England : Cambridgeshire Not a Christmas Friday Night ride - 11th December

[martint235]

Just do loads of it no hands.

Don't start. I can do maybe 50mm no hands

 

[Flying Dodo]

alas i will on hols in norfolk then so can't join you.
this is a shame, as IMO this is exactly the sort of fresh thinking and new route the FNRttC members would enjoy. an evening pottering round the sights of Cambridge then some pleasant riding in countryside, followed by a Huge Breakfast and rounding that off with a short, no-beer session at LMNH would be nice. Rounding it off with a long, beery, cheery session would be even nicer.

It's not that far to cycle from Norfolk to Cambridge..........

Anyway, another reason for picking this route is that Cambridge is now the UK's prime cycling city with 20% of journeys now made by bike. So we should take advantage of the facilities.

 

[velovoice]

It's not that far to cycle from Norfolk to Cambridge..........

Anyway, another reason for picking this route is that Cambridge is now the UK's prime cycling city with 20% of journeys now made by bike. So we should take advantage of the facilities.

Yebbut... aren't they all cycling in spite of a lack of (proper) facilities? Colleges' ban on students running cars, and all that.

 

[mjr]

Yebbut... aren't they all cycling in spite of a lack of (proper) facilities? Colleges' ban on students running cars, and all that.

Not entirely, but that and the no-through-motoring policies it enables is probably why it's 50% cycling regularly instead of the 20-25% of other comparable cities.

 

[velovoice]

Not entirely, but that and the no-through-motoring policies it enables is probably why it's 50% cycling regularly instead of the 20-25% of other comparable cities.

Sure. I was only being mildly facetious.

 

[mjr]

Sure. I was only being mildly facetious.

Sorry. I've spent too long writing stuff for councillors who come out with that sort of shoot and seem to believe it.

 

[robjh]

We may have another person for this ride - one of my cycling buddies from Cambridge was asking about it.

 

[Flying Dodo]

I'm loathe to shell out a tenner until I know I can ride that distance again. If the weather eases this week I might try to get out and see how it goes

See how it goes. For a bail out point, it's 29 miles to Stansted Airport so we should be there just before 3 am. The first train back to London is 5:30 am.

 

[frank9755]

Any plans for having something to eat in Cambrdige beforehand? It worked well when we did that in Reading last year.

Just bumping my own suggestion: if there's any interest, I'll do some research and organise something. If not, I'll take the hint!

 

[velovoice]

Just bumping my own suggestion: if there's any interest, I'll do some research and organise something. If not, I'll take the hint!

I'm sure we'd really like to, but can't commit til we've sorted out how/when we're getting there ourselves. Working in London complicate things...

 

[Stephen C]

I may be keen, although I've never been on a night ride like this before, so convincing my partner that I'm not completely mad might be a little tricky!

Would I need to prepare my bike any differently from my usual winter's evening commutes, ie, strap on some lights and bring spare clothing/flapjack supply?

 

[robjh]

I may be keen, although I've never been on a night ride like this before, so convincing my partner that I'm not completely mad might be a little tricky!

Would I need to prepare my bike any differently from my usual winter's evening commutes, ie, strap on some lights and bring spare clothing/flapjack supply?

You might never convince her of that, but try pointing out that there are many others just as mad as you Would it help if you say you've been riding with some of them already?

As for special preparations, you will need lights capable of lasting all night, and at this time of year more warm clothing than you usually need on a commute - 5 am. in December can get very nippy. You may want a few flapjacks and small 'back-pocket' snacks, but bear in mind that there will be a mid-ride food stop (at Stansted airport, as mentioned up-thread) so you won't go hungry.

FYI I'm thinking of booking a train back to Whittlesford around mid-day the next day - this gives plenty of time for a bit of 'socialising' and maybe sightseeing before heading back.

 

[rb58]

Would I need to prepare my bike any differently from my usual winter's evening commutes, ie, strap on some lights and bring spare clothing/flapjack supply?

You'll need a suitably topped up hip flask

 

[Stephen C]

You'll need a suitably topped up hip flask

I took it that was assumed in the "usual winter's commute" part

 

[Beebo]

I may be keen, although I've never been on a night ride like this before, so convincing my partner that I'm not completely mad might be a little tricky!

Would I need to prepare my bike any differently from my usual winter's evening commutes, ie, strap on some lights and bring spare clothing/flapjack supply?

Clothing is very important. A one hour commute in the cold and wet is managable if you gat caught with the wrong clothes, but 5 or 6 hours isnt. You have to layer up and be prepred for the worst.