FNRttC Night Ride to Whitstable 7th April 2017

[Dogtrousers]

I'm curious as to which way the route went that avoided Basser Hill - was it via Raspberry Hill Lane?

Carried on past the RH turn into Basser Hill. There was a cordon of waymarkers in position to deter anyone keen to go up there. Then straight on with marshes on left Sharp T right through Iwade towards N of Sittingbourne

 

[User10571]

Yes

I like that route - I recce'd it with the Aussie a long time ago, and suggested it to His Leggship - but he was having none of it.
If it was foggy when you were there, you will have missed the lovely views, and the realisation of how big the Sheppey bridge actually is when you are that close to it.

 

[Dogtrousers]

That was one one of the best bits. You could imagine Abel Magwitch looming through the mist.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Sorry to hear that @User21629

For future reference, I'd be happy to volunteer as tail-of-the-ride leader through Seasalter on future editions, should such a job be offered.

I often fel a bit guilty that I don't ever help out with waymarking - that's because I'm never at the front - so I'd be happy to do any other jobs on offer.

 

[Trickedem]

[QUOTE 4754974, member: 21629"]A review from a non - racer.

Despite of what was told before the ride, the last part was a compulsory race. Ride as fast as you can otherwise you will be left behind. You cannot keep up the pace? Hey we don't take a f**k, we don't care, that's your problem and your fault, we will leave you to ride on your own. You don't know where to go? F**k you again, that's your problem, we are strong racers and we haven't seen food for 2 weeks, so we race to get hot food and we don't care about those who cannot race and whose who are slower.

As soon as we left the last stopping point everybody started the race and the weaker ones were immediatelly left behind. Luckily the small group of 4 women formed (including me) so I don't feel lost somewhere with no clue at all where to go - all 4 of us were literally lost. We rode all the way to the cafe without seing anybody in the horizon - all riders have already been gone. We had no clue where to go, which turn to take - should we follow this road? Should we take this turn? Where are we? We had to stop and ask people and check the maps on the phone just to find out which way to go. We also took the wrong turn couple of times. Finally we find the cafe - and it was packed with bikes, everybody were already having their food and drinks.

In that case I don't understand what is the point to do a group ride if I have to ask people the way and if I have to check the maps. I will not do this ride anymore and I very and very doubt about other FNRs because I don't want to be left in the middle of the fields in the pitch black night. After this ride I simply don't believe the words "no one is left behind".[/QUOTE]
@User21629 sorry this happened to you. I will make it much clearer next time that this is not a compulsory race. In fact there was a group of us at the back who came in with the last rider at around 9am. Glad you made it to breakfast and I hope you come back in August for another ride.

 

[mmmmartin]

Four of us escorted the final rider, Chris, into the Waterfront and the waymarker who was standing outside, dutifully, said there was a 10-minute gap between the rider in front of us and our arrival. And the reason there were no waymarkers is because there is no route choice - you go straight on and follow the road all the way. There is a point in Whitstable where the road forks, you must by law take the left fork because the other way is a one-way street.

 

[User10571]

[QUOTE 4754974, member: 21629"]A review from a non - racer.

Despite of what was told before the ride, the last part was a compulsory race. Ride as fast as you can otherwise you will be left behind. You cannot keep up the pace? Hey we don't take a f**k, we don't care, that's your problem and your fault, we will leave you to ride on your own. You don't know where to go? F**k you again, that's your problem, we are strong racers and we haven't seen food for 2 weeks, so we race to get hot food and we don't care about those who cannot race and whose who are slower.

As soon as we left the last stopping point everybody started the race and the weaker ones were immediatelly left behind. Luckily the small group of 4 women formed (including me) so I don't feel lost somewhere with no clue at all where to go - all 4 of us were literally lost. We rode all the way to the cafe without seing anybody in the horizon - all riders have already been gone. We had no clue where to go, which turn to take - should we follow this road? Should we take this turn? Where are we? We had to stop and ask people and check the maps on the phone just to find out which way to go. We also took the wrong turn couple of times. Finally we find the cafe - and it was packed with bikes, everybody were already having their food and drinks.

