FNRttC The Friday Night Ride to the Coast - Whitstable 27th August 2010

[Aperitif]

I've learnt a lot about cheese. More than I will ever really need to know. Thanks Marna.

I too have learned. (Not English - that's for sure! )
'The Rind of the Ancient Marnaer'.
Marna is a treasure trove of information and I am only pleased that I at least knew one thing. (She asked me my name )
The conversation pieces were very interesting today - ranging from scratch and sniff people to chocolate teapots. The worst thing was, I arrived in front of the washing machine, 'disrobed' and lo! I had my camera after all! I could have written a report. Alas too late.
Lovely to meet a lot of new people last night, a good pace and plenty of bling bikes on display. Also on display - Adrian's custom built Carnation tyre boot.

 

[deckertim]

Hi everyone. Thanks for an absolutely great evening. It was interesting to pass through my home town of Strood, although I don't recall anyone saying anything complimentary!
Thanks also for everyone's genorisity, I loved the rock cakes, brownines and marble cake. I will definitely be bringind some of my special flapjackas next time.
Here are my photos. Drop me a PM if you want any of these in full hi-res.
http://www.flickr.co...57624702581447/
Thanks
Tim

 

[CharlieB]

Thank you Simon and team for making my 1st fnr so enjoyable. What more can I say?

 

[Aperitif]

Thank you Simon and team for making my 1st fnr so enjoyable. What more can I say?

Ah CharlieB. We had a brief chat whilst I was loitering downstairs, waiting for the breakfast queue to subside...you mentioned that you did a 25loop around Amersham on a Saturday morning...Alan, who doesn't post on this forum, expressed an interest in hauling his carcass around joining you on occasion as he lives in an equally historic bit of your bumpy world out there. pm me your number if you fancy and I can pass it on. (I managed to lose him last night on the way back out of town but I guess he made it back in one piece). Nice to make your acquaintance and glad that you enjoyed it.

 

[Aperitif]

I've learnt a lot about cheese. More than I will ever really need to know. Thanks Marna.

http://freakytrigger.co.uk/author/marna/

 

[TimO]

I've learnt a lot about cheese. More than I will ever really need to know. Thanks Marna.

... but you now know that you shouldn't eat stringy cheese, or feed cheap squeezy cheese to cats.

Of course by the time I got off the train most of you were asleep. Obviously at least some of you woke up at Victoria, and haven't been continuously shuttling back and forwards on the train.

 

[rb58]

Hello,

Terrific ride.

Thoroughly enjoyed it - the ride, the company and the chat. Thanks as always to Simon and the crew for all the organisational effort and to those who helped out on the night waymarking and TEC-ing. You do a great job! And if the p*nct*re fairy dares to visit she must be astonished about the number of people that leap in to help. Fantastic!

Highlight this time was the somewhat surreal allocation of rations at Andy's Cafe. Brilliantly done.

Had a very pleasant SMRbtH in the company of Tim, Stuart and Nigel, and surprisingly Gunpowder Hill (if that's what it is called) seemed much shorter on the way up in daylight, than on the way down the night before. I also noted that, thanks to a detour through Rochester on the new cycle path, my Garmin faithfully records that I spent at least part of my journey home cycling in the river Medway. And very nice too. Big thanks to Tim for directing me to the new cycle path alongside the new A2. It has been carved from the remains of the old A2 and is a splendid idea. At the very least it helped me avoid the delights that can be Gravesend on a Saturday morning...

Caught up with Martin just short of Dartford, which is odd as we left before him.

All in all, a very satisfying and entertaining adventure.

I expect I shall see some of you next week on the Brighton run. And hopefully the Southend one too, although returning offspring to university duties may interfere with that one.

I'm off now to explain to my good lady why our life will not be complete unless we have a Pino tandem. Wish me luck.

Ross

 

[ceepeebee]

Hi all, that was a lot of fun.

As a noob I was a little trepidatious but have to say I enjoyed it tremendously.

Thanks to Simon for supreme organisation of it all, and to all the people helping out too.

btw, Marna (Marna - we met at the Head of steam iirc, and maybe a couplke of poptimisms) wasn't the only Freaky Trigger writer on the trip either, though I lapsed a while ago:

(warning - not for faint at heart vegetarians...)

http://freakytrigger.co.uk/author/chris/

Cheers again everyone

Chris

 

[Davywalnuts]

Huh, okay, what day is it? Hehe.

What a great ride that was. I really do love this ride, although am sure its flat-out section at the end followed by the great view thats give me the biggest buzz, albeit it was just topped by that magnificent sunrise this time!

Anyhow, great thanks to our leader, tecs, waymarkers and everyone else for a great ride, conversation and laughs.

I finally got home about 5ish last night after decieding, as ive never done it before, to ride this one home, most of the way with Martin. Am sure he regreats me coming along as i was a right moany minnie! But those hills and inclines, right up until Shooters hill, were relentless and killed me of good and proper. However the view from them were quite amazing, especially Shooters Hill! Hehe. Big thanks to Martin for putting up with me and seing me through..

Am just awake after zonking out just gone 6 but more sleep please! Anyhow, a hard fought 155.40miles and about 5000ft of climbing on the clock.. but still feeling chuffed with myself. My knee hates me though..

 

[arallsopp]

My knee hates me though..

No ground lost there Davy. It never liked you anyway. Mind you, be grateful you've got em. There's some that get by without.

 

[marna]

Hello! I had a great ride, and clearly the application of an excess of beer is the best possible ride recovery strategy, because I'm wide awake and chirpy and ache-free. Even my grumpy right knee is not whinging and whining today. Huge thanks to all the daft people who came along and made it great.

Sorry for excessive cheese talk!

 

[martint235]

Caught up with Martin just short of Dartford, which is odd as we left before him.

I can only say one word, Davywalnuts!!!!

I finally got home about 5ish last night after decieding, as ive never done it before, to ride this one home, most of the way with Martin. Am sure he regreats me coming along as i was a right moany minnie! But those hills and inclines, right up until Shooters hill, were relentless and killed me of good and proper. However the view from them were quite amazing, especially Shooters Hill! Hehe. Big thanks to Martin for putting up with me and seing me through..

Nah don't regret it. You were good company in between the moaning....... I hope you're going to be better at climbing hills on the way back from East Wittering tomorrow

Anyway how was the climb up Shooters Hill? I did forget to tell you the good news that it's all downhill from the top into London.

You also forgot the bit about being politely asked to leave the A2 by the Highways Agency man.....

 

[theclaud]

No I'm living dangerously

Quite. Fancy risking a night ride without Underarmour.

 

[zimzum42]

You also forgot the bit about being politely asked to leave the A2 by the Highways Agency man.....

I hope you ignored him...

 

[martint235]

I hope you ignored him...

No he was very reasonable about it. Plus Davey was knackered and it was the motorway style stretch on the way past Gravesend so felt it would be better to make everyone happy.....