The 2015 Night Ride thread

[Flying Dodo]

The FNRttC is a particular thing. For me, and for many others, it is, was or has been a special - even life-changing - thing. There's a magic in the idea that is lost when any of its indispensable elements are dispensed with. The Coast element is an indispensable one - there's something joyous about the flight from the city to the seaside at midnight, at the end of the week and the beginning of the weekend. This is one of the reasons I've never been tempted by the SMRbtH, and presumably the reason DZ gave in to the idea that the Welsh ride should travel East to West, against the - ahem - prevailing wind. While there's doubtless much to be said for riding from Reading to Salisbury, or Oxford to Cambridge, I'm not sure it isn't something entirely different to a FNRttC, and better done in the daytime. Having just enjoyed my first non-Fridays-led night ride to the coast, I will certainly be interested if there are other rides to join, and might even offer to run one or two at some point, but I don't think there's any need to try and squeeze other rides into the same model in order to replicate the FNRttC schedule. I would favour a more ad-hoc approach than a programme of rides that doesn't have a story or an idea to it.

I see where you're coming from, but I tend to agree with srw, the coast itself isn't the raison d'être, although it's a nice plus, especially when there are some gems we've been to. However, there's also the issue that things change and even last year DZ was trying to get people to consider what the FNRttC could evolve into.

Night rides are themselves a special thing, and if we collectively can come up with new routes, especially ones you wouldn't want to look at during the day, then that's got to be a good thing.

 

[frank9755]

Yes - I thought that what @theclaud said was a tiny bit vacuous, but the bit about FNRttC being life-changing did hit the spot for me!

I've done rather a lot of non-Fridays night rides since my first on that epic, wet and windy struggle down to Brighton in March 2010. Most of them have had their own stories, and several have even had far stronger stories than my FNRttCs have. For example,
- the 2010 Dunwich Dynamo, riding with a dozen others from Cyclechat with @stevevw sorting out the halfway and arrive catering in fine fashion,
- My return on PBP, sweeping across northern France and being cheered throuh villages at 3am whilst wondering how far I could keep going
- A ride in Scotland, starting by the Forth Bridge and having breakfast on the west coast
- Solitary night loop round Snowdonia on Bryan Chapman
- 24 hour time trial, etc, etc

These all had much stronger stories for me, but hardly any could come close in terms of company, camaraderie and inclusiveness. That is what I think the FNRttC is mainly about. Could a programme of rides organised by others provide that? While it would never come close to matching what Simon has built up over 9 years into one of the very finest things in cycling, I think it could.

Edit - If I had to sum up FNRttC in one line it would be 'enabling ordinary people to do something extraordinary'

 

[StuartG]

I do care a about the story @redfalo. I am with @theclaud. It was the challenge of doing all the impossibles - night riding to the coast in company that moved me from a casual rider to one who has horizons shifted galactically.

Whilst we all wish DZ would continue unchanged - a rest is also an opportunity to reflect on whether that would be best. The basic FNRttC has already borne some siblings - The three tours, the FNRttK. Ian's ride home. What was impossible we found to be very possible and now we want even more impossible things to do. We should be looking to build on the experience - not to simply replicate it. There are more exciting rides and acronyms to be found.

I with you @redfalo that introducing newbies to the experience was the key to FNRttC. As it grew - and I've done over 40 of them - dare I say as it became steadily bigger that most of the group got to know and greet each other like the friends they were. However un-cliquey and welcoming we tried to be - our very numbers and familiarity may be a bit too much and it was in danger of losing its true purpose - taking people to a place they had never been by a method they would never have contemplated. "Been there, Done it" was showing through too many shirt tops.

Spires by day, Continental Capitals by weekend or whatever - we who have done it should be moving on and thinking about a new generation of newbie FNRttC-ers with just enough experienced people to wayfind, tec and add encouragement to make it a success with the occasional reunion/nostalgia ride for the beer. Newbies who will follow us on to greater things.

It is just 5 years since my first ride, terrified, to Southend. That will always be the greatest ride. It can't be replicated by me but it is an experience we should help DZ to give to others. It needs an experience, research, dedication, raw nerve, charisma and much more which we can't just patch on to the post FNRttC experience. Be careful of trying.

 

[Flying Dodo]

Yes - I thought that what @theclaud said was a tiny bit vacuous

It's been nice knowing you Frank. I'd be careful next time you're in Wales...........

 

[uphillstruggler]

Milton Keynes? You're going to need plenty of waymarkers for all those roundabouts!

if you follow the BHF route on this one, you don't go over any roundabouts - ive done the ride a few times and I live in MK so would be happy to help in any way possible.

and I have insurance (if that helps)

 

[hatler]

We've got to be careful we don't spend too long looking at our collective umbilicuses (umbilici ?) And yet I am conscious that by contributing to this thread I am adding to the gazing.

Aside from anything else we have to beware of the maxim that if you put five cyclists in a room and ask for their views on anything you will get six views back (as a minimum).

