In August, we won’t be leading any group rides. Why? There’s a number of reasons.

We have intentionally chosen to carve out some time to pause and reflect.

We want to alleviate ourselves from domestic cognitive load, as much as possible for the month of August.

We want time to contemplate before we come together in September and discuss future plans.

We want to be more French and get in to the habit of taking August off.

I said to Holly that I wanted a bike that was fun and playful. It needed to make me feel confident on rocky downhills and I enjoy being upright (ish). I wanted it to be a rad colour and it needed to be suitable for long, multi day adventures.

After a month of riding my new bike, I can honestly say I got exactly what I wanted. It feels super cruisey and casual but then bam, on a downhill I’m off, more confident than ever on my 2.1 inch tyres. The Jones bars give me so much real estate up top to pack things and the colour, a blue, subtle fade situation called “chillymanilly”. I mean…

Introducing new ride leader, Kate

“Since riding my bike, I've noticed that older women, NB people and especially mums are often missing from rides and bike packing trips. I hope I can help try and change this and encourage and support more older women, NB people and mums to ride with us in the Forest and try sleeping out in a bivi on a bikepacking trip.”

We don’t believe the patriarchy is actually serving anyone. The huge amount of data demonstrating the gender gap in mental health problems and suicide rates illustrates the fact that there is a systemic issue.

We’ve rounded up some headlines from Men’s Health Forum. Buckle up, it’s a bleak and frightening read. 

Trigger warning. Suicide & drug abuse. 

On the last weekend of May, 2022, we did our outdoor first aid training. We were trained by the fanTAStic Sarah Pestridge. of New Forest First Aid Training (back row left.

The curriculum is incredibly thorough and within 20 minutes of starting the course, it was clear that this qualification will add a serious amount of value to our rides.

We thought it would be helpful to write down what we will be doing differently, post outdoor first aid training, to share with other off road communities.

Currently, it feels like the stars have to be aligned for people to show up to a New Forest Off Road Club ride. They have to 1) Know we exist. 2) Learn when we’re running a ride. 3) Be brave enough to show up to their first ride potentially without hearing any reviews or testimonies from the people who have previously joined us. Not cool.

We need an alternative and we are incredibly excited to say that there is.

On the 7th of June, Cycle Together launches.

“On some of the races that I haven’t finished I’ve still been amongst the last across the finish line and arrived to an empty field of tents and marquees being packed away. On one of the most recent races I rode the organisers of the event (in its inaugural year) were incredibly, excruciatingly apologetic about sweeping me from the tail of the field and diverting me to a short cut so that the event could finish on time. Unbeknownst to them they ensured that I had the best race experience of my life that day.”

Whatever you fear by letting transgender and non binary people compete, is not comparable to the psychological damage of being banned from participating in something because of who you are.

Here is where you can find exactly what NFORC ride leaders are packing on overnighters. Enjoy.

The adventure / bike space is FILLED with suffer fests. Absolutely no shade to those who feel alive through testing their upper limits, there’s space for it all. But when it came to giving The New Forest Off Road Club a visual identity, pleasure had to feature. It’s one of our principles after all.

Is your bike safe to ride? Do you know how to fix a flat tyre like an absolute boss? No worries, this workshop is everything you need ❤️

We want to do what we can to support the growth and development of women, trans, femme and non binary led groups around the world.

This online workshop is designed to

1) Share how we are dismantling the patriarchy, one group ride at a time, here in the New Forest.

2) Guide you through how to start your own, mission-led vibe.

Until there are women, trans, femme and non binary led communities in every region around the world, there is work to be done. That’s where you come in.

Back in October 2020 when Tom from the Woods was encouraging us to start up a cycling group, we were throwing around some names. Tom suggested avoiding the word ‘gravel’ and to go with ‘off road’. I didn’t really think anything of it at the time and just thought, yeah, New Forest Off Road Club is solid, we’ll go with that.

We are thrilled to announce a two day, mindful mechanics course in collaboration with Vicky Balfour. Throughout 2021, we partnered with Vicky to deliver 2 workshops and a 2 day mechanic course. The riders who attended these workshops have grown significantly more confident in their abilities to maintain and fix their bikes.

The course is for 9 people who want to uplift themselves outside of the patriarchy and experience bike mechanics in an environment designed to help you understand your bike as well as how to fix it.

When looking for new ride leaders, we look for people who will grow our culture, not fit it. Enter Meredith.

Yo, we’re getting MTB leader qualifications.

Why? We have quite a few reasons why

“We believe women should be paid for their labour”. Getting MTB leadership qualifications is a strong step towards being able to charge people for bespoke, guided off road rides and establish economic independence for NFORC ride leaders.NFORC group rides are free and always will be, but this will allow NFORC ride leaders to seek freelance opportunities and charge people for guided rides / experiences.

It was a great reminder of what you get to experience if you just say yes and get out there. A full moon rising, a majestic golden hour, a crucial fire lighter from new neighbours, a brilliant roast and Dorset dolphins. All within 26 hours.