FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast - Whitstable 17th June 2011

[deckertim]

It is persisting down heavily in Rochester currently. I was considering riding up, but just for once common sense got the better of me, so South Eastern trains here we come. I expect it to have finished raining by the time I get to London. I will be riding my Dawes with mudguards purely because of the puddles! See you all soon.

 

[srw]

You could at least put some kind of spin on it.

An area of heavy rain will move eastwards across southern England this afternoon and evening.
Rainfall totals of 15-25 mm are expected quite widely, with 40 mm possible in a few places.
This rain will be accompanied by strong south to southeasterly winds for a time, particularly along the English Channel coast.

There's a met office weather warning out at the moment. It expires at 23:59 tonight. So at 00:00, as the dellzeqq hand of power stops six lanes of traffic at Hyde Park Corner, the wind and rain will cease and you will merely splash through the puddles as you wend Whitstablewards, thanking the good lord for the mudguards you thoughtfully attached to your bikes.

I was a station premature. I forgot about Didcot, which I used to think of as pointless until I found out that Jonesy gets on there. But God seems to hate it anyway, although probably not as much as Winnersh.

The Baptist Union and the Girls' Brigade are both based in Didcot. So we have proof positive, at long last, that God is a liberal who hates single-sex organisations. Winnersh, meanwhile, according to wikipedia, boasts a kebab van, which "used to be known for its excellent chili sauce".

Can you tell I'm ever-so-slightly ambivalent about having scratched?

 

[zigzag]

rain almost stopped at surrey quays, but that doesn't mean there's no more to come

 

[PaulRide]

Hmm, I wonder if I ought to start thinking about what I am going to wear for this trip. And whether it will be horrible to step back into the shoes I commuted home in earlier this evening...

 

[martint235]

Either I'm just witnessing God's judgement on Winnersh (long overdue)

I've never thought of that before but it is bound to happen sooner or later, particularly as far as the Triangle is concerned.

 

[theclaud]

There's a met office weather warning out at the moment. It expires at 23:59 tonight. So at 00:00, as the dellzeqq hand of power stops six lanes of traffic at Hyde Park Corner, the wind and rain will cease and you will merely splash through the puddles as you wend Whitstablewards, thanking the good lord for the mudguards you thoughtfully attached to your bikes.


The Baptist Union and the Girls' Brigade are both based in Didcot. So we have proof positive, at long last, that God is a liberal who hates single-sex organisations. Winnersh, meanwhile, according to wikipedia, boasts a kebab van, which "used to be known for its excellent chili sauce".

Can you tell I'm ever-so-slightly ambivalent about having scratched?

I like this post much better than your last. But of course you can't be trusted in this matter. You need us to get wet and vindicate your rash decision. But I can't quite work out who owes who a beer if we manage to dodge the rain. And I suppose that should be "whom".

 

[srw]

I like this post much better than your last. But of course you can't be trusted in this matter. You need us to get wet and vindicate your rash decision. But I can't quite work out who owes who a beer if we manage to dodge the rain. And I suppose that should be "whom".

If you dodge the rain you can buy me a YELLOW beer. If you don't I'll buy you a BROWN beer. In a complex game of rewards and forfeits that should make use more or less even.

Incidentally, Metcheck confidently predicts that Brighton will be 20 degrees, have no rain and a pressure of 1,021 millibars, with light southerlies, at 1am on Friday 15th July. Sadly, I can't see their prediction for 24 hours later.

 

[StuartG]

News just in. Its stopped raining - in Wales ...

 

[dellzeqq]

it's not raining in Streatham.

 

[dellzeqq]

and it's not raining in Islington

 

[ianrauk]

And it's stopped raining in Bromley

 

[srw]

Out of interest do you have any stats on how often FNRTTCs are rain-affected? The "twelve days a year" mantra seems pretty good for a half-hour ride morning and evening.


(With apologies for the enormous predictability of the request...)

 

[CharlieB]

On my way. It's disgusting this end of Buckinghamshire at the mo. Let's hope BBC London news got it right when they said it would clear after midnight.

 

[dellzeqq]

Out of interest do you have any stats on how often FNRTTCs are rain-affected? The "twelve days a year" mantra seems pretty good for a half-hour ride morning and evening.


(With apologies for the enormous predictability of the request...)

we were fantastically lucky for the first four years - we had one wet ride to Brighton (on which we 'lost' someone who rode home), and then wet rides in November 2009, February 2010, April 2010. We did have one Whitstable ride sometime in 2009 that dried up by the time we got to Plumstead.

Overall, though we've been very, very fortunate.

 

[srw]

On my way. It's disgusting this end of Buckinghamshire at the mo.

Yup - although there are hints that the disgustingness is at least easing (I'm at the top of the hill from you).

Have a nice ride, everyone - and given Dell's stats I confidently predict a nice clear night for Brighton. We'll see you there.