Author Topic: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.  (Read 5891 times)

FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« on: 25 April, 2017, 05:56:42 pm »
The hilly, Northerly ride is back on 4th August this year.
I'll post more info, including sign-up details, in a little while but it's probably a good time to look at train bookings.

We start from Central Manchester (Albert Square, in front of the town-hall) so any of the main MCR stations are good arrival points. Trains from the South tend to come into Piccadilly. If you're travelling by Virgin Trains you must have a bike reservation unless you're bringing a folding bike or you want to dismantle and cover your "big" bike.
Since we have breakfast in Lancaster after a short visit to Morecambe, it's probably best to book trains back from there.

Last year's thread is here:- https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/friday-night-ride-manchester-morecambe-5th-august.201985/ and there are links to previous year's rides as well.
The yACF thread is here:- https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=97814.msg2067875#msg2067875

I'm not planning to change the route or the food stops.

Please feel free to ask any questions.

Andrew

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #1 on: 25 April, 2017, 05:58:00 pm »
Can we try and do one without an ambulance for a change?

Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #2 on: 25 April, 2017, 06:17:41 pm »
I sincerely hope we can.


CrinklyLion

  • The one with devious, cake-pushing ways....
Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #3 on: 25 April, 2017, 06:46:27 pm »
You'll likely not get many audaxers on that date....

Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #4 on: 25 April, 2017, 07:10:40 pm »
Yes, I know. It's a real pity but I was so glad to have a summer Friday.
Are you coming along CL ?  :)


Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #5 on: 25 April, 2017, 07:25:09 pm »
I expect she'll be on imaginary friend duty...

Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #6 on: 25 April, 2017, 08:05:03 pm »
Given that it's Miss S' 18th that day (  :o  'uck me, where did that go?) and I quite like my head where it is, I'm not even going to consider asking for a pass.

Have fun, I'll be thinking of you all.

redfalo

  • known as Olaf in the real world
    • Cycling Intelligence
Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #7 on: 25 April, 2017, 08:50:17 pm »
I'm otherwise engaged during that week  :facepalm: But the ride is a real corker, highly recommended.
If you can't convince, confuse.

https://cycling-intelligence.com/ - my blog on cycling, long distances and short ones

mcshroom

  • Mushroom
Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #8 on: 25 April, 2017, 10:06:44 pm »
I'm otherwise engaged during that week  :facepalm: But the ride is a real corker, highly recommended.
Treat it as a warm down? ;D
Climbs like a sprinter, sprints like a climber!

Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #9 on: 27 April, 2017, 07:51:50 am »
I'll definitely try and make it this year.
I am often asked, what does YOAV stand for? It stands for Yoav On A Velo

mcshroom

  • Mushroom
Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #10 on: 03 May, 2017, 11:02:25 pm »
My control closes on the Thursday so hopefully I'll make it again. :)
Climbs like a sprinter, sprints like a climber!

Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #11 on: 11 July, 2017, 12:27:10 pm »
Just posted on CycleChat:-

"Sorry for the delay, but here's the info to sign up for the ride:-

Register for the ride by e-mailing: manchester-morecambe@outlook.com

I'll need:-

    your name
    CTC/BC/LCC membership number (for insurance purposes)
    your 'phone number
    an emergency contact number
    confirmation that you've read and understood the basics; http://fridaynightridetothecoast.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-basics.html

The ride is 65 miles long and we head out of Manchester to Bury and then Tottington. This part of the ride is mostly up long, gradual climbs on urban roads.
After Tottington we climb onto the moors above Egerton. Apart from one short, steep ramp, the gradients are relatively benign and the roads are very quiet.
We reach 350m above sea level before a long, long descent to Blackburn and the (not quite) half-way stop at the McDonalds in Whitebirk.
Suitably refreshed, we have a further brief spell of suburbia, before another epic descent to Ribchester. This is followed by the last significant climb of the ride, the drag to Longridge.
The rest of the route is best described as "rolling" and we tend to ride this as a fairly compact group.
Weather permitting, we'll skirt Lancaster by using the coastal path and head to Morecambe by the bike route built on an old railway line.
After pictures with Eric, we'll return to Lancaster for breakfast in a Wetherspoons. It's about 5 minutes by bike from the station.

It's the same procedure as last year, the same procedure as every year.

Please feel free to ask questions either here or via e-mail. "


Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #12 on: 11 July, 2017, 02:46:24 pm »
I should be up for it.    Will email later.

Hopefully we won't have to assist with any pranged cars this year!

