FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast - Southend on Sea 7th November

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Arthur

Comfortably numb and increasingly fixed.
Location
Gillingham, Kent
East London is hardly the most scenic way to exit the capital, but the transition from the swankiness of the West End to anywhere else, whichever way you go, is never less than fascinating. And the best bit is when, without warning, the buildings suddenly stop and we are ejected into the cooler night air of the (sort of) countryside.

Absolutely this. Truth be told, I detest London, and it's always a good feeling to swap the shabby streets, the early morning drunks and the blue flashing lights of emergency vehicles for the relative darkness and quiet of the countryside.
 

Tim Hall

Guest
Location
Crawley
The jacket is indeed mine. Its lack made going out last night more complicated. @User, how can I get hold of it?
Regular readers will be pleased to hear that Adrian has posted my jacket to me, and it has arrived safely.

It had a bonus, in the shape of a Rapha buff, which the wise elf had assumed was mine when he did his "gathering up of clothing" act, but I'm simply not a Rapha kind of bloke.

Hands up if it's yours.
 

hatler

Guru
I don't know whether Simon did it consciously (probably not - he's focussed most on the here-and-now, the immediate response), but the last few years have been (as much as anything) a training ground for the long term for future ride organisers and leaders. The Fridays will continue, in some form or another, and I hope to be part of that.
That's a good point. I'm sure this didn't even figure in any of the reasons why Simon kicked this one off, but one of the results is that there is a good set of people who know precisely how a ride should (and can) be organised. There's no amount of manuals could have explained it better than the way that Simon has demonstrated it these last several years.
 
OP
OP
dellzeqq

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
This was, in some respects, a bit of a triumph. Yes, it is possible, after all these years, to put a new route to familiar places together. It takes a lot of staring at maps, at Google Streetview and a lot of reconnaissance, but, as this trip and last month’s ride to Felpham demonstrate, it can be done. Just as it took three years to get London to Paris right, it took six or seven years to make the best of London to Southend.

In other respects it highlighted our failings, failings that are pretty much inherent, and have become more pronounced in the last couple of years.

I’ll start by thanking Chris Sketchley. I’ve been watching what was probably the first internet based cycling club in Britain, and, certainly one of the most inclusive fall apart these last two years, but I’ve not really been able to put my finger on the nature of that falling apart. Chris’s post-Felpham analysis was illuminating, and his reward – a night with the best view of the ride you can have – was really a test of that analysis. I’m sad to say that his original estimation was smack on the money.

Chris puts it this way……after six years a process might be refined and might be robust, but it will mean different things to different people. Here’s the rub. The Fridays is about process and not about culture. A Fridays ride is, and always has been, a product. We don’t have the culture that one finds in a club – anybody that thinks differently should go for a day out with the Cheam and Morden to see how it’s supposed to be done. We rely on a rigid (but adaptable) Plan and the willingness of a portion of the riders to put the Plan in to effect. In 2011 that’s exactly what happened, but, sometime in 2012/2013, people got it in to their heads that they could improvise, or, perhaps, not bother with part of it. And here’s the beauty of Chris’s analysis – the people who took it upon themselves to set aside some of the essentials were, oftentimes, some, (but not by any means all), of the people who were most familiar with the ride because they didn’t work out the consequences of not sticking with it because, again, those consequences had been avoided or disguised by the Plan.Hence delays on the Felpham ride, a lack of communication on the Southend ride that might, had it not been for one relatively new member, have lost us the back portion of the group.

Still and all – the front of the ride got to Stock Village Hall on time (by which I mean to the minute) and to the Rose Restaurant three minutes behind time. Which is not bad for what is not really a cycling club.

People enjoyed themselves, as they do when the weather is kind. And the source of that enjoyment is not hard to work out. We set off from town, we headed in to the suburbs, it all went quiet, we turned in to the darkness (made even more luscious this time round by the cemetery), we found, as if by magic, a bright, warm, welcoming spot, we looked at our companions with a fresh and friendly eye, we set off again in to the darkness and reached The End, which the sea most certainly is. Kind of like a symphonic structure with additional post rondo piss-up. Big clash of cymbals, a theme or two (first con brio but then repeated adagio), and then a tinkly-winkly cheery bit at the end. It is almost disturbingly simple.Then again, any fool can shoot fish in a barrel, but (if I may cast modesty aside) it takes a bit of a genius to shoot the same fish 140 times.

