Brighton with the old cars - Sunday November 4 - honk honk wizz bang wheeze!

[Trickedem]

We won't go through Godstone. The first half of the route is Croydon, Purley, Coulsdon, Redhill, Gatwick, Crawley.

Bromley South to East Croydon is only just over 6 miles. You could do that by not a huge amount after the scheduled 8:00 depart. A small group could always wait behind and pace you back to the ride.

Thanks Adrian and Tim, I will plan what I am doing nearer the time, but will consider both options.

 

[Recycle]

Count me in. I'll join at East Croydon.

 

[martint235]

We won't go through Godstone. The first half of the route is Croydon, Purley, Coulsdon, Redhill, Gatwick, Crawley.

Bromley South to East Croydon is only just over 6 miles. You could do that by not a huge amount after the scheduled 8:00 depart. A small group could always wait behind and pace you back to the ride.

Thanks Adrian and Tim, I will plan what I am doing nearer the time, but will consider both options.

Is the route just straight down the A23 to Crawley? If it is, I'm happy to wait behind at EC and pace you back on to the tail.

 

[arallsopp]

He disappeared on his bent the year before. For some reason 30 odd cyclists stood outside a pub didn't register with him and so he continued to Brighton.

Spectacularly unfair, Mart. I'd stopped some way back to rescue some not-totally-unfortunate-looking damsels in distress, and was pushing hard to try and catch up with you all. Once I realised you'd been at the pub 40 odd minutes and that I still hadn't caught you, I stopped to ring and say "go ahead without me".

OK, so it turned out I made that call about 50ft before I spotted the 'welcome to Brighton' sign, and that the amassed riders were probably 25 miles behind me, but that's not to be helped It was a lovely afternoon waiting for you all to arrive

Oh, and the VM *should* be making an appearance. And might even be doing the return leg with gears. I've not been riding of late. Does anyone know whose turn it is to suffer a major mechanical to the rear derailleur?

 

[martint235]

Spectacularly unfair, Mart. I'd stopped some way back to rescue some not-totally-unfortunate-looking damsels in distress, and was pushing hard to try and catch up with you all. Once I realised you'd been at the pub 40 odd minutes and that I still hadn't caught you, I stopped to ring and say "go ahead without me".

OK, so it turned out I made that call about 50ft before I spotted the 'welcome to Brighton' sign, and that the amassed riders were probably 25 miles behind me, but that's not to be helped It was a lovely afternoon waiting for you all to arrive

Oh, and the VM *should* be making an appearance. And might even be doing the return leg with gears. I've not been riding of late. Does anyone know whose turn it is to suffer a major mechanical to the rear derailleur?

This should probably read "Once I'd realised I'd passed you all at the pub 40 minutes previously I called to say "Hi"".

 

[Andrij]

I 'accidentally' did part of this event a few years ago. A friend and had planned on riding, then decided we weren't, then decided to 'at least ride down to Hyde Park and have a look at the cars as they set off.

We saw them setting off and decided to ride along with them a bit. That 'bit' was all the way down to Gatwick. We started late and were slow, so by the time we hit the dual carriageway (where my riding partner decreed we'd take the path) we were riding with the last few cars. We then took advantage of the 'Gatwick Surprise', had a cuppa then caught the train home.

Considering my location, if I ride I'll probably 'start' from Hyde Park as the event starts.

 

[dellzeqq]

if anybody's reading this and wondering, then I'd urge them to do it if only for the crowds. It is an odd feeling riding down Streatham High Road early on a Sunday and seeing the side of the road lined with people, often elderly, just having a good time. And it goes on - save for some bits of the A23, and the more rural bits southeast of Crawley, there are people lining the roads all the way to the coast.

The passengers in the cars are really welcoming. There's no resentment of the intrusion by cyclists.

 

[rb58]

Does anyone know whose turn it is to suffer a major mechanical to the rear derailleur?

Gulp! I shall be a carrying a spare derailler, mech hanger, chain and appropriate tools.......

 

[martint235]

Fixed is the way to go. Anything else is already broken.

Hmm from what I hear fixed tends to lead to things being broken, usually bones. I offer rb58, GregCollins and Aperitif as evidence m'lud.

 

[martint235]

And this stems from the fixedness?

Errrm it seems to have done to an extent yes.

 

[martint235]

What does "Errrm" mean?

It kind of translates to AFAIK. Certainly 'Teef's off a few months ago was cos he "forgot" he was on his fixed after riding a geared bike for a while

 

[Davywalnuts]

http://www.travelodge.co.uk/

 

[rb58]

It kind of translates to AFAIK. Certainly 'Teef's off a few months ago was cos he "forgot" he was on his fixed after riding a geared bike for a while

I lay the blame for mine firmly at the feet of the pedestrian who stepped out in front of me. I'd have gone down whether I was geared, fixed or riding a Penny Farthing....

 

[ChrisBailey]

I'll be going down to East Croydon, but I am absolutely not going to be taking some weird pony diversion north to join the route. I'll head west from the station and south to the A235

I'll plan to be at East Croydon, hopefully the weather will be better than for the Historic Commercial Vehicles earlier in the year.

 

[ianrauk]

I'll plan to be at East Croydon, hopefully the weather will be better than for the Historic Commercial Vehicles earlier in the year.

Or the Vintage Car Rally 4 years ago... yegods it was a heck of a deluge. Nasty.