FNRttC FNRttK Brussels-Ostend RIDE CLOSED. Full up!

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srw

It's a bit more complicated than that...

Yes, I think so. Gits appears to be a village outside Roeselare, and Fiets Maes a shop in that village. I didn't look very closely at their kit - I was enjoying the silly name on their bums too much - but the shop website leads to a triathlon team who wear dark blue, and who have a Sunday morning Fietstraining run. A triathlon focus might explain, but certainly doesn't excuse, their silliness on bikes. It might help when the inevitable happens and one of them falls into a canal?

Startontbijt%202016.JPG
 

srw

It's a bit more complicated than that...
On a happier note, kudos to Belgian railways for their tandem-friendliness. Our train from Ostend had a magic space which swallowed the tandem whole. The train from Bruges to Brussels was a bit like an old-fashioned BR inter-city job, with no obvious bike space - so we just launched ourselves at the nearest door and found that the tandem fitted neatly across the vestibule.

A conductor popped his head in the door and asked where we were going to. I was all set for the "take this bike off the train" conversation when he said "no problem; just move it if it gets in the way". It was right across the inter-carriage connecting door. During the hour-long journey he walked through that door three or four times, and each time just stepped over the bike.
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
Am on the ferry in Le Havre, departing for home (well, 1.5 miles from home) in 40 mins or so. I got the train from Dieppe via Rouen, on account of the cycling mojo having taken a good kicking yesterday. It was a bit like the tandemistes' adventures in getting to Brussels, combined with my own misadventures two years back...yeah, that bad. I did end up doing 110 miles as planned, everything else went a bit pear-shaped. Lowlights included crawling along at 10 mph average in a vicious crosswind, multiple OSM routing cockups ( off nice D- roads onto impassable-by-riding tracks), forgetting France is closed on Mondays (lunch a Carrefour sandwich at 3.30 ish), SNCF making it as hard as possible to get a train to Dieppe when I decided to bail (Hesdin- no option, Abbeville- train to Eu & Le Treport then ride- just missed one train, next was 100 mins later), and multiple circuits of Dieppe trying to find the hotel in increasingly frazzled state (couldn't reach them on the phone for some reason), which I eventually did at 1215. AM. Left Poperinge 0815.....And I lost a glove, one of the nearly new ones. Today, lost my earphones. Oh, and I took a minor tumble yesterday, right shifter took its name a bit little literally & points inward at mo. Apart from that.....
Still better than a return visit to AZ Damiaan though!
Now, after that lot, letting SNCF take the strain seemed rather better than playing OSM routing bingo...
Already thinking of options for Return from Brussels, v3....
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
The minor moan is the amount of pavé we went down. Yes, it's lovely to have a bike tour of Bruges, but unless you're on a sensible Belgian bike you need to concentrate so much on not going arse over tit on the cobbles you really can't take it in. I know a tandem doesn't help that. But please - an alternative route next time!
Hmmm....avoiding pavé in Flanders is, to put it mildly, difficult. No, it's impossible. The bike certainly helps- Chutney rattles like a loon over cobbles, those hinges and long cable runs don't help, and nor does the quicker handling. Ditto for Bromptons, I should imagine. The T5 Pavé- sorry, Gravel, OTOH- titanium frame & carbon seatpost, gel padding under the bar tape, and most importantly 35mm tyres- much less uncomfortable and rather more stable. Not comfortable, not even a Trek Domane SLR Disc (probably the best off-the-peg for the job) would be, but certainly tolerable. All those Flemish chain gangs must pick their routes very, very carefully....
 
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Location
Brussels
Bruges = cobbles and there is literally no way around them. However, it is tourist cobble designed to look good in photographs and not be too much of a pain in the a**e.

It is much less cobbley than the "children's heads" (as the locals call it) that you find in less manicured parts of the country. A couple of very short sections of the canal path into Ostende were proper, although not extreme, cobbles
 

wanda2010

Guru
Location
London
Those were 'tourist' cobbles? :ohmy: More posterior padding and gel gloves for the next ride, I think.
 
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srw

It's a bit more complicated than that...
Bruges = cobbles and there is literally no way around them.
I'm sure I saw some tarmac on the ring road....

It feels a bit churlish to be complaining, especially as Bruges is one of my favourite cities, but after 80-odd miles my arms and wrists were wrecked.
 
