I hadn’t been to the Isle of Wight since I was a kid. Now I’ve been there three times in two years. This last time was for the annual Oxted Cycling Club round the island ride. Thanks to a friend who picked me up I was able to attend.

It meant an early start, leaving the house at 05:30. The ferry was for 8:15 but we wanted to make sure we got there, got sorted and had time for a coffee. As it turned out the default parking spot was closed and the next insisted on using an app to pay. I now I work in IT but I find this type of thing too stressful when it’s just a one-off and you just want to move on. We found a great place next to the navel dockyard that only required a touch of the credit card. The pic above was while I waited for Richard to assemble his bike. I guess it wanted shelter from the cold wind too.

Previous trips on the ferry had only a couple of bikes aboard. This time we filled the racks, with the help of a few others.

An impressive turn out and much excitement in the cabin for a rough passage.

There were two groups; the majority comprising T2 riders. Only two joined me for the T3 experience.

I had dressed for the temp as it was on leaving the house, by the time we disembarked it was warming up; a rooky mistake. I peeled off a little as the day went on. Especially at our Piano cafe lunch stop. To get there was sketchy at times as it had been in August. This time the wind pushed us up the steep climb. The decent into Freshwater was much worse. I was on the brakes the whole time. I thought maybe I wandered a foot or so in the gusts. Richard was be behind me and said it was much more.

T2’s topping the climb

We waited for the others to arrive. Then went up to the Needles. I’d walked up with Sefan last year; on the bike into a very strong headwind was much tougher.

A windswept picture was our reward.

For the next section life improved. Less wind and empty roads brought us to Cowes and the chain link ferry.

A final push to Ryde and an old fashion “greasy spoon” cafe on the see front. Great food so no complaints. The T2’s  arrived and we all crossed back to Portsmouth.

An absolutely great day.

Even a puncture didn’t cause any glum faces.

If Carlsburg did club rides; they’d need to surpass Oxted CC.