threebikesmcginty
Corn Fed Hick...
- Location
- ...on the slake
FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast - Cardiff to Swansea 20th May 2011
- Thread starter dellzeqq
- Start date
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Ah, the GSoDC! I must confess I was flagging somewhat by that point, shameful though that is to admit given the mileage some of our fellow riders had chalked up before even getting to the start!A Brompton is admittedly not the ideal steed for such a ride, and while I'd coped OK on the hills earlier on, and periodic regroupings helped get my breath back, the long flat slog along the GSoDC was rather a struggle! It was also quite depressing to see the state of the nearby NCN route 4... there's a thread in Campaign on the merits or otherwise of segregated routes, but I'm sure most of us that are sceptical would consider major roads like this one to be the sort of places where segregation is appropriate for attracting normal people to cycling, yet it is poorly maintained, and discontinuous and illegible around the junctions; jumping on to the pavement in the outskirts of Port Talbot and Swansea. That said, I make no complaints about the choice of route for the ride: as you say, there are no alternatives that don't involve a very long detour and traffic was still very light. One of the joys of FNRTTC is to be able to make full use of the road network when it isn't clogged with motor vehicles.
The Fabian Way pisses me off before I even start to contemplate it as a cycling environment. It's just a lousy approach to a city - and it is the main approach. It's also an unmitigated disaster for the communities of Crymlyn, Port Tennant and St Thomas. Getting the council (either one - the Eastern end of it is Neath Port Talbot) to consider its function as anything more than an arterial route is, as you can imagine, a tough call. Wheelrights, the local cycle campaign group to which I belong, seems to have spent aeons campaigning for minor improvements and concessions when it comes to the cycle route - I long ago concluded this was essentially a turd-polishing exercise, and decided that the thing to do on a bike was to exploit its arterial properties and get along it as quickly as possible. Actually, I've had very few incidents along it beyond a bit of gratuitous intimidation - drivers may resent cyclists using it, but they can see us clearly enough. DZ did a bit of head-scratching and brow-furrowing about the nastier bits of it - we recce'd the cycle-path and were extremely lucky to escape without a puncture. 60+ cyclists on mostly road tyres and multiple deflations would have been a dead cert.
Anyway, Jonesy - a pleasure to meet you at last, and I hope we'll see you on FNRttCs to come...
At the Quadrant?? I had no idea. They've done it up recently (not before time) and have obviously got all hoity-toity!
jonesy
Guru
Yes, I gave up on cycling shoes for my Brompton some time ago, sticking with my trainer type boots. Not sure what gears I've got- it is one of the older 3 speed Sturmey Archer hubs as fitted about 10 years ago, I've not modified anything.
The main problems I experienced were muscle pains in my left shoulder and neck, though I've had occasional trouble there ever since a fall a few years ago, and a very sore arss! Sudocrem sore...
which I was a bit surprised about as I've not experienced that on previous long distance rides (admittedly it has been some years since I did one) and I had (naively) thought I'd be OK as I ride that bike my commute and should be used to that saddle. Clearly I'm going to have to check whether things I thought fitted OK aren't as good as I'd assumed from much shorter trips. Having done it, and I'm glad I did!, I think my advice to anyone else considering using a Brompton is to say yes, it will do it (and Stuart tours on his) , but perhaps only sensible to attempt FNRTTC on one if you have recently done a long distance trip on it, even if, like me, you ride 10 miles a day on one for your commute.
I finally got round to picking up the van from Cardiff yesterday afternoon (beer kept getting in the way of the plan to pick it up sooner), and passing under the Jazz Hands Bridge made me grin from ear to ear. I had a great time on this ride - for me the really nice thing was the mix of people. A really splendid effort on the part of regular FNRttCers taking the trouble to come to Wales - special mention not only of the nutters on the epic ride from London but of long hauls on the train by all the Londoners, The M4 Corridor Section, The Hampshire & Sussex Division, McWobble, 3BM and of course the clear winner, Mr McShroom from Northfordshire. Having the perfect-but-doomed-to-fail-system and the core of friendly, supportive and experienced riders gave it its unmistakeable FNRttC character, which is what I was so keen for the riders from Wales (whether cycling novices, commuters expanding their horizons, or hardened CTC mile-eaters) to experience. I was hoping they'd pick up a little of the FNRttC magic, and I wasn't disappointed. CTC folk found the distance and pace comfortable and the took the few (ahem!) hills in their stride, but were mightily impressed by the waymarking and TECing system and the 3am cakestop, whilst newbies found the support and encouragement invaluable, and the freedom from traffic a revelation.
I've been spoiled with lots of kind words of thanks for the keeping an eye on the Swansea end of things, but of course all it really amounts to is a splendid excuse to go on a few nice rides under the pretence that it's all about investigation, and to bang on incessantly to other people about something close to your heart, under the banner of recruitment. It's inevitable when off the ride's regular turf that there's going to be a bit of a shortage of People Who Know The Way And Know The System- we're used to being spoilt by understated but rock-solid support from the likes of User10571, Adrian, Thom, Andrij and the Skaters - which might have given DZ a little more to worry about, but essentially the ride worked because it used the FNRttC recipe, which has always involved a bit of effective delegation, and is about teamwork and camaraderie nurtured under the watchful eye of OGL. Thanks anyway for all the nice emails and messages. Jan (aka Dr Evil) also deserves a mention for his company on various forays while I deliberated about Bonvilston Variations, Llancarfan Dips and Divertissements a Barry Island.