At the heart of it all, which is to say the sad decline of the Fridays, is the nature of the beast. Part of the trick is that people don’t have to make decisions. It’s pretty much on a plate. And that, as I’ve said, breeds a kind of carelessness. And, sometimes a bit of presumption. And occasionally a bit of outright liberty-taking. Some people will never get on with each other, but one of the hallmarks of a proper club is that you don’t get people going off on one about each other. With the wisdom of hindsight I realise that the Plan’s simplicity and ‘apparent’ reliability affords fertile ground for the occasional outbreak of feral hostility. If the Plan sweeps up after the mess then where’s the harm?

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat, despite some distinctly unrewarding features. Would I recommend the Fridays as a schooling ground for ride leaders? Never. It was a jangling, messy beast that requires constant sifting in order to find the balance between letting people do what they want and keeping them in check – and, to be clear, I consistently erred on the easygoing side because, just like everybody else, time and time again I got away with it. Would I tread the same hypnocratic line again? Of course, but anybody with pretensions to running a club of this size or close to it is going to have come to terms with a whole bunch of human failings, and, looking through the 2015 thread it’s apparent that some of those with ambition simply do not have a scooby. One big tip for Olaf and Martin (not that Martin needs it) is to work out rapidly who you can rely on and who you can’t and to be ruthless in relying on those you can and equally ruthless in avoiding relying on those you can’t. And, for all the times I forgot to thank the people we relied on, I apologise.

It was great to see Des. He was singlehandedly responsible for the death of the Martlets rides. And I mean that in a good way – a very good way. He and I were riding at the back of the 2011 Martlets ride somewhere west of Horley and Des said something like ‘the thing is, Simon, we’ve got an organisation that could deal with over a thousand riders, and you’ve only got three hundred. Where are the rest?’ Quite. By contrast, Chris’s contribution wasn’t a factor in the end of the monthly night rides, but he did tell me why things happened the way they did, for which I'm grateful. I only hope that a night organising the back of the ride was reward and punishment enough.
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
It was great to see Des. He was singlehandedly responsible for the death of the Martlets rides. And I mean that in a good way – a very good way. He and I were riding at the back of the 2011 Martlets ride somewhere west of Horley and Des said something like ‘the thing is, Simon, we’ve got an organisation that could deal with over a thousand riders, and you’ve only got three hundred. Where are the rest?’ Quite. By contrast, Chris’s contribution wasn’t a factor in the end of the monthly night rides, but he did tell me why things happened the way they did, for which I'm grateful. I only hope that a night organising the back of the ride was reward and punishment enough.
The rest were probably doing the BHF night ride, or with those Moonriders idiots, or the St Crispins. And they made the wrong choice.
 

StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
Of course, but anybody with pretensions to running a club of this size or close to it is going to have come to terms with a whole bunch of human failings, and, looking through the 2015 thread it’s apparent that some of those with ambition simply do not have a scooby. One big tip for Olaf and Martin (not that Martin needs it) is to work out rapidly who you can rely on and who you can’t and to be ruthless in relying on those you can and equally ruthless in avoiding relying on those you can’t.
"A man's got to know his limitations". I'm aware of mine, I have neither the ability nor the inclination to handle some of the numbers you lead over the past few years, even with a big helping of those reliable people, and none of those who do a have a scooby are under any illusions about the problems and challenges involved. In a sense, the FNRttC was a good schooling for ride leaders- what worked, full stop, what worked with willing and able helpers, what worked on a wing and a prayer, and (for those a bit with self-awareness) 'I couldn't do that, at least not that way'.
 
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srw

It's a bit more complicated than that...
I'm afraid that I'm an arrogant shoot. And stubborn enough to try and put on a single ride without the benefits of charisma, cycling ability or process preparation of a mmmmartin, a stuaff or a dellzeqq. If anyone wants to follow me - hallelujah! If I crash and burn - meh.

