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  • WARTY: 21 February, 2009

Author Topic: Announcing the WARTY.  (Read 81899 times)

Regulator

  • That's Councillor Regulator to you...
Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #150 on: 09 January, 2009, 06:32:40 pm »
After  reading that the whole of London would join in I decided to get the earlier train anyway, 0808@Prittlewell I believe.

Thanks TG, pm received, cow ordered.
Only the one!  :o

He's on a New Year diet...  ;)
Quote from: clarion
I completely agree with Reg.

Green Party Councillor

Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #151 on: 09 January, 2009, 07:34:50 pm »
Lots of people attending tomorrow so I guess that makes it a BIG WARTY ONE! Lets hope we don't all go down on it at once.








(i meant any ice that may be present)  ::-)

Adam

  • It'll soon be summer
    • Charity ride Durness to Dover 18-25th June 2011
Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #152 on: 09 January, 2009, 09:05:01 pm »
I should be there, assuming I manage to find Liverpool Street Station in all the fog.

Food order sent via PM.

 :D
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” -Albert Einstein

Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #153 on: 09 January, 2009, 09:09:40 pm »
I see that in the space of an hour and a half no-one has managed to better, or even respond to del's outrageous smutty outburst. I'm not surprised.

Del - concerning the smut - I think you may have climaxed prematurely.

annie

Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #154 on: 09 January, 2009, 10:19:40 pm »
Lots of people attending tomorrow so I guess that makes it a BIG WARTY ONE! Lets hope we don't all go down on it at once.








(i meant any ice that may be present)  ::-)

I was wondering what the 'it' might be :-\  then scrolled down O:-)

For a moment I thought you meant the cow :demon:

Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #155 on: 09 January, 2009, 10:32:44 pm »
For a moment I thought you meant the cow :demon:
You are bringing the Naughty Step aren't you?   ;)

Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #156 on: 09 January, 2009, 11:01:25 pm »
OK kids, bobb and I plan to get the 08:51 from Chelmsford tomorrow morining, which should see us arrive at Marks Tey at 09.10 - I believe this is the train that the reprobates from Southend will be on - we thought it might be wise not to crowd the Harwich train that the Londoners will be coming in on - nothing personal! Just logistics... :-*

Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #157 on: 09 January, 2009, 11:07:31 pm »
I'm not even sure how many of us "Londoners" there are.  There is NSTN, her_welshness, jane, possibly a Sue, and me.  Anyone else?
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

bazzerp

  • A new life in Cape Town.
Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #158 on: 09 January, 2009, 11:08:02 pm »
I hope its not TOO ICY for all you guys.

Its lethal up ere in Norfick alreddy; maybe its a bit warmer nearer Lundun.

At least wear lots of bouncy clothing & grease your helmets   ::-)
Where have all the hedges gone ?

Regulator

  • That's Councillor Regulator to you...
Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #159 on: 09 January, 2009, 11:39:35 pm »
I hope its not TOO ICY for all you guys.

Its lethal up ere in Norfick alreddy; maybe its a bit warmer nearer Lundun.

At least wear lots of bouncy clothing & grease your helmets   ::-)


Fnarr, fnarr...
Quote from: clarion
I completely agree with Reg.

Green Party Councillor

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #160 on: 10 January, 2009, 12:47:46 am »
For a moment I thought you meant the cow :demon:
You are bringing the Naughty Step aren't you?   ;)

Are you intending that this should be a Naughty Warty?
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #161 on: 10 January, 2009, 07:38:07 am »
I refer to the RH Gentleman to his first post
Quote from: wowbagger
It gives us great pleasure to announce the WARTY, Wowbagger/Annie Round the Year.  This is for a completely different type of cyclist.  Eye contact is encouraged, as indeed are other sorts of bodily contact, however inappropriate.   There will be pub lunches, cafe stops, photographic opportunities, the occasional beach and more innuendo than you thought existed anywhere.

Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #162 on: 10 January, 2009, 08:34:40 am »

The Naughty Warty of Norty Nine?

Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #163 on: 10 January, 2009, 10:26:03 am »

have a safe ride, hope its not too icy/foggy

sf

Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #164 on: 10 January, 2009, 05:41:19 pm »
Despite bottling it at early a.m. - too much icy slipperiness at minus 5 degrees for me to attempt to get to Marks Tey by 9.30 a.m. - I was most pleased to be able to intercept you all by riding the route in the opposite direction, thus enabling me to witness Annie's mid-morning circuit training! It was good to be able to put faces to some of the names on the forum. T'was a pity the cafe in Halstead was a bit lacking in the necessary warmth but I guess it was useful encouragement to get going and find a pub for the main business of the day! I hope you all made it safely back to the station and for those who were using it, that the choo-choo came on time. Despite the punishing temperature, I think we witnessed some splendid winter scenery - maybe you'll come to the Essex/Suffolk borders again later in the year, when it's more civilised weather-wise and I can show you some more local lanes. I look forward to seeing you again on the next WARTY in due course!

annie

Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #165 on: 10 January, 2009, 06:52:00 pm »
I am almost warm again :thumbsup:  Both sets of cheeks are burning rather ferociously at the moment.

Thank you to everyone for coming along and making the day so wonderful.  Given the treacherous conditions it is amazing that we all got round without any little moments.

Today was not about speed but about enjoying each other's company and the spectacular scenery that was on offer in the depths of Essex, a true winter wonderland, it was as though everything had been frozen in time.

Thank you for all my presents, some looked edible but on closer inspection most certainly were not.  I feel utterly spoilt.  On my return home there was a most beautiful flower arrangement and chocolates from my favourite uncle in the whole wide world, thank you Regulator.  I keep sniggering at the thought of the people taking your order, 'to my favourite Armpit Candy', just superb.

I shall write more when I can get rid of my headache and the strange Panda expression upon my face.

I think every one of you deserves a badge for enduring such conditions.

It was without a doubt the best birthday I have ever had. :-*

Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #166 on: 10 January, 2009, 07:07:47 pm »
Bloody hell that was cold!  :o

I've not known weather like that since I only started doing longer rides at the beginning of last year, and so was woefully underprepared on the glove front with just Altura thinsulate waterproof gloves and merino liners. Tim Hall kindly loaned me a pair of large woolly mittens that went over my existing gloves, which did help (I forget their proper name). My hands were so cold at one point that I didn't have enough power to brake coming down hills, so I was descending even more gingerly than I usually do. I am thankful that I forgot vanity and wore the cycling specs from Aldi (they make me look like a frog unless they have the dark lenses in) because streaming eyes would not have improved matters. And of course, I was petrified of the ice because, let's face it, it doesn't take much in the way of that kind of thing to scare me!

Nevertheless I'm still glad I went because a) as always the company was excellent, especially the birthday girl and b) there was some absolutely breathtaking scenery of frosty trees etc that I had never seen the like of before. We should also revisit that pub because the food was great and they were nice and friendly.

When I got home the timer had switched the heating on and so I am now toasty warm.

Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #167 on: 10 January, 2009, 07:13:28 pm »
I'm glad to hear that you've enjoyed your Birthday so far Annie.  It was a very nice social ride, definitely not a day for packing the miles in, but some impressively different scenery.  As I commented to NSTN when I was cycling along, if I was going out by myself, I probably wouldn't have (iyswim), but I would have missed a unique and different look to the countryside, compared to what I normally expect to see.

On returning home, the Postman has left me another little card, to go with the one that was left yesterday, but at least this means I'll be able to pick up two parcels at the same time, and save myself a trip.  Luckily he did manage to ram one through the letter box, which included a little packet of Haribo courtesy of Uncle Wiggle.  I guess they've had to cut back and we don't get Wiggle branded sweeties any more!

I'll post the few piccies I've got, and the route later on, when I've had more of a chance to defrost, and can use a Windows box that knows how to talk to the Satmap GPS.
Actually, it is rocket science.
 

toekneep

  • Its got my name on it.
    • Blog
Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #168 on: 10 January, 2009, 07:16:11 pm »
Having spent a mere two hours on the bike today I have nothing but admiration for you lot. I'm really glad you enjoyed it and the cold and ice didn't spoil your fun. You are true heroes, every last man and woman. Chapeau.

cometworm

Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #169 on: 10 January, 2009, 07:21:32 pm »
Tim Hall kindly loaned me a pair of large woolly mittens that went over my existing gloves, which did help (I forget their proper name).

They looked like Dachsteins to me - see near the bottom.

I'm in the process of uploading my 37 photos to Flickr, after which I will post a link. For now I'm going to post a more topical link to Wikipedia.


Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #170 on: 10 January, 2009, 07:41:34 pm »
As I sit by a warm dog contemplating the day's riding which it has been my privilege to experience, I wonder about cycling. No two rides, even along an unvaried route, are ever the same, and the utterly magical, mysterious wintry splendour which unfolded before us as we wound our way through the frosted lanes of north Essex today was ours to savour for a very long time to come.

There is no achievement without risk and the fine line between triumph and disaster was nudged today. I contemplated the possible conditions last night, and wondered whether to call it off as too dangerous. Five miles in this morning, having taken a wrong turning and with some of the more slender members of our intrepid party close to tears with the pain of cold, I was seriously worried. I would never have forgiven myself if we had had a case of hypothermia or a broken limb, and we were far too slow to reach Finchingfield and arrive back at Marks Tey before dark, so a rethink was necessary. We cancelled lunch at the Red Lion, whose landlord was very understanding about it, and headed for our elevenses at Halstead. Thanks here are due to Pedro, whose local knowledge was invaluable in navigating tiny lanes, at times so caked with ice that walking was the only option.

Was it a disappointment that the only view we had of the sun was through mist and cloud? Frosty, sunny days are amongst the most beautiful, the cleanest, of all, but today would have lost something without the mist. It imposes a silence on the world which clear days lack, and the trees were laced with hoar frost so thick that it was falling into the road and forming a layer like a dusting of sugar which crunched under our tyres.

Once in the coffee shop, we decided upon Bures as a lunch destination. Eighteen tired, cold, hungry cyclists descending upon a pub unannounced is a tall order for catering staff, and Bures has a choice of pubs so we could have split up if necessary.

On leaving elevenses, the thorn which had been working its way through Her Welshness's front tyre decided that it was time to make its presence felt, so Halstead high street was the scene of some rapid repair. Getting the tyre back on was a tough task indeed, the rim instantly draining warmth from the fingers, and when we set off again it appeared that we had lost two outriders. Sixteen of us found our way through Colne Engaine and were soon reunited after which we enjoyed the descent into Bures.

The landlord at the Swan was an absolute stalwart. The food was very good indeed, the Abbott ale was first rate, the log fire was warm and we stayed there for well over an hour. This was the self-same pub that Annie, Regulator and I visited early one Sunday morning for coffee and cake, to be catered for even though they were supposedly serving a private party preparing for a autumn walk. I have never tried any other pub in Bures but if the others are half as good as the Swan then it is blessed indeed.

With about an hour's daylight left, we set off again, with the hilliest section of the ride ahead of us. Firstly we climbed out of the Stour valley before hurtling towards the Colne at Chappel, the viaduct dominating the skyline, and another climb towards Great Tey. Spendpenny Farm prompted and we finally arrived back at Marks Tey just a few minutes after sunset with a London-bound train due at 4.23.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

annie

Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #171 on: 10 January, 2009, 07:42:11 pm »
Tim Hall kindly loaned me a pair of large woolly mittens that went over my existing gloves, which did help (I forget their proper name).

They looked like Dachsteins to me - see near the bottom.

I'm in the process of uploading my 37 photos to Flickr, after which I will post a link. For now I'm going to post a more topical link to Wikipedia.



I took my temperature on return home, after 40 minutes in the car, it was 34.5.  Not bad considering, still can't get rid of my headache though.

simonp

Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #172 on: 10 January, 2009, 07:49:48 pm »
Lobster gloves are a worthwhile investment if riding in these kind of conditions.

Even then, cycling to work yesterday I could've done with my merino liner gloves but I couldn't find one of 'em and had to go or I was going to be late.

cometworm

Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #173 on: 10 January, 2009, 07:50:11 pm »
Well, the following certainly describes you as we stopped prior to the cafe stop:

Quote
Shivering becomes more violent. Muscle mis-coordination becomes apparent.[1][2][3] Movements are slow and labored, accompanied by a stumbling pace and mild confusion, although the victim may appear alert.



Re: Announcing the WARTY.
« Reply #174 on: 10 January, 2009, 07:50:49 pm »
I thought it was a bit nippy today, but I was surprised when I looked at works Weather Station;



It didn't rise above Zero all day, and that's with the Urban Heat Island effect of London, so presumably where we were was even colder.
Actually, it is rocket science.