The other thing to say is simply how nice it is to see you all whizzing along and enjoying a fry-up and a beer or seven on my home turf, and to show off to my Swansea pals about what an incomparably charming lot the FNRttCers are. A pleasure to to bimble about post-ride with the Dellzeqqs (looking just peachy ambling round the windswept cliffs in their his 'n' hers white jeans) and to see Frank again after he finally saw sense in the face of Sunday's (freak) westerly.
Mumbles, as Frank, Rich and Teef all know, may be the conclusion of one narrative, but it is the beginning of others. When we got back from the first recce and headed (to Susie's delight) sharply uphill from the pier, DZ clocked the bay behind us and the Bristol channel to our left and ahead and said - "Of course! We're on a peninsula!". And it's a peninsula with stuff like the below, all of it within reach within an hour by bike. The Gower Cycling Festival is 10-17 September, Teef has B&B recommendations, and there's always a cold beer chez theclaud for weary CCers...
I've been spoiled with lots of kind words of thanks for the keeping an eye on the Swansea end of things, but of course all it really amounts to is a splendid excuse to go on a few nice rides under the pretence that it's all about investigation, and to bang on incessantly to other people about something close to your heart, under the banner of recruitment. It's inevitable when off the ride's regular turf that there's going to be a bit of a shortage of People Who Know The Way And Know The System- we're used to being spoilt by understated but rock-solid support from the likes of User10571, Adrian, Thom, Andrij and the Skaters - which might have given DZ a little more to worry about, but essentially the ride worked because it used the FNRttC recipe, which has always involved a bit of effective delegation, and is about teamwork and camaraderie nurtured under the watchful eye of OGL. Thanks anyway for all the nice emails and messages. Jan (aka Dr Evil) also deserves a mention for his company on various forays while I deliberated about Bonvilston Variations, Llancarfan Dips and Divertissements a Barry Island.
The other thing to say is simply how nice it is to see you all whizzing along and enjoying a fry-up and a beer or seven on my home turf, and to show off to my Swansea pals about what an incomparably charming lot the FNRttCers are. A pleasure to to bimble about post-ride with the Dellzeqqs (looking just peachy ambling round the windswept cliffs in their his 'n' hers white jeans) and to see Frank again after he finally saw sense in the face of Sunday's (freak) westerly.
Mumbles, as Frank, Rich and Teef all know, may be the conclusion of one narrative, but it is the beginning of others. When we got back from the first recce and headed (to Susie's delight) sharply uphill from the pier, DZ clocked the bay behind us and the Bristol channel to our left and ahead and said - "Of course! We're on a peninsula!". And it's a peninsula with stuff like the below, all of it within reach within an hour by bike. The Gower Cycling Festival is 10-17 September, Teef has B&B recommendations, and there's always a cold beer chez theclaud for weary CCers...
just couldn't resist, could you. Once again - I do not choose what I wear! I am co-ordinated by a higher power!
frank9755
Cyclist
- Location
- West London
I forgot to mention that several people commented on what a 'well-organised' ride it was.
PS Lovely pictures
PPS take care with 'Teef's B&B recommendation! I now think they decided to go away for the weekend, cancelled my booking, cooking up a story about an email that 'got lost in the post'
Perhaps they were just worried for their silverware....
U
User482
Guest
Not much to add to all that's been said, except to say I had an absolutely brilliant time, thanks mainly to the work and enthusiasm of theClaud and Dell. Highlights included the (pre) ride over the Severn Bridge into the setting sun, the moon glinting off the Bristol channel, sunrise by Port Talbot as we saluted the traffic below, and that wonderful final run along the bay to the Mumbles. Convivial company and the post-ride beers surely complete all the requirements for the frivolous cyclist.Due to imminent(!) family commitments, I'm on FNRttC-hiatus for the time-being, but I've no doubt that I'll be back next year.
frank9755
Cyclist
- Location
- West London
Probably. But as it turned out, I think the place I ended up in was better. I had it on good authority that the road up to it was pancake flat, so much so that I recall having to stamp on the pedals so hard that I broke my chain...
frank9755
Cyclist
- Location
- West London
Quite right, Stuart. That would have been a false economy!
Aperitif
Meme bar
- Location
- ...I don't have much idea - really.
CharlieB
Junior Walker and the Allstars
- Location
- Therivermeadowatthepileofstones
Weird. That's exactly what happened to me when I used a Brompton last week to Brighton. Why the left? Must be an inherent design flaw that Brompton need to be aware of.Yes, I gave up on cycling shoes for my Brompton some time ago, sticking with my trainer type boots. Not sure what gears I've got- it is one of the older 3 speed Sturmey Archer hubs as fitted about 10 years ago, I've not modified anything.
The main problems I experienced were muscle pains in my left shoulder and neck, though I've had occasional trouble there ever since a fall a few years ago, and a very sore arss! Sudocrem sore...
Having done it, and I'm glad I did!, I think my advice to anyone else considering using a Brompton is to say yes, it will do it (and Stuart tours on his) , but perhaps only sensible to attempt FNRTTC on one if you have recently done a long distance trip on it, even if, like me, you ride 10 miles a day on one for your commute.
frank9755
Cyclist
- Location
- West London
