FNRttC FNRttC 3rd July to Brighton - the 'Genteel' ride 2009

[GrumpyGregry]

loved it, loved every single leg aching lung burning minute of every climb, and loved x10 every eyeball popping 'don't touch the brakes til the bottom' moment of every descent. Loved the people I met new and old, great to put names to faces and usernames in here. Found myself way out of my depth with the fast boys at the front up until after Ardingly a few more times that my legs thought quite appropriate but it does earn you a nice long rest at the top of the hill. Chasing fit women and fit men is quite entertaining though I'd candidly admit in different ways .

Shorts and short sleeves throughout though with a gilet until the beacon; perfect attire for me, even in the mists. Must be all that time I spend wearing similar on Rugby pitches in winter.

Excellent company for beakfast; thank TimO and other for the rundown on OS compatible satnavs need one for the planned Trans Cambrian in the autumn.

Twiddled off to preston park at 9 to see brother-in-law and wife and kids for a cup off coffee and a use of the bathroom and discuss forthcoming assualt on SDW. Ablutions over and refreshed I flew back to Horsham in a new PB, found myself thinking "the steep bit is coming up soon" on Bolney Hill only to realise what I used to regard as the steep bit is now laughed at by my legs.

Did my church gig, came home fell asleep on the sofa and had this blissful dream in which the Lions trounced the sarfers in the third test. Looking at todays papers it seems I stayed awake about 80 minutes longer than I thought.

Simon; please grin like a Cheshire Cat every time you think about Friday's ride; you deserve a gong for services to cycling.

Everyone; if I was even a teeny bit grumpy with anyone I beg your indulgance and forgiveness; you are, to a woman and man, the best cycling compainons a chap could ask for. Looking forward to the pictures on top of the excellent ones above.

Bliss. Sheer bliss.

 

[Tim Hall]

About the best FNRttC ever. A brilliant mix of people, bikes, conversation.

I almost persuaded this elegant lady to join us. She mistook the gathering and safety briefing for a film shoot. I explained it was all the fault of The Man With the Knee Bandage and that we were riding to the seaside. "Oh which charity?" Funny, I didn't realise we were on an audax.

Jan, Scott and I got into formation to go past the Gatso in the 20mph section approaching Coulsdon, but no double flash. Bah.

A long wait ensued at Portnall's Road while the TECs attempted to revive Hermann's rear wheel. Chapeau to Adrian for whizzing off to get a new tyre. FWIW both 'Teef and I (at least) carried tyre boots. Tim O probably had a whole new bike in pieces in his pannier.

Admired Pippa's chainring tattoo. Keen students will notice this is on the wrong side.

Hit 62.0 kmh-1 down Reigate Hill.Failed again at the double flash moment.

And then we were in Reigate, home turf for me and not so familiar for others, sothey mised the turning down Bancroft Road, deciding that Dorking and points west were preferrable. I gave my best taxi hailing whistle and stopped afew, with tail lights disappearing over the horizon. I explained to few how to rejoin the route and sped (FSVO sped) off. Then there was a Braizillian Blur as Danilo went to round them up at an amazing speed. I wisely gave up and waited for their return and shepherd the rather large bunch back throuh the one way system. At this point we almost lot Matthew's Dad.

And so to Gatwick, which was busy. But the coffee and bun was fine,as was the conversation and Pippa's other chainring tattoo.

I had a lovely natter with Angela-Marie as we tootled down from Turner's Hill to Lindfield, and scoffed a choccy bar. This was a big mistake, as I bonked badly on the run into Ditchling. Emergency nutty oaty sticky thing in my bag fixed that and I was then ready for the beacon. How disapponing for Angela-Marie that she was just too strong for her chain. Still it gave us boys a chance to get our hands dirty.

And then Brighton, where I had a dip in the oggin, followed by FEB with Black Pud and a snooze on the train.

See how the curves of the roof are better upside down.

More pictures here

 

[Tim Hall]

Now then faces to names:

Which one is MacB? And who was the big guy in the LCC shirt?

Sig SilverPrinter, were you the lady at Turner's Hill listening to my tale of Magenta/Pink bikes?

And a bloke who'd just joined Audax UK, who are you? And a chap on a Boardman something or other, picking my brains about the suitability of dong Audax rides as we went past the Cheshire home. Then it turned out he'd ridden End to End.

Other gaps will pop up as I wake up.

 

[mike e]

New rules for Friday night rides (in order to identify fellow riders)

1.Always ride the same bike, even if you've got a shed full of them

2.Always wear the same kit, even if you've got a wardrobe full of it

3. Try not to grow new facial hair between rides (should not apply to female riders)

Following the above should help enormously and alleviate the need for the FNRTttC name badge!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mike e]

As an example our great leader, Simon, is a benchmark pupil..............

Same super speedy Colnago, same attire (including of course the legendary knee bandage, and very well kept facial hair situation.........

Now this was all well and good until the early hours of Saturday morning when I spotted another knee bandage, this is were it can all get confusing!!!