Not fast & rarely furious

tweeting occasional in(s)anities as andrewxclark

Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #13 on: 20 July, 2017, 12:16:26 pm »
Time for a list:-

Confirmed:-

Andrew Br
Lisa C
Nasir M
Sonia W
Stu A
Tacey L
Yoav A

Maybes:-

Andrew C
Gordon P
Kim W
Marcus C
Martin B

If there's a demand for it, I can arrange to "meet and greet" at Manchester Piccadilly from 22.30.

Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #14 on: 27 July, 2017, 11:47:39 pm »
A new list:-

Andrew Br
Barry M
Gordon P
Lisa C
Nasir M
Sonia W
Stu A
Tacey L
Yoav A

Maybes:-

Andrew C
Kim W
Marcus C
Martin B

What the ride is missing in quantity, it more than makes up for it in quality

I can't promise that we'll have good weather. I'm trying to find some goats and virgins to make the appropriate sacrifices. Both are surprisingly hard to get hold of in MCR. Having said that, there are a lot of baby goats near the M60. I kid you not.

What time are people intending to head home from Lancaster ?
I haven't booked my train ticket yet and I am toying with the idea of riding back to Preston. With a few trips round the block, it makes for a 100 mile ride.
The alternative is to do what I did last year: stay in the Wetherspoons 'til late morning and drink stout.

Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #15 on: 30 July, 2017, 11:18:42 pm »
In advance of the Manchester-Morecambe Friday Night Ride to the Coast, I'm planning to do a daylight route check.
The primary reason for doing it is to check out the road surfaces since I rode it last year.
The roads aren't as much fun in day-time (too much traffic) but I can't fit in a night-time reccy.

If you're interested, I'm intending to set off from Albert Square at 10.00.
I'm not sure what time I'll get to Morecambe but 15.00 sounds about right.
Depending on morale and, primarily, weather, I'll then decide if I ride on to Preston (makes for ~100 miles) or just hop on a train home in Lancaster.

If you're interested in coming along, let me know.
Please see up-thread for route info.

Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #16 on: 02 August, 2017, 08:33:23 pm »
Lacking both Mojo & motivation, so I won't be joining you for this.  Have fun & stay safe.
Not fast & rarely furious

tweeting occasional in(s)anities as andrewxclark

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #17 on: 02 August, 2017, 08:37:22 pm »
I'm also somewhat mojo deficient, which doesn't bode well for nocturnal cycling heroics after a busy week and a bout of D&V.  I'm going camping with the lightweights instead.

Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #18 on: 02 August, 2017, 10:13:15 pm »
Phew! Now that my LEL volunteer stint is over, I can recover from a period of sleep deprivation just in time for another. So is there a pre-meet meeting or is it just town hall at midnight?
I am often asked, what does YOAV stand for? It stands for Yoav On A Velo

Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #19 on: 02 August, 2017, 10:54:08 pm »
From Cyclechat (there are updates from the day on there as well):-

The good news from today's recce:-

    the roads haven't deteriorated since last year and a few of them have been improved
    the section between Ribchester and Scorton (and beyond) is just lovely
    Tottington to Shadsworth would probably also have been excellent if it weren't for the rain and the puncture

Other things that I noticed:-

    parts of this route are very busy in daylight: Cheetham is like the Wild West and the Grane Road is like a race track
    Whitebirk McDonald's has the most expensive coffee of any McDonald's that I've been in (and I visit a lot)

