FNRttC March 2011 - Southend - Update

At the end of a cycling blog post, I normally thank the organiser of the event. I'm not going to do that this time. No, this time, I can't help but make it the very first paragraph. Because, what Simon has done is absolutely extraordinary. He could have thrown in the towel, you see. He could have said: "Fine, end of an era. This FNRttC malarkey was fun while it lasted, but it's grown into something that needs a framework that sounds like a club with insurance, membership and whatnots." He didn't do that. He investigated how he can minimise bureaucracy while still maintaining the magic of FNRttC. All winter he plotted how to make it work. And with the first of the season's ride to Southend, pulled off something I'm so happy to have been part of. If FNRttC was art, I would call it a 'movement'. FNRttC and the Fridays are special. Simon himself, wouldn't like to dwell on this, so suffices to say: Simon, thank you!

The Southend FNRttC used to be my least favourite. With audaxing and other commitments, it wasn't a 'must keep date free' event anymore. Except, my friend, the lovely Mandy, the Cycling Gardener, was keen to experience a FNRttC. Doubtful of her stamina, we worked out a plan to get her 'up to speed' and do the short and flat, Southend ride. Only, in January, she came off her bike on the ice and broke her leg. While her leg was healing pretty quickly, I knew not to bring up the subject and crossed FNRttC Southend off my year plan. So, what do I do at the 11th hour? I tell Simon that I can not bear not to do this ride and ask to be put on the list.

Talking of broken bones. Andy, I thought, was just practising how to bind a gun to his 'bent', aspiring to emulate the picture I once took in a cycling museum.

Clearly, I must spend more time on Cyclechat, so that I am in the know when a buddy has had a non-favourable road-traffic exchange. Of course, this is Andy, he does LEL on a 'mended' back, why would he not do a FNRttC on one leg?

So, to spice up the 'ordinary' Southend ride, I go into town the Waterloo, as opposed to the Paddington, way. I bump into ChrisB. He is an acquaintance from when I was doing 100km Audaxes.

We make our way to Hyde Park Corner together. I took note of St Stephen's Restaurant/Tavern. I'd quite like to stop there for a drink next time (Beer In The Evening).

I was at the back of the large and lively gathering at Hyde Park Corner, so didn't hear Simon's health and safety talk very well. It must have been entertaining as always, because there was quite a bit of laughter. Soon we were off and soon we stopped again ... at the Minories. Everytime, I learn something new about London: The Minories on Wiki

It was here that the chill started to take. There were waves of cold, very cold and painfully cold. At the 24 hour Tesco stop, people bought extra layers, which I thought was brilliantly resourceful. Later on, I saw a rider with socks as gloves.

We rode on to the magnificent Stock Stop at the village hall. Rolls, yummy cake, tea, cheerful people ... just the ticket. Thanks to Geoff, Ann, Freddie, Grace Maisie and Alfie Tully. Hope their fundraising goes well.

And then came the 'Whitstable-esque' bit. As we left the Stock Stop, dawn was ready for the early bird. How wonderful it was. I set out to do the 'ordinary' Southend, and went to work today, Monday, unable to explain to my colleagues why last Friday was extra-ordinary.

Anyway, we had a great time at the Rose Restaurant, Titus, Stu and I. Making fun of Marc who had sped along to get breakfast in before anyone else. These newcomers, he? But what about the guy who got changed into jeans? You can do the ride in jeans, but you can't get changed into jeans at the end. And as for the guys who got picked up by vehicle. Please have the decency to do this around the corner, out of view. Its just not cool. Not cool for us, and not cool for you. The exception would be if you offered a shuttle service to the train station in a 1960's Citroen van.

The crowd got lively again, with poppers going off to celebrate Claud's birthday. We loved the generous piece of cake.

Before I went off to do my little bit of sightseeing, Aperitif gave me a parcel. 'Nothing much', he said, 'just a little something'. The wrapping was already doing it for me: home made wrapping paper with Kipling's Bee-Boy's song printed over a honeybee covered frame.

Inside was: 'The Countryman' Vol XXXIV No 1 1946. A quick scan of the index revealed the reason for the most attentive gift: "How to Get More Honey". Written by C.G. Butler Ph.D. That must be Butler as in 'the Butler's cage', a very useful little object to keep queens in. How absolutely wonderful, thanks Aperitif! Its a little treasure to me.

