Silly commuting racing

Greg T

Sea_Green_Incorruptible wrote:

What FCN should I give to an attractive young lady in just-too-small lycra hotpants?

NB. I could actually HEAR her swooning at my obvious manliness as I left her for dead on a stiff climb into a nasty headwind this morning....

It was probably a gasp of surprise you heard as she's not used to any bloke dropping her. I imagine that she thinks she is some kind of cycling Godess with a great peloton of guys behind her - being drafted by her wake....

Here's the thing....

This morning I found myself behind this girl who had the a seriously athletic pair of shoulders, good definition of the deltoids, good tri's. She was fit looking. Triathelete by the look of her but possibly a swimmer....

Unfortunately for me she was on a pink Brompton and I couldn't hang around too long lest I be hoovered up by some player on a mission. With regret I moved on.

jedster

It was probably a gasp of surprise you heard as she's not used to any bloke dropping her.

I suspect she assumed you were gay. Doubtless she was still impressed by your climbing ability but crossed you off as someone who might be a candidate to relube her bottom bracket.

(God, I apologise for that...)

This morning I found myself behind this girl who had the a seriously athletic pair of shoulders, good definition of the deltoids, good tri's. She was fit looking. Triathelete by the look of her but possibly a swimmer....

Unfortunately for me she was on a pink Brompton and I couldn't hang around too long lest I be hoovered up by some player on a mission

.

Oooshh. Greg mate, narrow escape. There is an infamously fast girl on a pink brompton. There are blogs on the web about people who have duelled with her on the mean streats of W1. I think she's even posted on this place (may be the old boards).

J

greg66_tri_v2.0

Greg T wrote:

Here's the thing....

This morning I found myself behind this girl who had the a seriously athletic pair of shoulders, good definition of the deltoids, good tri's. She was fit looking. Triathelete by the look of her but possibly a swimmer....

Unfortunately for me she was on a pink Brompton and I couldn't hang around too long lest I be hoovered up by some player on a mission. With regret I moved on.

I find that the best thing to do in these circumstances is this: as you pass her, slow, close in, and push her very hard towards the kerb so that she falls off. Then you have an excellent excuse to stop, help her up and generally converse, all whilst the Game is suspended because you've dismounted.

Bassjunkieuk

I'd also have to admit to considering having a bit of a recovery ride to admire "scenery" on some occasions up in town. Problem is I just don't feel comfortable riding at the same speed as them and I usually just whip on past :-)

I'd also like to thank Jedster for just lowering the tone a little bit with that last post, it did however bring a smile to my face in this otherwise weary workplace I'm in at the moment

jedster

here's the link to tales of woe wth Pink Brompton Woman

http://pickled-hedgehog.com/?p=53

actually written by someone with a good feel for the game although he (shame, shame) admits to being driven to RLJ by his pink nemesis

J

Greg T

jedster wrote:

here's the link to tales of woe wth Pink Brompton Woman

http://pickled-hedgehog.com/?p=53

actually written by someone with a good feel for the game although he (shame, shame) admits to being driven to RLJ by his pink nemesis

J

I think we have a positive match! There can't be that many fast as you like burds on Pink Bromptons carving up the streets.

The bloke who did the write up of her scalping him large was a singlie also. I bet he still talks to his mates about it when he's had a few.

"You're my best mate y're an evythin, like a brother, BROTHER, to me n stuff, like we know each other hey, can tell y anythin cos we're sound. Why did she do it to me? I was tryin soooo hard but gone, nothing, I could have had her, if lights had , bstrd, am FAST y'know - right fast, I could have had 'er."

jedster

as I remember, it turns out that she is a very good amateur cyclist and/or triathelete. It's stealthy sniping of a very high order...

victor ludorum

black flash wrote:

However, on my morning blast, I came across two cops on bikes (one a stock Specialized, and one in blue police livery).

Do they merit a place on the food chain I wonder (do you even have them in London?).

Just my two pence worth.......

Was it a police issue Smith and Wesson? For sale to all, but available with law enforcement decals only to those with badges/warrant cards.

