FNRttC London to Maldon 20th Sept 2024

[Domus]

I’m here already 👍

Train to “That London” tomorrow night. Drive back to the Frozen North on Sunday.

 

[Domus]

The moon over Maldon last night.
Excellent meal in The Queens Head

 

[rb58]

I've played 18 holes of golf this morning, followed by several pints. Perfect preparation I reckon.

 

[Dogtrousers]

That was a textbook FNRttC. Great route, excellent half way stop, perfect weather. Bright moon (with silvery light), misty sunrise. Can't comment on the breakfast as I'd bailed and was on my way home by then.

As usual I was wondering "why the hell am I doing this" in the early part of the ride as we struggled through the traffic and roadworks along Bishopsgate but as soon as we turned off towards Bethnal Green things got much better. The London exit was fine, and the rest of the route was top notch. Doddinghurst Scouts did us proud with a massive array of sandwiches. They may have overdone it a bit, as there was a lot left when we set off.

I bailed near Hatfield Peverel station but when I got there I only had 90km on the clock and that would never do. So could I ride an extra 10k and also buy a ticket in the 30-odd minutes before the next train? Made it with about 20 sec to spare.

And to cap it all ... I now have a smart Fridays mudguard sticker

The irony of the Fridays being celebrated on a mudguard, given our founder's view on them was not lost on me.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

The irony of the Fridays being celebrated on a mudguard, given our founder's view on them was not lost on me.

Call it a frame sticker. That’s what audax mudguard stickers are called these days

 

[rb58]

That was a textbook FNRttC. Great route, excellent half way stop, perfect weather. Bright moon (with silvery light), misty sunrise. Can't comment on the breakfast as I'd bailed and was on my way home by then.

As usual I was wondering "why the hell am I doing this" in the early part of the ride as we struggled through the traffic and roadworks along Bishopsgate but as soon as we turned off towards Bethnal Green things got much better. The London exit was fine, and the rest of the route was top notch. Doddinghurst Scouts did us proud with a massive array of sandwiches. They may have overdone it a bit, as there was a lot left when we set off.

I bailed near Hatfield Peverel station but when I got there I only had 90km on the clock and that would never do. So could I ride an extra 10k and also buy a ticket in the 30-odd minutes before the next train? Made it with about 20 sec to spare.

And to cap it all ... I now have a smart Fridays mudguard sticker
View attachment 746428
The irony of the Fridays being celebrated on a mudguard, given our founder's view on them was not lost on me.

You should have stayed for breakfast. Nick has found us a top notch cafe in Maldon. Food was good, honest grub all served very efficiently and washed down with a couple of beers. Perfect.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Not forgetting the excitement of a cute spaniel riding in a dog-bed-bike along with us.

 

[StuartG]

Not forgetting the excitement of a cute spaniel riding in a dog-bed-bike along with us.

I may retaliate with our mog in a pannier next time.

Assuming Nick can incorporate more downhills. But as a re-entry to FNRttC overnights after 5 years rest it was perfect although my app recorded as 'excessive' and may 'cause injury'!!!

Thank you Nick (again).

 

[Dogtrousers]

Researching ridewithgps I have just discovered that I have actually been to Maldon before. The reason I didn't recall it was because it was on my one and only foray into serious long distance riding. It was 380km into a 400km audax and I was so far deep in the zone of misery that my mental function was limited to "Press pedal with left foot. Press pedal with right foot".

 

[StuartG]

And that app...

 

[lazybloke]

That was a textbook FNRttC. Great route, excellent half way stop, perfect weather. Bright moon (with silvery light), misty sunrise.

Yeah, it was a goodun.
Despite 8 years of Fridays membership, this was my first of the Essex destinations. Not a county I have much experience of, but the route ticked all the boxes of quiet country lanes, small villages, and plenty of other sights.

Did it take a long time to leave London behind? Yes, but mostly my fault because I somehow managed not to see the all-upper pass through the junction I was way-marking. I quickly suspected a problem so messaged my coordinate and rang for a status check, but it took another two calls over the next 15 minutes to confirm I'd been left behind.
The group had to wait for me in the Olympic park, which was a 5km dash for me to catch up. Only, Fridays rides are guided - there's no GPX to follow so I had to use Google Maps and squint at my phone in one hand, whilst trying to cycle as fast as possible at the same time. Google's navigation opted for an 8km route, just to add to my stress.

My apologies to all for the hold up - thank you for your patience.

Then we were reunited and on our way again. The noise of London soon gave way to suburban sprawl, glimpses of greenery giving way to the odd field, then we were out in the countryside.

The Doddinghurst scouts provided welcome hot drinks and a wide choice of sarnies & cakes at the halfway stage. There was the usual shock of cold air outside afterwards, and as usual I felt under-dressed.
Something went wrong near Chelmsford, but this time I wasn't involved; it was a longer pause of over half an hour to round up some awol cyclists before we could proceed; the dawn light now increasing in the East.

Fridays rides seem to have more than their share of joyful idiosyncrasies. We've heard about Buffy the dog already; there was also a funeral director cycling in formal, highly-polished shoes (I hope they were his). There was also a ford, which was disappointingly too deep to ride through.
The next ford looked far shallower, which is how I had wet feet for the remainder of the ride! But at least I stayed upright - apparently the rider behind me wasn't so lucky


Finally we reached the pretty town of Maldon. Well, it was pretty until the streets choked with traffic. I had a tasty breakfast, then quickly diverted down to the "harbour" (more of a river estuary) before making my way to the trains at Witham.
Home by 2pm, narrowly avoiding a torrential downpour.

Another fantastic ride, and great to see so many friendly faces.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Researching ridewithgps I have just discovered that I have actually been to Maldon before. The reason I didn't recall it was because it was on my one and only foray into serious long distance riding. It was 380km into a 400km audax and I was so far deep in the zone of misery that my mental function was limited to "Press pedal with left foot. Press pedal with right foot".

Which 400 was that?

 

[Dogtrousers]

Which 400 was that?

Kingdom of the East Saxons 2017

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Kingdom of the East Saxons 2017

Aha, ran last year

https://www.tomsk.co.uk/kingdom-of-the-east-saxons-400/2023/

 

[Fergs]

That was a lovely ride. It was 7 years since I last managed a Fridays ride, wot with life happening, and it was good to experience their unique joys again 😁.
Maldon was a new destination for me and I thought it was a cracking route. By the time we reached the scout hut it seemed to have been 80% gentle downhills and I found myself wondering how hard it would be to tune multiple clicky freewheels to play a chord.
It was great to chat to folk along the way (I should make an effort to match faces to forum names next time). The breakfast stop was a real find - a warm welcome, decent food and handled all the orders efficiently.
Big doff of the cap and grateful thanks to Nick and everyone who helped run the ride. I brought a mate along for his first taste of the Fridays experience and the first thing he said on the train home was “when is the next one?”. You can’t get higher praise than that 😁