FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast - Whitstable 11th November

[theclaud]

May I be the first to point out that Dellzeqq's display of calm control is the very model of ride leadership. Of course it doesn't hurt that he has buns of steel and a trophy wife, that his pedalling style is the equal of that famous pedaleur du charme, Hugo Koblet, and that he fixes punctures faster than you can say 'Silvio Berlusconi uses mudguards'.

And that's the last time I forget to log off Susie's computer!

 

[theclaud]

Ha.

It's an elaborate double-bluff. I get drunk and write this stuff, then I pretend to be Dellzeqq pretending to be me.

 

[martint235]

Face off?

Possibly more "Off face"??

 

[itsbruce]

Nothing wrong with a bit of pink and white on a bike.

 

[TimO]

... wow it was so much easier and quicker on my new bike, which some of you might not have heard about ... When does a new bike become an old bike? When you buy the next new bike, I guess (ahem, did I tell you about my plan for next year?). ...

I still think of Red as being new, although he's now twice the age of Zev (and she, the Kitten, is now around 6 months old). It's still so much easier on Red than the Kaffenback, which I realised doing the Martletts ride without Red, so I could carry more tools, spares, and stuff, and which was definitely more of a puff taking it up DItchling!

... We made a high-decibel and slightly sweary progress to the station where I left the others wrestling with the ticket machine ...

The swearyness continued on the train, being occasionally supplemented by comments from a seat near ours, especially when discussion drifted into the realms of minty arse lard. Other stuff got talked about as well, although most of it has luckily been forgotten. I need to bring a mike and recorder, so we have this stuff recorded permanently for posterity!

Piggys (I keep wanting to say Porkys, like the film!) was a fine establishment, although unlike Andy's I have eaten there in daylight, and it was as good then as in the early hours. They did us proud. The Waterfront was as good as they always are, and I suspect we added to their profits quite significantly, since there seemed to be precious few other customers (I hope we didn't drive them off!)

The ride itself (which I should probably mention!) was as good fun and as enjoyable as ever. We had relatively few problems at the back. Five punctures, one of which was Davy's failure to repair the first one properly with a patch that just missed the actual hole! but no other mechanicals (that I was aware of anyway). Everything seemed to work flawlessly, including the weather that didn't drop in with that potential last minute change to the "no rain" which we had forecast for several days preceding. Another wonderful ride for the penultimate one of the season. Onwards to Southend next month.

 

[Paulus]

A big thankyou to Simon and all the wayfinders for yet another great ride.

 

[dellzeqq]

A ride that sort of grew on me..............

I've just checked the list. 88 of us started. That's a biggish ride, and probably goes some way to explain why we took so very long to get to Chatham.

This was the first ride we'd undertaken since this http://fnrttc.blogspot.com/p/so-you-want-to-be-tail-end-charlie.html got published. We had a crack team - Tim O on spanners (he did offer, which, considering the years of service at the back is pretty darn remarkable), with David H, Ian Ap and Davy, our new 'chef d'affaires' at the back. Clive took on the linking role, keeping the Wayfinders in the picture when the tail stopped to deal with a problem. And it worked splendidly. Davy's phone calls were crisp and to the point. Clive saw to it that people weren't left wondering what on earth was going on. And Tim did usual voodoo with levers and thumbs. I would say that we've moved the whole ride up a notch. Well done TECpeeps!

The Wayfinding was especially good. Thom, Bruce, Adrian, Andrew, Claudine, Mick and more besides just buzzed up and down the line like little hornets. I'm beginning to suspect that there are two, or even three Thom's, so rapidly does he re-appear at the front of the ride. Poor User has now paid his dues for multiple last minute cancellations by standing at the last junction for close on an hour.

We were blessed on the night. The bad weather missed us by less than a mile. The southeast wind made it hard work at times, but it was so unseasonably warm that nobody seemed that worried. Piggy''''''s did well, although, should we return next year, I will absolutely pump the pre-ordering thing, settling for nothing less than 80% - and recommending the ham, which was top-notch. The Waterfront was its usual splendid self, not worried, apparently, by Frank's language. The journey home was comical - Claudine falling asleep on the shoulder of the Guardian reader in the next seat will last long in the memory.