With high spirits I went off as planned, to Two Tree Island.

View of Two Tree Island from Leigh on Sea

Some notes on Two Tree Island:

• Dark-bellied Brent geese on the shore, from Siberia for the winter
• Enjoyed watching the bike park riders doing their tricks
• Can see Hadley Castle from the island. Hadley Farm will be venue for mountain biking during 2012 Olympics.
• Skylarks

To close off the 'day', I tried cockles from one of the famous cockle sheds, sitting outside in the sun ... bliss.

So again, thank you Simon, tecs, tea crew and all the riders who made this another memorable FNRttC. Well done to all riders for whom it might have been their longest distance ever, their coldest ride ever, or their first night ride, or all three.

Photos are on the slideshow till the next ride or here: Clicky

Photo by Yacf's Zipperhead

FNRttC March 2011 - Southend

It's Thursday evening, I'm home alone, the parkin is in the oven and I'm beginning to visualise the first FNRttC of the season. I'll be going to Hyde Park Corner via Brentford and Waterloo tomorrow night, just for a change. I'll head out of Waterloo towards Big Ben and then Buckingham Palace.

Long evenings in the winter, waiting for the first FNRttC to happen, produces this kind of work: Lost in Translation - very funny!

And TimO produced this map (I believe). We're going to follow the blue route. Double click to enlarge.

Over 100 entrants! The forecast is looking quite reasonable, but I'm going to wrap up warm. I wonder how many 'Is this for Red Nose day' questions we'll get en route.

This morning, Friday, a wonderful email came through from Simon:

Fog everywhere. Fog up the river, where it flows among green aits and meadows; fog down the river, where it rolls defiled among the tiers of shipping and the waterside pollutions of a great (and dirty) city. Fog on the Essex marshes, fog on the Kentish heights. Fog creeping into the cabooses of collier-brigs; fog lying out on the yards and hovering in the rigging of great ships; fog drooping on the gunwales of barges and small boats. Fog in the eyes and throats of ancient Greenwich pensioners, wheezing by the firesides of their wards; fog in the stem and bowl of the afternoon pipe of the wrathful skipper, down in his close cabin; fog cruelly pinching the toes and fingers of his shivering little 'prentice boy on deck. Chance people on the bridges peeping over the parapets into a nether sky of fog, with fog all round them, as if they were up in a balloon and hanging in the misty clouds. (from Bleak House, by Charles Dickens)

FNRttC November 2010

I was supping Madeira wine in Madeira when I looked up and saw this:

A full moon

A full moon now sparks one thought: FNRttC.

I could have done it you know, I could have done it. I could have dropped off my luggage at friends in Brighton beforehand, done the last FNRttC of the season and celebrated Simon getting a London Cycling Campaign award. Then I could have gone round to the friends, swapped bike for luggage and made my way to Gatwick to catch a 1PM flight to Madeira. Plenty of time!!

But of course that would run the risk of a FNRttC ban 2011-2013. Imagine, a holiday, postponed multiple times because of an 'imminent' knee op and several consultations, a vacation you both desperately need, and especially together, you come in from work on a Friday evening and you tell your partner: "I'm off for a night ride and I'll meet you at the airport tomorrow. Don't worry, I can sleep on the plane." No, that would not be right.

Anyway, this gave me an opportunity to be an armchair FNRttC'er.

So, we were sitting on a terrace on the Saturday evening, when I noticed the outdoor wifi hotspots everywhere. The sight of the moon had already made me wonder how it would have gone this time: rain? not too cold? many punctures? any severe mechanicals? how did the newbies get on? would Simon's health and safety routine have been the best ever? did StuAff come off his bike? any pictures up? .... I was quietly going to do a little browsing.

It didn't take long for Sarah to cotton on: "Are you reading about FNRttC or something?". Darn, I shouldn't have pointed out the moon! "Oh, just checking, 5 mins ...." Sarah would carry on chatting on and off. And I would make sure I gave her all my attention. Wasn't good enough though, she still ended up saying: "Am I disturbing you?".