Also in use are Santa Cruz Chameleons, Specialized Hardrocks and a mixed bag of Saracens, Giants, Treks and Claude Butlers. Spare a thought for Wrexham's cycle-squad, they apparently have electric bikes...

I would have thought that different forces buy in a particular make, but in London and Cambridge I've seen pairs of riders on different bikes. Does anybody know on what criteria they pick the bikes?

As to the question of FCN, no-one ever seems to want to overtake a police car, even if its legal to do so. The same probably applies to police cyclists...

ChrisLS

...bagged four on the up hill this morning...I toyed with them...hung back on the flat and the downhill...and wham 1- 2- 3- 4(number 4 got of and walked half way up, only a young guy)...all on the up hill... 8) 8)

...back to my original question...why do I do that? Arrived, sweating, chest heaving heap at work again... :roll: :oops:

Greg T

ChrisLS wrote:

...back to my original question...why do I do that? Arrived, sweating, chest heaving heap at work again... :roll: :oops:

You've changed man, you've changed.......

With a defeatist attitude like that it is only a matter a time before you go through that mental tipping point and decide that

"hey he was riding a Butcher's Delivery Bike but I am on active recovery and I have ridden almost two miles already - no harm done"

Do not come crying to me when you suddenly realise that you are weak and broken and kids on BMXs are talking about you as "That old slow guy with funny clothes".....

If you come through the week with anything other than a clean sheet you should consider booking your ego in for a service as I think your hardcore pump may be weak.

el_presidente

victor ludorum wrote:

...

As to the question of FCN, no-one ever seems to want to overtake a police car, even if its legal to do so. The same probably applies to police cyclists...

I sat behind a cop car on a deserted motorway once, he was doing 70 exactly, for miles. It was about 11 at night.

Eventually I got really bored and overtook him, doing 75, took about 2 miles to get past. As soon as I did he pulled me over :roll:

He asked how fast I thought I was going and I said 69 mph. He said no way cos I was doing 70 and I said well our speedos must be differently calibrated. then he let me go & luckily he turned off at the next junction. What a tosser.

ChrisLS

...Greg T, thanks for the pep talk. I've pulled myself together now...god a butchers bike? active recovery?!!!...I want to live life on the edge of total collapse, eat mountains of food, sleep like a pure virgin...and run those sorry sorts off the road each morning, but still be man enough to have respect for that rare rider who beats me...

...sorry I wavered, but it's lonely out here in the sticks. I am on one long lone break...

toontra

I was overtaken whilst commuting on my MTB a couple of days ago by a roadie with carbon frame, full lycra, etc. I had laden panniers and work clothes.

I hate being overtaken so caught up just as we were reaching a pretty sharp hill. I overtook, which I could tell pissed him off as he put on a spurt and pulled level. Nothing unusual so far.

As I put the hammer down he started making the strangest whooping noises and shouting things like "Get up there" as if he was riding a horse. I have no idea if he was talking to me to encourage a race or trying to motivate himself. Either way I found it pretty weird, to the point of disturbing. All this time he was alongside me, so I to assumed he either wasn't able to overtake or was teasing me and would blow past at any moment.

At the top of the hill he still hadn't overtaken and then turned off. From that I deduced that he was all noise and no engine, and simply hated being overtaken even more than me.

daniel_b

toontra wrote:

he started making the strangest whooping noises and shouting things like "Get up there" as if he was riding a horse. I have no idea if he was talking to me to encourage a race or trying to motivate himself. Either way I found it pretty weird, to the point of disturbing.

Awesome, at least he didn't whack you on the @rse eh

Greg T

ChrisLS wrote:

...sorry I wavered, but it's lonely out here in the sticks. I am on one long lone break...

Sorry.....

Save your apologies for Mrs Chris.

toontra wrote:

As I put the hammer down he started making the strangest whooping noises and shouting things like "Get up there" as if he was riding a horse

Funny.

So last night was laying down some awesome (minor) on the little slope passing the Chelsea Hospital on the embankment...

