slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
I know the feeling @jiberjaber! Great photos. Thank you.
London to Brighton night ride, March 6th
- Thread starter redfalo
- Start date
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I had in turn been motivated by your wheezing drowning out the sound of my own efforts. It felt harder than it had 2 weeks before, perhaps because I had been 2 hours longer on the road? Nevertheless it was marvellous for me to tow anyone up Ditchling although when you overtook me on the final stretch after the last bend I did feel like the eternal bridesmaid in a Tour de France stage who has led all day until the final 100m. Speed is all relative....
I'm glad you enjoyed your first & very pleased you have signed up for Whitstable.
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rb58
Enigma
- Location
- Bexley, Kent
@Gordon P - you are a legend! And it's always a pleasure riding with you. Frankly, I think you're telling little porkies about your age though 
I've lost count of the number it times I've climbed Ditchling and I think this last one was probably the first time I enjoyed it. Instead of focussing on the effort - which to be honest would be a lot less if I hadn't eaten all the pies - I took in the views and counted the broken wing mirrors, of which there were many.
For those of you who have never tried it, the FNRbtH was cracking. A mini peloton tackled Devil's Dyke, where I shaded just under 50mph on the descent, before we split, with some going in a westerly direction and @ianrauk and I continuing northwards. We road along the great country lanes before Crawley (mostly filled with cyclists), then took route 1 (aka the A23) to Croydon and home, pushing 20mph most of the way courtesy of a nice tailwind.
Unfortunately, I have grandfather duties (and at 9 years old, my grandson is probably a little young for the SMRbtH) so will miss the Whitstable ride, but we will meet each on the road again soon. I hope.
I've lost count of the number it times I've climbed Ditchling and I think this last one was probably the first time I enjoyed it. Instead of focussing on the effort - which to be honest would be a lot less if I hadn't eaten all the pies - I took in the views and counted the broken wing mirrors, of which there were many.
For those of you who have never tried it, the FNRbtH was cracking. A mini peloton tackled Devil's Dyke, where I shaded just under 50mph on the descent, before we split, with some going in a westerly direction and @ianrauk and I continuing northwards. We road along the great country lanes before Crawley (mostly filled with cyclists), then took route 1 (aka the A23) to Croydon and home, pushing 20mph most of the way courtesy of a nice tailwind.
Unfortunately, I have grandfather duties (and at 9 years old, my grandson is probably a little young for the SMRbtH) so will miss the Whitstable ride, but we will meet each on the road again soon. I hope.
anothersam
SMIDSMe
- Location
- Far East Sussex
This was only to be a London to Gatwick for me. It started so well: pleasantly anticipatory train ride up from Far East Sussex; stopped by to see the new horse with its capitalist bow at Trafalgar Square; bellied up to the food boat at my favourite pre-FNRttC feed stop; had a wonderfully peaceful glide along the glittering Serpentine, slowing to commune with the swans... unfortunately a couple of lumbar twitches shortly after setting off from the purple majesty of Wellington Arch turned into intermittent agony by Coulsdon, so I had to bail lest one wrong twist or bump leave me howling at the moon. Speaking of which, does anybody know what that emotional argument was about at the bottom of the hill? It involved a dog.
Had to wait a few hours for the first train home, so I killed time watching Léon: The Professional. It has that great scene where Gary Oldman channels a scary Tail End Charlie: All-up!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBKXu3Kg4yg
Had to wait a few hours for the first train home, so I killed time watching Léon: The Professional. It has that great scene where Gary Oldman channels a scary Tail End Charlie: All-up!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBKXu3Kg4yg
Oh yes: watch & learn how to do it! That would have diverted police attention from the dog!
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
Good to hear what happened to you, some of thought you had fallen (literally) by the wayside.
Great looking pre-ride food stop ... must check that out sometime.
jiberjaber
Veteran
- Location
- Essex
The start of the climb up Wallington High Street looks a lot busier today as I was walking the parent-in-law's dogs!