Then I nearly fell off my chair when I realised how I had missed a trick!! The Madeira Cafe!! What a lovely tenuous link! Me raising a glass in Madeira while the FNRttC'ers would have raised a glass in the Madeira Cafe, and that under the same full moon. Now I can feel part of it.

I love tenuous links. I was reading Rob Penn's book: "It's all about the bike". Rob's dream bike needed only one compromise. He could not get a 32-spoke rear cassette hub from Royce and had to settle for a 28-spoke hub. The reason? The maker, Cliff Polton, was on a beekeeping course and therefore no hubs would be made for several weeks. Marvellous!! Sounds like an intensive commercial beekeeping course abroad to me.

And here comes the next tenuous link: from bees back to Madeira

Funchal coat of arms includes four skeps

At Mercades dos Lavradoros

At front of concert hall

At back of concert hall

FNRttC October 2010 - Whitstable - Update

I used to call it 'the wonderful bit between Faversham and Whitstable'. When Simon Legg referred to it in one of his communications by its proper name 'Graveney Marshes' I got a little curious. Why is it there, how large is the area, why is it so compelling ... So I did some googling and rather than answer my questions, I got completely distracted by a war story.

A German bomber had crash landed on the marshes. September 1940 it was. The men of the 1st Battalion London Irish Rifles captured them and took them back for a pint in the pub they were staying at. Oh so British! This battle's 70th anniversary was recently commemorated. Do read the story. The link is at the end or here: Clicky

The pub was The Sportsman. So I had to look that one up of course and found it still in existence, now a Michelin starred establishment. We would have cycled past the building on every Whitstable ride, but I had never taken notice. The pull of breakfast at the Waterfront Cafe is usually too strong at that stage!

This view is the entry page to The Sportsman

Everything about 'The Sportsman' appealed to me, the history, the location, the food .... I had to go and visit. I rang them up a week before the FNRttC and found that unfortunately for me, they are so popular that they are booked up 6-8 weeks in advance. My heart sank, but I pleaded with them: "Its just me, me on my own, I'll sit anywhere, in a corner, at the bar, anywhere ... "

So this is how I came to have oysters again in Whitstable (ok, Seasalter), followed by pork belly and a chocolate mousse sorbet. The wine was good and the Pedro Ximenez Garvey a real treat!

When they found out that I had cycled from London I was treated as 'the special guest' of the day and got truly spoilt. It was wonderful! I had brought a light change of clothes to get me out of lycra, but they said there was no need, anything goes. I met the chef and admired the kitchen garden at the back. I'm certainly going back there, even if its only to sample the Shepherd Neame Late Red.

The journey back to London was dream like. Had a good snooze on the train. I got out of Victoria Station and with fresh energy decided to cycle home. It was like I was doing a 'Lucas Brunelle', speeding along, people could see my 'I'm coming and you're in my way' stare through the eyes in the back of their heads and parted as I got closer. I got home so quickly, my other half hadn't put the coffee on yet!

What about the FNRttC ride itself? Its not always about the ride is it. If I had done that ride on my own, I wouldn't have enjoyed it much. It rained, not too bad, but I did wonder how I ever survived LEL. And I was very tired, taking cat naps every time there was a regroup, and I wondered again how I ever survived LEL. I found it particularly tough this time. I admired the group and especially the newcomers for sticking with it in such good humour. The banter at Andy's and the Waterfront Cafe was fantastic. I got to know a few people a bit better and made some plans for next year which I'm very excited about.

A few more thoughts:

• Cycling by The Monument
• Stuart telling me about the Battle of Bannockburn
• CharlieB's individually wrapped carrot and marmalade cake was gorgeous
• Having a 'hot' bacon baguette at Andy's
• A gift from Aperitif which has added to my bottle top collection:

• Enjoying the post ride Cycle Chat banter, I had no idea so much had happened on that ride!
• Thanks a million to Simon and his helpers, and the riders, and the cafes

So that is it for this season. I can't make the last Brighton run and the audax season is finished also. What a great year it has been and what a grand finale I experienced last weekend! It moves me what cycling can do for you. But then I do believe that I am 'the Queen of the Tuesday Blues'!

The photos are on the slideshow till the next ride or here: Clicky

Rich P's photos are here: Clicky

Last battle of Britain at Graveney: Clicky

FNRttC October 2010 - Whitstable

Only 4 more sleeps!

