FNRttC Friday Night Ride to the Coast - Southend-on-Sea September 13th

[Davywalnuts]

Well, am home.

the rain heading up was just shocking, completely saturated. Even the goretex boots were basically goldfish bowls. Got this one oh so wrong.

Coming up through Hammersmith and my body just shut down on me and with much regret, pulled at hpc.

Had a hot shower and still cant feel hands and shivering hard. I did the right thing, but I am sorry. Getting soaked twice in the space of a few hours was just too much..

On the plus side, the rains easing off this side of london..

Good luck everyone.

 

[martint235]

That was majpr fail from me. Before leaving home I'd given myself a stern talking to about how you can only get so wet. It wasn't cold etc.

By the time I got to New Cross, I was soaked. By Lambeth North I had an Adrian-esque grump on and by HPC I was thoroughly miserable and had more or less decided to pack at Tower Bridge. I didn't make it that far, I headed for home at Westminster Bridge. As the brave company turned left onto Embankment I headed on to the bridge to be hit by a strong wind laden with wind coming from my left!! Made it home at 1am, had a hot bath and tried to fight the jug of coffee that I drink before embarking on a FNRttC

I hope they all made it ok and here weren't too many visitations. I think this may be one of those "Were you on the Sept 13 ride to Southend" kind of rides?" that goes down into legend. Sadly I wasn't.

 

[Beebo]

Well done to anyone who even made it to the start. Heros and mad, in equal measure.
How many made it to the start, and how many got to the end? I await heroic accounts.
It's past 10am, and no posts from anyone actually finishing, i hope they made it without the aid of snorkle and arm bands.

 

[theclaud]

Well done to anyone who even made it to the start. Heros and mad, in equal measure.
How many made it to the start, and how many got to the end? I await heroic accounts.
It's past 10am, and no posts from anyone actually finishing, i hope they made it without the aid of snorkle and arm bands.

@andyman has posted a picture of his breakfast on FB, so I take this to mean they are safe.

 

[StuartG]

'bout 0.75 of a Whitstable. It did stop at Stock but by then we were all afloat in our boots. It wasn't cold but it felt cold. I had put on an extra Merino at the last minute. It should have been two.

The good news is the fairy only visited once I hear otherwise it would have been dire. Now it is all over it was merely heroic. I think we were around 48 or so now resting on our laurels.

 

[newfhouse]

Well that was fun... No, really. Like others I was pretty wet even before I got to HPC, but fortunately wasn't too cold. Weather-wise I'd place it somewhere between last year's wet Whitstable and last month's wet Brighton. Certainly the usual night-life in Romford and Brentwood was less evident than previously.

Thanks as ever to Simon for organising, and particular thanks this time to the TECs for assisting when my chain came apart just after Stock, especially Tim who had the right quick link to get me back on the road in a timely fashion.

Can we have a dry ride next time please?

Cheers,
Nick

 

[theclaud]

'bout 0.75 of a Whitstable. It did stop at Stock but by then we were all afloat in our boots. It wasn't cold but it felt cold. I had put on an extra Merino at the last minute. It should have been two.

The good news is the fairy only visited once I hear otherwise it would have been dire. Now it is all over it was merely heroic. I think were were around 48 or so now resting on our laurels.

Andy is claiming two punctures. I assumed that was the tip of the iceberg!

 

[StuartG]

Andy is claiming two punctures. I assumed that was the tip of the iceberg!

There was another visit on the return Fenchurch train ... and no icebergs were spotted unlike a previous Southend. There was a little biblical flooding. The ford was ... well the water was almost up to the bridge.

 

[theclaud]

There was another visit on the return Fenchurch train ... and no icebergs were spotted unlike a previous Southend. There was a little biblical flooding. The ford was ... well the water was almost up to the bridge.

Did @StuAff ride through it?

 

[Tim Hall]

Umm, counts on fingers. Pavel (I think) had one somewhere near Chadwell Heath. A Brompton had one just after Gidea Park, thankfully in the front. Andy got one at Stock. Possibly someone else had one after that. A chain broke as Nick pointed out. All quiet until the No Cycling path at Leigh on Sea. I was slightly ahead of the very end of the ride with Andy, when his front went down. While we fixed that I was puzzled by the lack of the rest of the ride. Peer down the path and a hundred metres away they're busy fixing one. And when that was fixed the victim got one in the other tyre. They rolled up just as we finished, and then I found I had one in my front tyre. I waved a languid hand and the mighty 'Teef, for it was he, fixed it for me.

And McWobble wwas last seen fixing one at Fenchurch Street Station, having employed a pump and dash routine all night.

 

[Tim Hall]

Did @StuAff ride through it?

No, but he did manage to fall off. I don't think Percy Shaw had a hand in it this time.

 

[martint235]

And McWobble wwas last seen fixing one at Fenchurch Street Station, having employed a pump and dash routine all night.

Well done that man. That was creating bubbles at HPC.

 

[Steve Jones]

Bloody wet at HPC, damnded wet and cold at Stock. Dryish and fairly toasty by the time I got to Southend. As for the bout of punctures on the no cycling path, then maybe that's what they are warning about. Or it might be divine retribution.

In any event, the ride got more and more enjoyable as the rain eased off and I must remember to wear a few more layers for rides such as this. A timely warning as I'm off on the sea-to-sea next weekend, and whatever Essex can provide at sea level, then the moors at 2,000 feet can outdo many times over. Well, apart from the drunks that is.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

(Although a Late Cancel is a crime of the first order in Our Leader's eyes, I did send a fiver to Dellzeqq to give to the Stock Catering Supremos, in lieu of the money I would have spent had I gone on the ride. It seems only reasonable that I should pay for the sarnies they got up at 3am to make for me.)

Indeed, I saw TMN transform her initials into TakeMmmmartinsNote. She was in the queue before me at Stock.

I didn't go on the Wetstable ride but by all accounts this was a less painful affair - but still had its own epic quality.. Before Stock there were a few punctures (Teef told me he'd asked the puncturees whether they wanted gas or a local anaesthetic, they'd chosen gas, and he told me he'd got through 4 1/2 gas tankers) but no mechanicals that I heard of. After Stock there was a broken chain but I don't think there were any more punctures*. No other dramas that I know of either. But the rain....!

*Wrong on my part - I've just read Tim's more accurate puncture accounting report. I think the water may have shorted out the wiring in my head by that time.

When I decided to empty the water that was sloshing around in my shoes I discovered that when I'd thought I'd bought Northwave boots, I'd actually bought Northtsunamis. The contents of the first boot went all over the Stock floor. The contents of the second I managed to drain into my empty teacup. I got it almost half full. If I'd wrung out my socks in there it would have overflowed.

When we were still gathering at HPC, I was already soaked and I spent much of my time there considering riding straight back home. If I had, I would have able to live with myself without feeling ashamed - after all, I'd got there, hadn't I? After that, for the first 10-or-so miles, I kept on looking wistfully at quick routes back south of the river, but kept telling myself I could always bail later. So I'd gone on. And after a point, there was no point in turning back.

Oh, many thanks again to the eagle-eyed Fridayer who spotted my computer, which had made a bid for freedom at the ford. I only manage to pick up a couple more names each time I go on a social ride, so apologies for not knowing your name, but it was appreciated.

Right, this post is done and my bath is run.

 

[Flying Dodo]

"I think it might be brightening up".