Loughborough to London ride - 3rd July

[Mista Preston]

have a good ride all

 

[Rabbitthekitten]

I just wanted to say thanks for letting me tag along, I did a total of 120km in the end. :-D I was also wondering if anyone had any pics they could send me? If you do PM me and I'll send you my email address. :-D

 

[Aperitif]

Nice to meet you Rabbit (Joe)...hopped off at the lunch stop and I missed saying goodbye...

Hot, sometimes trying ride - I got back about half an hour ago with 238.3kms on the GPS, which is not bad. A long day done.
Stuart did his longest ride today - well done.*

More later, including 'cheeky abuse' from a car window clinker thinker, and castigation at the hands of expert drivers: "This is a road you know - not a cycle track!

*The yacf jersey stands for "Yet Another Carrying Fetishist"

 

[topcat1]

Thank you Adam for a great day out, the rolling hills of the countryside, the views the company, the lunch stop (great sausages), the delight of riding through london at night

I need some new legs

 

[Aperitif]

topcat, modelling this week's latest fashions form Rapha/Assos as the group feasted outside High Barnet Tesco Metro. A cheap bike and wheels as backdrop only serves to emphasise this cool rider's Saturday night attire!

 

[Aperitif]

Baedeker Guide Book to Loughborough
D Lock
A lock for every other consonant in the alphabet
The Windward Isle's entire banana output for last Monday
Enough water to refloat the ark
A puppet
An unfolded copy of the Dahon Spotters Logbook
Seven first class stamps
A cling-film wrapped breakfast from the Madiera Café (2009) in case of emergency
Several big flat stones for skimming, on arrival near water
A box of cigars, used - as smoked by Grougho Marx ontime...
That's just a few of the things I noticed - there may be more!
All were in Stu's backpack. Three of us who regularly deal with 'weighty things' (NOT our own bodies before you start) decided that the start weight was in the region of 14kg - perhaps a little less, but not a lot. It was just as well that Stu had eaten the family sized trifle before setting off, although the glass bowl was tucked away inside, ready for washing. At least it hadn't been subject to terrorist attack and was in one piece, unlike Marin's effort of last week... A strong effort to carry all that around, although it was mooted that Stu + his rucksack weighed in substantially less than self.
(Sometimes life is cruel...)

A casual journey up by train - here is the Post Office at Market Harborough (why? ) showing the blue sky and an abstraction of colourful bent)

was followed by a rendezvous outside Loughborough Station. Rabbitthekitten (Joe) turned up. (Questions about his forum name were reserved for later) A romantic location (as in romantic to an enthusiastic demolition engineer) was the backdrop to another of 'Adam's Amazing Adventures'!

"Bollards!"
It was fairly warm but not too bad - if the temperature stayed there, it would have been comfortable. It didn't.
We waited for stevevw and the slow group, who had incurred the wrath of Network Rail's Quota Management Executive, which gave a chance for a snap of Jane (centre), Pippa and Dave. Pippa was playing nicely with her Etrex. (You do realise that you have accquired an essential component for potential 'Mouseketeer' status don't you, Pippa? )

This route is memorable for a multitude of rolling roads - which can be hard on the legs at times. An up, then down, with another up etc...and so on. The pub, 'The Swan' - outside Market Harborough was a secure, spacious and tasty food outlet of quality.
And onward to meet Kats, who had avoided the morning session and arrived fresh as a daisy, ready to conquer!
Here, she is asking me for two copies of the photograph! Such a grasp of the traditional English visual vocabulary...

We voyaged Southwards - there was a nice thatched cottage or two for sale I remember (another of my usual daydream moments) and this:

Clive climbed on board at North Crawley - a welcome addition to 'Team Sociable'.
Plenty of people took plenty of snaps and I'm sure the landscape will be well illustrated as reportage unfolds...mine are mostly of Tescos.
At Flitwick (pron. 'Flittick' - thanks Adam ) someone had got wind of a CycleChat ride passing through. He had arrived in order to find Davywalnuts...sadly not with us this time around.

