Friday Night Ride to the Coast. Anyone familiar with the 5 Ws will spot three of them immediately.
The Fridays. Club-within-a-club membership conferring your ticket to ride. Not quite free, but contrary to popular wisdom, the best things in life aren't always.
TEC. Tail End Charlie. The plug in the drain to keep the fun from emptying out.
Wayfinder. Human signposts; sometimes
involuntary (scroll towards the end). Regulars riding near the front are fair game.
Signals. Verbal warnings which cycling etiquette dictates be used when approaching certain hazards – though see also
Bungalow. Official chart
here.
The Sermon on the Mount. [Not a description in popular usage, to my knowledge.] Follows
The Census. Introductory remarks; the weather, if it might be of interest; rousing explanation of
signals; possible benediction.
The Census. Actual participants ticked off against a list of supposed participants. Part verbal roll-call, part facial recognition. Simon has been known to emit exasperation at uncommitted souls who impolitely fail to inform him of a change of heart.
London. Vast overpriced metropolis where the ride normally begins. The grand triumphal arch at Hyde Park Corner has been chosen as the most suitable spot to muster the troops. Not to be confused with another arch at another corner of Hyde Park, erected near the site where the condemned were led to public execution.
Newton's Fourth Law of Motion. The more riders, the less likely they will tend to remain in motion for long.
Mudguard. Apparatus designed to frustrate when installing, and after. Frowned upon as being evidence of lack of desire to fully immerse oneself in the experience ("Wear that stripe up the back of your showerproof top with pride").
Bungalow. Low-rise structure, hopefully detached, often favoured by older people who don't wish to invest in a stairlift. Included in the list of
signals meant to be shouted out when spotted on a ride.
Dellzeqq. The
CycleChat screen name of
Simon Legg. Etymology unknown.
Vague. Haunting fanzine. On edit: Which has since disappeared. How about
this wonderful collection instead.
Bandage. Refers here to binding on Simon's knee, which immediately identifies him and helps restore a sense of calm to those feeling wobbly in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. I forget which knee. He might even alternate.
Badinage. Meant to be supplied by ride participants.
Crawley. Sometimes unfairly characterised as the middle of nowhere.
Pre-talced and mighty. Message occupying the custom title field in Dellzeqq's
CycleChat profile as of this writing.
CycleChat. Designated online clubhouse of the FNRttC.
another cycling forum. Launchpad and original home of FNRttC chat. Now it only exists as a memory, and this site, which you must be imagining.
Friday Night Lights. An American film (not my cup of tea) then TV series (better) which had
nothing to do with cycling. I just like the name.
FNRtX. X = alternate destination sometimes used by people organising a ride and finding it convenient to reference the FNRttC.
