2011-11-05 Gulliver's Travels

Awesome ride yesterday and great company, thanks for pulling that together Bernie. Hope your daughter was suitably wowed by your cool factor. The Watlington return ride was great - although there were a couple of occasions (not least that first climb) when I thought wistfully of a nice 15 mile flat spin into Oxford. Would never have have muddled through that route back without Paul's lead - please pass on my thanks.

Looking forward to the next excuse for a spin out there.

As for the deep fried Snickers - a 3/10 on the initial taste test now seems generous..... Along with Iron Bru, something best left north of the border in my book.

Great ride! Thanks to Bernie, Paul and JoePablo for leading. Highlights for me included seeing the red kites, the orange hues and finding out I went to same secondary school as Balmain! It was a nice route, particularly the 'technical' descent with the hairpins and the other long, straight descent where I got to 188rpm. Still yet to break 200.

lovely weekend ride. huge thanks to bernie, paul and john. good to meet some new faces. highlights the climbs, the weather, the kites, the beer festival.

bumped into mattheus (matthias?) in hyde park today :)

"Welcome to Oxford".... gulp.

(Joking aside, thanks for organising the lockage. First pint will be courtesy of the travellers.)

Dredge from way back in the thread...

Bernie, you do realise these are monks and not KKK?

Dredge from way back in the thread...

Bernie, you do realise these are monks and not KKK?

Sure do. Spanish penitants, I think, from a long standing event, on Ash Wednesday? Was just thinking it might confuse the Protestants, given that it was 5th November, and I did not want any Catholics on the b-b-q.

Anyway, pleased to report that the pitchfork and burning torches were no where to be seen when we arrived at Oxford. Not sure it was health and safety ("have you an operators licence for that agricultural machinery?") or the shocking price inflation of medieval light sources. Shame we did not meet FOB, and the rest of the local crew, but a brilliant ride all the same.

I have passed on the thanks of us all to Paul, and urged him to join the forum. His contribution yesterday was immence, and a great relief to have such a superb pathfinder in the vanguard.

Gentlemen, as ever thanks for your company, your humour, and for creating an excuse to see the splendid Autumn hues of this country's glorious countryside.

I was genuinely stunned into a shocked silence for a few minutes the first time I saw these guys in Barcelona! Took me a few minutes to rationalise what I was seeing...

I seem to remember it was around Easter when I saw them.

Sounds like I missed a good ride yesterday although we did manage to get Laner ratarsed for his birthday instead. Next time chaps!

FOB depping for a slacker at work got home at 8pm :-(
caferacer91 reports no cyclists at the Turf so he must have been very, very drunk, unless there are 2 turfs? glad you guys had a top ride and very sad not to have imbibed with you. or perhaps you went to the town hall?

Oh well, next year then.

Yeah where were you guys!?

Yeah where were you guys!?

In the Turf, round the back of Hertford.

Did anybody Garminate this route? I'd be keen to see an elevation profile!

Looking forward to see your pics Bernie

In the Turf, round the back of Hertford.

Did anybody Garminate this route? I'd be keen to see an elevation profile!

Looking forward to see your pics Bernie

Link to pictures as promised.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150538361447524.473013.792172523&type=1&l=afed5ad618

Did anyone get a picture of me with Katy at the Turf?

Oh, and for the locals, I can get an affadivit from a Hertford lawyer if you still doubt that we were there.

I Garmined the route, though there were several quite lengthy sections where I forgot to turn it back on after a stop. Idiot. But I did try to retrace those steps manually yesterday. High possibility that the stuff around Burnham Beeches is very wrong. Also around Fingest.

I'm not an embedding expert, hopefully this works:

Otherwise here:
[ame]http://ridewithgps.com/routes/808616[/ame
[/ame]

The Turf as in the Turf down an alley off Holywell st?

As in:

Yes

You see the guy in the foreground with the baseball cap and sunglasses sitting opposite the guy with the large center parting, that's where me and my mates were sat. What time did you guys chip off?

You see the guy in the foreground with the baseball cap and sunglasses sitting opposite the guy with the large center parting, that's where me and my mates were sat. What time did you guys chip off?

I think the last of us left just after 5 pm.

AHHHHH enlightenment, I didn't get there till about 18:30.

So, the closest weekend to the Dean's birthday this year would be 1st/2nd December. I'd be tempted by that or the previous Saturday 24th. Would love to do this ride again and may try to get my better half along for a re-run.

Any interest?

So, the closest weekend to the Dean's birthday this year would be 1st/2nd December. I'd be tempted by that or the previous Saturday 24th. Would love to do this ride again and may try to get my better half along for a re-run.

Any interest?

Humble apologies for delay in doing anything on this.

I wonder if Saturday, 17th November, would work for you?

A bit early in terms of the Dean's birthday, but would allow us to combine the best of the Kite Ride, get the the Thames Valley autumnal hues at their most magnificent, and maybe a few pints at the Turf before the train home in the late evening?

"Com'on, what's the worst that could happen?"

Looking at the entrails before me, 17th November looks eminently suitable.

Looking at the entrails before me, 17th November looks eminently suitable.

Good man, date therefore confirmed.

Will get a thread up and running, when the carnage of Guinness 7.1, and Saturday coffee recovery ride, is behind us.

46 miles and less than 2500 feet of climbing is "GEARZ NEEDED OR YOU MIGHT DIE"?!

pft!

46 miles and less than 2500 feet of climbing is "GEARZ NEEDED OR YOU MIGHT DIE"?!

pft!

Well, you can join me and hopefully some others from Tooting Broadway, which will make it a more "interesting" ride. The rest of the crew will be meeting at Twyford (or similar) but more details once I have checked train services, and other boring formalities.

Gears or s/s are equally welcome, but some of the downhill sections on fixed, with wet roads, covered in soggy leaves, were wonderfully exciting last year...

I did this fixed last year in the mulch with no problems.

Rode the route again in bright sunshine on gears and ended up in hospital so will probs go fixed again!

Good to see this is on the the cards again Bernie, 17th looks good for me too. Will look to join you at the Broadway for the roll out.

I did this fixed last year in the mulch with no problems.

Rode the route again in bright sunshine on gears and ended up in hospital so will probs go fixed again!

Good to see this is on the the cards again Bernie, 17th looks good for me too. Will look to join you at the Broadway for the roll out.

Top man, so good to hear you will be able to join us.

Will get new tread sorted ASAP.

Great news.

Sad not to be joining for Guinness and coffee over the next couple of days, but am visiting mother in Lincoln. I will be attending the Lincoln Sausage Festival on Saturday though. Will report back.

Might also sneak in for a cheeky G on Cannon St before the train tomorrow night.