2011 Randonnee

As promised in the previous post,  Mike and myself (Duncan) have just completed the Isle of Wight Wayfarer Cycletouring Club's 'Randonnee' 2011 event.

Having caught the 8am ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne, we checked in at  Wooton. From there we set off  for Cowes, which we reached fairly quickly, then a really good and fast (for us) run to Yarmouth. So far so good.

7:37 Wightlink Ferry Terminal

8:47 Disembarking at Fishbourne

8:57 Kitehill Farm Campsite, Wooton

9:48 Waiting for the chain ferry, Cowes

11:30 Yarmouth

The next stage proved a little more challenging. The ride along the cycle track to Freshwater was pleasant enough but then we encountered the climb out of Freshwater Bay, a relentless incline that seemed to go on for ever. This was followed by a series of dips and climbs that really challenged us. We were still doing well and on course for our target (catching the 6pm ferry), but around the 30-35 mile mark, I started to flag. A rest with tea and snacks at Chale seemed to sort me out, then we pressed on, making reasonable progress.

12:10 Mike at the top of the Freshwater climb

12:12 Cliffs, Freshwater bay

14:16 Chale

Near Ventnor we missed a turning and ended up in the town itself. After a while we managed to find are way back to the route with the aid of the GPS, adding an extra climb as a consequence.

The remainder of the route, whilst nothing like as challenging as the Freshwater road, still featured somewhat undulating terrain and by the finish we were pretty tired.

15:57 Alverstone

16:30 Approaching Bembridge

17:47 Kitehill Farm Campsite, Wooton

This ride has been our most ambitious to date. True, there were a lot of cyclist who completed this run more quickly than we did, although we feel that we held our own for the majority of the event. The point is we did it! The Randonnee is longer than any of our planned stages, and probable as grueling as any single day is likely to be. Bring it on...



Post Script: The Mile by Mile team are especially proud of Mike. Completing this event is a real achievement, given that he has been a cyclist for less than 2 months.