Having completed FNRttK Plus (on to Poperinge, and then Dieppe- sort of-, and then, the, er, train, to Le Havre & a ferry) the easiest ride report for this year would be a repeat of my summary from last year, with a few teeny alterations...
THE BEST NIGHT RIDE OF ALL. BAR NONE. BEST START POINT. AWESOME CYCLING CONDITIONS ALL THE WAY. THE VERY VERY VERY BEST HALF WAY STOP. IT EVEN HAS LOTS OF LOVELY BUNGALOWS IN IT. BREAKFAST IN OSTEND IS GREAT. INTERESTING NIGHT-LIFE (IN AALST). NO KANGAROOS OR A ZEBRA THIS TIME THOUGH, DUE TO ROUTE ALTERATIONS. IT'S GOT COBBLESTONES AND I'D RIP THEM ALL UP BUT THAT WAS JUST AN INCENTIVE TO BUY A GRAVEL BIKE IF YOU ASK ME. I DID AND IT WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE. DO YOU WANT TO DO ONE NIGHT RIDE EVER (NOW THAT'S A NUTTY IDEA)? DO THIS ONE.
The Eurotunnel issues that plagued the tandemistes and many others did not affect the Eurostar at all. I'd got to St Pancras and handed over the bike at the EuroDespatch office by half-two, before the crowded bunfight that was security (two trainloads trying to get through simultaneously). Fiddly with two panniers, having to take the shoes off for the scanners (cleats set the metal detectors off)…But that was why I arrived in plenty of time. Time to charge the phone a bit and have a cup of tea before self and
@StuartG boarded. Off on time, and into Brussels-Zuid on time. Stuart headed off to bag a place in the queue at Fin de Siecle while I failed to find the luggage offices for a few minutes. Not a problem, as I found them at the same time my bike arrived there. Paperwork dealt with, panniers on, off I went. Opted for extreme caution dealing with tramlines, walking them in a few cases if I wasn't happy about navigating and crossing them simultaneously, keeping the angles perpendicular, as I made my way round to the Rue de Chartreux. Recent events in the city may have put off some tourists, but quite rightly the queue for a table was as long as ever. 45 minutes later, we were seated. Opted for the carb-load par excellence that is the jambonneau- ham knuckle served on the bone with a mustard sauce...
Stuart opted for the (equally excellent, as I recall) sausages. That, and a chocolate mousse each, later, we made our way round to the Grand Place, making a short stop at the Bourse and the impromptu memorial to the victims of this year's horrors before joining John and Els. L'Chaloupe's dessert selection had the riistaart, unlike last year, so that was my second pud of the evening. Apart from Stephen and Rachel's delayed journey,
@Gordon P and
@mmmmartin's ride in from the station was also delayed by a puncture, so the intended 11pm departure was nearer 11.40, when we made our way round to an underground car park to meet the tandem. I found the somewhat improvised pedestrianisation of Boulevard Anspach (which seemed to work perfectly well as a normal street on my previous visits) somewhat bemusing. The initial exit from the city was, as ever for a night ride, pretty tedious. Once we got out of Brussels and into the 'burbs, the speed picked up a bit. At least until my chain link broke. Gear changing on the Litespeed had been a bit hit and miss for a while, not just on the night- trimming and up/down shifts to find a gear not making a dreadful noise- and that night the hit became a bit literal, the link breaking apart. A couple of nice members of the Dilbeek police department helpfully passed a message on to the front of the ride when we were stopped. Martin had a 10-speed link, and that (plus shifting as infrequently as possible) did the trick.
@swarm_catcher was on SS for the night, and I pretty much followed her example for the rest of the night and the next couple of days.
There was, as in 2014, a distinct nip in the air, and I was glad I'd brought the gear to suit. One uppity driver in Ternat said something or other to me in Flemish, probably 'get off my road you peasant'. David and Karen somehow managed to raise their extraordinary standards of hospitality. David had to abandon plans to join us on the ride due to recovery from illness, but was an excellent host as usual. As for Karen's food…oh my. Bread, pastries, cheese, ham, a spiced pumpkin soup, two quiches, two cakes…All fantastic. Ghent was beautiful as always in the early light, the stretch into Bruges had atmospheric mist by the bucketload, and the cobblestones were slightly less painful for me this year. Mr Gravel was the right bike for this job! Then came our encounter with the Gits. The tandem's chainganging would have been even funnier if myself and John (his bike weighed 40 or 50 kg!) had the power & inclination to tag along…
The last stretch into Ostend, I actually have full recall of this time. Which is nice. The ferry was fun, and we made a new cyclist friend. Caruso's breakfast (more of a brunch considering the time we got there- gone eleven!) was as copious as any of us required, and it was lovely to see Kris (
@Flandrienne) again, who wasn't up to the ride but joined us there. I'd managed not to put the GPX route for my ride down to Poperinge on the Garmin, and the phone was insisting I had to format it to get it connected (er, no, I resolved that issue later that day). I had it on the phone though, and the sisters helpfully gave it the once-over before we parted company. The occasional check to see I was en route apart, all I really needed was to keep following the fietsroute signposts. The odd mistake early on but for the most part straightforward. Made Poperinge not long before five, not bad considering the time I left. Hotel de la Paix is highly recommended- excellent room, helpful staff, bike stored in their garage, cracking dinner and breakfast good too. As my previous post will testify, the trip on to Dieppe was a bit of a 'mare, but I'm not ruling out giving that another go. (Still) more care on routing would sort that out. And finding an open supermarket on a Monday.....
Same time next year? You bet!!
More posterior padding and gel gloves for the next ride, I think.
.
I had a less than satisfactory steak and chips in one of the local eateries in Brussels, but the glass of Hoegaarden and glass of Calvados drunk in memory of the ride helped diminish my disappointment 
.
