On Sunday 7th September, around 30 Forgers descended upon the New Forest for a day of gravel and road goodness. Meeting early in Sainsbury car park in Kingston, two vans packed as many bikes as they could and several drivers set off towards the south coast.
Having carefully watched the weather forecast all week, we were blessed with some blue sky upon arrival and the rain looked to be staying away for the day. Parking up at The Happy Cheese in Ashurst, bikes were quickly assembled, a group photo was taken and four separate groups set off. A gravel group embarked on 88km of champagne trails, a combined F1 and F2 ascended and descended 110km of the national park and F3 and F4 took on 125km of smooth rolling roads.
Apart from 5 minutes of rain, the weather stayed onside making for easy riding. The new white Forge socks may have been a mistake as we all looked down at our muddy ankles however… A headwind when in the open did present a challenge but the picturesque open spaces, enchanting woodland and smooth tarmac more than made up for it. Horses, cows, donkeys and ponies all presented amusing obstacles with their carefree way of crossing roads without looking. Someone may need to reacquaint them with the Highway code! Some Forge members even had the joy of stroking some of the marauding animals who call the New Forest their home.
The all-important coffee stops were had at Esme’s Tea Rooms in Brockenhurst, Shappen Café in Burley and Hockey’s Farmyard Café in South Gorley. A diversion from the usual coffee and cake, some riders were tempted by the more substantial options of croque monsieur and fish finger sandwiches, although there was some discussion that these may have been on the heavy side for a 100 plus km ride!
Each group encountered a few mechanicals, including sealant spray in the face of the unfortunate rider behind and a Garmin making a desperate bid for freedom, but all four groups arrived safely back at the Happy Cheese for a debrief and even a few roast dinners and fish n’ chips.
Bikes were dismantled and packed tightly like Tetris and we were all back on our way home, apart from Max E, who decided to stay and cycle to the coast and then cycle home the next day. Madness!
All in all, a very successful trip that would not have been possible if it was not for the meticulous military precision planning from Henrik W, his co-planners Andrew T and Tim C, Luke M and Mitch S driving the vans of bikes, several kind people driving others and the Ride Captains for leading the groups. This will definitely be a trip that Forge repeats in the future and I for one cannot wait to return.
