The Railway Touring Club - Downs Link Ride

Can folks pm me their names and if they're meeting at Mitcham, coming from Ivy House or meeting us on the way?

Aaah it’s proper gutting

Really sorry to let you all down at the last minute as well.

Apologies all

Many thanks everyone that’s stepped in to help

I hope you have a cracking ride

I’m tres jealous

Gutted you can’t make it but we’ll try and have a terrible time to make you feel better.

Praying for rain 🙏

Real shame you won’t be there EB it would have been nice to put a face to the name

Out, lazy feelings,,,, have a nice day peoples

just put mudguards on. Now selecting a suitable pipe.

*joking, it’s ALWAYS the Meerschaum

We're leaving IH in 5 mins, speak now or catch up later

@dsalmon where u at, you seemed keen but you ain't here. Pm me if you're coming and I can whatsapp you a location link

Am solo at Eastfields with a rolled up copy of FT.

a shit route full of arseholes @Ecobeard you did well to swerve

How many punctures?

So

Many

Ha

Some pics

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More pics, including @LobsterShorts getting stuck between a fence, some nettles and his own ankle.

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@Ecobeard wouldn’t recommend it on 26c tyres and aluminium frame and forks. Was a lot of swearing.

Thanks for having me along I really enjoyed the ride... and I'm very proud of my hard-earned RTC badge!

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Yep, great fun all. Thanks forba great couple of days on the grav.

I'll ping a pm round to the group save crew. @dsalmon @vilms5000 and @alex_b right?

Second to last pic is nothing without the sound effects.

Last one - Glad everyone had time to get their cameras out while Adam was busy mashing his ankle....

Me instead of vilms5000 !

Great day out I am bushed, real shame you guys had to bail. @youramericanlover we had so much bag chat left

Aha, apologies...will ping it over.

What a day out. Blasting along the Downs link, tomfoolery (and multiple stacks...) in the woods, the stealth route out to the edges of Greater London: All brilliant. Thanks!

Was great fun. Plus some first for me - first time falling over and not being able to unclip, and got home to discover my first proper saddle sores! Plus broken headset. Got a gold sticker though so 10/10 would ride again.

There was a time yesterday morning, not long after being awoken at 7am by a man in full camouflage holding a hunting rifle...

I was getting whiny about the stinging nettles and thorns scratching the fuck out of my/our legs and the mud filling up my guards to the point where my wheels wouldn't move. @Scrabble proclaimed that we'd soon be off the rough stuff and onto an actual road for a while. We turned a corner to hit a solid 500 metres of paved goodness which was promptly followed by taking us back through the undergrowth. Oh how I flew! First contact was made with my right hand and my wrist taking the brunt of the impact, followed by a solid thud as the right side of my torso hit the ground, my bike dangling on the hedges behind.

I've bruised a rib guys...

And it wasn't even on the RTC bit of the ride.

Thanks for coming out everyone! Sorry for not sticking around till the end and getting to know the IH and Mitcham crews a little better. That was perfect terrain for a 25mm tyred road fixed gear carrying a full complement of overnight kit for 3. Will probably take the other bike out next time. For the sake of my frail body.