Mark Grant
Acting Captain of The St Annes Jombulance.
- Location
- Hanworth, Middx.
A day ride in France - Sat. 11th April
- Thread starter Flying Dodo
- Start date
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U
User10571
Guest
The sunshine you see in the ^ ^ above photos, is not representative of the metrological phenomena we experienced earlier in the day.
That is all.
That is all.
Last edited by a moderator:
Jimmy Doug
If you know what's good for you ...
The first three photos show your appreciation for one the local beers! A man with good taste! I trust it was actually Grimbergen* they filled in those glasses and not some Kro?
* Actually, it's a Belgian beer, but that's near enough local!
Mark Grant
Acting Captain of The St Annes Jombulance.
- Location
- Hanworth, Middx.
Yes, it was Grimbergen, in fact I even had another. Just to make sure!
Jimmy Doug
If you know what's good for you ...
Well, by the way that you took black and white photos of the beer, I can tell you appreciated the fine qualities of this beer.
man in black
Senior Member
Many thanks to everyone for making me so welcome. Really enjoyed myself. Great to meet new faces. I have started to look around for the carbon, and will keep you updated.
Arthur
Comfortably numb and increasingly fixed.
- Location
- Gillingham, Kent
Adam decided not to take the option of kick-starting the morning with coffee.
Waiting to get off the ferry.
We were last off the boat, so had the port to ourselves.
Leaving Calais via the canal-paths…
…as the cloud steadily thickened.
For the next hour we rode through steady rain, being driven into us by the strong wind. I chose to keep my camera dry so you don’t get to see that bit. Suffice to say, we were indeed happy when we reached the café for lunch.
Beer, wine and whiskey was consumed. Gloves and buffs were draped over the radiator to dry. Lunch was a very pleasant affair, and we hung about until it had stopped raining and our stuff was dry.
Back on the road and, on the whole, they were well-surfaced and quiet.
In the morning we’d had a few overtakes that were much closer than I’d expected, given France’s cycle-friendly reputation (although, in fairness, at slower speeds than in the UK). In the afternoon, overtaking standards seemed much better.
The terrain started undulating, but in a good way, none of the hills were overly long or steep.
Waiting to get off the ferry.
We were last off the boat, so had the port to ourselves.
Leaving Calais via the canal-paths…
…as the cloud steadily thickened.
For the next hour we rode through steady rain, being driven into us by the strong wind. I chose to keep my camera dry so you don’t get to see that bit. Suffice to say, we were indeed happy when we reached the café for lunch.
Beer, wine and whiskey was consumed. Gloves and buffs were draped over the radiator to dry. Lunch was a very pleasant affair, and we hung about until it had stopped raining and our stuff was dry.
Back on the road and, on the whole, they were well-surfaced and quiet.
In the morning we’d had a few overtakes that were much closer than I’d expected, given France’s cycle-friendly reputation (although, in fairness, at slower speeds than in the UK). In the afternoon, overtaking standards seemed much better.
The terrain started undulating, but in a good way, none of the hills were overly long or steep.
Arthur
Comfortably numb and increasingly fixed.
- Location
- Gillingham, Kent
There were frequent pauses to regroup
Big, open fields with no natural windbreaks. On occasion the headwinds required some extra effort.
People were smiling more now the sun was out.
Sometimes you could let the tailwind and gravity do all of the work.
Above Sangatte we watched the ferries play chicken.
Time for more beer, wine, barcardi and gin at an open air bar, overlooking the beach-huts made from shipping containers.
Riding back to the docks as the shadows lengthened.
Waiting for the ferry in the freezing wind.
The penny drops. Tony weighs up the differences between the MTB he’d been sweating up hills with and Ian’s titanium marvel.
Big, open fields with no natural windbreaks. On occasion the headwinds required some extra effort.
People were smiling more now the sun was out.
Sometimes you could let the tailwind and gravity do all of the work.
Above Sangatte we watched the ferries play chicken.
Time for more beer, wine, barcardi and gin at an open air bar, overlooking the beach-huts made from shipping containers.
Riding back to the docks as the shadows lengthened.
Waiting for the ferry in the freezing wind.
