Exploring the Isle of Wight with a clockwise lap of the 110 km official cycle route of the island. The day started overcast but finished gloriously with the sun and a beer in hand.
I’m riding the carbon Swift Racevox roadbike with Dura Ace groupset and hydraulic disc brakes.
Morning. Forecast for today. Today is actually quite nice despite the fact it looks a bit gray at the moment. It’s mild. There’s very little wind even up here on the top of Culver down. And uh so yeah, I’m going to give um a lap of the island a go. I think I’m going to tackle the clockwise direction. And um I’ll tell you more about that as we go along. So, here are the signs that I’m following. So, sometimes they’re well hidden like that. So, uh a blue can you see the island logo? So, a blue blue island on the white background is clockwise and the white island on the blue background is anticlockwise. So, I’m heading left. [Music] 15k down Apple Durkham House. Heading left again. Just pointing out the red squirrel trail. That’s um not quite a nice um gravel type trail. [Applause] Right, I’m almost in Ventner. Started off at the most easterly point of the island. And this is Venta’s the most southerntherly point of the island. Fortunately, I don’t quite go into it cuz you just go down a steep hill to come back up out. And there’s the first view of the uh far west side of the island. That’s where the needles are. And we’ll be heading along there shortly. Just come up a longish climb. And as for everything on the island, I’ll just be heading straight back down again. 10% [Applause] Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Clockwise or anticlockwise? Which way do you prefer? I think I’m a clockwise man myself. Although the ante is a very good loop, too. Now I see on Straa that once as many of you hit military road at a back black gang, you just crack on all the way along there instead of following the uh the signposted route which brings you around these lovely little villages and back lanes. Yes, if you want to smash out the fast lap, the military road is uh is the best option. But I thought you were here to have fun, aren’t you? Isn’t that what we’re doing? Having fun? Just saw a rabbit chasing a rat. That was really weird. Never seen that before. Um didn’t know they were um natural enemies. Bry stone 39K. Remember Kaylee and I stopped for uh tea and cake uh one wet lap that we were doing uh few years ago. [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] Did the big climb of the Yeah. [Music] There’s the second part. at the crest. This surface is very strange. Okay, so I’ve gone from the eastern point of the island to the south. And then that was the western point of the island. You can go right up to the needles, but you can’t really see much with your bike. And this is the uh the gravel section of the trail. Inexplicable really, but um it’s ridable. I’ve done it before. Hey, off the rails at Yarmouth. um literally off the rails. Been doing about 3k on gravel. I’ve normally stopped there um for a coffee cuz they do good coffee and cakes, but um my legs have only just warmed up, so I don’t really want to stop and get cafe legs again. So, I’m going to push on to about 75. [Applause] [Applause] 30 quid [Applause] going hard 77 km. This is lovely, isn’t it? Again, you need smelly vision to appreciate just that beautiful salty smell, tang of the sea. So, the official uh round the island route takes you up a short steep hill along the top and then back down to uh the ferry crossing, but this is a shared path. And look, why wouldn’t you want to ride here instead of up a hill? And I believe these are the cannon that they fire when they they start the cows around the uh island race here. Got my flat white, got my can of Coke for the sugar and um caffeine. Fried to East Cows. This is about a 30 second crossing. Um it’s funny actually. This is where I met a um a guy called Gordon. Um we were just crossing at happened to be crossing at the same time. Turns out he lives about um 4 miles away from me back in Surrey and we’ve become firm riding buddies. Um only met him about 3 years ago just randomly. just got talking to him because we’re both cycling and uh yeah, now we ride regularly together. So, uh hi Gordon. That’s where we’re going. Those gray houses. [Applause] Always a bit of a grind out of East Cows, up the hill, out of the sort of port area. afternoon. I’m sorry. No, it’s all right. Just didn’t want to surprise you. From Culver down, I’m at the top of the final climb. And this I recall uh back in about 2015, I think it was. And it was right at this point here that Greg collapsed with uh saddle saws. His ass was red raw. So he said I never saw it fortunately. Tide’s out at Benbridge. H unusual. Right, just about to complete the loop. I’m coming up to the turn off to Culver down. Right. And we’re back on this climb again. Guess which way the wind blows. All right. The same view as the last video, but hopefully this one I’ll finish with a beer. Hi, Tim. Hello. How you doing? I’m all right. Yeah. All right. One beer well earned. Cheers.
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Hi Richard, thanks for sharing these – hope you made it back all right today too…