They are all 'best' to Davy. Luckily, the Stevenage Snails had departed by then otherwise Davy's crown as 'King Kebab' might have been under threat from Stevevw. Actually, it is unfair on us 'larger gentlemen' - we have all the penalties that abundant nature has presented to us when trying to ride a bike uphill. I have identified a complex from which we could suffer. It is called 'Big Unit Syndrome' or BUS, for short.
Anyway, by eight of the clock in the evening, the sun was still doing it's best as Kats, John, Stu, Dave, Clive, Ian (ticking over in the background - smooth style as always - chatting to everyone in turn) Adam and....ah me! (I'm an idiot - I have been sitting here trying to think who was missing!) wheeled our way toward London. John tripped off to make peace with his horse, Red - the oats were overdue!

Everyone was feeling comfortable in the cooler evening temperature. At one point Clive was going down and put his nuts in his mouth, causing him to choke a little but he recovered in time to enjoy a little tart outside Tescos in High Barnet.

Ian, The Tattooed Beat Messiah, had been holding court to a captive audience needing to use the cash machine. She was most impressed and they 'shared a moment'. Two blokes appeared to award him handshakes and beery breath for being so adventurous - CycleChat's very own 'High Street Hero'!

Stu's saddle was sniffing the food on offer too!!!

Refreshed, we set off to complete the 'jaunt' from Lofborough to Loughndon. Barnet Council - YES YOU! you useless heap of crappy road (non) repair merchants tried to shake fillings from teeth and bugger up wheels as we sped Southwards to St Pancras. They really are a useless, ignorant council when it comes to repairing roads. I can imagine them having 'Effectiveness and Delivery Seminars' while huddled around the water cooler in the Town Hall.
Err sorry - rant over.

I started daydreaming again and we weaved up and around North Hill, Highgate - where the 'day' was just beginning for the young ones - scantily-ish clad - after the exertions of a day sunworshipping. Tufnell Park, Kentish Town and thence to St P. for some adieus and then a Clive mini-tour of Bloomsbury toward HPC, in a two Condor, two Planet X convoy . I turned right on the Edgware Road and drank in the atmosphere and scent of the Shisha along the road (and once again, nearly got incinerated by a waiter outside 'Maroush', who either cleans the burning embers from the pipe's 'thingy' into the gutter by swishing it back and forth - ash flying everywhere, or ignites a fresh stock of tobacco by doing the same)
Someone else will know the correct terminology employed by the car user in Kentish Town Road, and also be able to extrapolate on the niceties of 'window butt boy'!
Thanks to all who took part in this - another Adam's apple for my fruit bowl of experience. Thanks Adam.

 

[StuAff]

Thanks one and all for a great ride. Just had a look from the stats from the Garmin. Loughborough-Waterloo came to 131.69 miles (this includes the extra two or three miles from self, 'teef & TC1's exploration of the area south-east of Market Harborough in our bid to find the pub after our comrades decided we'd find it on our own ). My average rolling speed was 14.4 mph, so quite a bit faster than an FNRttC I think.. After all the ribbing about the weight of the rucksack, I did need a lot of that stuff, honestly (drained the drinks bladder & all four bottles, went through all the food)- I could have got away without the D-lock of course, but old habits die hard. And if I hadn't brought a pump & inner tubes, that blasted fairy would have visited me...I think I'll start making more use of the Carradice bag though, might as well have more weight on the bike than my back. Which is fine...!). Once again, the Condor proved a very splendid tool for the job- it'll be great to have the Viner back of course, but it's not being missed so much thanks to the Squadra...
Shame that Pippa, User10571 and Jane couldn't make it all the way into the smoke, but Kat & Clive joined us en route and kept the numbers and the speed up. Steve and chums left us at Flitwick (pleasure to meet/ reaquaint myself with you all!), John went his separate way at Stevenage, and the seven of us remaining progressed fairly rapidly into the city. Altercation with that braindead driver on Highgate Road notwithstanding. Ian graciously let me draft him back to Waterloo (I'd have probably gone the right way myself, but never hurts to have local-ish knowledge, I got it wrong the other week!), and I was back in time for the 2315 service. And a very sound night's sleep!!

