FNRttC Friday Night Ride to......Brighton on Friday 17th June

[robjh]

A few photos:

under a bridge near Clapham Junction - if only 1 am. every Saturday were like this!

leaving the Cabin

heading for Ditchling Beacon

arriving at the top

Brighton

the new must-have breakfast : bacon, egg and hash brown in a roll

 

[StuartG]

First I forgot to thank @Flying Dodo for another innovative route. However good the previous ones, a change is almost as good as a new destination. Particularly as it featured my favourite exit from Croydon. (Next time in the light I'll check if that third 'Crystal Palace' tower really is 'that new bloody block in the middle of Croydon').

T'was Farthing Down that the clouds began parting transforming a heads-down ride into a sit back and enjoy. Enjoyment on Brighton rides is always tempered by the dread that this may be the year the Beacon beats me. That's now postponed to 2017. Phew!

Yes Brighton's Greens appear to have perversely turned all lights to red. It can't be coincidence that we all independently had the final miles annoyingly extended. And as for the condition of the tarmac on the final stretch - is this to remind us of third world conditions?

The train glitch persuaded me to ride back. But slowly. I started with Rob but I let him go at Ditchling and settled into doing my own thing. This included having to walk through Ditchling village. The road we had taken a couple or so hours earlier had been closed and transformed into a heaving celebration. The other highlight was adjourning to my favourite country pub - the Red Lion @ Turners Hill. No, not the awful one at the top, this serves Mild and Pork Scratchings ... but I digress.

The journey ended by Freedom Passing the Coulsdon Flyer for the final 10 miles home. So a respectable 107 on the clock and oblivion in bed for a couple of hours. And no rain at all on the return. Enough was enough.

 

[robjh]

First I forgot to thank @Flying Dodo for anther innovative route. However good the previous ones, a change is almost as good as a new destination. Particularly as it featured my favourite exit from Croydon. (Next time in the light I'll check if that third 'Crystal Palace' tower really is 'that new bloody block in the middle of Croydon').

T'was Farthing Down that the clouds began parting transforming a heads-down ride into a sit back and enjoy. Enjoy on Brighton rides is always tempered by the dread that this may be the year the Beacon beats me. That's now postponed to 2017. Phew!

Yes Brighton's Greens appear to have perversely turned all lights to red. It can't be coincidence that we all independently had the final miles annoyingly extended. And as for the condition of the tarmac on the final stretch - is this to remind us of third world conditions?

The train glitch persuaded me to ride back. But slowly. I started with Rob but I let him go at Ditchling and settled into doing my own thing. This included having to walk through Ditchling village. The road we had taken a couple or so hours earlier had been closed and transformed into a heaving celebration. The other highlight was adjourning to my favourite country pub - the Red Lion @ Turners Hill. No, not the awful one at the top, this serves Mild and Pork Scratchings ... but I digress.

The journey ended by Freedom Passing the Coulsdon Flyer for the final 10 miles home. So a respectable 107 on the clock and oblivion in bed for a couple of hours. And no rain at all on the return. Enough was enough.

Yes I had to walk the bike through the Ditchling village fête as well. I too stopped at Turners Hill, but for a flapjack rather than a pint (shame now I think about it). And the Ardingly road did indeed have those hills that you warned about.
Splitting off at the Beacon was probably a good idea, as I did have it push it somewhat to make my onward train, even without the added time for family visits en route. But glad you made it back to the metropolis on 2 wheels too.

 

[redfalo]

Sounds like you all had a great time, including a bit of type 2 fun... Does anyone have a GPX track of the ride?

 

[newfhouse]

I thoroughly enjoyed that. Despite having a huge Carradice I had decided I would carry as little as possible, not wanting to risk embarrassment at Ditchling. The BBC weather forecast had been improving all day so I ditched the overshoes and waterproof waterproof, settling on a £10 DHB boil in the bag special. So off I set, shorts, short sleeved top and arm warmers. The rain started at Streatham on my ride up to the start. It was then that I began to wonder about my choices. At least I'd brought a hat to keep the torrents off my glasses.