There is now such an accumulated fund of friendship in this ride that I spend the days after each one simply wondering at my luck. Thankyou one and all. You are the absolute tops.

 

[User10571]

A ride that sort of grew on me..............

I've just checked the list. 88 of us started. That's a biggish ride, and probably goes some way to explain why we took so very long to get to Chatham.

This was the first ride we'd undertaken since this http://fnrttc.blogsp...nd-charlie.html got published. We had a crack team - Tim O on spanners (he did offer, which, considering the years of service at the back is pretty darn remarkable), with David H, Ian Ap and Davy, our new 'chef d'affaires' at the back. Clive took on the linking role, keeping the Wayfinders in the picture when the tail stopped to deal with a problem. And it worked splendidly. Davy's phone calls were crisp and to the point. Clive saw to it that people weren't left wondering what on earth was going on. And Tim did usual voodoo with levers and thumbs. I would say that we've moved the whole ride up a notch. Well done TECpeeps!

The Wayfinding was especially good. Thom, Bruce, Adrian, Andrew, Claudine, Mick and more besides just buzzed up and down the line like little hornets. I'm beginning to suspect that there are two, or even three Thom's, so rapidly does he re-appear at the front of the ride. Poor User has now paid his dues for multiple last minute cancellations by standing at the last junction for close on an hour.

We were blessed on the night. The bad weather missed us by less than a mile. The southeast wind made it hard work at times, but it was so unseasonably warm that nobody seemed that worried. Piggy''''''s did well, although, should we return next year, I will absolutely pump the pre-ordering thing, settling for nothing less than 80% - and recommending the ham, which was top-notch. The Waterfront was its usual splendid self, not worried, apparently, by Frank's language. The journey home was comical - Claudine falling asleep on the shoulder of the Guardian reader in the next seat will last long in the memory.

There is now such an accumulated fund of friendship in this ride that I spend the days after each one simply wondering at my luck. Thankyou one and all. You are the absolute tops.

Thank you.
For reasons I'm not entirely able to grasp I am pleased it went well.
Looking forward to being on the next one.

 

[StuAff]

+1 on the ham sarnies. Absolutely top-notch work by lovely people, should we go back to Piggy's I'm sure those glitches can and will be sorted.

 

[BalkanExpress]

We had relatively few problems at the back. Five punctures, one of which was Davy's failure to repair the first one properly with a patch that just missed the actual hole! but no other mechanicals (that I was aware of anyway).

I'll hold my hand up to contributory negligence on this one, I was torch holding and obviously not up to the job

Mind you, it did happen exactly two minutes after Davy had announced that we had been puncture free up to the Tesco's stop.

 

[martint235]

Mind you, it did happen exactly two minutes after Davy had announced that we had been puncture free up to the Tesco's stop.

I noticed that too.

 

[TimO]

Ah, so definitely Davy's fault then, for inciting the puncture fairy.

 

[martint235]

Ah, so definitely Davy's fault then, for inciting the puncture fairy.

Not so much inciting more like pulling her pigtails and calling her soft.

 

[clarion]

Thanks to all for a grand ride. My longest ever ride on fixed, and the longest since I returned to riding five years ago.

I almost didn't start, as I had a string of difficulties on Friday, including a broken spoke, and delayed trains meaning I couldn't pick up my tourer beforehand. I didn't think I could make the hills in Gravesend on the fixed, but I did, and only had to stop on one further down the road from a combination of someone stopping almost dead in front of me and my lack of preparation leaving a gear slipping (believe me - you do not want to slip into neutral when standing on the pedals!), which I quickly fettled.

If I had bailed before I had even started, I would have missed a wonderful night. Even Belvedere and Erith - even Medway and Sittingbourne - seemed marvellous in the night.

Thanks again.

 

[User10571]

Even Belvedere and Erith - even Medway and Sittingbourne - seemed marvellous in the night.

They are.
Extraordinary.
Innit.