 

[ianrauk]

Cheers Adam. 'Teef has said it all above. A wonderful ride indeed. 152 miles on the clock.

 

[StuAff]

Baedeker Guide Book to Loughborough
D Lock
A lock for every other consonant in the alphabet
The Windward Isle's entire banana output for last Monday
Enough water to refloat the ark
A puppet
An unfolded copy of the Dahon Spotters Logbook
Seven first class stamps
A cling-film wrapped breakfast from the Madiera Café (2009) in case of emergency
Several big flat stones for skimming, on arrival near water
A box of cigars, used - as smoked by Grougho Marx ontime...
That's just a few of the things I noticed - there may be more!
All were in Stu's backpack. Three of us who regularly deal with 'weighty things' (NOT our own bodies before you start) decided that the start weight was in the region of 14kg - perhaps a little less, but not a lot. It was just as well that Stu had eaten the family sized trifle before setting off, although the glass bowl was tucked away inside, ready for washing. At least it hadn't been subject to terrorist attack and was in one piece, unlike Marin's effort of last week... A strong effort to carry all that around, although it was mooted that Stu + his rucksack weighed in substantially less than self.

Well the D-lock was right....
Actual contents, apart from that sizeable lump of German engineering (1.6 kg on its own!)- pump (Edinburgh Bike Coop's Revolution Air Mini), three inner tubes, tyre levers, allen key multi-tool (straightened my slightly wonky saddle), spanner multi-tool, hydration bladder (2.5 litres or so to begin with, drained by the evening), two extra 750ml bottles (ditto), two single-shot canisters of Torq powder (unused), two bananas, cereal bar, recovery bar, one malt-loaf (all of that eaten), four gels (one eaten), case for my glasses (used in the evening), lights (ditto), set of spare batteries for the lights, and a (lightweight!) waterproof jacket, thankfully not required. And a London cycle map and Portsmouth-London timetable, which must have made all the difference

 

[Aperitif]

^ I knew it...

 

[Flying Dodo]

I've posted my general thoughts over here, but a couple of observations. By the time of the lunch stop, our moving average was 15.3 mph, after picking up Kats (that sound a bit risqué), by the time we got to Olney, it had gone up to 15.7 mph overall, meaning that stretch was probably done at 17 mph.

It was definitely too hot.

Glad you managed to get your train Stu. You deserve an award for your back pack - I definitely felt a twinge in my back trying to pick it up.

Nice words and pictures as always Martin - Adam's Amazing Adventures - I like that.

The next one will be a gentle one, I promise. Hopefully not as hot as well.

 

[StuAff]

Well the D-lock was right....
Actual contents, apart from that sizeable lump of German engineering (1.6 kg on its own!)- pump (Edinburgh Bike Coop's Revolution Air Mini), three inner tubes, tyre levers, allen key multi-tool (straightened my slightly wonky saddle), spanner multi-tool, hydration bladder (2.5 litres or so to begin with, drained by the evening), two extra 750ml bottles (ditto), two single-shot canisters of Torq powder (unused), two bananas, cereal bar, recovery bar, one malt-loaf (all of that eaten), four gels (one eaten), case for my glasses (used in the evening), lights (ditto), set of spare batteries for the lights, and a (lightweight!) waterproof jacket, thankfully not required. And a London cycle map and Portsmouth-London timetable, which must have made all the difference

Edit: Forgot to mention the sun lotion, definitely needed. Though I still missed putting enough on my legs. Which are fine, surprisingly (both in terms of the burn and of aches- no need to quote Jens Voigt at them!).

 

[dellzeqq]

putting your nuts in your mouth is some trick, especially while riding a bicycle. I'd like to remind Clive that the next FNRttC is the 'Genteel' ride, and this kind of thing would be best left for another occasion....

 

[topcat1]

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/4804/sunday212.jpg



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

i'm trying a new image host so it may take a while untill i sort the pics

 

[Aperitif]

Loughborough 2010 Does this work?

Tinypic sort of behaved itself this morning Dave - with the usual connection queries raised once each upload. But I do understand how much of a pita this is...