FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast York to Cleethorpes 18th June 2010

[longers]

Thanks all for a very good ride.

Nice cakes CrinklyLion, very nice cakes! Ta.

Going back over the bridge was a bit breezy but fish and chips and a pint in Hull did the trick and an hours kip on the train was lovely.

Last night feels like a very long time ago now.

 

[Aperitif]

Mistral made a commemorative postcard for the inaugural spin at bewitching hour 'Oop North'
It's rather nice, thank you Mick - capturing the spirit if not the weather.

And special mention too, for CrinklyLion's cake, cake,cake,cake,cake, cake...a superb effort and a fine way for people to meet others...with that polite refrain:
"'Ave you got us choclit cake lad? Is so, gis it 'ere or all let yer tyres down". A perfect bonding agent! Seriously, Crinkly, well done, both on the ride and the gateaustronomic effort.

Another big cheer to the guy on the Spesh MTB who worked hard to cover that distance - his longest - particularly with those 747 tyres! Well done!

~I have been into work for a while, rode out of town, showered and set off on the Met Line and just lugged back all my shopping. Beer anyone?

 

[longers]

Ah yes, the excellent postcards. Superb! Lost mine already though

 

[Aperitif]

Adam, John, Mick and I (roughly translated as Flying Dodo, RedflightUK, Mistral and Aperitif ) took the 20:00 from Kings Cross, London. This was our first learning moment as there is a Platform zero at Kings X. Don't gawk at the depatrure board waiting for an error to be fixed. (For information, Platform 0 is the furthest right of the platforms - as you face towards the departure board...)
After some sound navigational skills, we arrived at the pub who's name I have forgotten - again!

John and Mick in the pre-ride zone, aided by cups of coffee and a 'brisk' breeze...

 

[dan_bo]

Looks like a good night was had by all......nice one! Better idea than sitting in and watching the footy thats for sure!

 

[User10119]

Just been out to a midsummers party where I saw the chap I know who works at the press - he says you'd need to email any pics tomorrow for them to make the Monday edition.

Thanks again - that was cracking good fun

 

[Aperitif]

Friday Night riding brings wealth to your cycling portfolio. Here we have a radiant, slightly shy rider, unsure of what the night may bring, smiling nervously for the probing camera, and Fiona - another of the every growing band of Claudine's lovely mates, who did a 'first timer'. Actually, plenty of new faces tonight - we'll see you, along with others I hope, at HPC one midnight soon...

Stuart with yet another new bike. I have often wondered why people want to ride around on bikes named after pipe tobacco - but there you go!

I love civil engineering! The magnificent span of the Humber Bridge, as we sneaked toward it under cover of daybreak! For me, this was the nicest part - following the powerful riverbank to the next stopping point before traversing. A good moment.

After refreshments - the crossing. And another reminder of how we humans can do interesting things.

The crossing was a Landslide victory for the FNRttC! Here's Chris - happy as Larry at 6am! (Lots of names there!)

Two 'regulars' iLB and Kats, share a joke. Andy looking like a young Mikee. A bit?

And here's the original Mikee - holding court with Marin and Sig. I'm not sure that playing crown green bowls and keeping pigeons is for you mikee - you are missed 'dahn Sarf'.

Safely through the night and heading for a nice cup of Clee...

...at this café! Andy poses as hungry waif to add effect to what was the ideal end of ride café, Big enough, clean, warm, good, polite and efficient.(No, I'm not talking about myself again - don't worry!) It was smashing!

A menu board to assail tourists. A fantastic sight for ravenous rouleurs!

It's Cleethorpes. I have always wanted to go, and here I am!

My breakfast. To be massaged with copious amounts of tea. Perfect!

I don't 'do' odd, but did you all notice the two men with balls in their hands and the lady with one of their rods in hers?

And the creative team alerted the camera's eye to goings on at left of screen. We live in interesting times!

Thanks to all who participated. The return journey was unexceptional. Er, well - oh never mind - it can wait! See you next week! (Or at 09:30 this morning if you're at Wellington Arch )

 

[dellzeqq]

Wow! Teeftastic snap!

Well, Mike, you pulled it off. A brilliant route, with a tremendous highlight. 53 riders made the trip, with not a single puncture between the lot of them - that translates in to about 3500 bicycle miles. Glorious roads, and wonderful scenery. And porticos.