Location
Brussels
I'm sure I saw some tarmac on the ring road....

It feels a bit churlish to be complaining, especially as Bruges is one of my favourite cities, but after 80-odd miles my arms and wrists were wrecked.

You are quite right, my problem is that I do not count the ring road as Bruges:smile:.

This is not, quite, as flippant as it sounds: all the good/old/fake old stuff is inside the ring and therefore cobbled. Might be an idea for next year to have a Team "First-timer" who go through the centre and a Team "seen it before" who nip round the ring .

Alternatively (NB NSAW):


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp50aAVNc-U
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
What a night! Thank you Els. You did a good job trying to keep us on track. Next year I'm booking a much later train.

Eurostar is my treat to/from Europe and I upgraded to business premier on the way back. Just because. A wider seat and a nice meal was good but 'regular' class was good on the way out also. I like the new trains.

Hot chocolate Belgian style, I'll have again. This year I felt I had more energy in my legs. Either that or everyone was riding slowly! I enjoyed the whole experience as per usual and our hosts were on top form again. I didn't feel anywhere near as cold as last year, but that might have had something to do with the three long-sleeve tops, wind and rain jackets I wore.

I wasn't able to join the 'copius breakfast club' members, having booked an early Eurostar train so had to dash to Ostend station to ensure I made the London connection. Thanks BalkanExpress for the escort :okay: I had a less than satisfactory steak and chips in one of the local eateries in Brussels, but the glass of Hoegaarden and glass of Calvados drunk in memory of the ride helped diminish my disappointment :cheers:

I am convinced John and CharlieB are related, in terms of handling the cold weather with ease :ohmy:

I really wanted to drink a few beers but I didn't have the energy to stop at an offy on the way home as I was so tired and the London drivers kept my heart racing, at intervals :cursing:.

Now home, showered and doing laundry I'll have a hot drink and a nap shortly.

For those curious about my cycling boots:

http://45nrth.com/products/footwear/wolvhammer

I got mine from Charlie The Bike Monger
Business Premier? The never-discounted option with Raymond Blanc-designed menu? Not Standard Premier?
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
Having completed FNRttK Plus (on to Poperinge, and then Dieppe- sort of-, and then, the, er, train, to Le Havre & a ferry) the easiest ride report for this year would be a repeat of my summary from last year, with a few teeny alterations...


THE BEST NIGHT RIDE OF ALL. BAR NONE. BEST START POINT. AWESOME CYCLING CONDITIONS ALL THE WAY. THE VERY VERY VERY BEST HALF WAY STOP. IT EVEN HAS LOTS OF LOVELY BUNGALOWS IN IT. BREAKFAST IN OSTEND IS GREAT. INTERESTING NIGHT-LIFE (IN AALST). NO KANGAROOS OR A ZEBRA THIS TIME THOUGH, DUE TO ROUTE ALTERATIONS. IT'S GOT COBBLESTONES AND I'D RIP THEM ALL UP BUT THAT WAS JUST AN INCENTIVE TO BUY A GRAVEL BIKE IF YOU ASK ME. I DID AND IT WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE. DO YOU WANT TO DO ONE NIGHT RIDE EVER (NOW THAT'S A NUTTY IDEA)? DO THIS ONE.


