FNRttC Southwold - Now Closed

[BigGee]

The Southwold FNRttC, so good we have to do it twice! That in itself gives this ride a unique flavour as if it did not have enough unique selling points already. As is traditional for this ride, the weather gods had already given their blessing and so a group of 15 set off from HPC full of expectation about a great ride to come. It was not to disappoint.

The journey out of London was fairly uneventful, punctuated by a brief meeting with Sandra in Stratford, who was unfortunately unable to join us this time. The warm weather seemed to have fired up the boy racers of east London and we had one or two close enough encounters with them. All part of the joy of Romford Rd unfortunately. We had our first real stop in Brentwood, which was surprisingly civilized for once and some pre packed refuelling took place. We had a chat with the local street Pasteur's, patrolling the streets looking for waifs and strays, of which, from previous experience, there are usually plenty littering the streets of Brentwood at 2am on a Saturday morning, but not on this occasion. Then it was off into the night and the countryside, next stop Malden and our brief refuelling opportunity before the serious riding took place.

Due to the constraints on the ferry numbers, the ride splits in to two halves at this point, somewhat unfairly named teams fast and slow! This does give the chance though for those in the front group to give it a lash and really enjoy some full on fast group riding and boy did we. Gordon and I were meant to be leading this group but whilst we were having a momentary discussion about the route we found ourselves dropped off the back and had to chase like hell to catch up. I think they had to slow up for us in the end as it was one of those gaps that we seemed never quite able to close. This went on all the way down to Mersea and the ferry with everyone having a go at the front and pretty much all of hanging on at the back at times. This is probably the only the only FNRttC where we get the opportunity to do a prolonged fast ride like this and is all part of the uniqueness of this event. The only thing that did slow us up was Claudine popping a spoke on her back wheel. The wheel fortunately stayed reasonably true and a temporary fix was quickly made. I made a suggestion about proceeding at a more reasonable pace which everyone ignored and we pilled on until we hit the beach!

The ferryman, unlike last year was waiting for us this time and whisked us over to Brightlingsea over a slightly choppy River Colne. We had a brief regroup on the other side to let Adrian sort out Claude's wheel before we set off for Harwich. Here the effects of our burn down from Malden and a surprisingly strong headwind began to catch up with us and this turned into the hardest part of the ride. You can see the tall cranes of Felixstowe a long way out from Harwich but for a long time they never seemed to be getting any nearer. Eventually though we got off the country roads where we were getting battered by the wind, into the town and down to the port of Harwich where we were greeted by my mum and dad bearing coffee, biscuits and orange juice. Just about everything the weary riders needed at that point in their journey.

After a slightly long and worrying wait for the ferry to Felixstowe, during which time we were joined by the second team (I don't think it is fair to call them team slow!) it was onto the ferry again and another choppy crossing to Felixstowe and on to our much needed breakfast. This did not disappoint either, a different café to last year and recommended by the guys on the ferry. Quantity and quality both good and fuel was dually placed back in the tank for the final leg of the ride up to Southwold.

Last year this stretch seemed to take forever. It was really hot, everyone was cooked and it was a stuggle. This year despite a headwind it seemed to fly by. Spirit and conversation was good, no-one was obviously struggling and as Suzie kept reminding everyone, the prospect of beer was getting forever closer. In what seemed like no time at all, the jewel of the Suffolk coast came into view over the marshes and suddenly we were outside the Sole Bay Inn, basking in the sun and the glory of the ride, pints of Adnams in hand!

We spent a very pleasant hour or so there and then Charlie, Gordon, Michael and myself wearily got ourselves back in the saddle for the trek back down to Ipswich and the train home. This was a long 38 miles after the day we had had and so we followed last years plan of breaking the journey in Leiston for a bag of chips to sustain us. Unfortunately when we got there last years chip shop seemed to have closed/moved or simply no longer exists. Some chatty friendly locals quickly recommended another establishment but we has to wait till 16.30 for this to open. The chips were good but it did end up putting us under a little bit of time pressure to back to Ipswich for our train. We summoned our last remaining energy and pressed on, finally making it with 25 minutes to spare.

I ended up with 173 miles, which should probably have been 4 or 5 further as I forgot to switch the garmin back on when I left HPC. Here is the route if anyone is interested.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/368455653

All that remains is to say thanks to Simon and everyone on the ride for making it such an enjoyable experience and in particular to my companions on the long ride back to Ipswich. It was good to share it and I could sense the feeling of satisfaction amongst all of us whilst sitting on the train on the way home.

