2009-05-03 Sun - IoW Randonnee

picshARRRs http://www.flickr.com/photos/38137198@N08/sets/72157617610929821/

That photo series is a must view simply for kattt's comments. Brilliant. :)

Thanks emmeff and kattt for the pics.

Really good stuff.

Email I got from the organisarrrrrrghhhhhhhhhs

Well done to all of you who took part in the 25th Randonnee on Sunday 3rd May 2009. 

2156 cyclists took part this year, up from 1644 in 2008 which was great to see. Of the 2156 riders, 1851 took part in the 100km ride and 305 in the 55km ride.
Many Thanks also to everyone who made a donation on the day at the checkpoints - it really makes a difference and helps us keep the event going in its current form.
We will be posting up photos of the event on the website under the 2009 Gallery. If you took any photos on the day and would like the chance to get them included, please send them to john@cycleisland.co.uk
We would also be interested in hearing about any fund raising activities that the Randonnee has indirectly helped contribute to. We have setup a charity page on the website with details of the Charities people have raised money for on the day and the amounts - if you would like to be included on this page (or have links to your own fund raising site), please e-mail the details to the same address as above.
See you next year!
The Randonnee Team

plaits! brilliant. thanks for organising this, pip - it was a giggle.

I knew I should have worn bibshorts, my arse is like a month old kipper.

@ Fiddy - I was wondering WTF you were doing in jeans! - crazy fool.
@ Corny - well done... first person EVER to get her name right.
@ Kattt - i got yer shades!!
@Pip - the Blade stays - when we first saw it on Sat. night it was simply the coolest thing ever.
@Everyone else... nice one for making that a truly brilliant w/e.
The ride itself was incredibly beautiful, and the roads were in such good nick - (NO PUNCTURES = a miracle)
The post ride drinks were some of the funniest yet. Bright Times indeed.
Glad to hear you got back safe TIka... we feared the worst*.
Thanx to Jonny for getting us out there, and then guiding us up One Last Hill™ on the way home from the Crab n Lobster.... Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... how we laughed.

• feel free to develop this anyone - lol!
  

Great pix kattt...
What happened to the Parrot ?
Did you leave him attached to the quayside ?

we soaked him in rum and set fire to him.... alive... it's what he would have wanted!

we soaked him in rum and set fire to him.... alive... it's what he wanted after a weekend with us

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

Looks good boys and girls. Sad not to have made it as it is a great ride but had some other commitments pop up for the Sunday.

Glad to hear you got back safe TIka... we feared the worst*.

Pieces of Tika....

Thanx to Jonny for getting us out there, and then guiding us up One Last Hill™ on the way home from the Crab n Lobster.... Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... how we laughed.

My sides preper hurt more than my legs on that climb!

Great skills Adam for getting that mountain bike up the hills! shame we didn't catch the BMTH boys and lost Tika.. next year...

Great pics KATT.. lets go back next year and put out a Ghost parrot...

RIP...

Looks like you all had a great time. Sorry for pulling out at the last minute.

Looks like you all had a great time. Sorry for pulling out at the last second.

You were missed Andy!... and please,
just remember that this approach doesn't work for everything...

Sound advice.. but i'd rather you pulled out early from the IoW raid than stopped half way and slapped my ass.

That was amazing, can't believe you lot did on fixed! Saw one guy unclipping and letting his pedals spin down a hill, resting his legs on his down tube, looked well dodgy.

Lovely pics, looks like you had a really good day out. Well done to all.

Was fun to bump into some of you guys from the North Island on our annual cyclical jaunt round this fair isle of ours.
You must be mad - up Niton Down on a fixie ! Some people go to extraordinary lengths just to buy an ice cream.
Sorry I missed u at the Crab & Lobster.
Hope to see you next year. Will watch out for where u r staying.

Mutly
of
Bembridge

Niton Down - that the one near Blackgang chine? that was alright (46x16 FTB). what really impressed me were the couple on a mahooosive tandem, safely in their late 50s just ticking along.. respect due to those!!

what to say.

a really great ride sandwiched by a couple of ace evenings of G n great company.

really cool to have a load of forumengers down there to add to the mix of some special non-forum people. am down with Corny when he suggests we do this proper next year. great stuff on coordinating their Greasy.

dropout asked me in the pub on sunday night what was the most memorable part of the day. i couldn't really recall at the time but it has come back to me. spinning along with Shoots and Larissa on the stage between Cowes and Yarmouth slowly gaining on Fiddy who was dishing it out to a couple of Willesden riders and then totally owning the road when a car was trying to overtake - world, a spinning world of his own. great stuff - lots of other moments too.

special mentions:

• GinaG for winning the IoW Randonee/Race - bembridge to bembridge ;)
  
• Shoots - for being a dude
  
• Kattt - the Sean Kelly HaaRRRRdman Award committee will be looking favourably at your efforts (nice snaps too)
  
• Hester - for getting back on the bike with style and courage after the accident a few weeks ago
  
• All the guys for doing it daytripper style
  

That was amazing, can't believe you lot did on fixed! Saw one guy unclipping and letting his pedals spin down a hill, resting his legs on his down tube, looked well dodgy.

I saw that guy as well, he was on a red charge freestyler I believe. We saw him walking up a hill later on.

what really impressed me were the couple on a mahooosive tandem, safely in their late 50s just ticking along.. respect due to those!!

Two nerds are riding along on a tandem, when suddenly, the one on the front slams on the brakes, gets off and starts letting air out of the tires.

The one on the back says: "HEY! What are you doing that for!?"

The first nerd says, "My seat was too high and was hurting my butt. I wanted to lower it a bit."

They continue on for a bit, when suddenly the guy on the back jumps off, loosens his own seat and spins it round to face the other direction.

Now it's the first guy's turn to wonder what's going on. "What are you doing?" he asks his friend.

"Look mate," says the rider in the back, "if you're going to do stupid stuff like that, I'm going home!!

Brrrrrm tish...

haha the tandem couple really were super impressive. and totally nice.

by the way, tagging jerk - i own the iow. i think you got your facts mixed up.

nope... IoW OWNED YOU!

Looks like a lovely day, glad the weather was nice! Great pics kattt. Sorry to miss it.

I had a rather lonely day in the lanes of Suffolk, missed the bloody ride! Ended up having a wicked day, just me, some cashews and my OS map, just under 50 gentle miles I think. I saw a weasel!

Only, when I got home I realised I had been carrying my fugging Kryptonite around all bloody day, I didn't mean to take it. I opened my saddlebag (natch) and went 'huh!? How'd that get in there!? Thought it was even heavier than usual...' Haha.