BHF Manchester to Blackpool Ride:Sunday 4th July 2010

[jogler]

I have signed up for this & looking forward to riding it with my son
Any other YACFers doing it?

[Andrew Br]

I did it last year for the first time.
My preparation wasn't ideal- I got home at 03.00 (after going clubbing) and we started at 07.00 while I was still very pissed.
Blackpool was a long way off and I spent most of the day trying not to puke.
Even making allowances for this, I'm in no hurry to do it again. There are too many inexperienced riders mixing it with testotrone overloaded would-be racers. The section through Haigh Hall was particularly dodgy. Several riders had come off while we were going through there and one was being put onto a "do not bend" kind of stretcher.
In contrast, our ride back to Preston to catch the train was blissful:- tail wind, very few cyclists and I'd sobered up by then. Plus, we got to see some of the charity riders in fancy dress. Many of them were still a long way from the finish.
Apologies if this sounds elitist. It's not meant to be. It's a very busy ride and it shows the best and worst of cycling.

Toekneep's and GillP's recollections of last year's ride may be different to mine.

My one golden tip:- start early, preferably as soon as they let riders go.

[jogler]

Son & I have a 0930 start.    We could be surrounded by Sunday drivers  cyclists 

[LEE]

My first ever "long distance ride" (back in 1986 I think).

Pro Team Raleigh Banana were a sponsor and rode the event so that should date it. 
Free Banana milk-shakes on arrival (I drank about 10).

I remember getting off the train, back in Manchester, and struggling to cycle the 7 miles back to Stockport.  My legs were jelly.

The literature said "50 miles" but it was 58.  I still remember struggling to 50 miles and the sinking feeling I had when I saw Blackpool Tower still in the far distance.  8 miles can be a long way sometimes.

Nice enough ride though (once you get out of town).

[Andrew Br]

The literature said "50 miles" but it was 58.  I still remember struggling to 50 miles and the sinking feeling I had when I saw Blackpool Tower still in the far distance.  8 miles can be a long way sometimes.

The section from Lytham to Blackpool had a killer headwind last year. It did seem a very long way.
It was, however enlivened by a twat "proper" cyclist pushing past me when everybody was diverted in single file around some roadworks. His clipped in fall into the fence when he hit some sand was a moment that I'll remember for a very long time  .

[jogler]

The literature said "50 miles" but it was 58.  I still remember struggling to 50 miles and the sinking feeling I had when I saw Blackpool Tower still in the far distance.  8 miles can be a long way sometimes.

The section from Lytham to Blackpool had a killer headwind last year. It did seem a very long way.
It was, however enlivened by a twat "proper" cyclist pushing past me when everybody was diverted in single file around some roadworks. His clipped in fall into the fence when he hit some sand was a moment that I'll remember for a very long time  .

Every time I've ridden that section of road there has been a headwind:it varies only in degree.
It was particularly cruel when I did the Stoke City F.C. to Blackpool F.C. ride some years ago in support of a Stanley Mathews Memorial charity ride.Twas murder with 90-odd miles in unfit legs.

[GillP]

I don't have any particularly bad memories of last year for myself but one of our more elderly companions did come a cropper because of another cyclists actions but he got back on his bike and finished the ride.  This year there are 31 of us from Freck doing it, with a 7.30 start I think as we did last year (safety in numbers?).

It means a 6 am bus to the start but has the advantage of only being 10 miles back home after we finish 

 

[toekneep]

We quite enjoyed it last year but I know what you mean about Haigh Hall CB, it was bedlam. I think we have a massive advantage in that we are riding home and when we got to our village, nine miles from the finish there was quite a crowd assembled to cheer us through. There were nineteen of us last year, this year there will be thirty one. Keeping everyone together is going to be interesting. Sadly our club shirts won't be ready in time it seems which is a shame. Thirty one cyclists in the same shirts would have looked quite impressive.

Yes that head wind was really difficult but as CB has said the ride back to Preston (or Freckleton in our case) was a blast. We also had a fab post ride party and presentation medals and everyfink. The whole village got behind it and we raised about 2.5k for a local charity.

Oh, and finally, we have a 7.30am start so that makes it much easier.

/Cross posted with GillP, again.

[redshift]

Signed up today to ride this for Christie Hospital, where my dad is currently recovering from major surgery.  A kind of 'just do it' moment.

[jogler]

I may do this on "fixed"
 

[jogler]

In consideration of the weather forecast & my experience of riding againsterly from Lytham to south shore I will be using a bike with gears

[toekneep]

Forecast at the moment is strong southerly winds which mean being blown 75% of the way and cross winds for the other 25%. Could be worse. I think.

[toekneep]

Direction arrows have gone up outside our house so the route from Kirkham to Blackpool must be the same as last years.

[Torslanda]

Wishing Redshift and everyone else the very best for the morning.

I'LL BE FIT ENOUGH TO RIDE IT & ENJOY IT ONE DAY!

Meanwhile, how much, Liz?

[toekneep]

We'll be off in a minute. I have a blue YACF top and Gill has a pink one. Say hello if you spot us.