In that case I don't understand what is the point to do a group ride if I have to ask people the way and if I have to check the maps. I will not do this ride anymore and I very and very doubt about other FNRs because I don't want to be left in the middle of the fields in the pitch black night. After this ride I simply don't believe the words "no one is left behind".[/QUOTE]
It is a shame that this is your take on how the ride panned out. Although I wasn't there - I have been many times in the past. I do know what usually happens beyond Faversham.
I don't think it was ever planned to be this way, and I hope that some of the replies above this one, Ausra, reassure you and encourage you to continue to join in and be part of these group rides.

 

[ianrauk]

No one was left in the fields over night and no one was left behind during the run in to Whitstable.

 

[User10571]

No one was left in the fields over night and no one was left behind during the run in to Whitstable.

I'm not convinced of the helpfulness of your post, Ian.
It is probably accurate - but helpful?
Srsly

 

[ianrauk]

[QUOTE 4755106, member: 21629"]I saw Adrian, TMN and mmmmartin arriving to the cafe but it was a long gap between them and our group and we had no chance to see them. 10 - 15 minutes or so. As I said there were nobody seen in the horizon during the last part on the ride, no waymarkers too (just the very last one by the cafe). We had to find out which way to go by ourselves. If there's any rules like "you must take this way because of this" - it's kept in the secret for some unknown reasons. We knew that the cafe is somewhere on the left side otherwise we were able to take any of right turns (and there were lots of them).



Yes, no one, but once again - if some of us have to ask people where to go and check the maps - what's the point of the leaded ride? How do we know that there's somebody behind us if we cannot see anyone? Only because somebody said so? If you remember you was the waymarker and I've asked you if I am the last one - you said I'm not. So before meeting you at that crossroads I approached another crossroad and I had a choice - carry straight on or turn right because this crossroad was left for my choice. And again - I was riding on my own, nobody to see ... what should I do? Luckily I carried on straight because right turn was the wrong one but I didn't know this.

So in conclusion this ride is for strong racers only and not being one of them I won't take a part in this ride. Discussion is over from my side.[/QUOTE]

You're wrong. But if you take that attitude, then bye.

 

[User10571]

What a horrible misunderstanding! It should have been clear to @User21629 that the 'race to breakfast' isn't compulsory and is just a bit of fun, that if there is no waymarking you always go straight on, and that really really, no one ever gets left behind. If that hasn't been made clear enough, between the text on the Fridays website and the safety talk at the beginning of the ride, let alone what people have posted about the rides on here over the years, then perhaps we need to state it a bit more directly, as a club, and not assume that it's the fault of the person doing the misunderstanding. I hope Ausra decides to give us another go, when she has calmed down.

I'd totally go with that User13710 - up to the point of your last five words. - Just sayin'

 

[jojo2512]

I'm not a strong rider but the rides I have been on with these people hav been great. Lots of help when I struggled and encouraged me all the way. Cannot fault them

 

[User10571]

I am only referring back to what she herself has said previously.

Thanks User13710.
Without wanting to make a big deal of it, I guess this is why YACF rather than here remains my spiritual home.
I only come here (mostly) to score rides

 

[StuAff]

I'm sure @Trickedem will have plenty to say on the subject. @User13710 has summed up my feelings. Having led a few rides over the years, and been on many, many rides led by others, with varying degrees of success, this was definitely not a deliberate decision by the ride leader, waymarkers, or anyone else. I've been on the wrong end of riding 'buddies' not giving a **** about anyone else, and this was nothing like that. Whitstable and the way to the Waterfront are very easy if you know the way, or you're following someone who does, or you just think to yourself 'I need to keep going east'…but people don't always think like that, I certainly don't. If you don't then you get what happened to @User21629. Sorry that last part has tainted the whole night for you. You seemed to be enjoying yourself before that, and you looked in good cycling form too. Please don't let the experience put you off.

 

[slowmotion]

I was slightly apprehensive about this ride because I have not been able to get many miles in over the last few months and I'm a bit out of practice. I'm so glad I came along. Although it was cold, we were pretty lucky with the weather. The fog made parts of the ride very atmospheric, especially the sub.

Many thanks to Tim for setting it up, to the Waymarkers and TECs , and the splendid Strood Crew. A great night out.