Sadly for the more discriminating visitor Bruges no longer has a Formule1. Some people remember where they were when Armstrong landed on the Moon. I remember where I was when Sven Eriksson's England thrashed Germany 5-1: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/1515667.stmBruges has an excellent youth hostel which is within walking distance of the city centre. Stayed there with the famy a few years ago.
The problems on that were mostly self-inflicted, that bridge apart......we avoid the busy coastal route - which can be bloody windy as @StuAff knows from his ride back this May.
All of the options up until Adrian's genius idea sounded a bit too, I don't, troublesome in one way or another. This, however, is genius. Will see how much persuading @Flying Dodo requires (as we're doing Simon's French thing in May as well).
Sorry if this is upthread but roughly what dates are under consideration?
This is most definitely not a tour organised by the Friday Night Ride to the Coast. It's just a bunch of friends going together on a series of rides - and I am not leading it. There might be a recce of the route, which I might go on if I am free. After the recce, those on the ride may, or may not, choose to follow the route found by the recce. You will book and pay for your own accommodation. You will pay for your own food. You can stay in any hotel you wish to. If there are enough riders to make it viable, there might be a van that might carry your luggage. If not, you carry your own luggage.
You will need to have a date in mind. Some people need to book their holidays in November and December for the following year - those employed by the police and the post office spring to mind, So: here's a date: we leave on the evening of Friday September 11 and return the following weekend. You'll be back at work on the Monday morning. (I can't really do anything in the spring as I am in Patagonia for two months and in the summer PBP will be at the front of my mind.)
Vote as often as you wish. Hotels in Germany and northern Europe tend to be pricy but that tour should be brilliant.
At the end of this someone has to make a decisoon as to where the tour will go. Then you can decide if you want to sign up for it.We might have a van in support, which might have a driver. At this time, everything is up in the air.
There is no limit on numbers. BUT the only criteria is that you must have taken part in one FNRttC.
Over to you, peeps...............
Thanks, Stu!Ahem.....
Aha - you skipped over my posts supporting you that as well as being hard it might not be accessible to us all. That, in translation, means you and me.Well, no, it's not everyone's 'raison d'etre' - have you read the exchanges upthread Stuart? Why not do the Spanish trip if you want a challenge - the route's there and has been recced for you.
I wouldn't say that any consensus exists on that. I am prepared to accept that it may be true for some, perhaps even the majority - but with a lot of conditions and caveats beyond what you name here.Do you differ from the consensus that Friday stalwarts can do 100km a day on flat or rolling roads at conversational speed?
This is where it begins to fall apart...That if you string these together over 8 days that gives you a radius of 800km/500 miles?
Ahem, the whole point of The Fridays was to do just that or more on a night ride. The first few, for many of us, may have been difficult but the people who come on the Tours are mostly regulars who have got used to that and can do it for a whole week. That was AFAIK DZ's plan to maximise the accessibility of the rides yet make them a little challenging.I wouldn't say that any consensus exists on that. [100km/day]
Re Emily T - I'm not sure I should apologise for something unintended. But I do detect, I hope mistakenly, you are being a bit personal about this.What exactly are you arguing about Stu? If the latest suggestion's not challenging enough for you, are you offering to organise an alternative? (And the 'ahem' is a bit rude to be honest.)