 

[topcat1]

Ditchling beacon photos are over in the photo gallery

 

[ChrisKH]

Ditchling beacon photos are over in the photo gallery

Nice one tc. That's one of two photo's in the world of me on a bike!

What happens to the orchestrated 'bod with bike' photo's taken mid-ride? Do they get sent to MI5?

 

[topcat1]

Nice one tc. That's one of two photo's in the world of me on a bike!

What happens to the orchestrated 'bod with bike' photo's taken mid-ride? Do they get sent to MI5?

I'm saving those for a complete mouseketeer thread.

 

[MacB]

Now then faces to names:

Which one is MacB? .

I hopefully still resemble my photo here, was wearing black long sleeved top, no headwear and frequently to be seen having a smoke. Oh, and how can I forget, the beautiful butterfly bars on my Giant

 

[Aperitif]

Handbag was moonlighting at Dunwich last night...naughty naughty!

I was ready to support the cause...

 

[Aperitif]

I'm saving those for a complete mouseketeer thread.

Some more smashing photos topcat1 - and, nice to meet you Mark. Your young brother was on his best behaviour - trust me...

 

[clivedb]

A great ride again - my first anniversary FNRttC ride as it happens. I took some photos of Simon but unfortunately the one of him appearing at the top of Ditchling for the second time is blurred. But this one is typical - he's off down the Beacon to help someone out. Many thanks yet again to Simon and the support crew.

This time was another first because I cycled on from Brighton and completed 100 miles for the first time since I was about 17. I always thought people who did that were nutters, so it seems that the night rides have changed my perception of reality. MacB has posted on that adventure so I won't repeat it here. But special thanks to Marilyn, MacB and Mick for that fun jaunt. Photo of lunch at Noah's Ark in Lurgashall below.

I have some more photos but they need compressing before I can get them up. They include (historic?) ones of Pippa and Sig arriving at the top of the Beacon.

 

[TimO]

My photos are here. Rather too many shots are a bit blurry, which is probably the effect of taking pictures of moving objects when the light isn't very good.

The route is now also on Bikely.

 

[theclaud]

A splendid night all round. Great to meet some of the Legends of Cyclechat - a thoroughly charming bunch, the lot of you. My first ever overnight bike ride - I imagined that staying awake would be a challenge, but it's all so exhilarating that you quickly forget you're supposed to be asleep, from the moment that the FNRttC crocodile reclaims the streets at HPC. Descending into the cool dawn mists after Gatwick was the sensual highlight, a (dis)comfort break in the nettles and brambles before the Beacon notwithstanding.

I stuck around with another newbie for a fair bit of the way - the lissom Emma (pics to follow, Gentlemen). She was originally a little apprehensive after two of her friends cancelled at short notice, but was soon outpedalling a few of the regulars and pretty much whooping and gambolling (if such a thing is possible on two wheels) by the time we got to Turner's Hill. I brought two more first-timers, Andrea and Arnaud, who conquered such obstacles as indecently knobbly mtb tyres, and the inability to last for more than half an hour without canoodling, to arrive at the top of the Beacon only a smooch behind the main body of riders - well done, you gorgeous blond(e)s.

The route was lovely, but the people are the thing. GrumpyGreg seemed decidely ungrumpy to me, although the other Greg did a fairly entertaining line in grumpy when forsaken by the Beacon taxi. I never realised folders were so fast until Stu and Titus whizzed past at abouth 40mph. Other highlights: A smiling RichP appearing in a CC jersey before the Beacon; ilovebikes deliberately going the wrong way twice (silly boy, somebody tell him he'll have to climb that nasty hill again!); Angela-Marie undaunted by her bad luck when she so nearly cleaned the hill; The Doctor's Crazy Mobile Disco Lid (which might have earned us the unwelcome attention of airport security for its ability to divert planes into buildings). Lovely also to meet Teef, Bludge and Coruskate, and the splendid chap (whose name I disgracefully failed to ask) who save me the trouble of fixing my own flat. Fine job by all the techies/waymarkers (we never went the wrong way, honestly guv)/TECs - particularly Adrian's heroic attempts to rescue the Bike of Doom. Above all, thanks to Our Fearless Leader - as fine a fellow in the flesh as he is on these boards.

A few lightweights apparently went on to a flimsy, walk-in-the-park outing known as the Dunwich Dynamo. The real hardcore stuck around in Brighton and went to the boozer. Not that we slept on the beach first at all, and the first pint was definitely not a shandy . Thanks, Adrian, for a good tip about trains...

 

[StuAff]

I never realised folders were so fast until Stu and Titus whizzed past at abouth 40mph.

I wasn't that quick. My bike's only called a Jetstream, doesn't actually have one on the back...! I was hitting about 30 mph on the faster downhill sections, I generally top out about 20 on the flat, 26 with a tailwind my record. But thanks for the compliment (if you think we were fast, the fastest guys at the Nocturne Series folding bike races can get up to 35 mph...).