules I think was the faster guys and women were only allowed to use their smaller chain wheels.  Another was they had to go slow enough to be able to talk to the leisure group during the ride.  Coffee stops were mandatory for refuelling of course.  In the meantime, I had increased my capabilities to 40 miles and up to 1000 metres, but that was still rather short of the target so I was quite nervous about what I had committed to.  I knew for others in the leisure group 115 kms would represent a ‘lifetime achievement’ as well!  In the end I was reassured by the fact that the whole thing was being well organised by our amazing club Secretary ‘Westie’ (Hannah) and the ride would be led by the club’s top cyclist Dave Hemming.  

Even before the 7.30am start from Beckenham there was a certain amount of Whatsapp traffic on what to have for breakfast for a ride like this.  It did seem that the women were better prepared for this length of ride.  ‘CJ’ (Caroline) had advised the use of a secret cream currently unknown to average mankind!  We were also blessed by perfect cycling weather at the start which lasted all day and Dave led the group off at a steady pace that gave everyone confidence we were in good hands and at least stood a chance of getting there.

Our first target was an amazing sounding place near Yalding called ‘Teapot Island’ on the river Medway.  Before that however, once we left the busy roads behind, riding through the woodlands on the North Downs felt like we were really in touch with nature.  Even more exhilarating were the fast sweeping sections of ride coming off the Downs into absolutely gorgeous Kent countryside.  Right across the Medway Basin the ride was in gently undulating, beautiful open country.  I noticed the pace had picked up compared to earlier but it seemed everyone, including me, seemed quite comfortable with that.

Teapot Island was a perfect first stopping place for coffee, cake (me) and breakfast for those who had abstained before the start of the ride.  It is genuinely an island in the middle of the Medway, see their website for details of other attractions if you are not a hungry cycling group with still 60+ kms to go.  This was where our amazing leader Dave got his first ‘puncture’ during the coffee break.  Well if you will use tubeless tyres!  Dave is well known in the club for his mechanical skills as well so it was fixed in the time it took to eat about two mouthfuls of cake.

Many more  kilometres across lovely rolling Wealden landscapes took us to the next climbing section up the A274 to Sutton Valence.  For me this was a challenge and several times I wanted to get off and lie down but Westie was just in front keeping going even though she was apparently in pain with her knees and, in any case, it would have been too much of a blow to my male ego to have a rest stop!  Dave did have a rest stop though halfway up for his second puncture!  Flashy tyres again.  CJ’s friend Hannah left us at this point to ride to her parents’ home in Maidstone.  She had done really well as my impression this ride was, like some of us, also beyond her normal range.  

We had planned to stop at Lenham for further refueling but as most things seemed to be working except Westie’s knees and various bits of my ageing body and we had momentum as a group the decision was to carry on.  With hindsight we should have stopped for a short break as there was another tough (for me at least) climb to come up Hubbards Hill and Lenham was about at my previous maximum range of 70 kms.  From this point on I really appreciated the verbal support from the elite riders, Liz, Dave, Mark, Colin and Steve.  Once over Hubbards Hill it was another great, fast undulating ride down through open country to Faversham where Dave had his third puncture.  I think at this point we had worked out that 25mm road tubes in a big fat tyre was a dodgy set up.

The last section along the coast with gentle sea breezes felt good as tired legs were pedaling towards Whitstable.  Sand dunes provided just about the right level of shelter, otherwise it might have been more of a push.  As we were going down Whitstable High Street Dave spotted Herbert’s Cycles shop who sorted out his tyre problems on the spot.  We should say that Dave is actually ‘cycling royalty’ so the owner immediately recognised him and all the staff were keen to ‘help’.  It sounded like trade discounts were involved!   

After a little bit of satnav problems, we ended up at our final target which was the Neptune pub on the beach.   Very crowded but it was such a brilliant day to be at the seaside and Westie’s parents plus Mo were there to welcome the team.  I noticed that Foxgrove CC has an interesting warm down routine.  It involves mostly sitting down with very precise arm movements, i.e. beer from table to mouth.  Maybe the Team GB coaches could learn something from us!  I am afraid I wimped out fairly early in the re-hydration proceedings to get the train back to Bromley but it was an amazing day for me and has undoubtedly extended my confidence about what I can achieve on a cycle.  Garmin said we did 117kms (73 miles) in 5 hours 25 minutes moving time at 22kms/hour (13.51 mph) so a long distance at the upper end of the leisure group’s speed range.  Thank you to the rest of the team for making that happen.

See more photos..

Written by Andy Spencer

L’Etape

It started as it usually does. Back in the Club Bar on Foxgrove Road after a Tuesday evening Club Ride. Perry was asking “Who’s on for L’Etape this year?!” “I’d definitely be on for that!” I heard myself say. The next thing I know a WhatsApp Group has been set up and my place is booked!

L’Etape du Tour is basically the most famous Sportive in the world. It is a chance for amateur enthusiasts to ride a stage of the Tour de France over completely closed roads. The route changes each year and comprises one stage of the Tour. What makes L’Etape so special is the atmosphere on the route with riders from all around the world being cheered on all the way by friendly locals, ringing their cowbells and supporting them up every climb with shouts of “Allez Allez!”

I had seen the pictures from the previous year and marvelled at the amazing landscapes, breath taking atmosphere and the tales of heroics. Our own Supergirl Liz had managed it recovering from a fractured shoulder and dosed up on Codeine. How hard could it be?

