I spent the week with that sensation of a child and the build up of Christmas. Counting down the days to my first Fnrttc. As someone who embraces their inner ten year old it meant that I did not sleep much on Thursday with anticipation. Friday started at 6am for me and was a looooong day until I found myself on a train heading to HPC with Mark and Lee.. Over time HPC slowly became a sea of cyclists on a range of bikes from 'bents' through to classic steel and fantastic plastic. I looked around and saw many old friends, and many a new face. Simon Identified himself and gave a roll call, followed by the briefing which resulted in HPC becoming a sea of dancing flashing lights. Slowly we moved off and around HPC like a swarm of locust
A large group of cyclists heading through the streets of London most certainly attracts attention and many people by the side of the road asked questions, regarding the destination, if this is a race etc.
The journey progressed nicely with people calling out holes in the road, identifying when to slow down and other information. I tried to do my bit but let's be honest here my vocal range makes most people wonder if my underwear is a little to tight and I found myself loosing my voice, so resorted to pointing things out I could. Luckily we also had some loud mouths which took up my slack.
At one point Simon asked me to take a corner and point people in the correct direction which kinda freaks me out a little, as giving me responsibility is considered in some areas to be as wise as masturbation with a cheese grater. I did however take this seriously and was relieved to see Davey letting me know I was clear, at which point I proceeded to ride though the sea of lights towards the front. This happened a few times and I started to relax and enjoy my small contribution to the night when I found myself standing on a street corner like a lady of the night.
The night started to get gradually colder and I became aware that I was not at all prepared in fact it got as cold as my relationship when swmbo finds another bike in the house I have not spoken to her about.
As time goes by I start to really feel the bitter cold and look up the road to see Simon out the saddle pushing a pretty big gear up an incline. I wondered if he gets time to really enjoy the ride as he seems more concerned about other people, I also wondered if he was a few slices short of a sandwich, or simply more of a man than myself. Simon was wearing shorts and a knee support, god only knows why his voice is not as high as mine but it was just bloody cold and I can't get over he was wearing shorts
Eventually we found ourselves in a scout hut with sandwiches and coffee to go around, a young lass was having problems with her shifter and gears, and it was then I really saw what a wonderful thing the fnrttc is.. The number of people who tried to assist was really nice to see. I was helpless in such situations as it looked complex with cables and similar and I'm only used to buttons.
Leaving the scout hut felt like someone had left the fridge door open, damn it was cold now and I was now shaking like an addict in need of a fix
, I also started to get a little cramp and lactic acid burn in my thigh which proceeded to keep me company for the rest of the journey. There was this incredible section which featured fast sweeping bend after bend and I really adored that bit.
Ultimately we found ourselves at ditchlin and I quickly came to the conclusion that thigh cramp and the wrong ring gears accompanied by a 25 cassette was going to make this a less than enjoyable experience.. From the top of Ditchlin, the ride to my full English breakfast by the coast was amazing.
I went for a ride and got an experience, thanks so much to the people who point the way, fix the punctures, the tail end Charlie's, the people who laughed and were kind enough to share a moment in time with me. The people who made me sarnies at a god forsaken time in the morning and my breakfast and thanks all for an epic night.
Miraculously, every following traffic light seemed to be red, precluding a nice fast spin down through Brighton, although I'd made sure I had a nice run from the top of the Beacon to Coldean Lane, before crossing the A23, and that final nasty little uphill bit!
