One hundred and twenty nine riders signed on for the Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers 100km reliability trial. Originally known as the “Hilly Hundred” it used to start at the Sandbanks ferry and go deep into the Purbecks, before finishing at the Little Chef on the A31. Those days are gone but the course is still based around the old one, it is 2 miles "long" and is definitely more of a challenge than the “50” of four weeks ago. Repeating the start of the easy 50 the route heads out to Lytchett Matravers before heading to East Morden. The rolling road across Wareham Forest can be tough but not today. Mild temperatures and light winds ensured it was not as hard as some “100s”,on through Wareham and across Middlebeare Heath. A “chute” on a greasy cattle grid saw 4 riders come down, no real damage but one abandon! The road from Corfe Castle to Church Knowle offers nowhere to hide before the short, steep climb at Cocknowle.
Then to East Creech, East Lulworth, Coombe Keynes and down to Wool. The café on the left has long since closed so there was no tea on the menu. Climbing up through the army camp at Bovington and under the A35, the pace was keen, a front wheel puncture held us up at Milborne St Andrew(we all waited). Then the climb through the historic village of Milton Abbas, always a tough one especially when you turn left at the top and carry on climbing. A selection was made, the 28 starters in the 09:30 group were thinned down but more than a few got back on as the long descent took us down to Winterborne Stickland. Up to Bryanstone and through Blandford, then it was the usual “burn up” through Langton Long & the Cowgrove. Back at Merley tea was brewing and bacon butties were going down well. The ride out & home gives me another 20 miles, 4hours 25, a good day!
The 75 mile event is on the 15 January 2012 and is regarded as the toughest of the 4 trial series.
Photos by kind permission of Reg Haskell
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