FNRttC Manchester-Blackpool 1st June 2018.

[Moodyman]

Indeed, thanks Andrew. Another great ride of two halves. Was lovely to meet new faces and reacquaint with old ones.

Good effort by Peter considering he only took up cycling two years ago.

Hope Marcus got back ok with his broken bike?

See you all soon and keep those pedals turning.

 

[Bazzer]

Another one to add my thanks to Andrew for leading the ride, finding that excellent breakfast cafe and of course the company of the other riders, @Moodyman in particular, with whom I spent many miles from Bury.
Marcus I hope the journey from Preston proved less inconvenient than the start of your trials from Bury.

 

[Gordon P]

What an adventure! proving the truism that every FNR is different.
Comedy off-roading taken to new heights ("Well it wasn't that muddy on the recce..."); snow poles handily placed for navigation through the fog on the tops although someone had removed them on the descent leaving us - especially us what wear spectacles without windscreen wipers - totally blind as we plunged towards a motorway roundabout....
No mechanicals or accidents, apart from Marcus - who a small posse were reunited with at Preston station before we parted towards both north and south: he was fine (well rested anyway) despite having had to walk back to Bury!!! Is that the longest bit of walking on a FNR? He was contentedly (well, reasonably so) considering his next frame purchase.
The café, which I thought was like a Bunuel movie made for Reality TV, was indeed remarkable and a brightish spot in otherwise godforsaken Fleetwood/Blackpool.
Northern Rail is as much of a farce as Southern and whatever Thameslink is currently called. Friendly guards (there were 5 of them in my compartment....)
They prevented me from visiting Wethersppon's so I'll have to do next year's ride

 

[mcshroom]

Indeed, thanks Andrew. Another great ride of two halves. Was lovely to meet new faces and reacquaint with old ones.

Good effort by Peter considering he only took up cycling two years ago.

Hope Marcus got back ok with his broken bike?

See you all soon and keep those pedals turning.

I got back ok, after a few fun and games avoiding Northern Fail engineering works. I bumped into quite a few people in Preston station. Sorry if I missed you

Unfortunately, this was the problem I had.




Pretty terminal for the frame

Thanks @Andrew Br for organising and for the route as far as I saw it. Maybe next year I'll make it to the coast

 

[Domus]

Cut open a beans can, wrap around, two jubilee clips and bobs your 5 new p

 

[mcshroom]

Cut open a beans can, wrap around, two jubilee clips and bobs your 5 new p

The problem there is that the crack is right on the point where the bridge joins the chainstay on the inside. The can wouldn't fit.

 

[Bazzer]

.......
Northern Rail is as much of a farce as Southern and whatever Thameslink is currently called. Friendly guards (there were 5 of them in my compartment....)
They prevented me from visiting Wethersppon's so I'll have to do next year's ride

I couldn't help wondering what passengers at Preston thought about an otherwise empty train discorging only cyclists from every door.

 

[wanda2010]

I enjoy the Manchester rides. They are a bit different to the southern Friday rides for me. Shorter distances between urban and country. The darkness is darker up north and the routes are quieter. The potholes are more brutal, but it was good to see a few filled in after the previous ride. Andrew's rides include mist. Heavy mist this time and a grim reminder that I REALLY need to wear contact lenses or find glasses that include wiper blades! Using the white lines as guidance was a first for me and looking up was not an option. No moonlight this time, which was a shame, but Alan was remembered and the woman walking to get her cab and telling the person at the other end of her phone call that people were using the bushes as a bathroom made me and a few others chuckle.

The MacDonalds stop is the only time I like that establishment. Could we have them install fan heaters for the minutes we are there next year? Would help to dry out some of our clothing after the misty section, and reduce my shivers. Blackpool seafront has changed a bit since my last visit umpteen years ago and my plan to walk a section of it died after cycling a chunk of it before heading to the station to get info on the train situation. Thankfully Virgin trains were not affected this time, but I was not impressed with the lack of staff when I arrived at Euston and had to navigate a tired body and bike through the carriage from the bike section.

Thanks to the TECs. They kept me moving when I really really wanted to stop occasionally, although they didn't know that. Andrew - I'd be up for Manchester/Morecambe and Manchester/Blackpool in the same year, but I'll settle for alternate years

The cost of booze in 'spoons - yes please!

Next ride.......

 

[kimble]

I couldn't help wondering what passengers at Preston thought about an otherwise empty train discorging only cyclists from every door.

I had a brief conversation with one. Their thoughts were mostly along the lines of "is this train going to Manchester?"

 

[Andrew Br]

That was a bit of a hoot wasn't it ? I really enjoyed it.

I think it was the ride that had a bit of everything: gritty urban environment (I'm looking at you Salford). Comedy off-roading. Long ascents. Long descents. Fog so thick you could almost cut it with a knife. Pretty lanes. Flatter than a flat thing lanes. The A6. Alfresco breakfasts with artisan sausages. Faded grandeur (Blackpool and Fleetwood, not me). The correct number of H&S talks (!). No punctures or minor mechanicals. One major mechanical. Trains magically appearing out of nowhere. McDonald's. Err, moving on, a chance to ride with friends old and new. A chance to remember a departed friend. Blackpool Tower.
Hell, there was even a pensioner's picnic .

Thank you all for your marvellous company and the effort that you put in to attend; that's very flattering and satisfying to me as the ride leader.

Thanks also to bazzer, mcshroom and Moodyman for tail-ending/all-upping and to the waymarkers (various). Knowing the group is taking care of itself is a weight off the leader's shoulders.

Morecambe or Blackpool next year ?
If the Knott End-Fleetwood ferry is running it'll be Blackpool again. If not, who knows ?
All being well, there will be a Manchester FNRttC next year but only one; sorry wanda...


And it wasn't that muddy on the recce.

 

[Andrew Br]

Strava here:- https://www.strava.com/activities/1612422709

I've counted 5 crossings of the Irwell and 1 of the Roch, an Irwell tributary.
The other rivers were the Ribble, the Brock, the Calder and, finally, the Wyre.

I'll post pictures when I get around to up-loading them, probably tomorrow.

 

[kimble]

The MacDonalds stop is the only time I like that establishment. Could we have them install fan heaters for the minutes we are there next year? Would help to dry out some of our clothing after the misty section, and reduce my shivers.

It's on the wall of the accessible toilet. Best technique is to pull your hands up inside the sleeves of your waterproof jacket, then offer the ends up to the stream of hot air. Get the angles right and your whole jacket will inflate and dry you out like Marty's in Back To The Future 2.

 

[User10119]

It's on the wall of the accessible toilet. Best technique is to pull your hands up inside the sleeves of your waterproof jacket, then offer the ends up to the stream of hot air. Get the angles right and your whole jacket will inflate and dry you out like Marty's in Back To The Future 2.

Or one of those classic pillar-stand hairdryer contraptions they use(d?) in hairdressers for the shampoo-and-set-with-a-purple-rinse jobs?

 

[Andrew Br]

I'm in McD's, Whitefield having a coffee. Naturally I thought of you lot.

Riding up here I found some more off-road that could be used in a FNRttC. I'll try it again on the way home.
I shan't mention falling off.
Oh.
Damn.

The bike's fine.

 

[Gordon P]

Glad the bike's OK. Are you?
Daytime off road to avoid traffic is one thing. At night there is no traffic to avoid so except in long term drought conditions on road may be preferable. The fact it's hillier is irrelevant given what's to come