The debate about which is the favourite of the Friday night rides is much like that concerning the classic monuments of cycling. Milam-San Remo may be the earliest, maybe this is like Brighton. Leige-Baston-Leige may be the oldest and hilliest, maybe this like Swansea. Whitstable with its colours of the countryside and its frequent rain may be like the Tour of Lombardy. Try as I might, I unfortunately can't really match Paris-Roubaix but Southwold is definitely like The Tour of Flanders, simply the best!

 

[srw]

Just in case you ever hear anyone tell you Suffolk is pancake flat - it isn't. It rolls. Moderately gently, but it definitely rolls. It's the sort of terrain that a fast tandem with fresh riders and a clear road in front of it can eat up quite well, but a fast tandem with tired riders, a headwind and a road full of solo cyclists in front gets dropped from the pack pretty quickly, although we were never out of touch - the open road meant that we usually got to the back of the bunch just in time for the next uphill. I forget how often I reminded @rvw that we need to learn how to climb standing up. And thanks to @Adrian for his duty as TEC behind us.

That was pretty much a perfect night. Our GPS tells us that we only covered the 45 miles to Maldon at 12.1mph moving average, which surprises me - it felt quicker. The usual mildly tiresome flirtation with London traffic was over much more quickly than usual - we were at the limit of the streetlights and crossing the M25 a round 2 hours after leaving HPC (10 minutes early). Team "slow" certainly didn't hang around on the way to Mersea, arriving with perfect synchronicity as the Mersea ferry (it's a floating teatray, which leaks) hove into view to land on the beach.

Brightlingsea to Harwich isn't that exciting - it's miles of scrubby suburbia and rough pasture, increasingly into a stiff headwind. Once the Harwich ferryman had been roused from his bed (and hangover) by the harbourmaster, and once he'd negotiated that the ferry would carry the tandem whole rather than chopped up into little bits, put into carrier bags and chucked into the harbour, we set off for Felixstowe. The whole character of Suffolk is different from Essex - self-consciously pretty rather than rough and ready, sleepy rather than entrepreneurial. Felixstowe itself (apart from the stiff pull up to the cliff-top) is a lovely place to ride through, and the breakfast at the other end didn't disappoint - although the ferryman did admit to us that there was a bit of mateship going on - the ferry owner also owns the cafe.

And then across the Deben in a little dinghy which was going sideways against the strong tidal and fluvial flow into rolling Suffolk. Despite the terrain I really enjoyed that bit of the route - almost no traffic, generous tractor drivers (thanks especially to the one who went right off the road when he saw a car doing a suicide pass), glorious sunshine and increasingly large numbers of cyclists. At a junction we passed a very large group (30 odd) from what looked one of the Ipswich clubs judging by the jerseys, and also saw a tandem. Reportedly they said "look, it's the Fridays" - so if it was you, hello. Whoever had the idea to stop for icecreams - thank you. A minty Magnum was perfect.

The final run in to Southwold is a lovely route - there's a mostly tarmaced bridleway across the Blythe from Walberswick. And so to beers. The first three went down very quickly. We waved goodbye to team mad, who were going back to Ipswich, bagged up the tandem (the back bit fits very neatly on a train luggage shelf, and the rest in its bag behind the seat) before getting the taxi to Darsham. We arrived in perfect time, 4 minutes before the train.

Here's our GPS: http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=5157505. 122 miles in 10:19, according to that. I usually go by the computer on the bike, but for some reason after 10 miles it decided it wasn't go to do trip calculations any more.

 

[srw]

I think the grand total of mechanicals was 4. TC's broken spoke, and three shipped chains.

 

[StuAff]

Excellent stuff. Looking forward to the second edition even more now.

 

[srw]

I was almost the last into the shop - they did seem quite pleased to be able to take another £30 from us before they closed - and also sell some rashers of bacon. By that stage of the day I'd had enough bacon to last me for a while.

 

[StuAff]

If you buy something from a shop and eat it there, does that not make it shop refuse? The staff clearly thought not.

 

[srw]

One more memory. Somewhere in Suffolk - I think on the road into Walberswick. A short stretch of uphill. We have a clear run at the downhill, and get up enough speed to make it to the top. We even pass Mr Legg, who seems to have spent the entire last 30 miles in the 20-tooth cog on his cassette.

 

[srw]

Another memory (last one before I get out of bed, I promise). While we were waiting for the second ferry 'cross the Deben the first of the youngsters who'd been launching the yachts set off. Seriously good sailors - they seemed to be headed straight for one of the boats moored midstream, but by dint of a bit of body-stretching over the side missed it by a whisker. Given the combination of stiff wind and fast current, that was impressive.