The penny drops. Tony weighs up the differences between the MTB he’d been sweating up hills with and Ian’s titanium marvel.
Mark Grant
Acting Captain of The St Annes Jombulance.
- Location
- Hanworth, Middx.
Jimmy Doug
If you know what's good for you ...
Here's me jealous! Looks like you had a great day. A shame about the wind, though.
U
User10571
Guest
We did have a great day!
The wind and horizontal rain didn't contribute anything useful to it.
Luckily, things became a bit more comfortable after lunch.
Highlight of the day was Tony (aka Man in Black) hoisting Ian's VN in the air and declaring that 'Bikes can't possibly be this light'.
Or words to that effect...
The wind and horizontal rain didn't contribute anything useful to it.
Luckily, things became a bit more comfortable after lunch.
Highlight of the day was Tony (aka Man in Black) hoisting Ian's VN in the air and declaring that 'Bikes can't possibly be this light'.
Or words to that effect...
Arthur
Comfortably numb and increasingly fixed.
- Location
- Gillingham, Kent
Sorry Mark, I was just a bit too slow for that...although I did get your slight off-road diversion while you regained control
The relentless wind, the relentless cold rain, a dead rat the size of a cat... it made for a very fun morning riding in France. However after a rather marvelous lunch the rain desisted, the wind didn't but the sun came out. The undulating hills of just outside Calais made for some glorious riding though. The climbing never too hard and the descending absolutely glorious. It was my very first cycling trip abroad, We had a few close passes of which i was suprised at after hearing so many say how good French drivers are. It didn't help that I was a little spooked at time by cars overtaking in my left rather then what I am used to, on the right.
Due to the tough, slow going conditions earlier in the ride and the extended luncheon, the ride was cut short a bit but that didn't spoil the enjoyment of the day.
Thanks @Flying Dodo and @velovoice for organsing and thanks to @Mark Grant & Gail, @wanda2010 , @User10571 , @Arthur and @man in black for the great company.
We must do this again.
Due to the tough, slow going conditions earlier in the ride and the extended luncheon, the ride was cut short a bit but that didn't spoil the enjoyment of the day.
Thanks @Flying Dodo and @velovoice for organsing and thanks to @Mark Grant & Gail, @wanda2010 , @User10571 , @Arthur and @man in black for the great company.
We must do this again.
OP
OP
Flying Dodo
It'll soon be summer
Well, what can I say that hasn't already been said? I know a few people were put off this ride due to the logistics, and that's understandable, as it's a long day. Rebecca and I got a 5:46 train, and although the Dover staff offered to put us on the hour earlier boat, we opted to get the planned 9:25 departure so that we'd all be together.
As we sped past the Kent countryside on HS1, we could see the lowering cloudbase and the water on the roads, but convinced ourselves that it would be better on the other side. From the station, it's an easy 10 minute ride using the cycle path along the sea front to get to the port.
I'd mentioned previously the rigmarole of getting around the port in Dover - in Calais there's nothing to aid cyclists, so you end up travelling round and round before finally escaping. It was a bit like Colditz with all the fences! Once we'd escaped, and got onto the roads, we then made steady progress through Calais. I found I wobbled too much looking over my left shoulder to check on everyone behind, so continued to look over my right. Once we got to the outskirts, the drizzle started, and we can blame Rapha for the short delay when the tail end lost sight of the front riders, due to User10571 having to faff around with his badly designed Rapha hood.
Heading out on the road to Guines, it was now rain, so we can blame that on the Norwegian weather forecasters for misleading us. They did however get the strong winds right. As mentioned above, there were some close overtakes, but later on when the weather was better, there didn't seem to be an issue. I'd booked the restaurant for 1:30 and we got there at 1:45 so I was quite pleased to see a big table ready for us.
We were actually in the restaurant for just over 2 hours, but the service and the food was very good, as we could see the weather slowly brightening up. I decided to make some short cuts in the route due to the headwind. From my wanderings last month, where I'd gone through quite a few bits I didn't end up using in the final planned route, I knew the whole area was a series of ups and downs, so after selecting some likely roads on the GPS, we set off. After a while I ditched my leggings as my legs were getting too warm. And it was all rather nice - just going up and then down. It was just a shame the wind was so strong. As I'd cut out heading towards the coast south of Cap Gris Nez, we headed north. At times I had to brake quite a bit going downhill as the cross wind was catching my bladed spokes making the handling a bit interesting, so my top speed was only 35.5 mph so I know some of the others were faster.
