January WARTY - 30/1/10

[Charlotte]

Sounds great.  I'm jealous; I've been stuck working all day.

Oh that's a bit crap 

I really did have the most splendid day - thank you to Wow and to Auntie H for such marvellous planning. 

I've been suffering the winter blues a bit of late; the lack of sunlight had been getting to me a bit.  Today's ride was just what I needed to top up the batteries a bit!  Even the imminent danger of a painful smashy deth on the ice seemed a small price to pay for romping through the countryside in such fine company.

Like Wow, I didn't manage much in the way of decent photographs.  I only got two.  Here's Tim H, looking like he doesn't much fancy the local off-roading opportunities:



This path had a seasonally adjusted NSTN rating of minus eighty-seven:

[Tim Hall]

Well that was a Grand Day Out.  Lovely to see everyone. Rower, your belt drive is Teh Futures.

I cut the ride short as we were scheduled to go out to celebrate The Lad's birthday.  I skedaddled back to Braintree, waiting only a few minutes before the train left for Liverpool Street.

Then a sprint of Cavendish proportions to try and catch a train from London Bridge, missing it by a gnat's crotchet. Home, shower, nap then pizza, wine and ice cream. Nom nom nom.   


PS: Pippa thanks for the kiss. Mind you, Jurek's not quite as lovely.

[Jurek]

PS: Pippa thanks for the kiss. Mind you, Jurek's not quite as lovely.

I beg to differ.

Meh!

And Meh! again.
 

[Wobbly John]

Thanks to everyone for making what could have been a miserable ride into a successful one, especially Roger for giving me a lift and Wowbagger & Auntie Helen for navigation.

It got rather silly in the morning with motorists getting held up by nearly 20 cyclists all over the road apparently partnering their bikes in auditions for Dancing on Ice. Three of us had already fallen while riding. I had managed to land on my back on top of the bike and have a bruised buttock where I landed on the side of my Brookes alike saddle.    The look of surprise and elation on Auntie Helen's face as she pirouetted her Trice on a sheet of ice was magical .

After lunch at an excellent curry house with good ale, the conditions improved, but not as much as it appears in the few photos I took.

Tim H


Greg


Charlotte


Auntie Helen


Wows


Chas & Jules (Oblivious to Adam crsnapping on the apex of a junction)





"Plz no!  Not with teh muddies!"

[Tim Hall]

I must get to grips with that hat.

[Adam]

A few photos.


It was amazing just how much crunchy ice there was in places.




At least on this ride, no-one could get too far ahead, in view of the need to keep amending the route.




A rare treat - Wowbagger turning right




Having noted John's comment above, I could see why he was grinning so much on the other side of the road at this junction.


Charlotte confirms that it is all in the wrist action



All the rest are here.

[RogerT]

First let me say a very sincere sorry to everyone we kept waiting in the cold at the start, a combination of snow, ice, height restictions and rolling road blocks on the M11 all conspired against us.  However to do the same journey by train would have been far to tortuous to contemplate 

A thoroughly enjoyable day, sorry that we lost Greg at the halfway mark but at least we got to meet the elusive Mr R.

Thanks To Wow an Helen, look forward to the next one.

[delthebike]

Sorry I missed this one, 'fonly for the demonstration of a Public Cycle Pump Sheffield Stand that Charlotte so ably demonstrated. 

I hope to be available for the future WARTYs.

[TimO]

Another fine winters day cycling.  Aside from a somewhat delayed start for me, and a sprint across Essex, a nice comfortable pootle around the lanes.  I did get my first fairy visitation for a Marathon Supreme tyre just outside Braintree, on my "sprint" to Lunch, which as I mentioned to Helen, was probably also my first use of my shiny Lezyne pump on my own bike!  It also looks like that's the last fairy visit for that tyre, since the cut in it means I'll have to retire (retyre sic!) it.

I thought the weather was a bit brisk, but clearly not as cold as last years, which was definitely a bit nippy with all the hoarfrost in the trees and some surreal images of nature.

The fighter aircraft we saw at Andrewsfield Airfield is a Dassault Mystère IV, apparently left behind when the Rebel Air Museum (of which I can find little information) moved to Earls Colne Airfield.

Image from Wikipedia, not the actual aircraft at Andrewsfield.

[TimO]

I've put my route on Bikely.  It's similar to Wow's, with the obvious difference that I started at Braintree and shot westward for ten miles to meet you all at Great Dunmow.

I did around 58 miles in total, so enough for a days pootle, as far as I'm concerned.

[Notsototalnewbie]

*has to go and have a bit of a lay down after seeing the icy mud*

[Jurek]

*has to go and have a bit of a lay down after seeing the icy mud*

So that ruse worked then      

EDIT - Wasn't my idea. Honest.