The ride.
It started off well. The rain had stopped before I left home and I got to Albert Square about 09.50. The Manchester Jazz Festival is on (nice) so there is a lot of fencing in the square. We should meet outside of it in line with the town hall entrance and near the taxi rank.
The route out of the city centre is still OK and we cross the tram tracks at a right angle.
Up towards Cheetham Hill, through Whitefield and into Bury (a nod to Alan S/jogler) was also as expected although it seemed to be hard work.
The light drizzle turned to heavy drizzle and then proper rain as I climbed out of Tottington so I stopped to put on my waterproof. A few hundred metres later, I stopped again to pump up a softening rear tyre. It wasn't going down very quickly so I figured that I could make it to the McDonalds with one or two further re-inflations. As it happened, it made it with just the one although the tyre was bumping on the rim by the time I arrived.
The wind on the tops above Crowthorne and then going down the Grane Road was quite something and the rain was probably at its hardest at this stage.
A coffee at the McDonalds lifted morale (the veggie burger didn't) and I fixed the rear puncture. Since I couldn't find anything in the tyre, I had to put a new tube in and hope for the best. Before I left, I grabbed a load of paper towels and wiped the table and floor (I'd dripped a lot and there were still bits of sealant from when I was running the tyre tubeless) and then I found the mop and did the floor again. The cleaner still looked pissed off with me despite everything being cleaner than it had been when I arrived.
Out into the rain again and the bike was running like a dream, thankfully. The descent to Ribchester was great; so nice to do it in daylight and not to be out-riding my lights. The rain had also stopped by this stage and I stopped to take off the waterproof on the climb to Longridge (I should have removed it before I started climbing).
The next bit of the ride:- Longridge-Inglewhite-Scorton-Condor Green- was just lovely; swoopy lanes and terrific views (we'll be doing it in daylight).
Even the 1st bit of the coastal path from Conder Green was great but then I had a front puncture.. Despite lots of looking and pumping of the tube, I couldn't locate a hole and there was nothing sticking through the tyre so I put a new tube in. It pumped up OK so I put the tools away and was about to replace the wheel when there was a pssssst and the tyre went down again.
I didn't fancy my chances of finding the hole in the new tube and a host of bastard flies were plaguing me (one did manage to get a bite of my calf) so I decided to bike hike to Lancaster reasoning that, if I got a move on, I'd make it for my train. I got there with 5 minutes to spare.
Back at MCR Oxford Road, I took the tyre off again and managed to find a hole in the tube. It was on the rim side and was caused, I think, by the rim tape moving and allowing a spoke hole to make contact.
I couldn't slide the tape because it was too tight and it wasn't possible to remove and replace it because it was joined by adhesive. I legged it to Harry Hall's cycle shop, not easy with a bike on one shoulder and a wheel and tyre in the other hand, and got there 10 minutes before they closed. New rim tape purchased, they let me fix the puncture while they cashed up (the mechanic even showed me a tip for getting the tyre on more easily) and use their track pump.
Problems sorted I thought, home in 15 minutes. That didn't happen, another front puncture after about 2 miles. Wheel off, tube out and the patch that I'd previously applied looked to be bulging although I couldn't feel or hear any air coming out. I got one of my other tubes, found the hole, patched it, replaced everything and then set off. One mile later, it was flat again.
Bike hike again, this time all the way home. I'm not sure of the distance.
ICn'tBA to investigate the problems when I got in so it'll have to wait until tomorrow pm.
On the way home from work I'm going to pop into Decathlon to get some of their sealants (they've worked for me in the past) and for more tubes.
Then I'll be having a good look at the front wheel. I might be using a spare on Friday night.

As I said up-thread, I'd like to think that I've suffered so you don't have to but it doesn't work that way.
Fingers crossed for drier weather and a less "eventful" ride.

I had expected to be saying that no Strava PBs were affected during the making of this production but it seems that either my legs were working better than I thought or, more likely, there really was a tailwind.

In other news, battery charging has commenced.

I'll post an updated ride list tomorrow.

CC link:- https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/friday-night-ride-manchester-morecambe-4th-august-2017.217462/page-5

Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #20 on: 02 August, 2017, 11:12:00 pm »
Phew! Now that my LEL volunteer stint is over, I can recover from a period of sleep deprivation just in time for another. So is there a pre-meet meeting or is it just town hall at midnight?

I've offered to meet people at Manchester Piccadilly from 22.30. So far no-one has confirmed that they want to take me up on it but I'll get there if you're interested Yoav.
We've traditionally met in the upstairs bar opposite and above WH Smiths.

Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #21 on: 03 August, 2017, 08:20:05 am »
There's a train from Carlisle arriving at 22.32 so I'll take that one and see you at the bar. Any changes and I'll let you know. Can you pm me your mobile number please.
 
I am often asked, what does YOAV stand for? It stands for Yoav On A Velo

Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #22 on: 03 August, 2017, 07:51:59 pm »
As posted on Cyclechat:-

An up-to-date and probably final list (albeit there is still time to register):-

Andrew Br
Barry M
Gordon P
Lisa C
Marcus C
Nasir M
Sonia W
Stu A
Tacey L
Yoav A

The forecast looks promising; breezy from the West and we should avoid the rain that's (currently) forecast for the early morning in Blackburn. Lancaster looks like it'll be sunny.
I'll take that.

I'm going to be in the upstairs bar at Piccadilly from 22.30 although I'll be heading off to Albert Square for 23.30.
A couple of late arrivals into Piccadilly are going to meet up and then make their own way to the start.

In other news, I'm convinced that my front wheel issues yesterday were a mix of rim tape and self-adhesive patch malfunction.
I have new tubes, patches plus sealant as a last resort. I've sorted the rim tape and the tyre has been inflated for several hours now.
My fingers have been aching today. Trying to fix five (count 'em) punctures will do that to you.

See you tomorrow evening.

Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #23 on: 08 August, 2017, 07:41:44 pm »
More from Cyclechat:-

As has already been said, it was a lovely evening for a ride and this, I think, was the best of the Manchester-Morecambe FNRttC. The lovely weather and the dramatic cloud formations against the (almost) full moon made for spectacular viewing on the moors.
It started, as usual, for me with the gentle ride to Piccadilly where I grabbed a table in the Mayfield bar upstairs.
yoav (not OTP) arrived pretty quickly followed by Gordon P, StuAff and wanda2010. Bazzer turned up not long after that.
Gordon P and I waited for Tacey while Bazzer lead the others to Albert Square to meet up with Lisa C (just signed up to TP :hello:).
After a quick safety talk (not really necessary with a group of this experience and competence) we were off.
As StuAff has already said, most of the many red-lights changed to green just as I unclipped but before I had to put a foot down (you're all welcome BTW) so we kept moving and made it to the top of the climb in Whitefield together.
No one needed to visit the 24 hour Sainsburys just before Bury and, in a change to previous rides, we skipped Bury town centre on the by-pass; shorter, less glass but no good natured nightlife.
After a stop to lay flowers and remember jogler/Alan S, we started the climb through Tottington. StuAff, yoav and I rode steadily and the rest of the ride caught up very quickly when we stopped to re-group. Despite carrying 2 weeks worth of touring luggage, Gordon P was just behind us, Lisa C still seemed to have her climbing legs from last year, Tacey was storming along and wanda was obviously on good form. Bazzer had declined my invitation to ride in the group while I took over TEC duty and he arrived as smiley as ever.
My further "elfin safety gorn maaaaad" talk was duly heeded and no one came off on the steep dip into 90 right over bumps and we re-grouped in Edgworth. One of the pubs looked like it was still open and so Gordon P suggested a pint....... He really is steel framed. Since there were no takers (I had raised a dellzeqq-esque eye-brow of disapproval because McDonald's Whitebirk beckoned) we started the "big" climb.
My advice that the steep bit was at the beginning was taken on board and the re-group stop was very short. I tried and failed to take a decent picture of the Winter Hill TV mast with the moon and the clouds behind it so I'm hoping that someone with a decent camera (and some clue) managed to capture it.
We flew down the Grane Road to Shadsworth (the best part of the ride IMO) and were in McDonalds soon afterwards.
Duly refreshed, we went outside to find that the temperature appeared to have dropped about 5 deg and the bikes were covered in dew.
No ride leader induced Gefechtskehrtwendung nach Steuerbord was required on this ride (for the 1st time ever) but we had managed to lose part of the ride so we had to turn back to look for them.
More lovely descending followed. I love going downhill, especially when I don't need to use the brakes. It's the best feature of this ride. The following climb from Ribchester to Longridge is always a chore (I hate climbing) but we did it in very little time and, it seemed, in great style.
The route from Longridge through Inglewhite and Scorton is my favourite part of this ride. The lanes are just lovely and the views (daylight by this stage) are fabulous. Since there are no hills to speak of on this section, we rode mostly together although I did bomb off down the few descents and I almost collected mummy duck and cubs around one corner. Mummy duck clucked her annoyance as she gathered in her brood. I wonder how she felt as the rest of the group appeared ..........
The coastal path from Conder Green was in good condition and, thankfully, there was no repeat of the drama from the recce. I reckon I'd walked/jogged 2.5 miles to the station.
Morecambe came and went (great views over the Bay) and we had breakfast in the Wetherspoons followed, soon afterwards, by beer. Lancaster Black was again the beer of choice. I might look for another breakfast venue for next year's ride. Wetherspoon's sausages are awful. I don't want "artisan" but something resembling "meat" would be good.
As time passed the group headed off for their various trains leaving Gordon P, wanda and I as the last to leave.

Thank-you one and all for coming all the way to MCR for this ride and to Moodyman and mcshroom for committing to it. Hope you've both recovered and I'm sure we'll ride again in the future.
From the feedback that I've received, it seems that the East Lancs Moors are the highpoint (literal and metaphorical) of the route so I'll be sure to include them in next year's ride. This, of course, assumes that I pass the strict physical and mental aptitude tests that are required for FNRttC ride leaders. I scraped through this year ........

Pictures:-

An elegant yet hardy group in Lancaster:-
DSC_0158 by Chocolatebike1, on Flickr

Morecambe:-

DSC_0161 by Chocolatebike1, on Flickr

If anyone did manage to get a decent photo of the moon over Winter Hill, please post it.

Re: FNRttC Manchester-Morecambe 4th August.
« Reply #24 on: 08 August, 2017, 08:35:54 pm »
Nice write-up. I'll have try and make it to one of the London rides.
Would there be any interest in resurrecting the Carlisle to Newcastle ride if a suitable mid ride stop could be found?

BTW, why am I OTP?
I am often asked, what does YOAV stand for? It stands for Yoav On A Velo