Northampton ride to London Saturday 24th March

[StuAff]

Just because I don't have bar bag, teeny inckle saddlebag, tribag and jersey pockets overflowing- I would lose or damage stuff if I went for that option.(and none of those options could hold my pump), I get all these cracks. That Deuter bag may be big, but it is clever. And comfy. And I do actually carry rather less than I have in the past..... I don't know....Nige really should bring that trailer on an FNRttC. The look on Simon's face would be priceless!

Great ride, certainly slower than I've been used to of late but that's no criticism, a great day/evening in lovely company. Made home at 10ish (just missed the 8pm out of Waterloo, got the 8.30).

 

[Aperitif]

Just because I don't have bar bag, teeny inckle saddlebag, tribag and jersey pockets overflowing- I would lose or damage stuff if I went for that option.(and none of those options could hold my pump), I get all these cracks. That Deuter bag may be big, but it is clever. And comfy. And I do actually carry rather less than I have in the past..... I don't know....Nige really should bring that trailer on an FNRttC. The look on Simon's face would be priceless!

Great ride, certainly slower than I've been used to of late but that's no criticism, a great day/evening in lovely company. Made home at 10ish (just missed the 8pm out of Waterloo, got the 8.30).

Stu's second law of cycling: "Deuter oh no, my!" Gutted you missed the 8pm Stu.

 

[clivedb]

May I also echo the thanks to Adam? - particularly the miraculous weather that perhaps could only have been arranged by a Flying Dodo. I really enjoyed the ride and the company and it was great to see you all. I topped and tailed this ride, leaving out the beginning and the end, which was cheating really. My excuse, at least for leaving early, was to get back to South London in good time for an early ride down into Kent with Marilyn this morning (it was freezing early this morning!). The sight of the direct train to Croydon about to arrive at Hemel Hempstead was too tempting to miss. What's more, when I got on, there was Rebecca, so I had the pleasure of her company down to Clapham Junction.

Thanks also for some great photos - There was one by Topcat of a famous pub in Stony Stratford, to which I have commented with some historical background.

 

[Tim Hall]

Just because I don't have bar bag, teeny inckle saddlebag, tribag and jersey pockets overflowing- I would lose or damage stuff if I went for that option.(and none of those options could hold my pump), I get all these cracks. That Deuter bag may be big, but it is clever. And comfy. And I do actually carry rather less than I have in the past..... I don't know....Nige really should bring that trailer on an FNRttC. The look on Simon's face would be priceless!

Sorry Stu, only joshing.

Anyway, I've found the answer to your dreams, a carbon fibre pannier rack.

 

[dellzeqq]

Sorry Stu, only joshing.

Anyway, I've found the answer to your dreams, a carbon fibre pannier rack.

355grammes! Good grief, why not bring the kitchen sink and have done with it?

 

[Flying Dodo]

Only 355g!! Amazing.

Sorry, I mean £129.99!! Outrageous.

 

[StuAff]

355grammes! Good grief, why not bring the kitchen sink and have done with it?

Nigel could put it in his trailer.

 

[Tim Hall]

355grammes! Good grief, why not bring the kitchen sink and have done with it?

Like this you mean?

 

[StuAff]

Sorry Stu, only joshing.

Anyway, I've found the answer to your dreams, a carbon fibre pannier rack.

Nope, only 7kg weight limit And the Carradice SQR fits that bill already.

 

[Aperitif]

Sorry Stu, only joshing.

Anyway, I've found the answer to your dreams, a carbon fibre pannier rack.

Nice try, Tim. Less 'grammatical' than one of these:

"Ride it like you whole it" I haven't ben privy to this year's accessory, but would you care to do an unexpurgated photo exposé of your bag + contents sometime, Stu? It would be interesting. Marin's one kept pace with his clothing and fell to bits a year or two ago...I don't remember if he totes one these days?

Nice taps too!

 

[Flying Dodo]

I've finally managed to upload the photos.

As mentioned above, we had a good collection of unusual shaped bikes:-

I managed to get a photo of Stu's bag - I suspect it was largely empty, so I think he now simply carries it, to wind 'Teef up.

As well as the rolling countryside, we did spot an odd sight, which made me think we weren't in Kansas any more, although it could simply have been one of TimO's experiments gone wrong.

The rest of the photos are here, although I didn't take that many (and I even forgot to photo the food).

 

[mistral]

That was a good one, thanks to Adam and everyone else who made it work,112 miles for me

A few questions, some remain unanswered

Why were Davywalnuts famous legs "not up to it"
Why do CC rides continue to be so unpredictable and fun
Why it took 9 hours ....
Will Mice ever have a TEC free journey
Will the Halls ever forgive me

What I now know

The roads in Bucks are shocking
Entering London on the A5 early on Saturday evening is pretty lively
After a long ride you can get disorientated taking 'short cuts' through Hyde Park in the dark

 

[kimble]

Many thanks to Adam for organising an excellent ride. I'm so glad I managed to shake off the lurgy and come along. With some proper sprinting down the Euston Road I managed to arrive at Euston just in time for the 19:46 back to Mordor Central, which is just as well, as it took about 2.5 hours and was shared with a guy who tried to lock the toilet door with the emergency alarm.

Having been out for a decent ride with barakta on the trike today, I've doubled the month's mileage (and sleep deprivation, and sunburn) in a weekend, so it's no real surprise that my legs are now officially on strike.

Thanks to Mice for distracting the audience while I fiddled with my own gear problems - I'm now fairly sure I've somehow managed to break another shifter, which makes a lot more sense.

And given my lack of speed on the first climb I'm now reasonably certain that, regardless of what Linda Jardim may have sung, there is no energy in Northampton.

 

[Tim Hall]

Which reminds me, we went past here early on.

 

[kimble]

One day I need to do a ride through Little Kimble and Great Kimble...