Journeyed up with Titus and Adrian and met Matt outside the station - handy, because he knows his way round York and the Lendall Bridge was closed. We zipped and zapped our way around the centre of York, fetching up outside the Minster at about half past eleven, and watched small groups of bike lights arrive for the next ten minutes or so - a marvellous sight. And, after the usual pre-amble, away we went, across the now famous roadworks at Walmgate Bar, down a near-deserted Hull Road and then on to the wonderful B-road to Melbourne.

Thankyou, FD for scoping out the bridge and straightening the security guard. He scarcely looked away from his computer screen as we went by....

I think that the penny finally dropped at Melbourne - people relaxed and started to let the wind do the work. We got in to that quiet FNRttC mood, the one where the riders just drink in the surroundings. The Wayfinding thing worked a treat, with people simply taking their station at junctions - thankyou one and all.

Our little zigzag across the A614 brought us to the attention of the police, who stopped in the road, lights on, as did we, and asked if they were dreaming. We explained that we were from another planet far away, on a pilgrimage to Clee-Thorpes, and they let us go.

North Cave. Portico central. And Mike persuaded me that we could do the riverside path, and the Teefster's photograph tells you how right he was - and the timing was perfect.

Over to Lincolnshire, and through Barton, which has a lot going for it, and then in to the wonderful Lincolnshire countryside. I really don't think that a person rolling down those roads, with the wind behind them, and pleasant company all around, can want for anything. A banana, perhaps, and one was produced and consumed at Ulceby, and then on to the Grimsby/Cleethorpes metroplex, which, again, is quite easy on the eye in parts - the approach along the A46 taking us through some noble tree-planting and generous public spaces.

There was a minor panic at Cleethorpes when we discovered that 'gypsies' had stolen the railway from the chap in the ticket office who answered every question with 'well, this is the problem...', but, as you've seen, we all of us got to where we were going.

I rode down to Wragby and then turned west for Lincoln, killing a bit of time because I'd booked my train ticket for 13.30. It was well worth the effort - the Wolds are populated by pretty villages, very different from the equally East Riding villages we passed through the previous night - and the road rolls up and down sufficiently to make you work a bit. The A158 from Wragby to Lincoln is one to avoid, though...

Back home, and the love of my life is sleeping off the jetlag, so I'll not make the Sunday ride. See some of you next Friday night!

 

[marinyork]

Thanks for the ride. Was very good to have company riding some of those bits of the world for a change zooming along and another longest ride. Seemed to be a very good mix of north west, north, north east and home counties! Dellzeqq did very well finding and persuading the pub in Melbourne to do such a good job.

 

[dellzeqq]

Thanks for the ride. Was very good to have company riding some of those bits of the world for a change zooming along and another longest ride. Seemed to be a very good mix of north west, north, north east and home counties! Dellzeqq did very well finding and persuading the pub in Melbourne to do such a good job.

ahem! and Wales!

 

[dellzeqq]

I've just spotted the bottom left corner of the postcard. Very amusing.

 

[Amanda P]

It wasn't a dream then?

Fantastic!

 

[marinyork]

ahem! and Wales!

Yes, absolutely, some even watched football in pubs with what otherwise might have been fairly lengthy waits at either end. Many thanks Claudine.

 

[handbag]

never cycled that part of world before and I did like it very much... whizzing down with fast boys and gals on the road so smooth and flat... in a beautiful countryside. was wondering this might have been the first FNRttC without pun*ture that I know of- and found out that was indeed...!! you guys really do look after the road very well, Mike!

I won't forget the awesome view of grand Humber bridge from the river bank I saw, that was a definitely the highlight of the night.

going home was a bit worrying to start with although it all turned out as good as we planned. got home just before 3, dashed out to Smithfield Nocturne to watch the race, had a beer and chilled out ( finally! )

big thanks to Simon and Mike, and the rest of company as always. looking forward to seeing you all again - next time!

 

[Aperitif]

I forgot about the cops. "Retina Bust in Blue" is going to be my next 'road' movie. (For Northern viewers, policepeople are seen kneeling on people in the early hours on the jaunt through London - not enquiring after one's health! )