The Eurotunnel issues that plagued the tandemistes and many others did not affect the Eurostar at all. I'd got to St Pancras and handed over the bike at the EuroDespatch office by half-two, before the crowded bunfight that was security (two trainloads trying to get through simultaneously). Fiddly with two panniers, having to take the shoes off for the scanners (cleats set the metal detectors off)…But that was why I arrived in plenty of time. Time to charge the phone a bit and have a cup of tea before self and @StuartG boarded. Off on time, and into Brussels-Zuid on time. Stuart headed off to bag a place in the queue at Fin de Siecle while I failed to find the luggage offices for a few minutes. Not a problem, as I found them at the same time my bike arrived there. Paperwork dealt with, panniers on, off I went. Opted for extreme caution dealing with tramlines, walking them in a few cases if I wasn't happy about navigating and crossing them simultaneously, keeping the angles perpendicular, as I made my way round to the Rue de Chartreux. Recent events in the city may have put off some tourists, but quite rightly the queue for a table was as long as ever. 45 minutes later, we were seated. Opted for the carb-load par excellence that is the jambonneau- ham knuckle served on the bone with a mustard sauce...
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Stuart opted for the (equally excellent, as I recall) sausages. That, and a chocolate mousse each, later, we made our way round to the Grand Place, making a short stop at the Bourse and the impromptu memorial to the victims of this year's horrors before joining John and Els. L'Chaloupe's dessert selection had the riistaart, unlike last year, so that was my second pud of the evening. Apart from Stephen and Rachel's delayed journey, @Gordon P and @mmmmartin's ride in from the station was also delayed by a puncture, so the intended 11pm departure was nearer 11.40, when we made our way round to an underground car park to meet the tandem. I found the somewhat improvised pedestrianisation of Boulevard Anspach (which seemed to work perfectly well as a normal street on my previous visits) somewhat bemusing. The initial exit from the city was, as ever for a night ride, pretty tedious. Once we got out of Brussels and into the 'burbs, the speed picked up a bit. At least until my chain link broke. Gear changing on the Litespeed had been a bit hit and miss for a while, not just on the night- trimming and up/down shifts to find a gear not making a dreadful noise- and that night the hit became a bit literal, the link breaking apart. A couple of nice members of the Dilbeek police department helpfully passed a message on to the front of the ride when we were stopped. Martin had a 10-speed link, and that (plus shifting as infrequently as possible) did the trick. @swarm_catcher was on SS for the night, and I pretty much followed her example for the rest of the night and the next couple of days.


There was, as in 2014, a distinct nip in the air, and I was glad I'd brought the gear to suit. One uppity driver in Ternat said something or other to me in Flemish, probably 'get off my road you peasant'. David and Karen somehow managed to raise their extraordinary standards of hospitality. David had to abandon plans to join us on the ride due to recovery from illness, but was an excellent host as usual. As for Karen's food…oh my. Bread, pastries, cheese, ham, a spiced pumpkin soup, two quiches, two cakes…All fantastic. Ghent was beautiful as always in the early light, the stretch into Bruges had atmospheric mist by the bucketload, and the cobblestones were slightly less painful for me this year. Mr Gravel was the right bike for this job! Then came our encounter with the Gits. The tandem's chainganging would have been even funnier if myself and John (his bike weighed 40 or 50 kg!) had the power & inclination to tag along…

The last stretch into Ostend, I actually have full recall of this time. Which is nice. The ferry was fun, and we made a new cyclist friend. Caruso's breakfast (more of a brunch considering the time we got there- gone eleven!) was as copious as any of us required, and it was lovely to see Kris (@Flandrienne) again, who wasn't up to the ride but joined us there. I'd managed not to put the GPX route for my ride down to Poperinge on the Garmin, and the phone was insisting I had to format it to get it connected (er, no, I resolved that issue later that day). I had it on the phone though, and the sisters helpfully gave it the once-over before we parted company. The occasional check to see I was en route apart, all I really needed was to keep following the fietsroute signposts. The odd mistake early on but for the most part straightforward. Made Poperinge not long before five, not bad considering the time I left. Hotel de la Paix is highly recommended- excellent room, helpful staff, bike stored in their garage, cracking dinner and breakfast good too. As my previous post will testify, the trip on to Dieppe was a bit of a 'mare, but I'm not ruling out giving that another go. (Still) more care on routing would sort that out. And finding an open supermarket on a Monday.....

Same time next year? You bet!!
 
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mmmmartin

mmmmartin

Random geezer
Amazing to think that tonight, The Present Mrs mmmmartin and I are enjoying a barbeque, while on Saturday night in Belgium it was, er, a bit chilly. And then on the recce @Gordon P and I had three glorious days of riding. So much so that my left side, which faced the sun, is now sunburnt. While my right side is not. I have a multi-coloured head: with white bald top, pale brown area where the sunglasses were, and a bright red bit on the left cheek.

And while I'm here: during the ride I had a think about a suggestion from @srw (who is always worth hearing) and someone will now start to plan the Tour for 2017, with a view to a recce in late April or in May 2017 and running it in June. That person will be me, because the 2016 tour is the genius idea of @Gordon P & @redfalo. So look out for another thread, coming to a cycling forum near you. I need to think about this a bit, so it won't happen for a while: at least until after Le Tourette.
 
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