This year it was Stage 20 of the Tour De France from Albertville to the highest ski resort in Europe, Val Thorens. 135 KM with over 4563m, of climbing and a couple of eye bulging white knuckle decents. Over 16,000 riders from 42 countries took part. I was joined on the ride by fellow Foxgrovers, Dave, Steve, Colin and Ali. Experienced riders, great friends and comrades. We started out trying to ride together and finish together, but it proved impossible in the conditions. Each of us peaking and troughing at different times so we decided to ride at our own pace without holding each other up. Basically do whatever we can to get over the line.

I felt really great in the morning. Most of my training leading up to the event had consisted of 75km rides at good pace through the Kent and Surrey Countryside. However, my concern was that I had not done many rides over 70km. Sure enough, as we moved into the second part of the ride in the afternoon I started to struggle. Ali dropped back and messaged the rest of us to say go ahead and don’t wait. He’s a good rider but had come in as a late substitute without enough time to fully prepare.

The last 36km from Moûtiers to Val Thorens was very tough, all climbing. By that point the temperature had risen to around 35 degrees. The last 11.5 km climb of 619 m from Les Menuires to Val Thorens seemed to take forever and I found myself wishing I had paced it a bit better and held a bit more back in reserve from the morning.

As exhaustion started to set in I realised that, with 11km to go, I was travelling at an average of 6km an hour and still had around 2 hours to the finish! The temperatures hit 35 degrees and however much water I drank I was still thirsty, my mouth dry and my head felt like it was cooking in my helmet.

Over the last 5 km there is a point where you can see the whole of the ride ahead snaking up the mountain to Val Thorens. It was rather demoralising. Rather than risk heat exhaustion I decide to break the ride down into segments, stop every 1.5 km to pour water over my head and take a few gulps. The problem with the plan was that each time I stopped cramp started to set in and I found it increasingly difficult to climb back on, clip in and get going. By now experienced club cyclists are strewn everywhere. Some have found their lowest gear and are grinding out the rest of the ride. Some are pushing their beloved bikes up the side of the road. Some are sitting or lying on the grass verges, head in hands. There’s an eerie silence. No energy left for conversation. The sun is relentless, sweat is now continuously dripping into my eyes and off the end of my nose. I can hear ambulances in the distance. I'm thinking what on earth am I doing here?!

As we enter Val Thorens a steward tells me that there is no more climbing and that there is just 500m to go. It’s a big fib!. There was at least another 1000m and it gets steeper. I stand up on the pedals trying to summon up one last burst of energy from the reserves.

Never has a finish line and a bottle of beer been so welcome! Relieved and exhausted, elated but totally spent! Dave & Steve are there before me and welcome me in to the finish area. Colin arrived shortly after. He looks shattered!

As I’m writing this a message has come through on my phone. It says "Who’s on for L’Etape next year….?”

Written by Nigel Matthews

Foxgrove does the Fred Whitton

Sitting in the bar in January chatting & thinking what challenges to set for 2018 & someone mentions the infamous Fred Whitton !!

Pretty soon, 6 of us have signed up for The Fred, as it quickly & affectionately became known through the group.

And then the fun began.

It wasn’t just about the challenge itself, all 181kms (112 miles) including 10 climbs (felt like double that) and 3400m (11300ft) of climbing. It was also about the training together, encouraging and pushing each other and especially the hill climbing. Searching out all the toughest local and not so local climbs, looking for steeper and steeper hills to practice on. The training wasn’t helped by the poor weather and winter seeming to last forever that upset our planned mileage and climbing targets and made putting in the required miles a challenge.

Planning, logistics, travel arrangements, accommodation, early mornings, juggling work and family life (and golf 😬). All the while we were all thinking, have I ridden enough, have I trained enough. Have we got the right gears, have I ridden enough, have I trained enough.
Together with an overwhelming sense of of anticipation, “can we do it”.

When the big day arrived much too quickly, where had those 4 months gone, with a mixture of nerves & excitement, we together with 2300 other participants were blessed with perfect conditions, blue skies, warm but not too hot, little or no wind & thankfully no rain !!

The stunning hills and lakes of Cumbria didn’t disappoint & set the backdrop for a long day in the saddle, sometimes taking our minds off the steep ascents & sketchy, cliff like descents, of which there were many, that left our arms burning due to almost constant braking along with our legs.
The list of the 10 big climbs (there were many other unnamed climbs) Kirkstone Pass, Park Brow, Honister Pass, Newlands, Whinlatter Pass, Cold Fell, Bowerhouse Bank, Hardknott Pass, Wrynose Pass and Blea Tarn, all having maximum gradients of 11% and above.

With Kirkstone Pass done, there was a small sigh of relief, that wasn’t so bad guys !! Honister Pass was the next milestone ticked off when completed, this was the first really steep climb with ramps up to 25%, confidence in ourselves was rising although the wall of Hardknott Pass after 95 miles was constantly in the back of all of our minds. As officially the steepest road in the UK, with gradients up to 33%, this made our usual track of Beddlestead Lane seem like a walk in the park.  So massive Kudos to those guys that managed to complete it without putting their feet down.

I think that we all went through some highs and lows mentally at times throughout the day, but we arrived at the finish as we started, all together as a team.

There were many many words and some expletives spoken, but there was one phrase in particular uttered by Dave Hemming as we were leaving the finishing ground for the short ride back to the hotel & a well earned beer or two, “I cannot ever see myself not riding a bike, I bloody love it !!” And we all nodded in agreement.

The sense of achievement that we all shared, silently and publicly will ALWAYS be with us.
We all have great memories that will never be forgotten and we forged even greater friendships with the team effort, all because of someone called Fred Whitton and the joy of riding a bike.
The next challenge, adventure is already being talked about, what will be next.

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