The Fridays Tour 2012

[frank9755]

the van provided lunch and elevenses and meant no-one had do anything other than think about enjoying the ride.

That's actually one of the things I don't like!

If having the van means you don't stop at cafes and restaurants, it becomes 'just' a cycling trip rather than a fuller experience of the area. Admittedly this is less of an issue in the UK but, after a tour last year, several of us reflected that this contact with local people and places has been something we'd missed out on.

 

[mmmmartin]

on the subject of van/no van.

• The problem will be finding someone who wants to drive all the way to Scotland and back in a Transit. If that problem can be overcome, we are home and dry. But giving up a week's holiday to drive a van for days and days across Britain and back is not something peeps will queue up for, IMHO
• The price is not an issue - cost of hiring it could easily be split between those on the ride, vans cost say £340 for eight days which is half of bugger all between even such a small number as 10 riders. Fuel would be say the same again - call it £300 London-JoG in a Transit and back.
• The advantage would be that the bikes could be put in it for the return journey and riders could get the train or fly back, picking up the bikes in London.
• I am happy either way, I would probably camp in any case ('cos I am as tight as a gnat's chuff) and put my camping kit in the van.
• I am assuming I would meet up in the morning, chuck all the stuff in the van, and meet up again in the evening, take the stuff out of the van and pedal off to a campsite.
• I very much agree with Frank about meeting locals and stopping - especially for breakfast (private joke there), but just because my tent and gear is in a van doesn't mean I won't be stopping whensoever I choose.

 

[MacB]

Doubt there's any chance of me joinng but I'd want to do the van bit and reasonable accomodation as well. I can get enough communing with nature when I'm on the bike, off it I want a bed, a bar, a shower, a hot meal and a decent selection of clothes.

Hire van, with driver, and just load in morning and meet wherever to unload in evening, no need for the van to follow us and, in case of serious mechanical there's always a mobile to summon van.

 

[StuAff]

No, you'd get up the climbs a bit better. As I said, it's not a race...

Thing is stu, I've done a LEJOG carrying my own stuff, and enjoyed it immensely. You did a supported LEJOG and hated it. There might be a message in there...

My horrible experience was entirely down to the so-called team and their attitudes (the stomach bug they couldn't help, everything else they could and should). That doesn't justify your arguments. Taking it further, I'd have enjoyed it even more if I'd been lugging all my gear around, and if they'd left me in a field somewhere..
I think not. And the quicker you're trying to do it, the more support (in terms of logistics and from your team) becomes important. An eight-day LeJOG's rather harder than a twelve.....

 

[StuAff]

Doubt there's any chance of me joinng but I'd want to do the van bit and reasonable accomodation as well. I can get enough communing with nature when I'm on the bike, off it I want a bed, a bar, a shower, a hot meal and a decent selection of clothes.

Hire van, with driver, and just load in morning and meet wherever to unload in evening, no need for the van to follow us and, in case of serious mechanical there's always a mobile to summon van.

Hallelujah! Thank you Al.....

 

[wanda2010]

In other news, last night my finger slipped whilst looking at a Carradice zipped roll bag. My first attempt at riding 'light' will be on the Newhaven/Brighton leg.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Rotate the van drivers in short shifts of no more than an hour. When driving your bike is in the van. Seen it done (albeit when the scheduled van driver broke his leg at the first night's stop.) One wag swapped shifts and rode back in the 'wrong direction' with a cry of "I'm going to cycle every f*cking mile no matter what) so one bit he rode twice!

Stu, have you thought of a trailer? Also you'd be a mate amongst mates. A certain pooling of resources and luggage space is surely do-able. I've even mailed small packages of "stuff" ahead of me to wait at my hotel/b&b (booked well in advance) and posted dirty and surplus stuff home before now.

Maybe I'm weird but I love, in a truly masochistic way, the sensation of climbing mountains and hills with two loaded panniers on the back. The sense of achievement when you reach the top is huge compared with doing it on a naked bike.

 

[StuAff]

Stu I think you might be over reacting a little, and extra 10kg or so in panniers really doesn't make that much of a difference, I wouldn't want to carry it on my back though - could you borrow a bike that would take a rack?

Nice idea- but I don't want a touring bike, even to borrow, and I don't see why one should be required to do this.
As for an extra 10 kg or so not making a difference...you will think otherwise after some of the climbs....

 

[User482]

My horrible experience was entirely down to the so-called team and their attitudes (the stomach bug they couldn't help, everything else they could and should). That doesn't justify your arguments. Taking it further, I'd have enjoyed it even more if I'd been lugging all my gear around, and if they'd left me in a field somewhere..
I think not. And the quicker you're trying to do it, the more support (in terms of logistics and from your team) becomes important. An eight-day LeJOG's rather harder than a twelve.....

Yes - my point was that enjoyment of a LEJOG is not conditional on having someone else carry your luggage, as you yourself have proven.

And as I've already said many times - this isn't a race. Logistical support may be important for an 8 day LEJOG, it isn't for this.

In any case, given your stated distaste for making touring harder than it needs to be, why on earth did you try to do it in 8 days?

 

[User482]

Maybe I'm weird but I love, in a truly masochistic way, the sensation of climbing mountains and hills with two loaded panniers on the back. The sense of achievement when you reach the top is huge compared with doing it on a naked bike.

It's not just you. Reaching the top of Dartmoor and Shap were amongst the highlights of my whole trip.

 

[dellzeqq]

bear in mind the starting point here..........at least one person on this ride will be carrying nothing and staying in a decent hotel every night. B+B at a push, but it had better be four star B+B. So the support will be for spares (think how clever we'll all feel if somebody pulls a spare wheel out of a van) and luggage. And evening wear. If, at any time, there's not sufficient people to make support financially viable, then you can call me Sherpa Dell

 

[StuAff]

In any case, given your stated distaste for making touring harder than it needs to be, why on earth did you try to do it in 8 days?

Well, it wasn't touring...................and it would have been pretty straightforward but for factors beyond my control (the sickness & other people).

 

[StuAff]

bear in mind the starting point here..........at least one person on this ride will be carrying nothing and staying in a decent hotel every night. B+B at a push, but it had better be four star B+B. So the support will be for spares (think how clever we'll all feel if somebody pulls a spare wheel out of a van) and luggage. And evening wear. If, at any time, there's not sufficient people to make support financially viable, then you can call me Sherpa Dell

 

[Aperitif]

I think the important thing when riding in a group is to be honest about one's capabilities. It's ok on modest rides (let's use the stop / start rinky tinky hurrah FNRttCs as an example) but those that need a 'bit of continuity' and mutual rythmn and so forth are made uncomfortable by any that can't keep up. For those 'in the lead' it introduces the 'umm-ing and ahh-ing' which detracts from the ride quality - in my opinion.

Stu - wouldn't it be nice to invite one of your team mates to respond on how the ride went (from 'their' point of view?) I have enjoyed sitting back and reading this thread - at long last - and I didn't realise bike riding was so complicated!
Another thing might be to do several group rides where you are always 'out there' and yet being 'held back' by riders of differing ability and endurance. Lastly, you on a bike, with 40kg of lock, cakes and copies of the CTC mag. probably weigh about as much as me - without a bike in my pocket. Just think of us poor souls, hearts-a-racing, hoping for the crest of a climb - it's hell!
And I would be the first to realise if I was screwing it up for others.

To User482: I think you write well and far too sensibly on this subject, which is why I have interjected!

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I want a...decent selection of clothes.

When you gonna buy them?