FNRttC FNRttC 30th October to Whitstable 2009

[MacB]

Another great night and rain, what rain, I cycled to Farnborough Station, it started raining just after I arrived. I then cycled from Victoria to HPC, in the dry, and it started raining just after I arrived there. The rain stopped before we set off for Whitstable and started again just as I arrived at the cafe. A less superstitious person than myself may begin to wonder, I've still not been wet on a social ride

So the ride, big thanks to Simon and Co, words really don't cover how well organised, welcoming and enjoyable these rides are. Great company as usual and I really don't know where the time goes, it seems such a short night. My cockiness in proclaiming that I'd still never had a puncture was suitably rewarded. Had my first one, on the rear, but was actually quite pleased. The fix seemed to go very smoothly, no problems getting wheel on and off, or tyre and tube. Only issue was being unable to find the culprit, made me a little nervous setting off again, but was fine. Though I had practiced wheel and tyre removal, and replacement, in the garage, it's satisfying, if tougher, to have achieved it on the road. Second deflation was down to inattention, hitting a doozy of a pothole and I ended up thankful that I managed not to come off the bike. Repair was smooth again, though Teef did a lot of the work on this one, I was in a fair amount of discomfort due to the recent saddle/butt/lower back interaction. Unfortunately this one also did for a spoke and, as I discovered at bike shop in Whitstable, cracked the rim as well.

Great to meet everyone as usual, particular thanks to Wheeledweenie for her company over the last 10 miles or so. I talk so much that I was genuinely surprised when I looked around and saw we were actually in Whitstable Looks like a new 'informal' club may be forming, to be known as the Lushketeers. Membership entry will be quite strict, and variable, basically being decided by a bunch of drunks on an adhoc basis Simon may get a kind of honorary membership but his whiny medical excuses for abstinance won't be tolerated. Great crack in the bar at Whitstable, again Though I wimped out when we got back to London and decided I needed to go straight home. My suitably beered up, and rude, companions, cycled off from Victoria without so much as a goodbye!!!! There are pictures lurking around, haven't had any blackmail demands yet so maybe they aren't too bad.

 

[marinyork]

Thanks for a good ride .

 

[Aperitif]

Great report Marin.

Alastair - you disappeared quicker than a Crackerjack pencil from the hands of the Great Soprendo...we were looking for you after you mentioned the words "...I'm going into survival mode now..." We didn't do much after that - just mowed down a load of peds in Covent Garden and stumbled into the Chandos - opp. the National Portrait Gallery (BTW, where one is able to see Sig's Black & White handiwork, at the photography exhibitions, from time to time ).
Apparently there was 'good lager' available, 'very good cider' and Sam Smith's. All were purchased, tested and passed fit before mikee, Alan (our guide ) and Paul (see report above) disappeared to Condor. Claudine and I said goodbye as the effects of the crack wore off...to be relived on here.
We were under surveillance throughout our imbibing by CycleChat TV...I wonder if Shaun has a special Smart Car that he parks up outside the pub on Saturday afternoon. Cops too. Time for a bit of research...

 

[Aperitif]

Great ride, great vids & great pics. Thanks everybody for a good night out.
Looking forward to the next one..

Hello John - at least we made contact this time - possibly I was more incoherent than usual...you'll get used to it!

 

[arallsopp]

Ah yes! John! You and Ian and I shared a train back to Victoria, via Faversham, calling at all stations, no stations, definitely all stations (that's what it says in my book), no stations (I assure you) and eventually Faversham only.
Ian and I then shared that self same train back to Bromley South, as neither of us managed to pull the emergency cord on the first time through.

 

[mike e]

Thanks for a good ride .

The bloke you have attached to the end of your thread is definitely pedalling faster than you were on Friday night....

Sorry you had an "horrific" night, hopefully it was just a one off...

