FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast 19th November - Brighton 2010

[StuAff]

I'm looking forward to Blackpool and South Wales, and to all those runs we've made our own, and I'm hoping that you are too.

Very much so!

 

[Aperitif]

Hello Stu, I was just browsing my 'album' and you seemed well tickled by Rich giving Simon a bit of stick for sleeping on the job. My, it was a funny session, and I'm still smiling about it!

Simon and 'getting stick' could be a theme...I'll just check the rest of the photos

 

[theclaud]

I'm afraid there might be pictures of yours truly having a power nap, but, by way of reminding you all of the friendship that is at the heart of the FNRttC I thought I'd start proceedings with this...

You've had at least one lucky escape there, due mainly to my incompetence with the video function on the camera. Which is a bit of a shame, after enlisting the help of Rich and several others to make the video more, er, interesting. It's just as well - I'm in no position to be mocking, as further photos will doubtless reveal...

I'm really pleased I made this one, having wimped out of last year's freezing finale. I found the ride unusually tough, being a bit knackered and short on sleep from the off, combined with the more undulating terrain and the more distant prospect of dawn. But we got lucky with the weather, and the company was a delight as ever. I wimped out of waymarking altogether, by design in the first half and through tiredness in the second. Usually I enjoy the variation of pace and the warm-up and cool-down routine of it all, but last night I'd have struggled to keep up with the speedy front-runners. So special thanks to Tanya and her fiendishly fast entourage of skaters, and to Matt, Andrew, Frank, Andy and all the others that seemed to be everywhere at once. All that said, it was a lovely route - lots of mysterious places that you just see enough of to want to catch them in the daylight, and super surfaces for miles on end.

Great to see you all. Thanks to Antonia, Rich, Terry, Teef, Charlie, Adrian and Becs for fabulous booze and cakes, and cakes with booze in. Before we even got to the pub (involving a long haul to... next door) we'd managed a lively appetiser of fizz, cognac, malt whisky, sloe gin and more fizz. Special mention to McShroom, whose journey to join the ride makes mine look a bit lightweight, and to Adam for Patience With Drunks Well Beyond The Call of Duty. Teef was heroically talking More Booze when we got to Victoria, and I made a forlorn but unusually sensible decision to do a runner while I could still make decisions of any kind. I sustained only one small drinking injury, and made it with only one piece missing (the trademark stripey buff!) to where I was headed. Good to meet The Artist Formerly Known As PorkyPete - as so often happens, it was only at breakfast that the forum name was matched to the rider.

 

[theclaud]

I can't take credit for the good work of that poor excuse for a right winger Adam.

He really is rubbish, isn't he? Doesn't foam or splutter at all.

 

[StuAff]

So special thanks to Tanya and her fiendishly fast entourage of skaters, and to Matt, Andrew, Frank, Andy and all the others that seemed to be everywhere at once.

Yup. I like wayfinding, it's just that this lot kept getting there first!

 

[Aperitif]

On the subject of tail-end Charlies - another first? The second leg of the journey from the Cabin to Devils Dyke and beyond, featured 'CharlieB' - cake maker, and old enough to keep the average age up! It's fun!

 

[dellzeqq]

apologies to Adam (I'm still short of sleep, and recovering from the mental torture that is watching Harry Potter)

 

[style over speed]

thanks for a great ride, I really enjoyed that one. I've done roughly that route before in the daytime and found it a bit dull, and the roads around devils dyke quite nasty... however at night it is superb. It strangely feels like there are way more downhills than ups, I love hammer ponds and although its invisible in the dark there is a fantastic pub in Vineham.

Theres a pdf of that route here:

http://www.freewebs.com/cycleroutes/downloads/LondonToBrighton.pdf

(i think we may have missed out Lower Beeding and gone via The street, and obviously turned to go over Devils Dyke but apart from that it looks the same)

 

[dellzeqq]

Style over Speed - thanks for that, but it's not quite right south of Hammer Pond, which means that you're directing people up a road that is, on my tyres, impossible in daylight, let alone darkness..........

I will get to this in a wee bit, but I'm having to work for a living today. Pshawwffttt!!!!

 

[Aperitif]

So, that was 2010. My induction into the world of FNRttC-ing.

I came to cycling late... ...Honest!

Hello Ross, nice to put a face to a name once again. As Claudine mentioned, we find out forummers 'noms d'ecran' late in the proceedings but photo reference often helps - when they are not incriminating.
Yesterday's trio comprised Ross, Martin and Rimas. Or, rb58, Martin235, zigzag101 (well, not the 101, but I didn't want the name to feel unloved without a number) We all wanted to ride back with them but there was an emergency meeting being held at the same time, so alas, we couldn't contribute to pulling them smokewards...

 

[style over speed]

sorry, I figured it was a different way from Hammer Pond to Vineham... it was dark ! I did remember there was a bit of an incline somewhere

can't take credit for those pdfs, I found them here: http://www.freewebs.com/cycleroutes/

 

[ianrauk]

Looks like I missed out on a really nice ride....
Roll on FNRttC 2011.

 

[Aperitif]

You would have loved it Ian - a good workout, as my legs testify. Got a scraped knee too - from the SMRttS
However, there were some minor 'offs' during the ride as evidenced by this enthusiastic young rider. Still ready for more, and wanting to collect more badges of FNR combat in 2011 we hope!

Ouch! (The goosebumps were caused by me, talking reassuringly...honest! )

Our subject - a runner too, not flinching despite scraped legs...

A spin-off from the tumble led to an interesting amalgam...a normal rider might get their 'Oakley Vs' tangled in their hair - this is better.

She also had electric feet warmers, with the batteries strapped around her ankles etc - apparently they were good for the sole.

 

[dellzeqq]

electric feet warmers! That's a fantastic idea! Where, how much?

http://maps.google.c...8,0.054846&z=14

should do it!

 

[Aperitif]

electric feet warmers! That's a fantastic idea! Where, how much?

John Chilton are one brand, but they make your feet a bit melly though...

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