What are the essential ingredients of the existing FNRttC arrangement ? Feel free to add/remove/discuss or even amend the essentiality (!) of any item.

• The welcome extended to all
• The in-ride Organisation (and it really does deserve a capital 'O')
• Careful selection of routes, destinations and watering stops
• The novelty of riding through the night (which still seems like a novelty after all this time, which is surely contradictory).
• Sticking together and the support given to those who might find things harder than others
• Ending up at the coast (I do like the seaside)
• The conversations

Those are all things that any ride with a similar aim in mind (what is that aim anyone ?) should absolutely strive for.

We should, as a random assemblage of riders, consider ourselves very fortunate that someone as (DZ - please look away) inspirational/mad/persistent as Simon was daft enough to kick this one off in the first place and then have the time and wherewithal to stick with it for this long. I don't think it reasonable of us to expect anyone to do it in the exact same way as Simon.

Not even sure of where I am heading with this one so I'd better stop there before I start rambling or contradicting myself. Not sure if this really adds much either.

 

[theclaud]

I have to say I disagree on several points. For my part, I don't really care about the coast, and my feeling is it rarely gets a lot of attention by most riders. I also neither need a "story" nor an "idea". Riding through the night with very nice people is good enough for me. Without @dellzeqq, I would never have realized how enjoyable night riding is and I would have never met an amazing number of amazingly nice people, some of whom I nowadays consider good friends.

I don't think the idea of this thread it to "try and squeeze other rides into the same model in order to replicate the FNRttC schedule". I feel there is a general consensus that no night ride on any Friday night to any effing coast will ever be a "Friday Night Ride to the Coast", unless it is led by DZ. Most of the 2015 night rides will be more of an ad-hoc thing, probably lacking a civilised half-way stop as well as meticulous night recces, and I think they will also lack a "story" other than "let's get on our bikes at midnight".

There is some merits in Adrian's idea to just do them without any fuss about a club and insurance issues. As I have pointed out earlier in this thread, the fundamental problem with such kind of stuff is that at least I would be very hesitant to announce such kind of rides in a public forum because some routes - in particular London to Brighton - seem to be in high demand with non-regular Friday's members. I would not feel confident to lead a night ride with 30 or 50 people, many of them potentially lacking insurance and even a name. This year has sadly shown that tragic things can happen on a night ride, and you have to know who is on the ride.

I think it would be nice to keep at least some rides open for non-regulars. (Actually, for me, the inclusiveness of the FNRttCs rather than the coast or the story is really indispensable.

Another advantage of having a schedule of rides is that it makes planning easier for people who want to come on the ride. I'm not really sure what you have in mind when you suggest an "ad-hoc approach", but setting a date for a ride 2 or 3 months in advance, sticking to the date and trying not to have competing rides on identical dates is crucial, from my point of view.

Fairy nuff! I agree about the inclusiveness, though definitely not about the coast! I'm just thinking aloud, really. By ad-hoc, I meant that they are likely to be various in character according to who plans and leads them, and there may be no need to agree to a way of doing things that applies to all at this stage - some might be small and informal, others might require more organization. It goes without saying that the FNRttC model is to be emulated, but I think its influence is finding its way into all kinds of rides anyway. There are people in Carmarthenshire who have never heard of the FNRttC, who probably by now imagine they thought of the rolling-waymarkers-released-by-TECs system! Not to mention the rash of overpriced charity FNRttC imitators!

 

[Ollie W]

Is it OK to put my opinion forward, as an outsider looking in who's yet to join your rides? I hope so.

There are many reasons why I love reading the FNR threads, even if there's little to no chance I'll be at that ride. The witty repartee is one, and the ride reports and pictures too. The camaraderie is another, from the really friendly posts to the chapeaus (and I'm sure the conversation on the actual ride is great too!). The fact that such friendliness is given out not just to those you've known for years but also to those who are brand new, wet behind the ears and asking questions. Despite my thick questions (and ignorance about the future of the FNRs) in the Reading to Lymington thread you were patient and answered my questions. I don't think I know of any community quite like that which you guys (in particular DZ) have created. Personally the thought of riding such a distance scares me a little but I knew, signing up for a ride that wasn't even a Fridays ride, that I'd be welcomed and helped along the way. I read the threads thinking how inspiring it is to see riders of all ages and sizes enjoying themselves together, and how much I'd like to be part of it.

The routes certainly help. I can understand both arguments for and against the coast, and while I think I'd also appreciate any particularly interesting rural areas (my favourite ride so far was the New Forest circular Skyride that I did), the seaside is an incredible sight to hit at the end of an epic journey, especially those bits of coastline not so usually frequented. Having a proper midway stop adds to it for me too. That said, I'd be happy to help recce any potential new rides - Basingstoke to Bournemouth, maybe? From horrible urban jungle to beautiful timeless seaside (in that it's stuck in the 60s!)...

