Friday started for me at 6am and a full day of work followed, upon checking for forum for news I discovered a truly heinous situation.. What was it?, I hear you cry........ had Simon decided to wear full length tights in weather warmer than what is required for another Ice age???........ Had Ian decided that he was going to buy a helmet and bell? ..... Ohh no it was something far worse Davey had decided to remove his mudguards and equally made noises about being the owner of a Jacket
This made Markst1 feel rejected as he would not need to bring additional clothing for Davey, it perplexed Ian as he wondered what Davey would bitch about if it was not being cold and me, I was just concerned for the weather and sure enough the misery began late afternoon, not a down poor, not a drizzle, just miserable which was a shame since the weather had been nice all week. From this point forward miserable weather will be referred to as being 'all a bit Davey'
The weather continued into the evening as I met Markst1 and we made our way to HPC to meet a slightly smaller group than that we had ventured out for my very first fnrttc.. was it to be expected or was it due to the weather being a little bit Davey, I never did discover this but the absence of the destroyer of sunshine and wamth was noted.
Looking around HPC saw a range of fantastic plastic, long bikes with big wheels, folding bikes with small wheels and a range of metal and tin, there was also a range of smiles, shivering and people talking.
Heading into the night London seemed a little more quiet than I remember for the Brighton run, we passed down by the river and the wheel looked awesome, it was glowing blue and it illuminated the skyline, I thought to myself that we take so much time to see what is wrong with my home town, but so little time to see what is right. London simply looked beautiful, it was a rekindled lost love and I adored her once more.
As time went by we headed towards and underpass which prompted calls from people who had been on the ride before to yell.. "Left, Left" ... this is the route the ride usually takes, however the correct route was to go through the underpass, caos ensued as bikes swung around looking for space, being of a build that will likely mean Bob Geldof gets involved with feeding me at some point permitted me to claim the space I needed swiftly and I disappeared into the underpass like a rat up a drain pipe.
Eventually it was my turn to be a way maker, and this occurred a few times during the night. personally I adore doing my little bit during the ride and the challenge of riding from the back to the front, the 'woosh woosh' sound that deep dish Zipp wheels make at speed seemed to resonate a little louder on the quiet streets. Eventually the time I had been on my feet and the long day started to catch up with me, I started to blow and struggle, my last effort left me badly out of breath and looking for energy, my night as a way finder was sadly over.
I continued to turn the pedals which appeared to crank the warmer morning sun further into the sky as my fnrttc evolved into an epic quest for coffee and bacon.
A nice ride, with the usual banter, handsome blokes with Di2
friendship and fun.
Next time your on a ride, take some time to really look at London, she really is a stunner at times.
Thanks to Simon for doing this madness, the wayfinders, the tail end charlies, the people who got punctures and the people who fixed them, the people who fed me, the fella with the best Jelly babies ever, Markst1 for buying breakfast, the drunk who walked into a wall with a loud thud and amused me greatly.... hope you all got home OK.
. Although it was nice to not have the normal folk on public transport sniggering and pointing at the lycra clad fat bloke 
. Thanks again 
