London Fixed-gear and Single-speed

I know it's a while away, but thought I would get this up now.

The idea is to combine a ride with a social get-together/party. Think Cambridge ride but
1) better organised,
2) on the beach and
3) more drinking.

We leave London early with the aim of getting to Brighton around 2ish. The last stop will be a supermarket in Brighton to pick up food and drinks, then down to the beach where we swim, drink and party!

If we get a lot of people, large group rides can be a bit unwieldy, so we can set off from London in 3 groups, the medium pace group, the fast group and the very fast group. (See what I did there)

The medium group will set off at 8am led by Stompy or Cornelius or whoever (This is just to give an idea. I'm not volunteering you guys. Honest)
The fast group will set off at 8.30am led by *insert volunteer here*
The very fast group will set off at 9am led by Hillbilly, Mikec, jonny or whoever else fancies it. You get the idea.
This means we have smaller managable groups, we get into Brighton at roughly the same time and it might provide some fun along the way as groups overtake/get overtaken.

I'm keem to make the gathering/party on the beach as important as the ride, so if people don't think they can ride the whole way, they can always ride part of the way and train it the rest or just train it down and join us on the beach.

There's obviously lot's more planning to get this happening, but thought I would gauge the response, and get peoples suggestions and ideas.

I'm up for it for sure.

That's a fine idea - however, when you get to Brighton though you should all definitely turn right and do a mile or two extra to get to the beach at Hove by the bowling greens or thereabouts, so that you don't have to shoehorn a massive crew in amongst the hoi polloi that will be slumming between the piers. Also much much more room to deal with umpteen bicycles, and closish to Hove station where I believe you can get London trains.
Then get pissed.

why don't we just meet in a park, like regents park and have a huge BBQ! some grass racing and normal madness!

And less sand in the bearings!!

@Richard, yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I'm heading up to Brighton this weekend, so might check out spots around Hove. Or maybe leave it to the Brighton crew to choose an appropriate spot. We'll definitely have to take into account bike locking facilities, space etc.

@Dogs - sounds good. Go to it mate. Start organising :)

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside...

Thats the same days as Brightons Pride parade - Pink Arrospoks it is

lebowski did you know about this?

Masses of sweaty men in lycra playing on the beach...

Then we turn up LOL!

@lebowski - I think having different different paced groups is a great idea for longer country rides. It may be against the whole spirit of riding together, but if the going gets hard you (I) end up riding on your own anyway and the pressure of always trying to keep up takes some of the shine off the ride at times. I'm sure the faster riders would rather have less time waiting around.

I'll gladly "lead" the medium paced groups, as long as the guys up front take our offy orders for us.

from one of the brighton lot, I'd def go for the hove end rather than Brighton end as less busy and less idoits.

Though brighton end does have a nudist beach if you forget your mankini....

I live just up by the West Pier... anything further west than that starts to get civilised - and anywhere by Hove Lawns is nice. There's a big Tesco about a mile along, just off the seafront, and you're allowed to BBQ on the beach. Loads of space to sit around and plenty of railings to lock bikes to.

I'm well up for it - cycled it in the opposite direction yesterday and there's a variety of routes to do. If we're heading Hove way, we could even go up Devil's Dyke instead of the Beacon, for a bit of variety for people who've done it before (there's a pub at the top, too).

One more thing: if it's Pride that weekend, town will be rammed. It's a great party, but don't even think about getting a person on a train back, let alone a bike. I imagine Hove station will be better, but probably a bit more crowded than usual.

@ Kelvin....

The nudist beach on Pride weekend will be unimaginably savage!!!

/\ lilly savage? :)

sounds like a brilliant plan, definately worth getting down early for more of the social side too. if its the same weekend as pride maybe its worth going the week before if its gonna be murder getting back, id assume it will be murder getting accomodation too. even tho it does sound like a decent party...

if you all come down on the 28th of june there will be a hill climb up southover street that we are kind of/not organizing....

my bro used to live at the top of that hill by the pub ah whats it called......the castel?

Shit, didn't realise it was Pride weekend. Yeah, I changed the date, we don't want to be having problems getting home on the trains.

can we do late july instead of pushing it further back. im in seville on the 23rd, and doing london triathlon on the 9th or aug so would be nice training (sort of)

If you are getting the train back from Hove doubt you'll be affected by pride its a different line, so other than being a bit busy shouldn't effect you...

July is the Dunwich Dynamo.

oh yeah, 29th aug per chance
23rd is also reading/leeds festivals weekend ratm playing this year, dunno if people will be going to that?

Any later and it'll be snowing..

i'm cutting my hair on the 29th

Where do you go? I need a haircut.. need to save that .0002g for Wessex..

Contemplated that.
Then I saw the sadistic glint in Mal's eye when I asked her if she can cut hair..
Pass.
I've done it myself before - race cut - but nowadays I'm so fucking stylish I just couldn't bear it. :)

Anyway, yeah I'll ride to Brighton again. Wait.. is this even the brighton thread?

with your sense of direction every ride has the potential to be a brighton ride…

He needs one of these for his HTFU wristband:

I have one of these..

It got me home last time I rode off the front of the clubrun bunch and missed a turn haha

tart!

Pity, I coming back from holidays the 3rd sunday, I will be in sunny Spain eating good food and drinking with freinds.... oh well, no to much to complain.

Dogs, if you organise the big BBQ please NO between 20 of julie and 3 of agust

This sounds fantastic, put me down absolute definate. We have water in Hull but it is quite brown and dirty and we don't have beaches as such, more mud flats which are not quite the same.

rik, date has been shifted to aug 23rd i think...

If this is at the end of August it is highly likely I will miss it. Going to France sometime towards the end of August. No definite dates yet though!