FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast 26th February - Brighton 2010

[des.o]

A tardy follow-up, but as ever thanks to all for another splendid night. Great to reacquaint with the veterans and good to meet some newcomers - although why anyone would choose a rainy night in Feb for their first long ride is beyond me.

These affairs are becoming a dark and secretive addiction - its one thing casually mentioning to non-cycling folk that you did an overnight ride to Brighton on a balmy midsummers night, its another thing altogether admitting that despite the unequivocally dire messages of appalling weather on a range of websites, one still undertook the ride. Sympathy and admiration were short on the ground.

Sounds like you had a tough night ttcycle - the banana bread was however very good and seeing as I just about scraped my way to the top of Ditchling (which appears to have been mysteriously steepened in the intervening months) with single digit calories to spare it can take full credit for me actually finishing the ride.

I know I mentioned this day ride idea and next Saturday's hilly fifty may be the ideal opportunity to take those first tentative steps, but on the other hand I've just received an invite for a Surrey Hills jaunt tomorrow night...

Next month should be a real blast - even money that its mechanicals from the seasoned vets which slow the ride down. Now that would be embarrassing.

 

[arallsopp]

Next month should be a real blast - even money that its mechanicals from the seasoned vets which slow the ride down. Now that would be embarrassing.

Already prepping the soundtrack. At the moment its 50/50 between

• an acoustic number by Duncan Browne with the winning lyric "late last night, a little Martlet beckoned me away to the moon..."
• something by Alex Wurman

 

[Wheeledweenie]

Wow, sounds like I missed an epic ride! Roll on The Martletts in March!

 

[Aperitif]

Show some respect man!
Ape' misses one ride, and suddenly everyone thinks awful puns are up for grabs???!

puntificating is the word.
Well done you for cycling back - I had that in my sights too - it would have been a memorable blast. Never mind.
I have a face (more than ever) like a Crumpler bag and am looking for two Ti exhaust tubes up the nose when I go for my appointment on Wednesday. I look forward to snorting nonpareil up the slopes when next we voyage - at whatever speed the slowest goes.
It will be a spectacular spectacle of the species.

 

[Wobblers]

My first FNRttC... and I've finally recovered the ability to string more than two words together!

Thanks for all your support both here and on the ride, 62 miles is the longest I've done, I've have struggled without it. The wayfinders were excellent - I didn't have the faintest idea of where I was most of the time, but never had any doubts about where I was going!

Thanks for organising it, Simon, hopefully I'll be on for Southend in April, even if I do have to change my name to beat this threatened Andy quota!

 

[Flying Dodo]

I'll leave just one thought from this ride, to show any doubters just what a ripping good time it was, despite the conditions. I realised on Sunday morning that one of my fingers was hurting due to a massive cut, which by then was starting to heal.

I must have done it somehow on one the puncture repairs, so if your bike has got some blood* on it, my apologies. However, I hadn't noticed it at the time, so clearly the FNRttC effect dulls pain!





* And to those lucky recipients of my puncture repairs, if you're intending to do a bank job using your bike, I'd appreciate it if you wiped my blood off first, as sadly (through no fault of my own) the police have my DNA on file and it would be awkward trying to explain my way out of that situation!

 

[theclaud]

My first FNRttC... and I've finally recovered the ability to string more than two words together!

Thanks for all your support both here and on the ride, 62 miles is the longest I've done, I've have struggled without it. The wayfinders were excellent - I didn't have the faintest idea of where I was most of the time, but never had any doubts about where I was going!

Thanks for organising it, Simon, hopefully I'll be on for Southend in April, even if I do have to change my name to beat this threatened Andy quota!

I must say I'm impressed with the undaunted mettle of the February first-timers. Whatever happened to the grand tradition of big wusses like myself who have to be inducted via Genteel rides and promises of tailwinds, sunshine and booze at the finish?

Nice video, Andy (the other one).

I forgot to add that it was nice to meet Tollers briefly, who observed that, being unknown to him, I must obviously be one of CycleChat's shy, quiet lurking types. But of course!

 

[StuAff]

Well said, Claud. Have to pour scorn on your claims of wussiness though My first in May had lovely weather, ditto all the ones up to October. Not only did these guys, and the first timers from November, not bail out because of the predicted conditions, they finished and really enjoyed themselves. Well done them!

 

[rich p]

I forgot to add that it was nice to meet Tollers briefly, who observed that, being unknown to him, I must obviously be one of CycleChat's shy, quiet lurking types. But of course!

Ha ha ha!!!
None out of 3, Tollers!

 

[theclaud]

Well said, Claud. Have to pour scorn on your claims of wussiness though My first in May had lovely weather, ditto all the ones up to October. Not only did these guys, and the first timers from November, not bail out because of the predicted conditions, they finished and really enjoyed themselves. Well done them!

Wussy enough to rely on a bit of a tow into Whitstable from more tireless riders . I really meant comparatively wussy - I think the conversation that MacB half-remembers involved a bit of hat-tipping to Tanya and/or Thom sprinting effortlessly past the entire field, against the wind, for about the fifteenth time...

 

[theclaud]

Ha ha ha!!!
None out of 3, Tollers!

Ahem! I'm not sure it calls for quite that level of incredulity!

 

[MacB]

Ahem! I'm not sure it calls for quite that level of incredulity!

Tollers is just a master of dissemblance, it's probably safer for him that he's departing these shores. I was quite shocked when he asked me, 'who's the gobby minger from the valleys?'.

 

[theclaud]

Tollers is just a master of dissemblance, it's probably safer for him that he's departing these shores. I was quite shocked when he asked me, 'who's the gobby minger from the valleys?'.

Oi! This ain't "The Valleys", MacB - this is the Welsh friggin' Riviera!

 

[MacB]

Oi! This ain't "The Valleys", MacB - this is the Welsh friggin' Riviera!

Hey, don't shoot the messenger

 

[rich p]

Ahem! I'm not sure it calls for quite that level of incredulity!

The lurking bit made me snigger - a sort of furtive Peeping Tom of the forum!