 

[rvw]

Another hearty thanks from me to @dellzeqq for all the organisation. It was another really glorious night and even the headwind up through Suffolk couldn't spoil such a fabulous morning. I happen to love ferries so wasn't at all bothered by traversing a river in a leaky tea-tray. It all just adds to the fun.

Overheard at some stage during that section, from Suzie: "Cycling's really all about the mind, isn't it? Oh - and food."

And good company, beer and cider!

 

[wanda2010]

Now looking forward to the next one.

 

[Tim Hall]

At a junction we passed a very large group (30 odd) from what looked one of the Ipswich clubs judging by the jerseys, and also saw a tandem. Reportedly they said "look, it's the Fridays" - so if it was you, hello.

My sinister agents suggest that was fboab and (presumably) Chris S from YACF. Rock hard audaxers, like a zillion miles a week, LEL that sort of thing. fboab has complimented me on my fine pumping action in the past.

 

[srw]

My sinister agents suggest that was fboab and (presumably) Chris S from YACF. Rock hard audaxers, like a zillion miles a week, LEL that sort of thing. fboab has complimented me on my fine pumping action in the past.

Say hello next time you have the chance. It was one of our zipping-down-the-hill-to-tag-on-to-the-back-of-the-group moments, so I got nothing more than "it's a blue tandem".

 

[CharlieB]

Well, that was a ride and a half.
Strictly speaking, it's three.
It's the wonders of a large portion of the Southend FNRttC, then the dash across the flatlands of Essex to get the Mersea and Harwich ferries, and finally a wonderful day ride through some of Suffolk's finest farmland.
It took forever to get out of London suburbia, as we were caught at (almost?) every single red light going. You don't realise just how many there are until that happens.
A degree of cloud cover kept the temperature warm enough not to need a jacket.
Once clear of Brentwood, we seemed to acquire wings, and onto Maldon for a brief refuelling stop. The fast team reached the ferry at Mersea in about an hour, and sped on after sorting TC's spoke issue to Harwich where Graham's M & D were waiting with coffee, juice and ginger nuts. It was much appreciated, thank you so much.
Meeting Andyman at the other side, where he escorted us to the breakfast stop in a nice location at the far end of Felixstowe, before we got the third ferry across to Bawdsey, where the boffins invented and tested radar.
From then on, a leisurely ride across Suffolk, where everyone seemd in good form and spirits, not least because of perfect weather conditions, a headwind notwithstanding.
It was a terrific sight for quite a long stretch where the front four (or five?) were all in Friday's tops, flying red stars, and it was somewhere along there where the tandemistas passed the comment passim. Lots of piggies in the fields.
We reached Southwold at precisely two o'clock, where Adnams in brown and ruby varieties was a welcome refresher, underneath the lighthouse.
Team Ipswich left at about three thirty to get a booked train, with a refuelling stop at Leiston for chips. Finding the chippie we visted last year was no longer there, we had a typically Suffolk conversation with some locals when we asked the whereabout of an alternative.
'Do you know where there's a fish and chip shop, please?'
'Well there's one up there, but you don't want to go to that one. There's another one down that way, but we don't think that one's good either.' Etc…
After waiting for the chosen establishment to open, we looked a bit tight for time to get to Ipswich, so it was another frantic dash for the final 25 miles, led by Graham at a phenomenal rate, where we got to the train station with 25 minutes to spare.
Big Michael and I discovered the down side of not booking a ticket in advance when we found the single fare was £36 into London, and no Network Card acceptance.
Thank you to Simon for dreaming up the most excellent FNRttC route ever (ever ever).

You lucky lucky people on Friday - you're in for a treat - and the weather forecast is looking good.

 

[Gordon P]

@srw's reference to Team Mad (Southwold to Ipswich) was prescient - if only I had known! it was hard & I don't think I will repeat the experience this week: I am investigating Darsham options! Apart from that it was as others have said a glorious ride & I am very happy to have the honour of doing it to Fridays in succession. And I am glad to have been one of the 4 in Team Mad - I just don't want to do it again.

 

[PaulRide]

I am excited at the prospect of this coming weekend's ride but also apprehensive as I have niggling knee pains. They've not been enough to get in the way of riding (which has included some fairly challenging gradients in North Yorkshire last week) but I bet they'll make themselves felt on the ride to Southwold. I may have to put in a bid to be on the second ferry crossings, if you see what I mean. Ibuprofen and a support bandage will be part of my luggage.