A reminder: this Tuesday 18th, 8.30pm, Three Tuns, Ashwell is weekend bag-drop off time. Also a good opportunity to discuss anything before riding there on Thursday.
If you cannot make it: I can take your weekend bag down there if you can get it to me some time beforehand. martin@ccashwell.com - 07977652247
Get packing. Keep your passport with you. Note down your ferry booking reference number. I'd say worth printing off your Hotel Meurice booking confirmation too. Upload the routes to Diksmuide:
If you haven’t already stuck them on, whack some vaguely fresh winter tyres on!
The speed difference between your GP4000S and Gatorskins is nothing compared to the amount of time spent hanging around waiting for the 8th puncture of the day to be fixed...
Thanks Geoff. 9 of them set out from Ashwell at 730 a.m. this morning. Not heard any reports yet but hoping they are in Calais by now. Tough day for it, wind and rain.
The more sane of us are driving over tomorrow!
We missed most of the rain and the wind wasn’t as unfavourable as we thought it would be. Jumped on a ferry around 8 after a 130 miles in the saddle. Hotel Meurice was emptied of pastries this morning before we rode over to Diksmuide and then out for a very windy little loop with the other guys who’d arrived before us and checked in to the hotel. Off to Ypres for dinner now...
No weather didnt spoil it Geoff. Great weekend as always. Weather did mean Saturdays ride became a bit of an epic, looked like we had just completed Paris Roubaix on a wet day by the end. All got home safely though with some tidy bunch riding including a great section of through and off coming back into Diksmuide. 103 miles. Good social weekend as always, and great to have Jenny and Dave join us Friday and Saturday.
Sunday rain was torrential so we skipped that ride and came home a bit earlier, thanks to Andrew R for sorting Eurotunnel.
Although the 3 hard men Will, Steve and Martin H did ride off into the rain to get to Calais and then Folkestone before letting the train take the strain. Chapeau gentlemen.
Thanks to all for making it another great fun and succesful trip.
Hi Martin, I've got yours and Steve's bag and yes they do smell...!
You can pick it up at your leisure from Letchworth, so give me a call to arrange a time 07745 568340.
A big thanks to Stef for being a logistics supremo , MC the whip treasurer and everyone else in the blue train for making this another memorable club trip.
Those riding to Diksmuide set off on Thursday. A fiendish headwind didn't want us to get to the Tilbury ferry too early - but we kept a decent pace and got there in good time. It's a nice route til Brentwood and then a miserable fast A-road. Once in Kent, we got more a crosswind and when it got bumpy and into the Kent woods, we didn't notice the wind at all. It's the hills! There are maybe nine 25%+ climbs. Not easy with panniers. I think next time, we will try going around the Downs. More Ups than Downs.
On to the ferry and we're the first off the boat once in France. The Hotel Meurice has been spruced up and does a good job for recovery.
The next morning we had a tailwind all the way to Diksmuide to meet everyone else.
Friday afternoon took us on a classic 'Flandrian' loop. The wind was our hills. We stopped off at Vince's aunty's house and got back in good time to get to Ypres where some went to see the poignant Last Post at the Menin Gate. Played, every day, since WW1, 8pm.
Late Friday evening was a great night in Diksmuide. A great time catching up with fellow riders. The bar there is really good.
Saturday was the big ride. It started spitting before the Kemmelberg, but it didn't dampen the spirits for us getting up it. I wasn't in great form but others were flying: Dave Wells is on fire, Taff bagged 4 village sign sprints? Vince was cheeky as ever. Steve has a monster power up his sleeve he can unleash at will. Talking of which: Will clearly has all his race firepower in his legs despite a couple of season not racing. Graham is getting stronger and stronger. I'd give Martin H our combative prize if we had one. Stef is very much on it - despite much time off the bike too. Paul S took the front often. Great to see Andrew R out. Dave and Jenny are taking their skills and strength to a whole new level: impressive work. They stayed in a campsite nearby. It was nice that Stef's mate Paul had a good time and had much good to say about us as a group from a non-member's perspective. Andy R and brother Neil were our vey own Yates bros. MC is very strong, of course.
There was much gunning for KOMs on Mont Noir and Mont De Cats. We had a hearty lunch in Cassel - but too wet to enjoy the fine view on the terrace. On back into France to follow canal paths. A coffee in Bergues and on to Dunkirk. A bit bleak: but we happy we'd done a bit of history. The war history is everywhere in Flanders.
Then a murderous ride back to Diksmuide through cold, hard, driving rain. We were excellent as a group and we should be proud of our skills. Will was providing top group riding tips all the way.
A nice meal in the hotel restaurant afterwards. More beer. Kebabs.
Sunday: too cold and wet to enjoy a ride before coming back. But not so for Will, Steve and Martin H who rode back to Calais, shivered on the ferry, rode to Folkestone through lorries disembarking and caught the train to London and home. Crackers.
Another great club weekender. I hope to join in on another some time soon. There was talk of elsewhere, but the combination of proximity, instant riding on classic lanes, and quality of location in Diksmuide is hard to beat.
Cheers for sorting it all out Stef, it was brilliant again, despite the weather. Anyway, if you go to Belgium and come home without having had a mouthful of mud from the roads out there then it’s just not the same.
