FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast - Felpham near Bognor 22nd April 2011

[deckertim]

Thanks Simon for another fantastically well organised ride. My evening started with a ride up to London from home. I was aiming to do a century, so the 32 miles to London was the perfect distance. I got scalped by Martin235 going up Shooters Hill, although my slower pace worked to my advantage as I shot through the traffic lights at the bottom doing about 30mph, just as they went Green. Didn't take long before I got overhauled again. I stopped at the tea hut on Blackheath for a drink and some cake. What a great place and brilliant value too. I also stopped on Waterloo bridge to take a picture of the Eye.

As always the ride was friendly and the pace not too fast. It was great to catch up with many of you.
As others have said, it felt cold when we got to the Cabin, but not Southend type cold! As we left the light was breaking and the mist was lying in the hollows.

A short time later there was a fabulous sunrise. Missed by many as they rode by. See the rest of the pictures to see if you were one of them.

The short cyclocross section didn't seem to bad, although I was glad I had my new light bike.

After a brief rest in Arundel, we had a very fast ride to breakfast. I was at the front for some time, giving directions until my Garmin decided to turn itself off.

And then we were finally at the seaside. A great end to the ride

My plans to get drunk in the sun, were somewhat foiled by me having bought a ticket to London in advance for the 10.30 train. So after a hasty breakfast and a quick pint I was on my way home.
Got home around 2pm, with about 103 Miles on the clock.
These and some more pics can be found here
http://flic.kr/s/aHsjum25S2
I look forward to seeing you all again.
Tim

 

[Aperitif]

Nice photos Tim - trike photo is lovely! (But it's all rights reserved so couldn't dump it in here! ) Nice to pass the time with you during this 'busy' ride.

 

[deckertim]

Nice photos Tim - trike photo is lovely! (But it's all rights reserved so couldn't dump it in here! ) Nice to pass the time with you during this 'busy' ride.

Thanks. It was taken over my shoulder and was one of the few succesful ones. Several others of the sky, my back wheel etc were discarded.

If anyone wants a full size copy of any of the pics, just drop me a line.

 

[Aperitif]

The one of John whizzing through the night is always good to see, but the one I mean is of the tricycle - which was speeding through the night at a rate of knots invariably!
Here - with Chris B, I think, looking on.

 

[Aperitif]

A Good Friday Night Ride to the Coast!
Everyone fully relaxed after a public holiday, the sun blazing down all day, the forecast fair for the night and the day ahead... what more could one want?
Beer!
I got ready to roll into Wellington Arch. The sounds and smells of a sunny day were everywhere on my route along the A5 into town. As Cricklewood begins, there was the sound of 'bam,bam,bam' - tables being drummed in a café, full of people singing what sounded like a Polish? song - all the frontage folded back to give a full show to the pavement passers-by. Then a lone guitar, a fiddle outside The Crown, the boom-box rap from passing 'local limos', a 'puff' of disco as a club door is opened and then shut. Fascinating stuff. Then, further in, the enticing 'Arabic' stretch of the Edgware Road, where the car stereo is just a bit more expensively clad, the music no less loud. and those aromas, people and lights! It's all good for me.
So many people at HPC already. (To be 'first to arrive' is to be very early, I think!)
Always nice to say hello to the regular forummers who populate the rides, as well as the new ones. Rode along with Rebecca Olds at last, and also young Gareth, doing his first FNR, but with a stack of anmbitious events in his calendar. He made me feel tired listing the punishing events he was enrolled in. Well done both of you, and thanks for taking the time to chat. Also briefly met the Greenman. The "Woman of Cheese" Marna,(Germain 'Langres', 52160 Chalancy is the round cheese I was trying to remember, by the way) As so often - moments are grasped and we often rely on other's reports to 'fill in the blanks' where moments are missed. Like Rebecca mentioning the intense quacking noise for example. I had forgotten about it! It may have been a 'Donald Duck' Fancy Dress disco being held here.
And it was also reassuring to see The Master, User10571, back on form after his off, and the other Senior Pro', Des, embarking on his first FN of the season. Easy to ride with, chat to, and always full of adventure - whether breaking a rib every now and then, or wrecking a titanium frame, Des is the 'Ultimate Investigator' And Marilyn, after the Manchester to Blackpool bash, was in good form - all excellent.
And, thanks to Matt, (CycleChat's purveyor of 'what's gwan down' South of the River - I now know it is 'Wanda's Wonderful Wheels' that grace the Ride. A lovely bike and rider in perfect scale, with a kaleidescopic light show when in motion, accompanied by a smashing smile. (Who has a photo please?)
So come on then - tell me what else I missed (apart from beakfast - mine was liquid only )
Happy Birthday Luke
And I hope you made, the broadcast in time, Charlie! (Charlie is the FNRttCs official rock music and vinyl junkie, who has been offering voluntary services to hospital radio for over 20 years... he deals in the 'obscure', which is why I can talk easily to him, I guess! )

06:04 Saturday morning

The foreground revealed - statues and chickens. The cockerel welcome was fantastic!

St George's Day was dawning. Sword and shield on steed rampant!

A classy snapshot from a remake of 'The Lady and the Tramp' Susie, happy as ever, being given the rundown on Chelsea's chances of lifting the title by Ian - CycleChat's Bluesman.

"You ate what?!" Des, left and Matt (The Solo Twins) are aghast at the vast amount of food that is being carried in Lisa's panniers. She was busy listing the suff; "Well, I have eaten six cakes, four sandwiches, three bananas, had a bacon and egg sandwich at Faygate, with two cups of tea, I drank a bottle of Cola earlier and now I'm looking forward to a full English - with chips!" she replied. The fun of the ride - epitomised.