Coming up to the first pelican crossing the dude (hairy roadie with Tennis racket rucksac) who's drafting me decides to make his move, Out he comes - pulls level and then realises that the wind is a bot stiffer than it is sitting in my bum bubble and he's stuggling to get by. I do nothing to help him of course and he struggles by and I tuck in.

Now I've been in his position before - out you come and three turns of the crank later you know that you've overcooked it - you are committed to getting by - your mark knows it and you just have to get by - take the wind lead and hang on - hoping beyond hope that this guy isn't going to immediately turn it on and do you...

"It's windier than it looks isn't it" I said as he churned his guts out..

I turned it on and did him.

I didn't see him again until Chelsea - caught in traffic by Chutney Mary's - he went by an older wiser man.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Oh God. This morning was hard.

I am at death's door, suffering from a particularly virulent strain of plague nestled in my sinuses. But I brush that aside, naturally...

Today was easier riding in that yesterday, and I had a good run of lights, so I'm motoring by the time I join the Embankment at Albert Bridge.

Fly past a few riders including someone on a mtb with thin tyres opposite Battersea Power Station. Clocking along nicely now at just over 46, and hear the click-click of someone behind me. Hmm. Picked up a draft.

So we hold formation up to the queue for the lights at Vauxhall, where we weave different patterns to the front. This guy's on a Rock Lobster frame (what?), locked out front suspension, disc brakes, but semi-aero Mavic wheels and 23mm tyres. With what looks like a 21-11 block on the back. Hmmm. That didn't get built by accident.

Lights go to green and I win the drag race. Past the Tate in the low 50s, and there's that damned click-click again. Check to the left, and there's his shadow. Bollox.

Weave through the traffic to the Lambeth Bridge roundabout and he gets a better line, and comes out ahead. I sit in behind him as we go past the HoP, but I realise now that the plague is hurting me: I'm having trouble breathing. Never mind. Dig in. At least I can tell he's breathing hard too.

Round Pt Sq and again he gets a better line (what the f*ck is going on? Where are the waved blue flags?). Peeling off the Westminster Bridge approach and turn onto the Embankment and he has three-four car lengths on me. But I get a better line though the corner and carry more speed onto the straight, so I close him down fast.

Then I notice that he has no body fat. Not just a little, but none. He has muscle definition on his elbows. And he has these gigantic things that look like sculpted saddle bags attached to the outside of his quads - muscles - I think they're called. We troll along the Embankment, getting caught by almost every set of lights. The repeated stop, accelerate hard to 45+ is starting to hurt my plague-ridden lungs. But I will not yield.

Pass under Waterloo Bridge and my turn off is next. I have a slighter better run than him off the lights just before that, and his lower gearing is losing out to me. All I want to do at this point is come by on the left, give a wave and peel off around Temple Tube. But then the s*d gets passed by a slow scooter, which he tucks in behind. I have a dig, and I start to gain on the scooter and him, but my exit is approaching and I don't want to overshoot. The wave is not to be.

Feeling a bit flat after that. I got him fair and square on the road, but I couldn't shake him. He got me in traffic queues, and couldn't shake me (but it should never get to that, I admit). He was a giant ball of muscle on a tricked out so-called mtb. I'm an old geyser (when it suits me) on the same frame as the current leader of the TdF. With diabolical plague.

Sea_Green_Incorruptible

@Greg66

Out of interest, do you commute on that frame all year round?

I'm THIS close to buying a tasty carbon frameset myself - something lovely from Orbea or Look (it's a 'free' upgrade afterall - a roadie's a roadie when it comes to your FCN)... but all that money for just a summer bike?

I know that in the end:
a) it would either sit in the garage for 70% of my riding while I stuck with my old nag. A waste in other words.
OR
b) I'd ride it in the wet and muck anyway. If so, would it be ruined? Even if it was well looked after?

As an owner of such a machine what do you do?

Greg T

Sea_Green_Incorruptible wrote:

As an owner of such a machine what do you do?

I don't have a tres tres special bike but when I got it I did have the debate about whether I should ride it or use my old bike and keep it for "special". Lemond Chambery.

