FNRttC 2017 (that's next year, folks) thinking ride thread

[srw]

Shouldn't be too difficult, I'll have a think.

A piece of piss for a person of your talents.

[edit]
Actually on second thoughts - not Dover. It's a dump and horrible to get to. Can you magic up a flying carpet that'll take us from somewhere pleasant on the south coast to the continent?

 

[Pale Rider]

Looks like the idea of a UK Fridays tour has been duffed before I had the chance to support it.

But since I'm on, Northumberland and the Borders provides plenty of varied cycling and many of points of interest: abbeys, post-industrial sites and towns, big houses (a few of which belonged to the industrialists before they were posted), conflict history, Roman history, the Lindisfarne tidal crossing, a long and varied coastline to explore, and no doubt lots more of which I'm unaware.

Perhaps more importantly, it would chime in with the Friday's aim to be all-inclusive because it would give those north of Watford the chance to tour Fridays style.

 

[srw]

Looks like the idea of a UK Fridays tour has been duffed before I had the chance to support it.

If other people want to step forward to organise a tour in the UK, or a centre holiday in the UK or abroad, either in 2017 or 2018, then they can - either as an independent enterprise or (with the club's permission) as a club enterprise. In fact, I think that would be an excellent idea. The Fridays needs to be a collective effort.

Actually I think a Borders tour would be an excellent idea. If I had more time and energy I'd even offer to research and organise. And provide the historical lecturettes at Lindisfarne, Vindolanda and my late grandparents' former house outside Morpeth.

 

[fimm]

The Borders isn't flat, though.

 

[mmmmartin]

Loads of people who live far from London - even in the north - come on the tour. More than a quarter on this year's tour lived well outside London. Furthest northerly was Manchester, furthest west was Fishguard (or somewhere near there). Those north of Watford have the chance to come and many take it. Whether the club would have as many takers for a tour in the north is another matter.

 

[ianmac62]

First, some comments on comments:

• History - much as some friends don't want to listen, I don't want to talk. Forty years was highly enjoyable (and teenage students keep you young). One odd occasion per tour is more than enough.
• Holland / Belgium border permeability. The common language doesn't make them like each other. Anyone who heard Miek (Joanne's partner) at the meal in Gent when I asked her what the cultural (as opposed to religious) differences were between the Belgians and the Dutch will have had a real earful.
• Other cyclists on the Harwich-Hook ferry. There was a large party from Northampton; business people organised through Rotary or Lions or some such. Their main sponsor (who provided the vans) was a Northants bakery firm whose owners are a bakery firm in Ypres. So that's why they were going to Ypres. The cemeteries were a bolt-on. They were raising funds for a charity for the homeless in Northampton.

 

[Pale Rider]

The Borders isn't flat, though.

No, although I did a 35-mile Jedburgh -Melrose - Kelso circuit a couple of weeks ago which less hilly than I expected.

The Northumberland coastline is fairly flat.

So I think those with better local knowledge than me could come up with something acceptable.

 

[srw]

So - a ride that includes France, Belgium, the Netherlands but no bad cycle lanes. With beer from Belgium. And has Interesting Stuff to look at. With days of length that permit some sitting down to a spot of lunch. And not too expensive, either on travel or accommodation. And easy to get to and from. Some hills but not too many or too steep. Possibly a short talk or two to explain something now and again. Or not.
And possibly allocating days to different people so they can have a go at cat-herding for a day.
With a similar kind of feel as previous tours but also being very different.
Shouldn't be too difficult, I'll have a think.

And to (try to be) helpful...
http://www.randovelo.org/fr/veitin.php
http://www.groteroutepaden.be/en/pagina/213-256/route-overzicht.html
http://www.hollandcyclingroutes.com/online-cycle-route-planner

The difference between Flandrian and Wallonian presentation is amusing.

Let me know if I can help.

 

[Pale Rider]

Loads of people who live far from London - even in the north - come on the tour. More than a quarter on this year's tour lived well outside London. Furthest northerly was Manchester, furthest west was Fishguard (or somewhere near there). Those north of Watford have the chance to come and many take it. Whether the club would have as many takers for a tour in the north is another matter.

Inevitably, my remarks will be taken by some as criticism of the Fridays.

They weren't, cycling clubs by their nature are local, and the Fridays - while based in cyber space - is London-centric, not least because the majority of the rides start from there.

Take up for a Borders tour is a hard one to answer.

My hope would be that a reasonable number of existing members would do a Borders tour, and they would be joined by non-member cyclists based in the north, either for a day or two, or for the full tour.

 

[ianmac62]

Secondly, some thoughts - for what they're worth - on past tours, and plans and proposals for future ones.

• I like the "alternate years" notion - alternating western France and the Low Countries.
• I really enjoyed the Normandy holiday and realise that it was the afternoon stops with cider and calvados that made it so enjoyable for me. I'm a kind of elevenses / lunch / afternoon stop sort of cyclist when I'm on holiday. If it's a late afternoon stop on a "moving on" holiday when we reach our destination, that's fine (some can relax at a sunny café and some can explore the sights),
• We piggy-backed on Reading CTC's bus for our Tourette back in May. How much did the bus cost them? Would we want / could we organise a bus in the same way to take us further south in France? Or to south-west Germany?
• What about Ireland? It's abroad; there's kilometres and euros; the border is currently very permeable.
• Or in the UK what about the Hebrides? Probably not enough accommodation. I remember the lady who ran the b&b where I stayed in Tain saying that our arrival (during LonJoG) was the biggest thing that was happening all year, bigger than weddings.

 

[mmmmartin]

Inevitably, my remarks will be taken by some as criticism of the Fridays.

The more criticism the better. It's no use coming out with the usual hallelujah chorus. What's needed is criticism. It can, of course, be ignored.

 

[mmmmartin]

Ireland, western France, Hebrides - all great destinations but they all involve huge logistics problems. How to get 30 bikes to the Hebrides? Where to stay?
Ireland a great idea and your trip a few years ago with the man and minibus was an excellent idea but it couldn't cope with 30.
Western France involves either bike unfriendly trains to Plymouth or everyone on one ferry to st Malo.

The answer to all these is the same: bikes in a van, drive van to start and hand over bikes. Van carries bags during the ride. At the end, van takes bikes home. Riders fly there and back with hand luggage.
But:
How to get all bikes to same place at same time to put in van? How to hand over bikes at end at same place and time to everyone?
Experienced and trusted - two - drivers for van? There's a cost to this and some Fridays would happily pay it, but not everyone.
I think for those sort of trips a CTC Holiday is the best way to go. Have a peep at the prices: CTC will supply ride leader insurance and fill your trip but take 25% of your revenue.
(That's why the Fridays don't organise your accommodation, travel or food: under UK law we're not allowed to.)
We could say only a dozen on the Tour, which would make the travel plans easier. But who would we exclude?

And that coach was three grand: a coach driver for two nights and his accommodation plus fuel for an eight litre engine to Paris and back. We lucked out.

 

[mmmmartin]

Leeds no?

Sorry, my knowledge of terrain north of the river is pretty poor.

 

[srw]

On the basis that @mmmmartin seems to be happy to organise a tour in 2017 from Dover to Hoek

And I should add that if @mmmmartin is not happy to do so, he should shout. Either here or elsewhere.

 

[ianmac62]

Velocity 2017 takes place in Arnhem-Nijmegen from Tuesday 13th June to Friday 16th June 2017. Get in quick with accommodation? Or will prices go up?

Or, as some of us went there on the rest day in 2015, would we not want to go again?