If the PLAN has crashed and burnt (and I remain sceptical - or rather I remain sceptical that anyone other than THE LEADER has noticed) a new plan will take its place, to the general apathy of most.
 

redfalo

known as Olaf in real life
Location
Brexit Boomtown
Früher war alles besser. Sogar die Zukunft.
 
This was, in some respects, a bit of a triumph. Yes, it is possible, after all these years, to put a new route to familiar places together. It takes a lot of staring at maps, at Google Streetview and a lot of reconnaissance, but, as this trip and last month’s ride to Felpham demonstrate, it can be done. Just as it took three years to get London to Paris right, it took six or seven years to make the best of London to Southend.

In other respects it highlighted our failings, failings that are pretty much inherent, and have become more pronounced in the last couple of years.

I’ll start by thanking Chris Sketchley. I’ve been watching what was probably the first internet based cycling club in Britain, and, certainly one of the most inclusive fall apart these last two years, but I’ve not really been able to put my finger on the nature of that falling apart. Chris’s post-Felpham analysis was illuminating, and his reward – a night with the best view of the ride you can have – was really a test of that analysis. I’m sad to say that his original estimation was smack on the money.

Chris puts it this way……after six years a process might be refined and might be robust, but it will mean different things to different people. Here’s the rub. The Fridays is about process and not about culture. A Fridays ride is, and always has been, a product. We don’t have the culture that one finds in a club – anybody that thinks differently should go for a day out with the Cheam and Morden to see how it’s supposed to be done. We rely on a rigid (but adaptable) Plan and the willingness of a portion of the riders to put the Plan in to effect. In 2011 that’s exactly what happened, but, sometime in 2012/2013, people got it in to their heads that they could improvise, or, perhaps, not bother with part of it. And here’s the beauty of Chris’s analysis – the people who took it upon themselves to set aside some of the essentials were, oftentimes, some, (but not by any means all), of the people who were most familiar with the ride because they didn’t work out the consequences of not sticking with it because, again, those consequences had been avoided or disguised by the Plan.Hence delays on the Felpham ride, a lack of communication on the Southend ride that might, had it not been for one relatively new member, have lost us the back portion of the group.

Still and all – the front of the ride got to Stock Village Hall on time (by which I mean to the minute) and to the Rose Restaurant three minutes behind time. Which is not bad for what is not really a cycling club.

People enjoyed themselves, as they do when the weather is kind. And the source of that enjoyment is not hard to work out. We set off from town, we headed in to the suburbs, it all went quiet, we turned in to the darkness (made even more luscious this time round by the cemetery), we found, as if by magic, a bright, warm, welcoming spot, we looked at our companions with a fresh and friendly eye, we set off again in to the darkness and reached The End, which the sea most certainly is. Kind of like a symphonic structure with additional post rondo piss-up. Big clash of cymbals, a theme or two (first con brio but then repeated adagio), and then a tinkly-winkly cheery bit at the end. It is almost disturbingly simple.Then again, any fool can shoot fish in a barrel, but (if I may cast modesty aside) it takes a bit of a genius to shoot the same fish 140 times.

At the heart of it all, which is to say the sad decline of the Fridays, is the nature of the beast. Part of the trick is that people don’t have to make decisions. It’s pretty much on a plate. And that, as I’ve said, breeds a kind of carelessness. And, sometimes a bit of presumption. And occasionally a bit of outright liberty-taking. Some people will never get on with each other, but one of the hallmarks of a proper club is that you don’t get people going off on one about each other. With the wisdom of hindsight I realise that the Plan’s simplicity and ‘apparent’ reliability affords fertile ground for the occasional outbreak of feral hostility. If the Plan sweeps up after the mess then where’s the harm?

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat, despite some distinctly unrewarding features. Would I recommend the Fridays as a schooling ground for ride leaders? Never. It was a jangling, messy beast that requires constant sifting in order to find the balance between letting people do what they want and keeping them in check – and, to be clear, I consistently erred on the easygoing side because, just like everybody else, time and time again I got away with it. Would I tread the same hypnocratic line again? Of course, but anybody with pretensions to running a club of this size or close to it is going to have come to terms with a whole bunch of human failings, and, looking through the 2015 thread it’s apparent that some of those with ambition simply do not have a scooby. One big tip for Olaf and Martin (not that Martin needs it) is to work out rapidly who you can rely on and who you can’t and to be ruthless in relying on those you can and equally ruthless in avoiding relying on those you can’t. And, for all the times I forgot to thank the people we relied on, I apologise.

