New Forest on and off shore 200

[drgannet]

Does anyone know how much climbing there is on this ride? Eldest daughter is interested in riding this one tandem, but it needs to be not too hilly for that.

[Fidgetbuzz]

I rode this last year -- good ride - ferry crossings are fun. New forest bit was flattish
I o W - I dont recall thinking that it was hilly - and certainly had the impression it could have been made hillier, if the organiser had wanted to.  The control on the east coast (cant remember where) had a great cafe - with a marvelous view over the sea.
Grub at the end was amazingly good.

[frere yacker]

It isn't a fearsome ride.  The Isle of White is lumpy, particularly the run out from the ferry up to the Needles.  The mainland is rolling rather than hilly.

There is a real sense of adventure on the route, it has some lovely and varied views all along the route.  The novelty of a chain ferry (as well as a proper floating ferry) is a real experience.

I might do it, as it is a great ride.  But I may still be recovering from the Raid Pyrenean.

[JBB]

Does anyone know how much climbing there is on this ride? Eldest daughter is interested in riding this one tandem, but it needs to be not too hilly for that.

I did this the first time John ran it. The climb to the Needles is steep, off the ferry, 800 metres of flat then up. After that the island is OK although I recall the route from Cowes back to Yarmouth as being full of lumps. Once you're back on the mainland it's fairly benign although there's a bit of rough stuff (about 1k) near the finish.  The canny person will study the frry timetable and time thier arrival in Yarmouth accordingly (1 every half hour); this does have the advantage that you tend to regroup on the ferry.  Also breakfast (tea and toast  etc) or other sustenance is available on the ferry)

HTH
Julia

[Mr Larrington]

The roughstuff towards the finish - inna-lying-down-stylee the Ancient Highway was well dodgy last year - and ISTR John saying that there is / will be an alternative.

Highly recommended, and not just because the last control is at An Pubbe,

[citoyen]

The control on the east coast (cant remember where) had a great cafe - with a marvelous view over the sea

Bembridge. Lovely. And the pub Mr L refers to is at Ringwood. Also lovely. The Ancient Highway is the only bit of the ride that isn't lovely.

I remember it as being quite rolling most of the way through, but with only a couple of really climby climbs. The year I rode it, one chap did it with his kid on a trailerbike, so it can't be all that bad.

d.

[Martin]

Highly recommended, and not just because the last control is at An Pubbe,

check; I remember saving several pennies by going for pint of BEER rather than lemonade; the entire village was in there too; one regular asked how far we had to go "25miles" I replied not wishing to mention the previous 100, and when I got back to the finish I noticed the back of my nice AUK jersey was brown from sitting against the heavily tobacco stained wall

[Hummers]

Highly recommended, and not just because the last control is at An Pubbe,

That clinches it then.

H

[drgannet]

Thanks for the replies - sounds like a distinct possibility - can anyone remember where the controls are (or approximate route)? So far we have The Needles, Bembridge, ...?

[Martin]

it uses quite a bit of the Round the Island ride but goes more inland across the middle;

Apart from the Needles road I don't remember anything too radically different from the Randonee route even though it probably only used half of it.

This 200 is actually not that easy due to the lumpy first 100k and then doing not much on the ferry before going back to more lumpiness for the best part of an hour but I got back into my stride after Bolderwood. The last 50k is mostly flat.

[citoyen]

can anyone remember where the controls are (or approximate route)?

YHPM

I've still got the 2006 routesheet if anyone else is interested.

d.

[Mr Larrington]

I've still got the 2007 routesheet if anyone else is interested.  I doubt there's much difference, thobut.

[MattH]

This is a GPS plot of the route we took last year.