Another indicator of Adam's Amazing Adventures - this time, a recent visit to CapeTown - and this swish, sexy safari print cycling jersey, and tan lines!

Finally. My old friend, Syd, is engaging Becs in conversation about her pair of flip-flops etc... In the best spirits of fun and holiday mood, one can but invite captions... (Becs did sterling work, arriving to make one of Luke's manyfold 40th birthday celebrations go swimmingly, and I'm sure it was much appreciated by all - thank you Becs. "Such a nice person" said Syd and Jan - I can only agree.)
My friends felt like part of the event - that just about sums up the right image to leave with the locals!
Anyway, here's the caption competition (I have already rejected all of mine )

Thanks all. And, after reading about 30th birthdays etc... a belated Happy Birthday to the tiniest of MyNewts!
Oh - and I don't think I have seen so many people on 'Borisbees' as I did on Saturday, whilst I bimbled through London. They arrive in vision from all directions, being piloted by folk of all nations, all road codes., and it takes a careful job to negotiate the routes comfortably. Take care out there - the distractions are great.

 

[Quagga]

First time poster, second time Friday night rider.

Just wanted to say thank you to Simon for another excellently organised ride and for managing to up the temperature significantly since Southend last month.
I think other people have said it better than I can, but it was a lovely ride, from the weather to the company and the countryside. Even better unlke Southend, i didn't have to trouble the TECs and managed a nice incident free ride, apart from the odd nettle sting whilst on stile duty.
It was good too to meet and chat to a few people, and hopefully if i spend more time on here I'll begin to be able to put faces to names or usernames anyway. And not sure if they post on here, but I also wanted to say thank you to the assertive tandem riders who did an excellent job of "persuading" the rain conductor to let more than four bikes on board the 10:56 train to london!

Finally, Brighton is a little soon in terms of permission slips, but hopefully I'll see you all again at the one after that (whitstable?)

Carl

 

[Aperitif]

Welcome Karl - names will come to match faces in time... luckily it wasn't a rain-sodden ride when you were on stile duty otherwise it might have been a Quagga-mire eh?

 

[Quagga]

Welcome Karl - names will come to match faces in time... luckily it wasn't a rain-sodden ride when you were on stile duty otherwise it might have been a Quagga-mire eh?

Well indeed
Mind you i suspect such a situation would have swamped any thought of public spiritedness and helping out

 

[StuAff]

First time poster, second time Friday night rider.

Just wanted to say thank you to Simon for another excellently organised ride and for managing to up the temperature significantly since Southend last month.
I think other people have said it better than I can, but it was a lovely ride, from the weather to the company and the countryside. Even better unlke Southend, i didn't have to trouble the TECs and managed a nice incident free ride, apart from the odd nettle sting whilst on stile duty.
It was good too to meet and chat to a few people, and hopefully if i spend more time on here I'll begin to be able to put faces to names or usernames anyway. And not sure if they post on here, but I also wanted to say thank you to the assertive tandem riders who did an excellent job of "persuading" the rain conductor to let more than four bikes on board the 10:56 train to london!

Finally, Brighton is a little soon in terms of permission slips, but hopefully I'll see you all again at the one after that (whitstable?)

Carl

Tandem riders are the splendid Charlotte & Julian, who post rather more over on YACF. Not in the least surprised that they 'persuaded' the guard, though certainly not all of them are jobsworths about bike spaces (coming back from Brockenhurst last Sunday, all the bike spaces were already taken when I and three or four other cyclists got on, there must have been at least 12 bikes in a five carriage train!). Whitstable's indeed the next one after Brighton.
And thanks for the help on the stiles!

 

[StuAff]

Are you sure that what you heard wasn't the text of The very hungry caterpillar being recited?

That lot sounded like a light snack to me

 

[StuAff]

You really should try to reject the conventional view which makes bike a rude word.

Yes, there's also a ******* excellent web site !

 

[Quagga]

Tandem riders are the splendid Charlotte & Julian, who post rather more over on YACF. Not in the least surprised that they 'persuaded' the guard, though certainly not all of them are jobsworths about bike spaces (coming back from Brockenhurst last Sunday, all the bike spaces were already taken when I and three or four other cyclists got on, there must have been at least 12 bikes in a five carriage train)

Thank you, the names to faces process can now start.
The guard was doing a decent job of holding fast to the rule book, when I was just bike no. 5 in a max 4 train. Fortunately with bikes 6-12 arriving, weight of numbers told, and discretion became the better part of valour.

 

[GarethG]

A big thanks to Simon for sorting this ride out, it was a great night/morning. This was my first ride and i had no idea what to expect but everyone there was very welcoming and happy to chat while on the ride. A big thanks to the way markers and the tail end group (sorry to have made you work at a couple of points). It was nice to put some faces to the forum names and also to have a chat with like minded people. If anyone is thinking about doing one of these rides i would highly suggest it, its a sociable event and everyone is there to have a good laugh. Another thanks is needed to Martin and Eddie for picking me up at the station and offering advice throughout the ride.

It was a great night, i will be looking at signing up to a couple more this year.

Having done one ride i think i will go a little less prepared next time (no back pack).

I hope to see you all on another ride and on the Sunday sessions in London.

Gareth

 

[Aperitif]

alexb has a tremendous 'dawn' shot in the yacf reportage of the ride. Here.

 

[wanda2010]

Morning


I finally remembered I had a CycleChat account and, even though I'm supposed to be hard at work painting the flat, I thought I'd stop by for a few mins.

Thanks for all the chat on the ride. I had a lovely time and surprised myself by not walking up any of the 'gradients'! Go me

Arundel Castle was lovely to look at and, I have to say, I was tempted to get on a train at Horsham. That thought lasted a few seconds though


I'll through this thread and gawp at the pics later tonight.

Have alovely Sunday everyone!