I decided to ride it and clean it - apart from the scuffs where I've dropped it it still looks great (did have to swap up to Mavics for the wheels as the Bontragers were wibbly wobbly after 1,000 miles) and rides just fine. If occasionally slow and heavy into a head wind on a friday afternoon.....

So far the carbon forks and stays haven't dissolved either after three years of all year riding...

Clever Pun

Last night heading home and not a whisper of a scalp on the road... until I see a yellow jersey way in the distance... YES that's a potential score, so head down and I'm gaining then there another one ahead of him... it's like christmas.. they both stop at the lights allowing me to make up loads of space cheaply, they're off again and the head wind is starting to bite I'm gaining now fairly rapidly but I'm not going that fast... I go past them with and air of nonchalance and utter disappointment... I expected better.

Another similar thing out of the tunnel heading north I see theis guy completly kitted out in Conalgo gear and matching bike (inc old style cap and padded leather helmet.) ohh I think to myself interesting, check his shoes out and it's trainers and clips???WTF? we get on the road and I think I could have done him with one leg... rubbish utter rubbish.

Still 3 points is 3 points

this morning I went past a proper fast looking roadie spinning away happily to himself but he certainly wasn't in the game and looked like he was content to half arse it to work...pffft

victor ludorum

Last night was a good one, I took a couple of worthy foes and fought off some determined opposition from lower down the food chain. I was having to take a detour down to Wandsworth (as is my wont, of an evening...). Popping down to Putney Bridge when my phone goes and I stop to speak with Mrs Ludorum.

While I'm sat at the kerb, a smorgasbord of tasty treats pulls up at the last stop before the drag race over the bridge and beyond. Roadies a plenty, smooth and hairy. There's some tri-bars on a trek, a smattering of carbon - but nothing exotic - a brace of panniered, slicked-up hybrids and the usual knackered looking MTBers (why do that to yourself?). My ride had been quiet up to that point and, determined not to let them get away (like Mr Milram last week) I cut the phone conversation short, checked for traffic and rolled to the rear of the queue.

The lights seem to take an age to change... we sit. A few people look round, perhaps sensing the burgeoning menace emanating from the hairy fellow on the Bianchi behind them. A smile plays across my lips, I want to be friendly, but beneath the green chapette, my silver wraparounds stare expressionlessly. They see themselves reflected and look away. Perhaps they think that if they look too long, I will steal their souls. But I won't... yet.

The lights change, amber... green. The huddled mass starts moving. I clip in and start to roll. We pass the junction that leads down to the station and we're getting up to speed. Curses! Two of the targets I'd liked the most, a couple on matching road bikes, are riding two abreast immediately in front of me. Weaving about, even holding hands at one point as they cross the bridge. It's a bus lane and they're filling it. The rest of my quarry are grinding up the bridge, some are over the crest and heading the wrong way for me. No!

As we swing round onto Putney Bridge Road there's a break in traffic and I stand up on the pedals. I swing into the next lane and dash past the loving pair. Then I'm sat back down and using the speed to spin up to pass everyone else effortlessly, roadies, MTBs, slicked hybrids are left in my wake. Then I happen to glance behind and spot a shadow on the road. A slicked hybrid, white helmet and blue t-shirt (possibly the other way around) took the opportunity of me slowing slightly when a bus pulled out on the other side of the road to latch onto me and now he's drafting me. Rocks have limpets that hold on less tightly. I speed up, he manages to stay with me. I slow, he presses forward. So what we have here is a player of The Game. I speed up again. The slight acceleration is too much for him. He's obviously working at full capacity, but he's hanging on. As we reach the dip in the road, I free-wheel down the slope, but then accelerate up it. Three kicks in a high gear, and I broke him.

I rode on alone.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Is it limpet season?

I'm waiting at the lights just under Waterloo Bridge to join the peleton home. This can be a long wait. Today it is punctuated by the arrival of a single speed, who ostentatiously pulls up past me. Plague is still with me, but much subdued since this morning I'm pleased to realise. I run the rule over the pretender.

He's on a Condor frame, lycra and black Discovery top. Hmm. And what's this I spy: a rear brake. Fixies with no brakes - the choice of purists and madmen. The ride you can't get off. SS with a front brake - the choice of the not-quite-totally insane. SS with a rear brake? Yeah, right.