On the 26th September, Simon wrote: "I doubt that we'll be oversubscribed, so there's no rush [to register]". 24 hours later there were 60 people on the list. At the last count, there were 113!

Don't people realise that there are hills to climb, that it could be cold, long queues at the Rochester cafe, crosswind by the coast, more queues at the Whitstable cafe then a long journey back to London. And you have to remember also that this is a 'Friday Night Ride', we cycle in the dark, so no scenery to be enjoyed.

What is the fun in all that? Why do people sign up for these things?

FNRttC August 2010 - Whitstable - Update

Every time. Every time, it lives up to expectations. What is it about this ride? On Saturday morning, I was asking myself why I don't do this every Friday night. Lots of reasons of course, but one thing is for sure. My other half, who normally has heard enough about rides, this time, was all ears and ... asked if she could meet me in Whitstable next time around. Yes, yes!

However ... next year, the full moon will not be during the August Bank Holiday (I think the Bank Holiday weekend made the harbour atmosphere that little bit more special).

The ride starts with a good dose of night time London, all lit up in different ways: Hyde Park Corner, Buckingham Palace, Westminster with Big Ben, the London Eye, OXO Tower and Tower Bridge. Sights people come from all over the world to see. Then onto the south side of the river, where we go through Bermondsey and onto Greenwich, Dartford and beyond.

I like the spot which marks the boundary between London and 'nearly in Whitstable'. It has a good feel of old London with new generation taking place - the area is called 'More London', as etched into the Water Benches fountains.

These 'Water Benches' are just next to another water feature, which is called the Rill. Its a cut through the paving with water running down. I find it absolutely extraordinary, I like it, but its such a trip hazard!

The Rill

Photo by Tim Hall (see link below)

Next thing you know, you are at Andy's Cafe. At least we all call it Andy's Cafe. While I was queueing I was trying to make sense of its real name:

Maybe the owner used to be Andy Snacks, and the cafe was called 'The Andy Snacks Cafe' (still doesn't sound right, does it). Then the new owner wisely thought to keep the original name, but never proofread the new shop fascia design. There again, it could be rhyming slang that has gone right over my head ...

We went at quite a pace I thought. Granted we stopped a lot for regrouping, but when we were going we were flying. Dawn, sunrise, early morning at the Milton Regis stop (people were out buying papers by then), the thought of breakfast by the sea ...

The location for breakfast can't be better, on that balcony overlooking the sea. The cricket came on on the screen, the bar opened, ... then some people with time schedules started to leave to catch the train back to London, some people without time schedules were settling in, some people with time schedules kept planning to get the next train.

And I went off to the harbour to have oysters and champagne. You can't go to Whitstable three years in a row and not have oysters. It had to be done.

La vie est belle

After half a bottle of champagne, everybody was my best friend of course. The oyster seller explained why I can't take oysters to London, which I thought was marvellous. I couldn't thank him enough for being so honest. £4 for six oysters - fantastic!

I took my time, people watching, visiting the fish market, strolling back to the station eventually ... but would you believe it, it appears from a post on the cycling forum that 'the settlers' would have taken a train after me!

Photos are on the slideshow till the next post or here: Clicky

And there are some fantastic shots taken by Tim here: Clicky

FNRttC August 2010 - Whitstable

Yeh!! Its that time again. Off to do the night ride to the coast. 80 riders are expected and so is the moon - should be fun. I intend to stay on a bit and find oysters and champagne for brunch.

Edit: Found my spot: Harbour Garden Cafe

How can I be so excited about a nightride I've done before? Have a guess ...

Look at this Whitstable forecast - I can't wait!!

Accuweather.com

FNRttC - Newhaven - Dieppe - Update

This Friday night ride to the coast was always going to be something special. It ran on a Thursday, and not only was it going to the Coast, but to the Continent. With the opportunity for me to extend the ride to Belgium, the proposition couldn't be better.

So 9 people set off from Hyde Park Corner, and two more joined us on the way. We got thoroughly soaked all the way to Gatwick Airport. The 'Fastest way to London' sign, which I kept reading as 'The fastest way back to London', seemed like a good option. Still, the Costa Coffee experience, I wouldn't have missed for the world.