The ride to Calais was truly drippy, but after a couple of hours of sitting in damp Lycra on a cold ferry and a ride up the A20 into Folkestone to discover that I should have put my nice dry clothes in my handlebar bag inside a waterproof bag as well was the biggest challenge. 35 minutes of hand dryer action in the toilet on platform 1 left me with slightly less damp clothes to stick on for the next couple of hours and a musty cloud surrounding me for the train journey home (for which the bloody sun came out). I haven’t ridden in that sort of weather for a couple of years and I’d forgotten quite how much it helps you appreciate having a hot shower and central heating!
epic trip everyone....sounds like you all had fun!!!!!! As always it bonds those who have gone through it together. Chapeau to all. Not to put too fine a point on it Will, but that photo above looks very much like you are going to spoil the main course for everyone else :-)
Hi folks, I've finally got round to doing the final accounts. I credited back what was left of the kitty, and the good news is even with the extra costs for bringing the return crossings forward on the way back it's still come in at less than I originally estimated, plus there's a small surplus left which is a donation to the youth section.
I've emailed you all with your final balance, no great hurry but if you could transfer as per email would be much appreciated. Cheers.
Comments
A reminder: this Tuesday 18th, 8.30pm, Three Tuns, Ashwell is weekend bag-drop off time. Also a good opportunity to discuss anything before riding there on Thursday.
If you cannot make it: I can take your weekend bag down there if you can get it to me some time beforehand. martin@ccashwell.com - 07977652247
Get packing.
Keep your passport with you.
Note down your ferry booking reference number.
I'd say worth printing off your Hotel Meurice booking confirmation too.
Upload the routes to Diksmuide:
Ashwell-Gravesend
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27199819
Gravesend-Dover
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27200172
Calais-Diksmuide
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/27200296
We set off 8am Thursday, Three Tuns.
Looking forward to seeing everyone in Diksmuide, Friday around 11.30am-12pm.
7.30am. From Three Tuns Ashwell.
This means we get our first puncture ‘for free’.
The speed difference between your GP4000S and Gatorskins is nothing compared to the amount of time spent hanging around waiting for the 8th puncture of the day to be fixed...
The more sane of us are driving over tomorrow!
Sunday rain was torrential so we skipped that ride and came home a bit earlier, thanks to Andrew R for sorting Eurotunnel.
Although the 3 hard men Will, Steve and Martin H did ride off into the rain to get to Calais and then Folkestone before letting the train take the strain. Chapeau gentlemen.
Thanks to all for making it another great fun and succesful trip.
I have a bag of kit to collect. Let me know where they are and I relieve will you of the smell.
You can pick it up at your leisure from Letchworth, so give me a call
to arrange a time 07745 568340.
A big thanks to Stef for being a logistics supremo , MC the whip treasurer and everyone else in the blue train for making this another memorable club trip.
On to the ferry and we're the first off the boat once in France. The Hotel Meurice has been spruced up and does a good job for recovery.
The next morning we had a tailwind all the way to Diksmuide to meet everyone else.
Friday afternoon took us on a classic 'Flandrian' loop. The wind was our hills. We stopped off at Vince's aunty's house and got back in good time to get to Ypres where some went to see the poignant Last Post at the Menin Gate. Played, every day, since WW1, 8pm.
Late Friday evening was a great night in Diksmuide. A great time catching up with fellow riders. The bar there is really good.
Saturday was the big ride. It started spitting before the Kemmelberg, but it didn't dampen the spirits for us getting up it. I wasn't in great form but others were flying: Dave Wells is on fire, Taff bagged 4 village sign sprints? Vince was cheeky as ever. Steve has a monster power up his sleeve he can unleash at will. Talking of which: Will clearly has all his race firepower in his legs despite a couple of season not racing. Graham is getting stronger and stronger. I'd give Martin H our combative prize if we had one. Stef is very much on it - despite much time off the bike too. Paul S took the front often. Great to see Andrew R out. Dave and Jenny are taking their skills and strength to a whole new level: impressive work. They stayed in a campsite nearby. It was nice that Stef's mate Paul had a good time and had much good to say about us as a group from a non-member's perspective. Andy R and brother Neil were our vey own Yates bros. MC is very strong, of course.
There was much gunning for KOMs on Mont Noir and Mont De Cats. We had a hearty lunch in Cassel - but too wet to enjoy the fine view on the terrace. On back into France to follow canal paths. A coffee in Bergues and on to Dunkirk. A bit bleak: but we happy we'd done a bit of history. The war history is everywhere in Flanders.
Then a murderous ride back to Diksmuide through cold, hard, driving rain. We were excellent as a group and we should be proud of our skills. Will was providing top group riding tips all the way.
A nice meal in the hotel restaurant afterwards. More beer. Kebabs.
Sunday: too cold and wet to enjoy a ride before coming back. But not so for Will, Steve and Martin H who rode back to Calais, shivered on the ferry, rode to Folkestone through lorries disembarking and caught the train to London and home. Crackers.
Another great club weekender. I hope to join in on another some time soon. There was talk of elsewhere, but the combination of proximity, instant riding on classic lanes, and quality of location in Diksmuide is hard to beat.
The ride to Calais was truly drippy, but after a couple of hours of sitting in damp Lycra on a cold ferry and a ride up the A20 into Folkestone to discover that I should have put my nice dry clothes in my handlebar bag inside a waterproof bag as well was the biggest challenge. 35 minutes of hand dryer action in the toilet on platform 1 left me with slightly less damp clothes to stick on for the next couple of hours and a musty cloud surrounding me for the train journey home (for which the bloody sun came out). I haven’t ridden in that sort of weather for a couple of years and I’d forgotten quite how much it helps you appreciate having a hot shower and central heating!
And chips and beer too.
Not to put too fine a point on it Will, but that photo above looks very much like you are going to spoil the main course for everyone else :-)
I credited back what was left of the kitty, and the good news is even with the extra costs for bringing the return crossings forward on the way back it's still come in at less than I originally estimated, plus there's a small surplus left which is a donation to the youth section.
I've emailed you all with your final balance, no great hurry but if you could transfer as per email would be much appreciated. Cheers.