We rounded the final hill north of Sangatte and then headed along the coast towards Calais, to try and find a bar for a drink. The wind was now behind us, meaing you could do 18 mph without really turning the pedals. At one point a rather fat Frenchman slowly overtook me on a moped, and if I'd been on my own, I would have been able to easily zoom past him, but I had to be responsible, so I restrained myself. Eventually we came across a bar where we replenished ourselves.
And then we had the long trek around the port to get onto the boat to come back.
The end.
So apart from Rapha and the Norwegians spoiling things a bit, overall it was a good day out. Thanks to everyone for the excellent company.
Next time I run this, hopefully it won't be windy!
All of my photos can be seen here.
As we sped past the Kent countryside on HS1, we could see the lowering cloudbase and the water on the roads, but convinced ourselves that it would be better on the other side. From the station, it's an easy 10 minute ride using the cycle path along the sea front to get to the port.
I'd mentioned previously the rigmarole of getting around the port in Dover - in Calais there's nothing to aid cyclists, so you end up travelling round and round before finally escaping. It was a bit like Colditz with all the fences! Once we'd escaped, and got onto the roads, we then made steady progress through Calais. I found I wobbled too much looking over my left shoulder to check on everyone behind, so continued to look over my right. Once we got to the outskirts, the drizzle started, and we can blame Rapha for the short delay when the tail end lost sight of the front riders, due to User10571 having to faff around with his badly designed Rapha hood.
Heading out on the road to Guines, it was now rain, so we can blame that on the Norwegian weather forecasters for misleading us. They did however get the strong winds right. As mentioned above, there were some close overtakes, but later on when the weather was better, there didn't seem to be an issue. I'd booked the restaurant for 1:30 and we got there at 1:45 so I was quite pleased to see a big table ready for us.
We were actually in the restaurant for just over 2 hours, but the service and the food was very good, as we could see the weather slowly brightening up. I decided to make some short cuts in the route due to the headwind. From my wanderings last month, where I'd gone through quite a few bits I didn't end up using in the final planned route, I knew the whole area was a series of ups and downs, so after selecting some likely roads on the GPS, we set off. After a while I ditched my leggings as my legs were getting too warm. And it was all rather nice - just going up and then down. It was just a shame the wind was so strong. As I'd cut out heading towards the coast south of Cap Gris Nez, we headed north. At times I had to brake quite a bit going downhill as the cross wind was catching my bladed spokes making the handling a bit interesting, so my top speed was only 35.5 mph so I know some of the others were faster.
We rounded the final hill north of Sangatte and then headed along the coast towards Calais, to try and find a bar for a drink. The wind was now behind us, meaing you could do 18 mph without really turning the pedals. At one point a rather fat Frenchman slowly overtook me on a moped, and if I'd been on my own, I would have been able to easily zoom past him, but I had to be responsible, so I restrained myself. Eventually we came across a bar where we replenished ourselves.
And then we had the long trek around the port to get onto the boat to come back.
The end.
So apart from Rapha and the Norwegians spoiling things a bit, overall it was a good day out. Thanks to everyone for the excellent company.
Next time I run this, hopefully it won't be windy!
All of my photos can be seen here.
velovoice
Veteran
- Location
- Between the City and the Sea
Enjoying everyone's "reports"! Mine is now up on the blog - a big big thank you to @ianrauk @Mark Grant and @wanda2010 for graciously letting me publish their photos in the absence of having any of my own, as my camera battery died just as the ferry entered Calais Port.
I truly enjoyed every minute that we were on our bikes. I found the trains and ferries the most exhausting part, more so than the wind and rain to be honest. But it was worth it and I'm looking forward to the next one.
I truly enjoyed every minute that we were on our bikes. I found the trains and ferries the most exhausting part, more so than the wind and rain to be honest. But it was worth it and I'm looking forward to the next one.
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