FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast - Cardiff to Swansea 20th May 2011

[slowmotion]

I hope you all have a great ride.

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

Please don't say things like that! I'm already contemplating the wisdom of my decision to do this on a Brompton!

Funnily enough I had an email this afternoon to say that my Brompton was all better. I didn't dash down and pick it up for this ride.

 

[jonesy]

Thanks for the words of encouragement!

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

Thanks for the words of encouragement!

You're welcome. See you later. What Brompton is it?

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

I hope you all have a great ride.

Thank you, I will . I will either have a great ride or pack at half way.

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

Thank you, I will . I will either have a great ride or pack at half way.

It was a great ride! :-)

 

[User482]

On my way home after a terrific ride. Well done to theclaud and dell for organising it.

 

[jonesy]

Indeed it was! Thanks again tc and dellzeqq, and nice to meet you all at last. I hope someone can post some photos as the arrival at Mumbles was very scenic.

 

[Banjo]

Indeed it was! Thanks again tc and dellzeqq, and nice to meet you all at last. I hope someone can post some photos as the arrival at Mumbles was very scenic.

Quite a lot of the ride was scenic, on a clear day,,,,,in daylight.


Glad it went well and I am more than a bit gutted I couldnt make it due to work.

 

[PpPete]

Why is TC smiling? Where is Rich's right hand?

And are they afraid of the consequences?

Don't worry TC .... old men can't sustain that level of excitement for long

 

[Aperitif]

Friday Night...

Saturday Morning...

A very public thank you to Frank, for leading the Cardiff train, with Adam and Mick in close attendance, and Geoffrey and Davy who accompanied us part of the way.
Thanks for the company, Frank.

We took off from Harefield at 09:00 Friday morning and arrived at Cardiff 23:33. At 00:00, there was a bimble-a-long to a very nice welcoming café for half-way tea, then a supertasty HOT breakfast with HOT tea and coffee, enveloping us into the charms of the Mumbles.... of which there are plenty.

Miles - about 220 to Mumbles. I got up at 05:00 on Friday, Adam even earlier, and I arrived in front of this computer screen at 16:00 today, having sucked about another 14 miles out of my legs, from Paddington.

There were a lot of lumpy bits along the way. So many things happened on the train out of Swansea that I had better think about it before posting - suffice to say that Clive and his holiday sex tours to Albi featured large, as did Marilyn's penchant for drinking gin in wardrobes.
All this to dissuade the lovliest of lovely Cardiff couples, who were unfortunate to find themselves sitting next to the aforesaid for the journey to London.
I am shocked
I am glad I had nothing to do with such frippery.
More later - my kit needs hanging out to dry - like Clive!
Thanks all, particularly Claudine, who seemed to be the catalyst for this event, masterfully shepherded by the usual suspect, Simon.
There were 0 punctures during the ride. And only one casualty when some random Welsh tarmac reared it's sullen surface into Stu's bike and Stu. Hope you are healing Stu, and don't do it again, ta!

 

[StuAff]

And only one casualty when some random Welsh tarmac reared it's sullen surface into Stu's bike and Stu. Hope you are healing Stu, and don't do it again, ta!

Just scratches (in an accurate & not 'black knight from Monty Python & The Holy Grail' sense).

 

[Aperitif]

Almost Teef , almost. Susie suffered the one puncture we had on the ride itself. As is was in the last half K and went reasonably slowly, she was able to get there before it needed fixing.

Nice photos as usual.

We don't count slow punctures. The air that cannot be bothered escaping has no place in the ride history.

(BTW Adrian, my 'bijou' picture of Miss Breitling in Malmesbury, with Z3 car has disappeared! I still have one but it is sans gravitas... until I think of something (un)suitably facile. )

 

[Aperitif]

It was an image to accompany a memory - it matters not. Adam's are much more significant.

 

[StuAff]

Nice shots indeed 'teef, mine are here.


My little prang (climb after the cafe stop, changed down to the little ring, something or other didn't engage properly straight off & I lost all momentum and fell over) notwithstanding, that was lovely, that, wasn't it?

Very pleasant train journey in the company of Jen (TMN), Mark A, and from Southampton Pete L as well. Met up with Simon and those of the London contingent who weren't riding (chapeau to those nutters!), and made our way over to the meet in plenty of time for a cuppa at Pizza Express before the safety talk (not in Welsh).
Fantastic route, not too much climbing for those hill-phobes, terrific scenery, and of course lots of friends new and old to share it with. Absolutely cracking midway stop (memories of last week thoroughly stomped), thanks John and team in Ewenny. The early morning over Port Talbot was indeed something to behold, complete with the highly amusing 'jazz hands' episode.

And to top it all, fantastic breakfast in Mumbles, the crew at the Pier did a great job. As Claud led the way up that rather challenging-looking hill climb to Boozefordshire (in the kingdom of Publand), so I made my way back to Swansea station, successfully negotiating the er, interesting, one way system in plenty of time for the first of my trains home. No bother connecting with the train for Pompey in Cardiff, and back home just before three.

Thanks to as ever to Simon, TECs, wayfinders, and of course special praise to the de facto ride leader for this edition, instigator and route planner, and leader of innocent London types to inebriation, the magnificent Claud. What occurred was tidy indeed. Splendid job there!

See you all soon, and in the meantime, I'm doing a little ride next week, so your kind donations for the Royal British Legion will be much appreciated!