FNRttC York to Hull Friday Night Ride - 23rd June 2017

[wanda2010]

That's not how we get rid of people . At least, not usually . He's probably still asleep.

 

[Wobblers]

I think you've finished Shaun off, he hasn't been on since 4 0 clock Saturday morning. It'll be the FNRTTC'ers fault if the forum dies because you've killed Shaun.

Poor old Shaun. He was saying how he needed to be up for 5 on Sunday morning.

It's probably that what finished him off, we're blameless

 

[Shaun]

... nope, still going (and able to sit down now without squirming too much), I've just had a full-on family weekend, including a 5am start yesterday (and 9:30pm finish) taking the daughter to Can You Dance? in Leeds and then most of tonight trying to catch up.

I was excited about going on the ride as I've enjoyed it in the past and really needed to get some miles in my legs, but a bit unsure how well I'd cope; well, okay, knowing I might find it a bit of a stretch, but determined to do it anyway as I don't get much leisure time.

Arrived with plenty of time to spare (with thanks to @Soltydog for sorting the second leg of the train ride) and rather than the planned picnic by the river, the slightly chilly weather helped us decide on a visit to @User10119's instead. So glad we did. What a lovely reception we got, and yes, the flapjack and coffee-choc buns were to die for (well, someone had to check they were okay for everyone else to devour nibble on ... ).

Crinkly-fueled, we set off and took a steady ride out of York and a little later, at Naburn, pulled up at the roadside, got off, and walked up the embankment onto the York Solar System cycle path that I hadn't remembered on previous rides - 6.4 miles of old East Coast railway line with scale models of the planets and the Cassini and Voyager spacecraft. (And yes, the tree roots constantly tested the mount of my new front light - which, despite drooping and rattling around, stayed attached and in one piece ).

On past the intimidating cooling towers at Drax (no, not that Drax) and a quick stop at the services on the A614 before heading off to the halfway stop at the Garthorpe village hall, where the locals had put on a lovely spread, which was very welcome, and where I got to rest my legs for a while (which were starting to feel a bit leaden).

Back on the bikes and off we go - albeit a bit cold and groggy myself, worrying @craigwend and @Soltydog a bit, so I tucked-in behind a chap whose pace was just where I needed it to be and pinched a tow for the next five miles or so (I did say thanks at the next stop as I was feeling guilty for not following etiquette and taking my turn at the front, but he wasn't phased and was very good about it - thanks again ).

I knew the hills were going to be making an appearance before too long so kept my pace steady and worked my way, very slowly, up the first two, using all my gears, but I was flagging by the time the third one arrived, so I nipped into the little shop at the bottom and grabbed a Mars bar. I nibbled it as I walked up the hill (no shame, I needed to keep my cycling legs for the final home stretch - but thanks to everyone for waiting for me ) and by the time we got across the Humber bridge a half hour or so later it was starting to kick in and saw me through to the finish line and the Big Breakfast!!

Great to see some familiar faces (it's been a while) and some new ones too, and thanks for your patience and for the great company and chat along the way and at breakfast too. Well organised, well deployed ... and well knackered by the end - but happy and looking forward to the next one!

Thanks to Adam, Martin, the waymarkers and all the FNRttC team and regulars - the rides are something special and I'd encourage everyone on CC to try one if you haven't already.

Cheers,
Shaun

 

[AndrewClark]

Back on the bikes and off we go - albeit a bit cold and groggy myself, worrying @craigwend and @Soltydog a bit, so I tucked-in behind a chap whose pace was just where I needed it to be and pinched a tow for the next five miles or so (I did say thanks at the next stop as I was feeling guilty for not following etiquette and taking my turn at the front, but he wasn't phased and was very good about it - thanks again ).
Shaun

That was me, an interloper from YACF I must have been feeling it myself because I didn't even know you were there !

A lovely ride. I did the first one when Simon led it some years ago, made a special trip over for it then, but this weekend I was already at the York Rally.

I got the train back with Kim, Marcus & the couple on the Bike Friday tandem. We could have done without the hen party though. Crashed out in my tent for most of the next day, then enjoyed some wine & beer with friends.

Thanks to everyone for a good time. See you on one of the next ones hopefully.

 

[mmmmartin]

Many thanks to all of you for these nice comments, kudos to @Flying Dodo for researching it, going to York to recce it, getting back from Hull, sorting the WI (lovely people) for the grub at halfway, then doing the whole thing again with 34 others in tow.
Given the numbers taking part because they were at the York rally, we might do this ride to coincide with it next year. But that depends on a myriad of things.

 

[kimble]

Given the numbers taking part because they were at the York rally, we might do this ride to coincide with it next year. But that depends on a myriad of things.

Problem with coinciding with the rally, is that you end up missing much of the rally due to finding your way back from Hull and/or being in zombie mode for much of Saturday. Previously when we've organised a night ride from the rally we've done it on the Saturday night, which works much better as there tends to be less going on on the Sunday, but that wouldn't really be in the spirit of a Fridays event...

 

[User10119]

Problem with coinciding with the rally, is that you end up missing much of the rally due to finding your way back from Hull and/or being in zombie mode for much of Saturday. Previously when we've organised a night ride from the rally we've done it on the Saturday night, which works much better as there tends to be less going on on the Sunday, but that wouldn't really be in the spirit of a Fridays event...

The first rally night ride in 2011(?) also included a pannier-transported picnic, complete with brewing up and toasting marshmallows, at pluto by the light of what Butterfly famously described as 'a moon that has read all the right children's books and knows exactly what it is supposed to look like'. And a comedy off-road section across Skipwith common and its cattle grids. It was the then 9 (I think) year-old EldestCub's first ever night ride, and CrinklyAuntie's first one too - she completed it on a 2annahalf speed shopper. I _think_ it was CrinklyUncle's and now he's due to do his second LEL this year, although the hardtail mtb got swapped very soon afterwards for a nice hybrid (and then that has been joined over the years by a road bike and a folder and a turbo bike and another even nicer road bike).

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I'd say it was quite in the spirit of the FNRttC but perhaps not entirely in the same style

 

[kimble]

I think that was the same ride where I fell off my (stationary) recumbent due to lying back and admiring the stars for long enough to realise I was on the surface of a planet and totally confuse my sense of balance...