The lights go green, and we're off. He pulls away and skips through the red empty pelican crossing as it is turning to flashing yellow. From the way he's riding, I'm guessing that he wasn't interested in what colour it was.

We've got a bit of traffic up ahead under the railway bridge, so I sit in. And then... he's hands off, and doing arm stretches! Hmm, I think. Circus in town? He keeps on with this. Full crucifix, arms straight up in the air. He must know where I am, so this can only be for my benefit. Am I supposed to be awed by this display, I wonder?

We roll under the railway bridge and we're behind a sightseeing bus in the left lane. He's riding normally again. He tucks in behind the nearside corner of the bus. Bad move. It's rolling slowly, and I'm over to the right, so I skip round the him and the bus. The show was funny while it lasted.

I pick up the pace and see the lights at Big Ben turn green in the distance. Push hard and I'm through (a little fast going into a gap that makes me stand on the pedals - on tip toes - because that makes me narrower, obviously). Past HoP with the run of the lights and heading to Lambeth Bridge, clipping along nicely. Clean run over the roundabout and I settle in for a brisk run along Millbank. I can see a crazy guy that I'm closing on spinning like a Colombian gerbil. In a suit. Who's just taken a hairy roadie! Might slow to take a good look at him as I go past. Except... there's a clicking behind me. I check the reflections in the windows at Millbank. The circus performer is back, sucking my wheel. I have a strong feeling that he must have RLJ'd a few times to get there. Oh well.

Queuing traffic at Vauxhall, so I weave to row 2 and pull up behind an Audi. Check the reflection on rear of the Audi. Someone's right behind me. Stopped. Even though the light is red. I can guess who. OK, I think. The Game is on.

Lights go green. I pull away from the assembled mtb'ers and hybrids on the line. The suit rider has jumped and is way off up the road along with a couple of other riders.

Now I know that there's the Death Star Canyon up ahead, and there's more chance of being held up in it that flying through. So I push past the speed camera and then freewheel into position in the middle of the lane. No sign of overlap. Two cars ahead, and there's brake lights. Why, I wonder? Check the bodywork reflection. Still got my shadow. Ok. This is good now.

The brake lights are because the two cars are held up by one of the RLJ'ers - who's an old boy on a sit up and beg. We've slowed right down now. Timing, timing, I think. Just like the safety car. Don't get caught flat footed... I fall back from the car in front of me. Still no overlap. He's waiting. He thinks he's going to take me. He's thinking wrong.

The Canyon widens slightly, and the cars are moving to go round the old boy. The lights up ahead are still red though. The cars move forward. I have a little dig. I'm pretty sure Singlie will be doing the same. I wind it up. The cars are now pulling away. And then... the lights up ahead go green.

I give it a mighty seated dig, and swing with the grace of a bird between the cones into the empty left lane. If limpet's with me now, he deserves to be. The road opens out and starts to sweep to the right... I hear nothing but the whirrr of my drivetrain. I flick past the suited slayer. It's not a fair contest, but if he wants to play, he's got to learn to lose. A taxi eases past me slowly enough for me to check the reflection on his boot - nothing there. Singlie is dead meat, floundering in my wake.

Just as it should be. The stars are back in their rightful positions in the sky again.

Bassjunkieuk

I had a rather nice surprise on my usually quiet commute home from Thames Ditton today :-)
Shortly after leaving and heading north up Portsmouth Road towards Kingston I spot a rather worthy looking foe on the other side of the road. It was what appeared to be a hairy roadie in full lycra, on what appears to be a carbon (could have been alu, but all I remember is that it was ALL black!) Giant road bike!

It looked like he was gonna be heading my way but he was just getting ready to set off and I was already tooling along up the road, did a quick shoulder check when I got to the next set of lights but I'm sure I didn't see him, assumed he must have gone the other way down the road and carried on homeward bound.