 

[Aperitif]

Well, I was talking to my Mum about the effect the River Thames has on London and she said that she had always thought that, since traversing Putney Bridge for the boat race, selling her 'favours' (little indicators of allegiance) - either light or dark blue/Cambridge or Oxford...She might have enjoyed Friday Night's exit from London as the superlit South Bank hove into view and continued its shimmering reflection towards Tower Bridge. Marin asked me which tower of Tower Bridge was visible from our stopping point at 6 More London Place? (Answers on a postcard please to marinyork @ clankers.com)

I was running this ride on 'empty' and so tired that I would quite happily have hopped into a rowdy cab full of damsels at the first opportunity. Unfortunately, we were blessed with little interaction from the hoi-polloi, possibly due to the shortage of eggs created by Halloween (that spurious excuse for arallsopp to exhume someone, and mount the 'unfortunate soul' above his recumbent) and progressed smoothly. It was all rather ghostly because there was a shortage of Tims on this ride - a spectre draped over Mercian pink appeared in the form of Tim Hall (not just a regular 'Tim H' but a 'Tim Hall' - check the rider list!).

Brian Superstar was there - Mr Fassa Bortolo - as Monsieur Nonchalant, this man is ever a delight to chat with. Anyone who has joined the rides this year, make a point of improving your life by listening to this guy - smashing bloke, and a catalyst for many of us on here.
At the café they love him so much there was even an homage to his presence...

By 3:30am I was desperate for a beer really in need of a cup of tea - as was my mate Des...he was (unusually for him) a bit in the 'zone' where fancy becomes longing and you will the Café to come closer. Keiron was there - all smiles as bloody usual, and we got fed and warmed before setting off towards 'Whitstable mon Amour'...We all missed the Davywalnuts "65cms relaxed" thigh exercises (FNRs passim) but it left plenty of room for us.

Hi-viz to the fore...

I think we passed Faversham, because mikee said (about 200 times that day) "let's just cycle to Faversham and get the train, that way we'll..." (yeah - OK mike, will do. - let's have another beer). Marin/Paul was enjoying the crack/craic although his tyres were not up to much and kept letting in bits and bobs, making his innertubes gasp their last. Our hands were covered in genuine Sheffield pit grime, dating back twenty years I imagine. As the FNRttC fixers administered his progress. Tim Hall, who wasn't there as there was a distinct shortage of Tims, had a decent pump which breathed Northern Soul into the tube (dellzeqq and self had gasped our last from the cached CO2 bombs we were carrying).
These rides are all about fun - always in no short supply. If anyone wants to rant about something, then find a pillow...

F-U-N

I have no idea (as per) and no care to what time we rolled into Whitstable, but I found myself in the company of Adam, User10571 and Pippa - taking the long short cut along the seafront. Beautiful - thank you User10571. It was a nice observation to see Pippa and User10571 dressed 'assymetrically' in Assos, Sidi, atop equally elegant bikes. It is a picture for my mind and will not exist as a photo...just as a moment.

marinyork/Paul was doing his best to impersonate Andy's spectre in white as the ride drew to a close, and I'm thinking he would rather have been impaled upon a fishing rod than endured the last ten miles on his pit bike. He made it though - and the FNR crack dealers were laying in wait...

Paul, restored to full colour, prior to being drained once again, following an introductory course in 'Advanced Mouseketeering' at the hands of the Waterfront Café attendees...

We don't like the lift music at the Waterfront! Selected tracks of 'Jazz Club' vintage were also muted in volume. (Unlike the Northern chav - as selected by mikee...bah bloody humbug).

mikee was machine gunning questions at these two squash players who had finished their game and 'popped upstairs for a quiet coffee.'

Actually, mikee was given an extensive lesson in pronunciation by Ian - wrote indelibly on the mind I'm sure..."' 'Newcarsoow', not 'Newcassle' " We had a lot of laughs. Ian, trying to gain promotion from 'Fatketeer 'Hon. Member' to fully-fledged 'Mouseketeer' was dedicated: "No. We're going now. "What are we going to do?" Right. Oh. OK then - I'll have Bombardier." (Once an arsenal supporter - always an arsenal supporter eh Ian? ) )
I did ask one of the delightful ladies behind the bar for "Athur Pumpkin please love" - given the day, but she said "No, sorry - haven't got any." 'OK, squash will do'- but I don't think she got it.