As ever with the south coast rides we pass within a mile or two of home and I wonder why I don't just meet the group there. But of course if you start asking those sorts of questions the whole idea of riding through the night in all weathers becomes problematic. The Farthing Down variation was excellent. I walk my dogs around here regularly but to my shame have never cycled it. I was glad to have full guards and 35mm tyres on the wet and gravelly descent towards Bletchingley.

A late arrival at The Cabin, due to way marking one of the last junctíons, was rewarded by a shortage of pickle but fortunately not bread pudding. The rest of the ride was a joy, the Beacon slow but easy with the gearing available on the Croix. As others have said, the fast descent to breakfast was punctuated by too many red lights, but that was a small price to pay for sitting with the Madeira's finest fare in the sunshine.

People with trains to catch, and smartphones to check with, talked of delays and cancellations so my mind was made up, a gentle ride of 45 miles or so back home it would be. Weather remained good and by the time I passed Gatwick I regretted leaving my sunglasses at home.

Long story short, 122 miles on the clock, home by 12.45, happy. Thanks everyone.

 

[User482]

This is a classic FNRttC situation, in which I had no idea I had spent the night with @newfhouse! Which one were you? I do sometimes ask people if they are on CC, but almost always seem to pick people who have never heard of it and look at me as if I am mad, so I mostly tend not to bother . (And one person at Whitstable refused to tell me who he was on here, preferring to remain incognito which is fair enough.)

I was thinking the same thing!

 

[robjh]

This is a classic FNRttC situation, in which I had no idea I had spent the night with @newfhouse! Which one were you? I do sometimes ask people if they are on CC, but almost always seem to pick people who have never heard of it and look at me as if I am mad, so I mostly tend not to bother . (And one person at Whitstable refused to tell me who he was on here, preferring to remain incognito which is fair enough.)

I think many Friday peeps have spent the night with people without finding out their names.

 

[ianmac62]

... I inadvertently caused a slight delay to a few riders when I took the trousers off (that really was it, not a mechanical or health issue!) ...

No delay caused, @StuAff. Pavel and I were in the middle of a conversation, stopped, and simply carried on our conversation!

A few photos ...

Brilliant! Thanks!

... all lights to red ... And as for the condition of the tarmac on the final stretch - is this to remind us of third world conditions? ...

I thought the road surfaces in Brighton were appalling.

... I think for me the section before the halfway stop is a bit too long (I do understand that wet-weather punctures held us up a bit, but in mileage terms half way wasn't really half way) ...

Whereas I liked the two-thirds / one-third split on this ride and the Shoreham one and at this time of year when the first part is in the dark and the second part is in the dawn. I find that at the stops during the first part I eat all those confectionaries I wouldn't normally choose (old Mars Bars) which is a bonus while I don't bother with calorie intake during the second part. I just like the idea of having conquered more than half the ride by the time we go indoors. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[newfhouse]

Which one were you?

Middle aged bloke on a bike. Probably doesn't narrow it down much
If I manage to do the Felpham ride I'll wear a carnation.

 

[newfhouse]

122 miles on the clock

Bugger. I've just seen how close I was to my first 200 kms.

 

[newfhouse]

It is only a number

Yes, but I want to become a serious cyclist.

 

[StuAff]

Yes, but I want to become a serious cyclist.

You'll have to do fewer miles than that then

 

[StuAff]

I don't. I have just seen people doing the BHF L2B on full on time trial bikes, and I don't want any of it.

+1. I do lots of big mileage rides. I refuse to do it seriously.....

 

[theclaud]

It is only a number

Yebbut it is a nice round one. The first time I rode 100 miles, I did it almost by accident, having looked at the map and reckoned it would be about 90. When I arrived (exhausted) at my destination (Edmundbyers in Co. Durham) my computer was showing 98.9 miles, so obviously I did a few laps of the village to make up the ton. I reckon it made the beer taste better.

 

[theclaud]

All the more reason not to have a computer

I've ditched it now, but I enjoyed having one for a while...