FNRTTC

[delthebike]

Bloody good ride. Little wind and rain despite the dire warnings of the weather services.
I think 36 left HPC and arrived at The Rose Restaurant, Southend on Sea.

My dodgy pictures here, CLICKY, and I'll have a GPX file in a little while so you can use bikely.com, or installed, appropriate software, to look at the route.

Many thanks to all and especially to to Simon without whom the leg bandage industry would fail.

edit: GPX file.

[Domestique]

Well done to all those brave cycling bods out in the breezy night 

[Andrij]

Home, safe and sound tired.

A bit on the cool side, a little damp (but not enough to break out the RainLegs for their inaugural run) and just enough wind to make some bits of the ride 'work'.  Managed 59.1kph down Shooter's Hill - I blame the wind for me not breaking 60.  Must try harder next time. 

Thanks to SimonL3, our fearless leader and good shepherd, and Jurek, Oscar's Dad, Flying Dodo,  and Nutty, our TECs.  Congrats to NSTN (we told you you'd be OK) and anyone else doing their first FNRttC. 

EDIT: additional TECs added.

[delthebike]

Congrats to NSTN (we told you you'd be OK) and anyone else doing their first FNRttC. 

Thanks for the brownies NSTN, truly chocolicious, and thank you whoevernicelady for the chocolate bananananana cake at Dartford Tunnel.

[Andrij]

Congrats to NSTN (we told you you'd be OK) and anyone else doing their first FNRttC. 

Thanks for the brownies NSTN, truly chocolicious, and thank you whoevernicelady for the chocolate bananananana cake at Dartford Tunnel.

Bad me.  Sleep deprivation does bad things to my memory. 

Thanks, NSTN for for the lovely brownies at the start and ClareVernon for the scrumptious muffins at Dartford.

[jane]

Thanks for the brownies NSTN, truly chocolicious, and thank you whoevernicelady for the chocolate bananananana cake at Dartford Tunnel.

Glad you liked the chocobanana cake-  i enjoyed the ride so much I may come again and bring more.  Great ride, thanks to SZimon and to everyone for making me feel so welcome and looked after on my first one.
Laura- (NSTN- I have remembered your name correctly I hope) sorry to have lost you at Southend Victoria in the rush of train boarding- didn't realise it was leaving so quickly.  hope you arrived home OK.

       

[Notsototalnewbie]

I'm back Jane, no probs I was with some of the others.

Thanks so much to everyone for being so lovely. I am so glad I did it and indeed I'm rather pleased with myself as I had never done more than 30 miles before. And I was grateful to be lightened of my brownie load, it may just have made the difference on the climbs! I'm glad you liked them.

I found it quite windy but then I rarely venture out of central London. Sorry to anyone near me on the hills, as I said I find hills tough and one coping mechanism is to mutter swearwords/blasphemy/whimpers under my breath! That last climb nearly did me in but somehow I got up without giving in.

Thanks  to Simon for organising and keeping everyone together. And getting the cafe to open early, that breakfast was divine and the thought of it helped me along in the difficult last few miles, I'd started to feel a bit floaty!

[Jurek]

Top ride which left a gert big grin on my visage.
Very lucky with the weather in as much as we didn't get very wet and it wasn't too windy despite predictions.
Doubtless this correlates directly with my having invested in waterproof socks and windproof leggings.
Simon, thanks for leading at a pace for which several were thankful.
As always, lovely to see people - some of whom I've not seen since last year.
And welcome to the new faces - I hope we'll be seeing you again.

Andrij - I was not the only TEC, there were at least three others - Oscar's Dad, Flying Dodo,  and without Nutty's input, the 'foreign side ride' could've easily been messy   

[Jurek]

I blame the wind for me not breaking 60. 

I read that as ' I blame breaking wind for not making 60'

Time for bed, methinks

[Andrij]

Jurek, I stand corrected.  My initial post has been modified.

I had listed you as you were the only one I saw giving a  when we regrouped.  Also, I was never fortunate on this ride to have stayed far enough ahead not to have been in need of the services of the TEC team.   

[little miss mac]

Great pics, thanks delthebike. Now, who's going to add names to them all? 

Sounds like a fab ride. Maybe I'll make one this summer.

