FNRttC FNRttC 2nd October to Southend-on-Sea 2009

[dellzeqq]

stand by your beds! Blanco those belts! Thumbs on seams! We're expecting a visitor from P+L!!!

 

[arallsopp]

Oooh, hark at us.. We're getting a lot better at navigating these days. Hardly any dead ends this time out.

Mind you, next time the GPS says "Go RIGHT at Bexley!!!" and Ian says "No, its definitely LEFT" I must remember that he doesn't actually live where I do.

 

[Wheeledweenie]

stand by your beds! Blanco those belts! Thumbs on seams! We're expecting a visitor from P+L!!!

???

 

[mike e]

???

Hi ww, check the Whitstable thread for the guest apperance...

 

[TimO]

I haven't finished uploading my handful of photos, but I thought this one needed to be shared with you all:

Click for original
​

Ah, so cute.

 

[Wheeledweenie]

Hi ww, check the Whitstable thread for the guest apperance...

Am none the wiser as to what p+L means..... am still a newbie, how shaming! Oh and it was nice to meet you properly on this ride after hearing about the Help for Heroes ride.

 

[ianrauk]

Politics & Life forum

Nice to meet you btw

Am none the wiser as to what p+L means..... am still a newbie, how shaming! Oh and it was nice to meet you properly on this ride after hearing about the Help for Heroes ride.

 

[Wheeledweenie]

Ooooooooooh! You too Ian, although I was disappointed at the lack of woad.

 

[ianrauk]

My blue top and blue tyres made up for it I hope

Ooooooooooh! You too Ian, although I was disappointed at the lack of woad.

 

[Aperitif]

I just misread that!

 

[ianrauk]

arf...

I just misread that!

 

[TimO]

​

The remainder of my photos are here. They tend to suffer from either not using the flash, in which case they are too dark, or movement has caused blurring, or alternatively using the flash, in which case all you can see are the retroflectives on peoples clothes and bicycles.

 

[theclaud]

no. 9 is quite something, Tim

Luvverly.

Sahfend completes my FRNttC route set (until the Northern franchise kicks off in June, that is), and tho' its charms are a little more, er... oblique than the other routes, I reckon it's a winner. I had no idea that the Bata town existed; and the ghostly gas jets were a sort of mini-Mordor home-from-home for those of us that are lucky enough (no really) to live within sight of Port Talbot at night. The-following-wind-and-flat-terrain combo made for a rare treat for those of us from more vertiginous lands - pedalling was more of a habit than an obligation for much of the way. Being a bit of a swot, I'd even clicked on Simon's Claude Lorrain links before we went, so the commentary from the castle viewpoint was not entirely wasted on me (even though I was too busy winning an important argument about avian crepuscular activity to voice my appreciation).

As ever, the charm of the rides owes everything to the company. Delighted to meet the legendary Tourist Tony. A Dellzeqq-brand-compliant Brixton Cycles cap and yellow jersey flagged up a set of neat and stylish curves that could only belong to The Babe, who with the help of friend Bridget coaxed a constant stream of tea and coffee from fast-flitting waiting staff to our weary breakfast table. Teef furnished me with some pictorial souvenirs from the Whitstable ride, one of which Ruth might not thank him for. The fearless Lee dodged expertly about us on the downhills, like the people who weave through the legs of stampeding brontosauruses (brontosauri?) in terrible CGI remakes of classic movies. A bit of waymarking gave me the welcome chance to rendezvous every now and again with the stalwarts at the back - Teef, Clive, Adam and the irrepressible MikeEEEE, who along with Tim and Dr Evil made sure I was spoilt for choice when it came to puncture assistance, expertise and, well, muscle. And I reckon a sheered-off valve end is a small price to pay for 120psi from a mini-pump.

Slightly worrying to see Our Fearless Leader visibly reduced, but he fought heroically through the pain and went out of his way to make sure everyone had a way to get home. Which makes me slightly guilty that in the perturbation caused by sad incidents on the train tracks, I simply forgot to go and stand in slack-jawed admiration in front of a certain radio building. Adrian, I might add, did a fine job as Acting FL, with a similarly authoritative role played by Andrij. Among people it was nice to see again or speak to having only seen briefly before were TCs1 and 2, Sig, Chris and Wheeledweenie. And good to meet Auntie Helen, Her Welshness, ttcycle and to put a few more faces to usernames. Dr Evil, my friend from The Mumbles, enjoyed his first FNRttC, and the Dolphin Tale lives to see another ride. Thanks to Stu and Alan for their company on the train back and beyond - there was some talk about the merits of various folding mechanisms, on which Dr Evil no doubt has particularly maleficent opinions - but I decided to snooze through that bit.

The word on the street is that His Pointiness (of whom, as I have said before, I am immoderately fond) is contemplating the Whitstable run. Now that would be worth freezing for.

 

[Tony]

Arthur---excellent stuff!

 

[Tim Hall]

Thanks for the kind words about my photos.

Yes, 12 is a Tattooed Beat Messiah bearing down on an appointment with breakfast.

9 I tweaked the brightness and contrast up a bit to try and show the clouds a bit more. If I put the brightness right up it looks like Canvey Island is exploding.

I think 8 is Arthur's bike, snapped while he was getting creative on the other side of the road.