GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
Bluddy rained on me but you were miles in front at that point.
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GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
Was surprised at how little it was a distraction for me, maybe the bar bag helped. Was worried how much of a distraction it would be for others, but I was generally behind them. But gawd it looks sh1te in daylight.
GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
Chucked it down at Norwood Junction. Nasty sleet stuff. Hip flask paid dividends.
GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
My experience of Friday night and Saturday morning was a revelation. All sorts of insights into a person I thought I knew quite well, me. Frankly, without the companionship of @StuAff and @sagefly, I would have bailed from a ride I had no business being on in the first place. Ross persuaded me, gently, to sign up, shrewdly made me sit at the back as a TEC, though once it got below 2 degrees I was chuff all use in fixing anyone else's bike and would have struggled even with a familiar bike. Tools I've used dozens of times became strange and incomprehensible to me, and the prospect of removing my gloves a source of pouting resentment that even a nip of Jura could not dispel. CO2gate was hilarious. Once I got home I repeated the process four times and even befuddled by lack of sleep each time me, my CO2, the choice of adapters and my tyres all worked in perfect harmony. ffs.
Deep frustration at the deadness of my legs all night, and the apparent huge weight of my machine - loaded with luggage as the run to Whitty was an equipment test run for a mini-tour starting tomorrow - turned to anger when I realised I was going to miss the start of parkrun by minutes as I simply has no answer to the headwind and the new found Eiger-like steepness of the run in to Whitty. This rage was dissipated, in the end, by the company of Pandora over the last stages of the run in, who, with a better bike, might otherwise have spat me out and left me for dead. There is something to be said for a conversational pace even if the conversation revolves around the psychology of always telling first-timers we are five km from the end no matter what.
When I relate the tale of the night to grandchildren as yet unborn, I will say I paced myself because I knew I had a half-marathon to run on Sunday. This will be up there, as lies go, with the story of how once beat four players to score a try from 50 yards out playing rugby against the Trinidad and Tobago National Team. (sort of true; it was from 10 yards out and the National Schools XV). I was on the edge of "feck this"all night and tbh, if I hadn't paid £30 to enter the bluddy HM I would have stayed in bed Sunday morning.
Which brings me to the point of this lengthy and, no doubt, tedious discourse, "different muscles" dear wheelers. Different muscles. The cardio-vascular fitness transfers from running to cycling rather well but the two activities would appear, based on my performance, to engage rather different muscles. I approached the start line with trepidation on tired legs and a plan to "just get round" but after 5km felt so good I chucked that plan in the bin and ran the fastest HM I've done since 2016. Maybe that's why tri bikes have such weird geometry?
Anyway, enough of my ramblings I've got to pack my panniers for my mini-tour. I'll be back, at some point, hopefully with more miles under my wheels.
A side note - can The Notes include reference to the difference between "see by" lights vs "be seen" lights, as once beyond the urban glare the difference is startling.
Deep frustration at the deadness of my legs all night, and the apparent huge weight of my machine - loaded with luggage as the run to Whitty was an equipment test run for a mini-tour starting tomorrow - turned to anger when I realised I was going to miss the start of parkrun by minutes as I simply has no answer to the headwind and the new found Eiger-like steepness of the run in to Whitty. This rage was dissipated, in the end, by the company of Pandora over the last stages of the run in, who, with a better bike, might otherwise have spat me out and left me for dead. There is something to be said for a conversational pace even if the conversation revolves around the psychology of always telling first-timers we are five km from the end no matter what.
When I relate the tale of the night to grandchildren as yet unborn, I will say I paced myself because I knew I had a half-marathon to run on Sunday. This will be up there, as lies go, with the story of how once beat four players to score a try from 50 yards out playing rugby against the Trinidad and Tobago National Team. (sort of true; it was from 10 yards out and the National Schools XV). I was on the edge of "feck this"all night and tbh, if I hadn't paid £30 to enter the bluddy HM I would have stayed in bed Sunday morning.
Which brings me to the point of this lengthy and, no doubt, tedious discourse, "different muscles" dear wheelers. Different muscles. The cardio-vascular fitness transfers from running to cycling rather well but the two activities would appear, based on my performance, to engage rather different muscles. I approached the start line with trepidation on tired legs and a plan to "just get round" but after 5km felt so good I chucked that plan in the bin and ran the fastest HM I've done since 2016. Maybe that's why tri bikes have such weird geometry?
Anyway, enough of my ramblings I've got to pack my panniers for my mini-tour. I'll be back, at some point, hopefully with more miles under my wheels.
A side note - can The Notes include reference to the difference between "see by" lights vs "be seen" lights, as once beyond the urban glare the difference is startling.
Nick Saddlesore
Über Member
- Location
- London
Similar to explaining that don't using flashing lights means don't use flashing lights.
bobcolover
Guru
- Location
- south london
thanks to all for a great ride;
as ever; good company; good cake; great sunrise , see below; good breakfast; bearable mechanical [ not terminal or a visitation]
good sleep on train home.
looking forward to more
as ever; good company; good cake; great sunrise , see below; good breakfast; bearable mechanical [ not terminal or a visitation]
good sleep on train home.
looking forward to more
Mr Orange
Senior Member
Another great fnrttc! If you are interested:
https://www.myorangebrompton.com/2019/04/brompton-overnight-london-to-whitstable.html
https://www.myorangebrompton.com/2019/04/brompton-overnight-london-to-whitstable.html
