N2R - FGSS to Brighton - 11th Nov - 9AM Hyde Park Corner

My first ride with FGSS and, calamities excepted, much enjoyed it was too... good to meet you folk.

Thanks to Brett for navigating the 55 miles, to Tommy for the zip tie toe clip fix, and to Illy for the chain tightening technique tip.

Echo to MA3K's awards to D0cA and Helen for dealing with the crash carnage, and to Emily and Seb for carrying on all the way aferwards.

Hey guys/gals,

Awesome ride all in all. Hope 50*14 heals quickly, though forgive me if I'm a little spiteful.
Parts of the ride were very surreal and will stick in mind for a very long time (i.e. Watching the beautiful sunset over Brighton whilst cycling along from the top of ditchling beacon to ditchling road, with no one else in sight, was idyllic)

The leg's fucked, though that's to be expected. I'll likely be off the bike for a week or two and am rocking the crutches at the minute.

Still, we made it. What more could I ask? I think I proved to myself how stupidstubborn I can be at times. I'm very glad I finished the ride as it would have been a shame to wimp out.

Thanks to all who came and made yesterday what it was.

Looking forward to the next one.

What a ride!
I didn't get in until a 11:00pm last night. So I am feeling pretty tired.
It was great meeting so many more new faces.
I can't believe I made it up Ditchling with out stopping and behind Hippy.
When is the next ride?! lol

did anyone ride back too ??

I rode back from Farringdon to Old Street, cos I'm that hard.

^^^ nutter! lol

I rode the last 5 miles with a pair of crutches taped to my top tube :]

hippy ... hippy and bmmf triggered the speed cameras on the way into Brighton (30mph zone I think). :D

Good effort!

Sorry to hear of the carnage. Rules, I don't know if they're good or bad; not quite in the spirit of londonfgss. However, advise to noobs is a good idea.

lucky7 What a ride!
I didn't get in until a 11:00pm last night. So I am feeling pretty tired.
It was great meeting so many more new faces.
I can't believe I made it up Ditchling with out stopping and behind Hippy.
When is the next ride?! lol

Sorry about that - it was Tommy and I who shamed him into riding home from London Bridge, he was going to take the train.

@Brett - thanks for navigating
@MA3K - thanks for the beer and company as always.
@Dr Fixed Wheel - good job
@Fickwig - Thanks for that last bit of encouragement up Turners Hill just when I was about to give up.

@everyone else - Thanks for coming out and giving me a wheel to hide behind and some company.

Roll on Spring when we can start looking at long country rides again.

good work.

except that bloke..59...

and there was me feeling all old when riding with you lot.

That was a great ride, i was really strugggggggggling but i enjoyed it a lot...
Cheers for everything and probably see you soon.

nice to meet some of you in the sidewinder for a pint last night. good to put faces to some names.

that crash sounds bloody scary. hopefully lessons have been learned. and well done to those that made it up the beacon. i think i need to give it another go now!

elvis - thanks for making it down to meet us, hope your frame works out well and maybe you'll make it up to london for a ride sometime: it's not far and i'm sure there's a pad you could crash at somewhere.

Aaaargh - you said the 'c' word!

d0cA elvis - thanks for making it down to meet us, hope your frame works out well and maybe you'll make it up to london for a ride sometime: it's not far and i'm sure there's a pad you could crash at somewhere.

yep, i'll try my best to make one of the social/night rides soon.

I found the spoke card this morning that flickwg made.. cheers for that!

Who else has sore legs today? :)

sore knee, that is all, got more spoke cards for ppl, hope to get some laminated aswell

2 minor niggles (one under each sit-bone), but otherwise fine. Got a 35 mile excursion tonight, but will be rolling a 53x17 (plus freewheel) to take the weight off my rear end :p

Yeah, I need to tweak my saddle more (and fit shorter stem).. twas rubbing my right side. Same saddle on roadie is much nicer so my position is still 'off'.
Quads a bit rough from the Bitchling grind.

did you guys ride in a proper 'train' on the flat bits? thats the way to cover the miles.
shame somebody had to learn the hard way not to ride to brighton as a brakeles virgin.
normally dour faced couriers are probably cracking wry smiles as i type this.

Train? Ha! This wasn't a road bunch.. more like a 'slinky ring' or 'bungee' :)

hippy I found the spoke card this morning that flickwg made.. cheers for that!

Who else has sore legs today? :)

Mine are really aching now, whats the bit above the knee called? (not the quad, the other nobbly bit)
That is the bit hurting the most.

lucky7 [quote]hippy I found the spoke card this morning that flickwg made.. cheers for that!

Who else has sore legs today? :)

Mine are really aching now, whats the bit to the side of the quad called? (the other nobbly bit)
That is the bit hurting the most.[/quote]

Pick one..

MrSmith did you guys ride in a proper 'train' on the flat bits? thats the way to cover the miles.

i did a stretch like that with two of the other lads over about 5 miles (was it really that far?) somewhere in the middle - we just kinda fell into it when we'd left the back behind but hadn't a hope of catching up with the front. worked out really nice and the solidarity certainly kept me moving faster for longer than i would have done otherwise. cheers guys, i enjoyed that bit :) as for sore parts - i'm similar to BMMF (and that's not really being rearranged into BringMeMyFreewheel is it?!)