Isle of Wight 2020 Gravel Ride | Dorset Grit & Gravel Group Ride | Gravel Bikes | Cycling Couple

Dorset Grit and Gravel Isle of Wight Shakedown Ride 2020, after the lifting of travel restrictions and the resuming of the ferries to leisure travel we head over to the Isle of Wight for a day of rolling hills, gravel roads and some of the best views in the area. The weather was perfect for riding, which was bonus and added to the enjoyment of the day. Julie, David and myself were booked to return on the earlier ferry so whilst the majority of the group fuelled up at the local cafe local rider Brett lead us out to the first climb from where we followed the route on our Wahoo units. Brett then returned to the ferry to lead the main group. This was a tough test for bike and rider with Julie's Liv Invite fresh from an overhaul I hoped all would go well, which it did. With 16 miles of gravel to go we made the decision to return to the ferry by road, which was 6 miles shorter, to ensure we would make the 5pm ferry crossing in plenty of time, however this didn't save us from the climbing with the road out of Carisbrooke being what seemed like the longest and steepest climb of the day. Climbing for the whole ride came out at 3780 ft over 55 miles and mostly off road. We arrived back in Yarmouth with enough time to spend 1/2 hour in the cafe before boarding for the crossing back to the mainland. I was riding the Giant Toughroad which performed admirably in tough off road conditions and the Liv Invite completed the day without the need for any tweaks or adjustments.