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
May the lumbar cease twitching pronto.
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
I had an actual celebrity spotting moment while queueing at the Apollo. Very tall chap wearing glasses, Fulham scarf, walked past, looked familiar. Richard Osman of 'Pointless' and darts fame.
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
The stats ....
http://ridewithgps.com/trips/4192376
Just noticed on the 'Gradient' that it shows the lifts at Gatwick :-)
http://ridewithgps.com/trips/4192376
Just noticed on the 'Gradient' that it shows the lifts at Gatwick :-)
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BalkanExpress
Guru
- Location
- Brussels
Arthur Smith in my carriage on the train back to Brussels, he was heading over for a gig.
So did i enjoy a couple of hours chat with the R4 regular? Nope, I slept the whole way home
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
Right,
First off, an apology. Regular readers and friends might have seen the combination of self having a week off, and a Friday night ride, and looked forward to reading an epic report featuring a starter of a nice relaxing ride from Portsmouth to London, a main course of London to Brighton, and a pud of riding from Brighton back home [though I've never actually completed that particular triangle, unlike the two completed Pompey-London-Bognor-Pompey ones]. To those people, sorry, just rode the middle bit. Great main course though. With the evening's entertainment in mind, the train was the only sensible option if I didn't want to leave home at ten or eleven (and no, I didn't, had other stuff to do in the morning anyway). I've ridden to a gig in the smoke before (Primus night one, Albert Hall, 2012). I've ridden a FNRttC post-gig and then back home before (Primus night two, followed by the Bognor run), but not ride-to-London-gig-FNRttC-home. And I wasn't planning to ride home as the thought of 50 miles into a 15 mph headwind had absolutely no appeal whatsoever. When I caught it heading home from Cosham station it was bad enough.... The ride between Pompey and Brighton is a lovely one in the right conditions, and a miserable soul-destroying experience in the wrong ones. These were the wrong ones. And, as turns out, I had a errand for the afternoon (picking up the scooter-shaped object from its service) which could not be left for another day. Anyway....
I went for the tightwad train option - Southern into Victoria (insert griping about overzealous revenue inspectors and people failing to use automatic ticket barriers here) - leaving plenty of time to eat before heading west to Hammersmith. Ride was a bit slow on account of all the traffic and umpteen red lights, but hardly a problem. Brilliant show from Underworld, Mr Hyde and Mr Price (Mr Smith absent due to illness) running through the first album and an encore of other tracks from the same period with their usual vigour. Last song was, of course, the one about yellow beer.....
Earworms selected for the evening, I was out the Apollo door just before eleven, opting to take a tried-and-tested quieter option east (Fulham Palace Road then Lillie Road, Old Brompton Road). On account of the time I didn't go to Victoria for a refuel and the usual meet-up (neither it seems, did anyone else) but straight on to the Arch. Not sure about the Knightsbridge variation- as Jason (@jiberjaber) noted there was more traffic but more direct than our usual twisty route. Swings and roundabouts....
On we went, after the usual bush stop on Clapham Common came a brief cameo at Clapham South by the Met armed response unit before the now usual Tooting (non)variation. Portnalls Road regroup enlivened by Mr I'm So Angry I Want To Be Arrested If I Don't Have A Heart Attack First, holding forth at volume about something-or-other that seemed to involve dogs and distracting residents from our presence. Chipstead-Reigate stretch as glorious as ever, top speed down the hill a mere 30 or so. Gatwick was as unsurprising as usual, and Turners Hill so much less painful than the other way up. That was followed by my favourite bit of this ride, the rolling run to Lindfield, and my very least favourite bit, that climb into Lindfield (a sting in the tail if ever there was one).
And then there was the Beacon. That was probably the hardest ascent of it for me since the first one (and this is including the one in December 2011)- glad of that 34x27 bottom gear, I've usually had one or two to spare when riding the Viner, but not that morning. Blustery conditions made the final stretch interesting and a bit slower than usual (no speed camera triggering in that wind). Wetherspoons large breakfast demolished, I crawled up to the station in plenty of time for the next train west. Home just after eleven, napping shortly afterwards.