It was great to see Des. He was singlehandedly responsible for the death of the Martlets rides. And I mean that in a good way – a very good way. He and I were riding at the back of the 2011 Martlets ride somewhere west of Horley and Des said something like ‘the thing is, Simon, we’ve got an organisation that could deal with over a thousand riders, and you’ve only got three hundred. Where are the rest?’ Quite. By contrast, Chris’s contribution wasn’t a factor in the end of the monthly night rides, but he did tell me why things happened the way they did, for which I'm grateful. I only hope that a night organising the back of the ride was reward and punishment enough.


I haven't had time to think about this until now. I think I only did 3 rides this year, but in some ways, Southend was like the rides from the good old days from 3-4 years ago. Lots of old friends to chat to at HPC.......and then on the ride itself, myself & 'Teef at the back, fixing a puncture and then seeing how fast we could race back towards the rest of the ride. Except it wasn't. For one thing, after setting off down the A13 after the Rotherhithe tunnel, we rapidly realised as we started gathering wayfinders, that some of them didn't have the speed and/or realise the need for speed. And that's one of the main issues where things have fallen down in recent years - without known, trusted people always there, cracks appear. And without people able to actually do a role, to be part of the process, then there is no process. I know you've commented that at times you've had people racing along with you at the front refuse to help out, as they didn't want to mark a junction. Then again, I'm the chump who left poor McWobble all alone in the scary Welsh countryside* 3 years ago, so I'm not perfect.

In a fluid group (not even an organisation) where attendance isn't guaranteed, you'll always have "staffing" issues. Increasing the number of rides in a year from the original 8 or so to around 12-14 would also have been a factor in that. Bigger rides also bring bigger problems. For instance, shortly after crossing the M25, ironically probably about 5-10 minutes before Tim O had his problems, I'd left him at the back with Chris as there was quite a gap and slowly moved forward about 10-15 riders, as we were in the middle of nowhere and I could see the ride was stretching out massively, so it made sense to move forward. When you've got 80+ people to herd, I guess it's the "unknown unknowns" which come into play, which is why I've always marvelled at the juggling you do. For the Sustrans rides I lead, the most we've had is 19 riders plus 3 other properly trained volunteers marking junctions, and that's enough.

All good things come to an end - I think we all have to accept that. Ad-hoc rides next year for a small group of people are a different thing though, but they always were. They're far easier, although I've no idea if I'll do any in 2015.

So long, farewell. And thank you.


* Long story but after cycling most of the way to Cardiff, I then had my drunken (now ex-) wife constantly ringing me up on the ride itself, asking stupid questions, until she'd passed out at around 3 am, so I wasn't concentrating and forgot to "all-up".
 
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StuAff

Silencing his legs regularly
Location
Portsmouth
All good things come to an end - I think we all have to accept that. Ad-hoc rides next year for a small group of people are a different thing though, but they always were. They're far easier, although I've no idea if I'll do any in 2015.
How about doing a rerun of that M25 loop....?
 

Tim Hall

Guest
Location
Crawley
I know you've commented that at times you've had people racing along with you at the front refuse to help out, as they didn't want to mark a junction.
<boggle> Really?

Tenuous FNRTTC link: On the occasions when the Brighton ride goes up Turners hill from the west, rather than the steep southern side, we pass within stone's throw of Worth Church, resting place of Robert Whitehead, who made his fortune in the 19th century inventing/improving the torpedo. He left a great wodge of this to his grand daughter, Agatha, who went on to marry Georg Johannes von Trapp, and they had seven children. On her death, von Trapp hired a house keeper, Maria Augusta Kutschera. Stuff happened, money vanished, so Maria thought it would be a neat idea to have all the, by now, ten children sing at concerts to make ends meet. Which would make a great idea for a film.
 
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