I had started the queue, and when Simon's order was taken before mine, I should have known that things weren't alltogether go smoothly. Instead, I thought, yes, yes, quite right that Simon, our leader, should get served first, how rude of me! In a loud clear voice Simon ordered a cappucino with a raspberry and milk chocolate muffin. That muffin bit was a bit hard for the guy at the till. To help him out we pointed at the muffins which were right in front of us. Mr Quick, who had already put the muffin in a bag, was retrospectively instructed to get a muffin, which caused another bout of confused looks and repetitive instructions by the till man.

But this was only a warm up! 'Four' the till man said/shouted. 'Four?' repeated Simon. 'Four what?' I kind of mumbeld 'must be four pounds', which is a bit odd really. How often do you order two items that come to exactly four pounds? And then, with a look of revelation, the till man shouted: 3.59! Blimey, the price is going down! Go with it Simon! 3.59. It's as if he suddenly remembered that the code for a part he needs to order is not 4, but 3.59. He was not really looking at Simon, but looking through Simon, right through Simon to the other side of the big hall, where on the wall there was an Exit sign.

Anyway, it came to my order, which was a flat white and a point and point muffin. Mr Exit took the receipt he'd just entered and studied it carefully. Then I felt bad, I thought, you see, he's just had a bad start of his shift, realised he's ordered the wrong part for his lawnmower, but now he is pulling himself together, reading, double checking the receipt, making sure there are two items, the right items, all correctly charged, etc ... Then he looked at the Exit sign which I was now obscuring, handed the receipt to me, and asked "Which coffee did you order?". "Flat white". Its printed on the receipt! 3.59, he shouted! Oh really! From then on everybody's order seemed to be 3.59. I was beginning to think this was a candid camera scene. Or we were in a world where there is no expressive laughter. And the joke was on us. They were testing us to see how long it would take for somebody to give up or else get behind the till themselves. 3.59 was just their code for laughing their socks off.

In the mean time, Simon was waiting for his coffee and had said 'yes please' to chocolate on top. As I turned to join the coffee queue, the coffee man asked Simon 'Would you like a sprinkle ...' 'Yes! I said yes before!' Mr Sprinkle put the back of his right hand limply to his forehead, it had been a busy night. 3.59, I could hear from my right!

But it was when Simon, with a click of the heels, on receipt of his coffee, said to Mr Sprinkler: 'Outstanding', that I spontaneously combusted into laughter and Simon did the same.

On the Simon scale of badness from 1 to 10, this whole scenario stood out at 20! Still, we did get served and had entertainment to boot!

All of the FNRttC gang

The ride from Gatwick to Newhaven was wonderful. Titus must have been chuffed that he hadn't bailed out. It wasn't raining anymore and soon it was getting light. The roads were great to cycle on. I trust somebody took a picture of the sun rise, was that at Wivelsfield? We had a puncture stop and during that time, Des kindly let me have a go on his fixed bike. Thanks Des.

The Pitstop Cafe was ideal for our traditional breakfast. And it was great to have so much time. Normally, I watch the clock because you need to get that train back to London. More entertainment, but of a different kind, was provided by the staff. The breakfast was superb, I was pleasantly surprised. We had time to chat, the sun was out, we could sit outside, put my flip flops on. Great!

And then we said our goodbyes, I didn't like that bit, I wanted all of us to go to Dieppe, it was a great group. Not even Aperitif could be persuaded, although I think he was the closest to a 'life is short' moment. Off we went to the ferry terminal: Simon, Tim and Kathy on tandem, Stuart and I.

Hey! More entertainment! If you are going to have a clipless moment, then there is not better spot than here:

Then we were joined by more cyclists, some better prepared than others it seemed. A couple of guys had the full Ortlieb front and back panniers, tent on top. Then there was a guy wearing a casual jacket and trainers. He was cycling to Paris for charity. He was rather concerned about his bike on the ferry. 'Don't worry mate', said Simon, 'they won't nick your bike'. Simon's intonation was disguised enough, but I was in stitches again.

Stuart was a star on many occasions. First directing us straight to the most comfortable seating area on the ferry where those who didn't sleep the whole way could watch a film so bad that it became entertaining again. Then directing us, together with Simon, to the Formule 1. Because we wouldn't have got there with my directions!! Where did I get that address from??

