England : Hampshire A Friday Night Ride to Pompey 20 October

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StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
Those of you who frequent YACF and/or do audaxes may well be aware of the Pompey Wednesday Night Pub Rides, some of whose members have joined us over the years on FNRttCs. This year, as for the past few years, there will be a PWNPR night ride back to the Flagship of Maritime England. This is not an FNRttC, but much in the same vein. They're a good crowd and I intend to join them, as I have done on most of the previous editions. I got the approval of the ride leader, the ever shy and retiring Hummers, to post it over here as I thought there might well be some interest from Fridays members, not least because the Hayling Island ride got postponed.

Our ride leader has yet to finalise details of route and breakfast destination, but details confirmed so far as follows...
Start will be eleven o'clock (no, not midnight) from the St Stephens Tavern in Westminster. You might guess, correctly, that some participants will be liquid carb-loading beforehand ;) The earlier start is to allow for one of the halfway options to be still open. From there, we'll be going through Chelsea and down for half a lap of Richmond Park ('FENTON!') before heading down through (in previous years) Kingston & Esher to Guildford for halfway, there's a Subway that closes at 3am on a Friday night. Failing that, there's a 24 hour Tesco. Early part of the ride is pretty flat, but from there on it gets rolling, particularly the few miles either side of Haslemere. There will be likely be another stop at the golden arches in Petersfield, before a delightfully nasty climb out of Buriton. Then down through Rowlands Castle & Havant and into the city. In previous years, the breakfast has been at the most excellent Spinnaker Cafe on Broad Street in Old Portsmouth, and were it me I'd stick with that, but this is subject to possible change.
For those of you on Facebook, the PWNPR group is here https://www.facebook.com/groups/180997861946070/ There will probably be a thread on YACF in due course. If you don't do either of those, I'll try and make sure expressions of interest are noted...
 
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Bollo

Failed Tech Bro
Location
Winch
Ooooh you silver tongued cavalier. There's caveats aplenty, not least the continued recovery of my shoulder, but I'll express an interest. Things certainly do get lumpy around Peterfield.
 
@StuAff Do you have approx mileage and/or profile? How many women have gone in previous years?
I'd like to think I'm fit enough for this but realistically won't consider it unless the proportion of women is at least 20% as it seems to take at least that* to have any impact on the ride leader's decisions as to pace and re-groups for it to be more female-friendly. (Just sayin'.)

*Alternatively, for the only other woman on the ride to be the ride leader's SO!
 
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StuAff

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
@StuAff Do you have approx mileage and/or profile? How many women have gone in previous years?
I'd like to think I'm fit enough for this but realistically won't consider it unless the proportion of women is at least 20% as it seems to take at least that* to have any impact on the ride leader's decisions as to pace and re-groups for it to be more female-friendly. (Just sayin'.)

*Alternatively, for the only other woman on the ride to be the ride leader's SO!
Distance: it'll be 80-85. My mileage for last year's was 80, but that was from Clapham Junction (couldn't make the start in time, so joined them at Roehampton Gate). Lumpy. Strava says 3,404ft of climbing for last year's, and most of that's in a thirty mile stretch....There will be two or three ladies at least, have been most years. 2015 had a total of 14 riders.
 
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StuAff

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
An update from ride leader on FB..

An update and good news with respect to the ride from London Village on the 20th. The Hayling Ferry is running earlier especially for us so it will be a slightly different route homeward bound this year. Hoorah! The route from London to Havant will be identical to last year with an excursion via Richmond Pk, exotic Guildford, the glistening hoops of Petersfield McDonalds with the exhilaration of surmounting Kiln Lane to descend to Rowlands Castle and beyond. There are 15 of us signed up from FB and nearly 20 in total.

Hummers also confirmed that the breakfast cafe will indeed be the most excellent Spinnaker.
 
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Bollo

Failed Tech Bro
Location
Winch
Can I express an official intention via your good self as I don't have diplomatic immunity for YaCF and I can't be harsed with FB? Point me to any T&Cs that I need to be aware of, though I should be covered through BC.

Even though I'll not be on a water-soluble bike (RIP) I'll probably bail if the weather is apocolyptic is the style of this year's IoW and I might have to turn right at Petersfield if my shoulder starts playing up. Otherwise it's a date!
 
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StuAff

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
Can I express an official intention via your good self as I don't have diplomatic immunity for YaCF and I can't be harsed with FB? Point me to any T&Cs that I need to be aware of, though I should be covered through BC.

Even though I'll not be on a water-soluble bike (RIP) I'll probably bail if the weather is apocolyptic is the style of this year's IoW and I might have to turn right at Petersfield if my shoulder starts playing up. Otherwise it's a date!
There isn't a YACF thread this time around, but your name's in the FB hat.
 
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Bollo

Failed Tech Bro
Location
Winch
Bump! Stu, I'd check the weather. The beeb are saying heavy rain and a strong headwind (up to 40-50mph gusts on the coast) over Friday night and Saturday morning. A weather warning has been issued. A few other forecasters are less apocalyptic though. Things have started to get a little awkward in real life as well, so I'm bailing from this one early. Sorry. I might be on for your Nov ride, which definitely isn't an official FNRttC. :okay:
 
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StuAff

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
Bump! Stu, I'd check the weather. The beeb are saying heavy rain and a strong headwind (up to 40-50mph gusts on the coast) over Friday night and Saturday morning. A weather warning has been issued. A few other forecasters are less apocalyptic though. Things have started to get a little awkward in real life as well, so I'm bailing from this one early. Sorry. I might be on for your Nov ride, which definitely isn't an official FNRttC. :okay:
You and me both. Sounds very nasty indeed...
 
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StuAff

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
Despite Brian, the intrepid crew did indeed ride (and some of them rode up as well, naturally!). Marcia commented on her Strava "A wet ride that saved the wild & windy bits until we hit the edge of Portsmouth. A grand adventure!".
Didn't seem that bad this morning, but then I wasn't wet & knackered :smile:
 
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