Anyway, tl:dr:

- The FNRttCs are an inspiration to those of us who aren't quite as experienced in cycling. Please, please, do remember us newbies (though I'm sure you will). It's a great challenge to set one's self.
- Your camaraderie and friendship, from ride inception to chapeau, is encouraging in an internet full of trolls and flamers (OK, I'm a nerd, I use these words).
- Keep at the rides you know and love, but don't be afraid to throw a curve ball in now and again if it's properly researched.

I've had a pretty rotten weekend, from narrowly missing out on Friday to my bike being nicked, but thinking about getting my bike back/my insurance bike and joining you guys is brightening it up a bit. I hope that's not too soppy/sad for a forum like this!

 

[hatler]

I've done rather a lot of non-Fridays night rides since my first on that epic, wet and windy struggle down to Brighton in March 2010.
<snip>
Edit - If I had to sum up FNRttC in one line it would be 'enabling ordinary people to do something extraordinary'

Was that March 2010 ride the one with the hail storm just after the Beacon ?

And I like that quote of yours.

 

[slowmotion]

I'm another big fan of ending at the sea. I like the idea of reaching a destination where you really can't go any further. In a strange way it makes the goal a bit more special. That said, I'm up for any ride that isn't too fast or long and allows people to catch up. I would be delighted and thankful to join them. I wish I could do more to help but I don't think it would work to be leading from the back of the peleton. As @User13710 hinted, the FNRttCs have changed my life and I'm hugely grateful to Simon and his helpers for that.
Chapeau!

 

[Fab Foodie]

It's not about the coast, it's not about the destination or the start. It's about the build-up, the anticipation, the weather forecasting, the readily accessible 'in-jokes', the preparation, the arrival at the start, the buzz that builds, friends - those known and those as yet unknown, the depart, the journey, the stops, the road, the sights, the sounds, the places unknown, the shared experience, the small-wheeled, fast wheeled, steady wheeled, old wheeled, rolling along in close orchestrated harmony, the art of the TEC, and the wayfinders, the warmth of experience cosseting your adventure, the changes of temperature, the warmth of the dawn, the arrival, the food, the beer, the bonhomie, the sadness, the over-ness, the way home, the ride report, the memories, the shared experience, that desire to repeat, that longing again for the warmth, to belong again.

 

[StuAff]

It's not about the coast, it's not about the destination or the start. It's about the build-up, the anticipation, the weather forecasting, the readily accessible 'in-jokes', the preparation, the arrival at the start, the buzz that builds, friends - those known and those as yet unknown, the depart, the journey, the stops, the road, the sights, the sounds, the places unknown, the shared experience, the small-wheeled, fast wheeled, steady wheeled, old wheeled, rolling along in close orchestrated harmony, the art of the TEC, and the wayfinders, the warmth of experience cosseting your adventure, the changes of temperature, the warmth of the dawn, the arrival, the food, the beer, the bonhomie, the sadness, the over-ness, the way home, the ride report, the memories, the shared experience, that desire to repeat, that longing again for the warmth, to belong again.

You didn't mention rain

 

[Fab Foodie]

You didn't mention rain

I hoped I'd get away with it!

 

[Tim Hall]

It's not about the coast, it's not about the destination or the start. It's about the build-up, the anticipation, the weather forecasting, the readily accessible 'in-jokes', the preparation, the arrival at the start, the buzz that builds, friends - those known and those as yet unknown, the depart, the journey, the stops, the road, the sights, the sounds, the places unknown, the shared experience, the small-wheeled, fast wheeled, steady wheeled, old wheeled, rolling along in close orchestrated harmony, the art of the TEC, and the wayfinders, the warmth of experience cosseting your adventure, the changes of temperature, the warmth of the dawn, the arrival, the food, the beer, the bonhomie, the sadness, the over-ness, the way home, the ride report, the memories, the shared experience, that desire to repeat, that longing again for the warmth, to belong again.

You mean...
Choose bikes. Choose a cake. Choose a Colnago. Choose The Fridays. Choose a f***ing big memorial arch. Choose track pumps, tyres, inner tubes and CO2 inflators. Choose beer, bread pudding and third party cover. Choose fixed gear. Choose a bungalow. Choose your friends. Choose lycra and matching buffs. Choose a triplet in a range of delightful colours. Choose TEC and wondering where the waymarkers are in the early hours of Saturday morning. Choose sitting in a cafe, eating the finest breakfast money can buy. Choose falling asleep standing up. Choose the next ride. And the next. But why would I want to do thing like that? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got the Friday Night Ride to the Coast

(An ill favoured thing, but mine own. And repeated)

 

[srw]

I don't think I've pushed the Like button so often for ages.

For me, the point about next year is to experiment. To find out what works and what doesn't. To find out what's essential about The Fridays (the finest cycling club in the world) and what isn't.

I'd hazard a guess that the essential will include some or all of inclusiveness, welcomingness, night, Organisation, remeniscence, participation on a non-compulsory basis, caring and beer (or cider). The inessential will include night, beer (or cider), the coast, London, and probably even cycling.