We got to the hotel in time to catch the end of the Tour de France. The belgian Van Den Broeck seems to be doing well. Can't believe Renshaw got disqualified.

After drinks and dinner in Dieppe, we had cheese and wine back on the 'hotel terrace'. 'Bon appetit' someone said genuinely. Then said goodbyes again, because the next day, it was going to be an early start for me to set off to Belgium.

The tailwind made the whole ride effortless, I was cruising in the biggest gear for much of the time. My only worry was where to get water from next, but I only needed to ask wherever I had a food stop. I was slightly annoyed at myself for getting out of the habit of carrying oil. But the mobile shop came to my rescue. The man shook his head from side to side when I asked if he had oil. He didn't have any oil for sale, but he did have oil. Off he hopped from his trailer and got a can of spray, applied it to my chain and 'Allez!' he said.

Mobile shop

The scenery was rolling country side. There weren't any hills to speak of until I reached Belgium where I climbed the Kemmelberg. Smalldean Lane is much harder!!

Rapha has an article on it: Rapha Kemmelberg . I wouldn't call Kemmel nothern Belgium though, its pretty close to the French border. But here is a bit of trivia that might explain why the writer calls it northern Belgium. West-Flanders - which is where the Kemmel is, is the only county bordering both France and the Netherlands. Hence its also flemish, and flanders is often regarded as northern Belgium.

From there I was close to home and didn't take many more photos. I arrived close to 6PM, which was my original ETA, the tailwind helped me get there.

I had an absolutely fantastic weekend, made by the night ride, the DIY 200 ride, the company and my family. Thanks to all.

Photos are on the slideshow till the next ride or here: Clicky

Friday Night Ride to the Continent - 15 July

The plan:

1. Meet the FNRttC gang at midnight Thursday at Hyde Park Corner. A well rehearsed event, just need to remember to go on Thursday and not leave it till Friday.
2. Cycle to Newhaven, arrive for breakfast. Need to remember to make way to ferry and not train back to London (I know about sleep deprivation!!)
3. Ferry to Dieppe, find hotel. Should be OK from now on, homing instinct will set in.
4. Dinner and overnight stay in Dieppe.
5. Saturday, leave early to cycle to Belgium, pick up supplies from market first. No need to rush, have 15 hours.

Fettling day tomorrow, Thursday. Expect a few progress tweets.

With a weather forecast like this, can't wait!

periods of rain. Winds from the SSW at 25 km/h.

FNRttC June 2010 - Bognor - Update

I know that I am going to disappoint a few people, but I am not going to write up much about the Friday Night Ride to the Coast to Bognor.

Thing is that I just don't want anyone else to know about this anymore. I don't want anybody else to catch on to this magical event. Simon does a good job of limiting the numbers, so its never going to become a 'London to Brighton' kind of event. And I've been doing OK with registering on time. But whilst a couple of years ago, you could just register a week before the event, in a 'so that Simon knows' kind of way, now you need set an alert so that as soon as registration is open, you get that email out. OK, I might be exaggerating. But I'm not exaggerating when I say I would be on sulk mode till the next FNRttC opportunity, if I ever missed out. So in a completely selfish way, I don't want anybody else to know about FNRttC, it reduces my chances of a place (I hope you know by know that you need to take it with a pinch of salt when I write these things!).

You see the kind of magic I'm talking about?

Thanks again Simon and all the riders, for making this such a brilliant night.

And thank you to Charlotte for navigating Paul and I from Clapham to west London. Can't believe how many heads turned towards the recumbent and/or rider!

Have a look at the photos on the slideshow till the next ride or here: Clicky

FNRttC June 2010 - Bognor

Tonight is the FNRttC to Bognor. My first FNRttC of the year, and first time to Bognor.

It promises to be a fantastic night with 70 riders expected. No point tweeting I guess?

FNRttS October 2009 - Oxford

Tonight, I'm going to be doing the FNRttC alternative called the Friday Night Ride to the Smoke. Makes perfect sense. Go out to Oxford by train and cycle back, home for a second breakfast by 7AM. So you do the hard work, before you start cycling. I know, only a cyclist would put it that way.

I wonder what magic FNRttS will bring compared with FNRttC.