Legless, us? No way.

Alastair - my counter and fixer was there, and it is good when he's around. Sure, when he punctured he took his spare tube from the packet and tried to smoke it - but that's only second nature - he's one of the bearing balls that make the hub of CycleChat work on our rides. (He's always well oiled by midday on a Saturday so...QED)

Anyway -we got back to Victoria, Claudine, Alan, Paul, mikee, Al and self, via a urine flooded train and a disgruntled Thai lady who needed to get off at Bromley South and meet her son who was going to drive her to Brixton to meet others prior to jetting off for relatives in the East the day after. I probably made some comment about close family Thais but it went over her head. She was quite short though.
Bromley South came, we moved our stuff, took her bags off the train, she was happy and her faith in the FNRttC was restored.

mike was as helpful as ever

and I'll leave the last word to Simon

Others were left to dream...

I will not be in England for the last ride to the Coast. Good luck everyone - see you in 2010 - if I'm lucky.

 

[dellzeqq]

Another great night and rain, what rain, I cycled to Farnborough Station, it started raining just after I arrived. I then cycled from Victoria to HPC, in the dry, and it started raining just after I arrived there. The rain stopped before we set off for Whitstable and started again just as I arrived at the cafe. A less superstitious person than myself may begin to wonder, I've still not been wet on a social ride

the rain thing was spooky. We rode on wet roads for half the distance, which means that, had we not been delayed by punctures, we might have got very wet. Think on, unbelievers.......

 

[Aperitif]

the rain thing was spooky. We rode on wet roads for half the distance, which means that, had we not been delayed by punctures, we might have got very wet. Think on, unbelievers.......

My bike arrived, covered in merde...User10571's machine, and Alan's come to that - were pristine during and after the sortie. Is there some sort of spray one can purchase or is it just 'one of those things'? (Matt of this parish has been found guilty polishing his 'Plug' during a ride, it has to be said...)

 

[Aperitif]

Blimey, didn't no-one ride back?

Yeh - of course we did.

Look here Lee - if we couldn't draft you for 80 miles, we wozn't goin' to draft anybody. So.

(Hope you ae feeling ok - don't let this tale of minor debauchery upset you).

(Too much )

 

[ianrauk]

I had full intentions but for Ape, Mark, Claudine and 4 pints later

Blimey, didn't no-one ride back?

 

[ianrauk]

oh - another highlight. Ian's leggings. He towed me back to the group somewhere near Chalk, and those leggings are seriously bright.

 

[Aperitif]

Well - for those that are interested, I got the barcode scanner to work...it was operator error.
(Ian is an expert on barcodes by the way - ask him what he knows next time).
I had an albeit brief chat with Rachael / Wheeledhalloweenie about the merits of music (She knowledgeable, my input: brief)
Here's the first track I was trying to remember. ( A tribute to all ladies of the night on Friday/Saturday).
And you were spot on about Dellzeqq Rascal.
And, if Dizzee Legg is listening in, you should really get your way and sing Jerusalem - I suggest from the top of Ditchling - on the next ride out. (Make sure Arthur, Andy and assorted A/V experts are there to record the moment for ever.)

 

[dellzeqq]

And, if Dizzee Legg is listening in, you should really get your way and sing Jerusalem - I suggest from the top of Ditchling - on the next ride out. (Make sure Arthur, Andy and assorted A/V experts are there to record the moment for ever.)

If Wowbagger comes along we'll do our 'Ode to Joy' in German disco-stylee with hand-jive.

 

[mike e]

Another classic Friday night, it had it all.

mike e's "great FNRttC checklist"

1) Unusualness (probably not a proper word)

2) Teamwork helping stricken comrades

3) A lovely dawn sunrise is always a nice bonus

4) And so is a lovely breakfast at the end

5) But most of all it's the people you meet

I can honestly say that if there were no trains running I would ride to London every month for these rides, there is something bizarrely addictive about them....

Until the next one, byeeeeee