Thanks one and all, with particular thanks of course to our leader @redfalo, the all-up girl with the mostest @Agent Hilda (who has been making suggestions that this might be her last ever night ride....I hope not, to put it mildly), and Ride Leader Emeritus doing no less sterling work at the back, @dellzeqq.
Next up, @Trickedem's Whitstable run. He has been set a high bar, but I have no doubt he'll clear it, even without the fine efforts of his good lady's catering team. And of course, for all those who thought there wasn't enough climbing on Friday night, join me on the IOW on May 29 and fill your boots. Quiet roads. Hills. Ferries. Hills. Needles. Hills. Fantastic views. Hills. And did I mention the hills?
First off, an apology. Regular readers and friends might have seen the combination of self having a week off, and a Friday night ride, and looked forward to reading an epic report featuring a starter of a nice relaxing ride from Portsmouth to London, a main course of London to Brighton, and a pud of riding from Brighton back home [though I've never actually completed that particular triangle, unlike the two completed Pompey-London-Bognor-Pompey ones]. To those people, sorry, just rode the middle bit. Great main course though. With the evening's entertainment in mind, the train was the only sensible option if I didn't want to leave home at ten or eleven (and no, I didn't, had other stuff to do in the morning anyway). I've ridden to a gig in the smoke before (Primus night one, Albert Hall, 2012). I've ridden a FNRttC post-gig and then back home before (Primus night two, followed by the Bognor run), but not ride-to-London-gig-FNRttC-home. And I wasn't planning to ride home as the thought of 50 miles into a 15 mph headwind had absolutely no appeal whatsoever. When I caught it heading home from Cosham station it was bad enough.... The ride between Pompey and Brighton is a lovely one in the right conditions, and a miserable soul-destroying experience in the wrong ones. These were the wrong ones. And, as turns out, I had a errand for the afternoon (picking up the scooter-shaped object from its service) which could not be left for another day. Anyway....
I went for the tightwad train option - Southern into Victoria (insert griping about overzealous revenue inspectors and people failing to use automatic ticket barriers here) - leaving plenty of time to eat before heading west to Hammersmith. Ride was a bit slow on account of all the traffic and umpteen red lights, but hardly a problem. Brilliant show from Underworld, Mr Hyde and Mr Price (Mr Smith absent due to illness) running through the first album and an encore of other tracks from the same period with their usual vigour. Last song was, of course, the one about yellow beer.....
Earworms selected for the evening, I was out the Apollo door just before eleven, opting to take a tried-and-tested quieter option east (Fulham Palace Road then Lillie Road, Old Brompton Road). On account of the time I didn't go to Victoria for a refuel and the usual meet-up (neither it seems, did anyone else) but straight on to the Arch. Not sure about the Knightsbridge variation- as Jason (@jiberjaber) noted there was more traffic but more direct than our usual twisty route. Swings and roundabouts....
On we went, after the usual bush stop on Clapham Common came a brief cameo at Clapham South by the Met armed response unit before the now usual Tooting (non)variation. Portnalls Road regroup enlivened by Mr I'm So Angry I Want To Be Arrested If I Don't Have A Heart Attack First, holding forth at volume about something-or-other that seemed to involve dogs and distracting residents from our presence. Chipstead-Reigate stretch as glorious as ever, top speed down the hill a mere 30 or so. Gatwick was as unsurprising as usual, and Turners Hill so much less painful than the other way up. That was followed by my favourite bit of this ride, the rolling run to Lindfield, and my very least favourite bit, that climb into Lindfield (a sting in the tail if ever there was one).