[redshift]

Home safe and sound, this was my first 'mass ride.'  It's possible it may be my last.

Start was slightly delayed, since the Police had requested that small groups be sent out with gaps in between, so that the junctions weren't swamped.   0830 quickly became became 0845 before I was off.  I have to say that significant numbers of riders, despite being well-kitted and obviously confident, had absolutely no bloody idea how to ride safely on a main road, especially surrounded by large numbers of not-too-clever, slightly less confident riders.  Traffic signals and signs appeared to be optional to these people, along with common courtesy to their fellow road users.  Not a good advert for cycling, especially those who blocked both sides of the road, and ignored the marshals when requested to stop at the lights.  Maybe I've just been commuting too long. 

Anyway, numpties aside, it was a fairly pleasant ride all in all.  I'm just not sure I want to mix it with such a large number of cyclists again.  Kudos to the unicyclist (36" wheel?) I spotted near Haigh Hall.  The only downer was the combination 1-2 of a visious headwind on the way into Lytham St Anne's (expected) and the sudden attack of driving rain from the sea (less so).  Still, as the coast swung round towards Blackpool, it became a quartering/tailwind and speed picked up again.

Total raised to far online + offline = £250, so not too bad for a spur-of-the-moment decision a couple of weeks ago.
Torslanda: You could ride it, but I just wouldn't recommend doing it the same day as everyone else!

[jogler]

  It's possible it may be my last.

Start was slightly delayed, since the Police had requested that small groups be sent out with gaps in between, so that the junctions weren't swamped.   0830 quickly became became 0845 before I was off.  I have to say that significant numbers of riders, despite being well-kitted and obviously confident, had absolutely no bloody idea how to ride safely on a main road, especially surrounded by large numbers of not-too-clever, slightly less confident riders.  Traffic signals and signs appeared to be optional to these people, along with common courtesy to their fellow road users.  Not a good advert for cycling, especially those who blocked both sides of the road, and ignored the marshals when requested to stop at the lights.  Maybe I've just been commuting too long. 

Anyway, numpties aside, it was a fairly pleasant ride all in all.  I'm just not sure I want to mix it with such a large number of cyclists again. 

My thought exactly.
I wonder if the 7 o'clock starters had a less congested ride with a lower numpty content?

[toekneep]

  It's possible it may be my last.

Start was slightly delayed, since the Police had requested that small groups be sent out with gaps in between, so that the junctions weren't swamped.   0830 quickly became became 0845 before I was off.  I have to say that significant numbers of riders, despite being well-kitted and obviously confident, had absolutely no bloody idea how to ride safely on a main road, especially surrounded by large numbers of not-too-clever, slightly less confident riders.  Traffic signals and signs appeared to be optional to these people, along with common courtesy to their fellow road users.  Not a good advert for cycling, especially those who blocked both sides of the road, and ignored the marshals when requested to stop at the lights.  Maybe I've just been commuting too long. 

Anyway, numpties aside, it was a fairly pleasant ride all in all.  I'm just not sure I want to mix it with such a large number of cyclists again. 

My thought exactly.
I wonder if the 7 o'clock starters had a less congested ride with a lower numpty content?

I don't think so. That was my second go and at some point on both rides I did wonder whether to do it again or not. The problem is that, as a group, and as a community it is a huge success and is in danger of becoming an annual village event for us. We had a crowd of about fifty or more waiting for us as we passed through the village and on our return the pub had laid on a band, bouncy castle and hog roast so we partied into the night. There is now a very real pride in being one "the cyclists" in our village and that makes me want to do it again.

As for the bad riding and disregard for traffic signs, I am always amazed the police have allowed the event to grow to what it is. I heard last night that there was an actual fight between a cyclist and a motorist in Kirkham. 

[jogler]

& there was some heavy duty verbals going on between a cyclist & a foul mouthed screeching banshee woman just befoire Haigh Hall 

[redshift]

A well-rounded 'blonde' woman at the roundabout?  we can't have been that far apart then.  Either that or it went on for a while!

[jogler]

A well-rounded 'blonde' woman at the roundabout?  we can't have been that far apart then.  Either that or it went on for a while!

aye,that'll be the same I reckon & I imagine she could have verbally outlasted Ian Paisley

Did you pass the guy on the 36" wheel unicycle & if so just before the Ports-mouth woman?

[redshift]

I passed him in School Lane, which was before hill down to Bridge 63 and the roundabout.  I did wonder how he did going down the hill just after I saw him, his cadence must have been off the scale!

[jogler]

I reckon we were very near to each other then 'cause I passed him at the begining of the hill descent.You would have recognised the shirt I think,it had yacf on it

[redshift]

I'm afraid I didn't see you.  Then again I was in my usual world-of-my-own, and I rarely look at what people are wearing.  The unicyclist, and the tall guy riding the MTB with the worst front wheel buckle I've seen in a long time, were about the only characters I really noticed.  Even in a crowd I tend to ride on my own.   

[jogler]

I had a short chat with the guy with mega-buckled wheel about it & shared a  with him.