[delthebike]

Great pics, thanks delthebike. Now, who's going to add names to them all? 

Sounds like a fab ride. Maybe I'll make one this summer.

Thanks, those represent about ¹/₃ of what I took.
This was my first FNRttC and I hope you do make a later ride as it was worth the effort and lack of sleep.

Belated thanks: Nutty who joined me on my first train ride in 20 years. Andrijj for escorting us from Fenchurch St to HPC. Those who actually moved and tried grouping together at HPC for a group hug photo, sorry it didn't turn out. SimonL3, who advised against the cat herding exercise. Finally everyone else who rode last night and loaded and unloaded trailers.

[clarion]

Thanks for the pics.

I see the Rose has those three magic little words that mean so much*






* All Day Breakfast

[nuttycyclist]

My dodgy pictures here, CLICKY

Don't look now but I think I'm being chased by a skellington

I didn't think the wind was too bad... until I freewheeled most of the way home


Thanks for the company all.   I seem to be out of shape as my leggles ache a little now

Oh, and Adrij, sorry about the bungee - I'll donate you a new one next time we meet.

[Martin]

I see May's is going to Brighton; I've e-mailed Simon to book a place.

[Hummers]

I see May's is going to Brighton; I've e-mailed Simon to book a place.

Damn and blast.

I can't do the one in May.

I have pencilled in June though.

H

[Dave]

I see May's is going to Brighton; I've e-mailed Simon to book a place.

Is there a published list of dates anywhere? My search-fu is failing me over on ACF...

[Dave]

It was a most excellent ride

Riding up to a couple of blokes-on-bikes hanging around HPC and asking "so, are you riding to Southend?" does sound like a recipe for getting arrested, but it seemed to work OK...

The weather was fine, apart from the little bit of drizzle. Cold, but the sort of cold that encourages you to ride, rather than the sort that chills you to the bone. I did lose all the feeling in my toes on a couple of occasions though.

Chocolate brownies at the start, choco-banana cake at Dartford - fantastic and much appreciated.

Some amazingly positive reactions from drivers, including the guy who stopped in the middle of a roundabout to let the peloton through.

"Are you on a sponsored ride?" "No, just going to Southend, but you could give us a quid anyway"

And huge respect to SimonL3 for organising it all and keeping everyone together. He really is a world-class cat herder.

I'll definitely be doing more of these. Now I just need to get over my anti-social attitude

[TimO]

Is there a published list of dates anywhere? My search-fu is failing me over on ACF...

Try here.  The trick is knowing that it is a Cheam and Morden CTC ride.

It was a good ride, but I've just woken up after zonking out all day!

[Dave]

Is there a published list of dates anywhere? My search-fu is failing me over on ACF...

Try here.  The trick is knowing that it is a Cheam and Morden CTC ride.

It was a good ride, but I've just woken up after zonking out all day!

Ah. Of course. Thank you!

[peliroja]

Sounds like you all had fun. The brekkie stop looks particularly appealing. Chapeau!

[Notsototalnewbie]

It has just struck me that I've never done that much climbing in one go before.

I know they weren't serious hills to most on the ride but they were to this central London cyclist. Especially the last one. And my knees agree with me.

[Jurek]

It has just struck me that I've never done that much climbing in one go before.

I know they weren't serious hills to most on the ride but they were to this central London cyclist. Especially the last one. And my knees agree with me.

Pencil yourself in for FNRttC on May 23rd - Brighton, NSTN.
Bigger hills.
Much, much prettier ride. (It'll make you gasp in places)
You'll know more people, so better friends.

Make more cake - I missed out last time! 

[Jakob]

Bah, I have to referee (kendo) all day on the 24th. The 1 hours sleep on the train back wont be enough.

[Notsototalnewbie]

Sorry most of you missed out on the brownies, will make much more next time!

I'm only doing the Brighton one if there's someone to walk up the meaner hills with me, because the hills yesterday nearly killed me and I know they weren't that bad to the rest of you. Also will try and get in more practice in the mean time.

I know I overtook a couple of people on the hills sometimes, but as I said at the time, the lowest gear in the Nexus hub is Not That Low, so the choice is grind to a halt or keep on going...I was too proud to stop when no one else had, so I kept on going!

I slept for 16 hours last night. I don't usually do that  But I feel better now.