[Regulator]

First let me say a very sincere sorry to everyone we kept waiting in the cold at the start, a combination of snow, ice, height restictions and rolling road blocks on the M11 all conspired against us.  However to do the same journey by train would have been far to tortuous to contemplate 

A thoroughly enjoyable day, sorry that we lost Greg at the halfway mark but at least we got to meet the elusive Mr R.

Thanks To Wow an Helen, look forward to the next one.

See - he does exist!  And, yes, he looks like Plug from the Bash Street Kids... 


You should see the bruise on my hip...    I was bloody stiff this morning and getting out of bed was difficult.

Other than that, it was a great ride (what I did of it) and it was lovely to see everyone again.  What was amazing was how much having given up smoking for a few weeks has helped my hill climbing...

And, yes, I chucked the rest of that pack of fags away and the patch is back on. 

[Oaky]

...I was bloody stiff this morning and getting out of bed was difficult.
...

(somebody had to!)

EDIT: (Sorry -- schoolboy error -- I forgot to include the "pack of fags" above)

[Oaky]

...
Chas & Jules (Oblivious to Adam crsnapping on the apex of a junction)


Ahh ... I assumed he was indisposed i.e. crimping off a length

[namchampa]

Just joined the forum....just missed this   
B*ugger!

Do organised rides happen regularly?

[Wowbagger]

Just joined the forum....just missed this    
B*ugger!

Do organised rides happen regularly?

We try to organise one a month. The next one is on 27th Feb, but a few regulars couldn't make it so we are having a dress rehearsal on 13th.

February WARTY - 27th Feb

[namchampa]

^ thank you!

[mickdent]

Thank you one and all for a lovely skate/walk/ride!

Special thanks to Wow & Helen for doing the groundwork and keeping us in order

[teethgrinder]

Do organised rides happen regularly?

They do in Essex, but can you handle the pace!?*

You could always start a thread asking for companions for a ride, even if you don't know where you are going or have no idea. Someone might be up for it.
You'll lose nothing if nobody bites.










*If you can cycle uphill slower than wowbagger, I would be heartily impressed**

**No! I'm not exaggerating!

[Wowbagger]

If you can cycle uphill slower than wowbagger, I would be heartily impressed**

Mrs. Wow and I once cycled up a hill in Wales with the Cateye registering 1.8 mph. I've never seen it register below 2 mph on any other occasion, before or since. Normally it just registers 0.0 when you get below 2 mph.

[Regulator]

Do organised rides happen regularly?

They do in Essex, but can you handle the pace!?*

You could always start a thread asking for companions for a ride, even if you don't know where you are going or have no idea. Someone might be up for it.
You'll lose nothing if nobody bites.










*If you can cycle uphill slower than wowbagger, I would be heartily impressed**

**No! I'm not exaggerating!

I can lay claim to that piece of history    Wowbagger overtook me going up Shooters Hill on one of the FNRttC... but I got my own back on the hill out of Dartford.   

I'm OKish on the short sharp hills.  It's the long ones that kill me.

[Wowbagger]

Do organised rides happen regularly?

They do in Essex, but can you handle the pace!?*

You could always start a thread asking for companions for a ride, even if you don't know where you are going or have no idea. Someone might be up for it.
You'll lose nothing if nobody bites.










*If you can cycle uphill slower than wowbagger, I would be heartily impressed**

**No! I'm not exaggerating!

I can lay claim to that piece of history    Wowbagger overtook me going up Shooters Hill on one of the FNRttC... but I got my own back on the hill out of Dartford.   

I'm OKish on the short sharp hills.  It's the long ones that kill me.

You were walking, Reg. On both hills.

[teethgrinder]

Hark at Regulator and Wowbagger.

Don't come on with the, "Slowlier than thou," with me!
It's nothing more than showing off.

[Regulator]

Do organised rides happen regularly?

They do in Essex, but can you handle the pace!?*

You could always start a thread asking for companions for a ride, even if you don't know where you are going or have no idea. Someone might be up for it.
You'll lose nothing if nobody bites.










*If you can cycle uphill slower than wowbagger, I would be heartily impressed**

**No! I'm not exaggerating!

I can lay claim to that piece of history    Wowbagger overtook me going up Shooters Hill on one of the FNRttC... but I got my own back on the hill out of Dartford.  

I'm OKish on the short sharp hills.  It's the long ones that kill me.

You were walking, Reg. On both hills.

You actually overtook me on Shooters Hill before my lungs gave out and I got off an walked (and had a crafty fag  ).

I cycled up the (short and sharp) hill out of Dartford TYVM.*









*It was Bread and Cheese Hill where I got off and walked...