And then there was the Beacon. That was probably the hardest ascent of it for me since the first one (and this is including the one in December 2011)- glad of that 34x27 bottom gear, I've usually had one or two to spare when riding the Viner, but not that morning. Blustery conditions made the final stretch interesting and a bit slower than usual (no speed camera triggering in that wind). Wetherspoons large breakfast demolished, I crawled up to the station in plenty of time for the next train west. Home just after eleven, napping shortly afterwards.
Thanks one and all, with particular thanks of course to our leader @redfalo, the all-up girl with the mostest @Agent Hilda (who has been making suggestions that this might be her last ever night ride....I hope not, to put it mildly), and Ride Leader Emeritus doing no less sterling work at the back, @dellzeqq.
Next up, @Trickedem's Whitstable run. He has been set a high bar, but I have no doubt he'll clear it, even without the fine efforts of his good lady's catering team. And of course, for all those who thought there wasn't enough climbing on Friday night, join me on the IOW on May 29 and fill your boots. Quiet roads. Hills. Ferries. Hills. Needles. Hills. Fantastic views. Hills. And did I mention the hills?
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I did wonder where you had gone. Apologies, I never quite got round to saying 'hi'.
And look after the twitches. When those go wrong things can get messy.
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As I neared the bottom of Portnalls Road one of the five (I think) chaps wandered towards me as I was slowing down. I was mildly anxious as his intentions weren't clear, but what a nice chap.
"What's going on ?" "Where have you come from ?" "Where are you going ?" "Wow !!" "Can anyone join in ?" "Have fun." etc etc. A perfectly pleasant conversation. No hint of drink or anything untoward at all. Which made the following events all the weirder. The police car pulled in to them about thirty seconds after my conversation was over.
"What's going on ?" "Where have you come from ?" "Where are you going ?" "Wow !!" "Can anyone join in ?" "Have fun." etc etc. A perfectly pleasant conversation. No hint of drink or anything untoward at all. Which made the following events all the weirder. The police car pulled in to them about thirty seconds after my conversation was over.
That really did seem tougher than usual. Was that just the headwind, or perhaps a combination of being a year older and forgetting what it's like ? I wasn't tired in a sleepy sense, just shagged out. I think that's the slowest I've been up the Beacon. Slowest down it as well. Pedalling hard to hold 25mph for a lot of it. That's not normal.
Fantastic to catch up with the regulars, and great to meet FF and gas away for many miles. FF and I appear to have a bit of common ground outside of cycling so there's plenty of material left for the next Ride(s). (FF - you have been warned !!)
Hats off to Jane. That really does display a good deal of grit and determination. I think those with super light bikes who do thousands of miles a year without ever really thinking about it (or even considering that that sort of distance is in any way unusual) possibly don't appreciate how tough that route can be for a first timer, especially at the time we do it.
Thank you all for your company (as ever). These rides take a bit of beating. I can't think of a finer way to spend a Friday night/Saturday morning.
Hoping that the pop-up hatler coffee stall will be able to put in an appearance for the next Brighton ride.
Mini-hatler and little miss hatler asked that I say hi to everyone as well. (I didn't really feel I could subject either of them to any part of a March overnight ride. That would have me up in front of the authorities I would think.)
Fantastic to catch up with the regulars, and great to meet FF and gas away for many miles. FF and I appear to have a bit of common ground outside of cycling so there's plenty of material left for the next Ride(s). (FF - you have been warned !!)
Hats off to Jane. That really does display a good deal of grit and determination. I think those with super light bikes who do thousands of miles a year without ever really thinking about it (or even considering that that sort of distance is in any way unusual) possibly don't appreciate how tough that route can be for a first timer, especially at the time we do it.
Thank you all for your company (as ever). These rides take a bit of beating. I can't think of a finer way to spend a Friday night/Saturday morning.
Hoping that the pop-up hatler coffee stall will be able to put in an appearance for the next Brighton ride.
Mini-hatler and little miss hatler asked that I say hi to everyone as well. (I didn't really feel I could subject either of them to any part of a March overnight ride. That would have me up in front of the authorities I would think.)