After another couple of miles of LCN 75, with a small diversion to avoid the sewer works near Surbiton imagine my surprise as I'm heading down Surbiton Hill towards the roundabout that leads off to the cycle path when I should see a familiar sight! Could it be the same rider from earlier?? and how the hell did he get up here so quick!!!!! He certainly didn't go the same way I did :-) GAME ON I THINK!

He takes a very aggressive line off the roundabout and skillfully slings his bike through the curved cyclepath, neatly avoiding the metal poles. I choose a similar line but instead slot it between 2 of the metal pillars to line myself up better for the bridge ahead. It wasn't long until I was on his wheel, but I decide to bide my time. There's a sharp right hand turn if he's going the same way as me at the end of this short cycle path followed by about half a mile of residential road, perfect killing ground!

He turns right, as do I and now pull along side him. Take a few seconds to compose myself then drop a gear (not very subtle!) and spin up to get past him. Fearing he might not let this go I keep the pace up down the road, doing about 25mph the whole length with a gentle headwind. I reach the next bend ahead of him which I slow a little for and then have a mini-roundabout to negotiate. I need to turn right here to head for the underpass to cross the A3. As I slow down to check for traffic I can hear him behind me.

I push hard once I'm on the small straight before having to sling the bike in the underpass. Have to be careful as I can't see what could be coming out of the underpass. Luckily no one is there so I use the small ramp down to pick up some speed with him still following. I manage to carry most of the speed through to the uphill exit ramp on the other side and for once actually have no traffic once I come out. I use the small grass verge to give myself some extra run off space just in case there was approaching cars but I can get back on the carriageway with no problems.

I don't want to carry to much speed here as I need to take the next left to follow the cycle network. I turn and he carries on going straight down the road. I look back and he appears to be looking at me to. I smile and carry on up the road :-) It's the first and so far only bit of action I've seen whilst doing the commute to this particular site, and I've now l realized I need to practice my breathing as I was breathing quite heavily, this topped off with needing a drink! Thankfully now I have some "me" time I can compose and hydrate myself!

The rest of the ride went by with the usual complete lack of victims, I always seem to be riding the wrong way as I passed a few roadies going the opposite direction!

attica

Finally a fully fledged above me in the food chain scalp.

Coming home tonight I took a slight detour in order to put in a couple of extra hills (I know - I'm not normal).

Anyway I was about 300 yards from the top of the second of these (col du garden centres) and feeling strong when from a side street near the top of the hill pulls out my only true prey, a fully fledged roadie, shaven legged and one of that strange breed I call "specialized fanboys" you get the picture, spesh bike, spesh shorts, spesh top, spesh waterbottle and cage, spesh shoes - probably wears specialized pyjamas of a night time.

So he had 200 yards on me and only 100 of climbing left to do - I was closing until he crested the hill, then his gears began to do their work, big ring selected he pulled away fast as I was still climbing, I crested and began my descent, it's a single speeder with a freewheel (yes and a back brake!) but that doesn't mean I stop pedalling at every oppportunity - far from it, my cadence hit 150 as I plunged down the short descent and yes I was closing.

Roadie up ahead was drafting off a Smart car as we shot down the high street but instant karma hit home, he had to brake as Smarty turned into the supermarket. This brought me closer still, about 20 yards by the time he was back up to speed, but he still didn't match my speed, I calmed my breathing as I cruised past, sat up onto the top of the bars and gave hime a cheery "Evening" as I passed him. I was sure I'd have a limpet for quite a while after this and that the scalp would be valiantly defended but no, half a mile after the pass I turned off the high street and was shocked to see Spesh Fanboy a good couple of hundred yards back and gulping air like a goldfish.

Job's a good un, I didn't see if him again.

Clever Pun

I almost got a scooter this morning... I saw it there on the edge of the bus lane slowly pulling away from me and I thought, he's catchable so I start to put the hammer down and I'm gaining well... then the sod sees me in his mirror and decides it's not going down like that he twists his throttle a little and matches my pace, but I know inside his eyeballs are bleeding form the exertion... I go a little harder I'm up to 27 now and shifting he just gives a little more and is gone... maybe next time

earlier I caught a roadie but with baggy shorts so it's 5 on 5 and no points just pride... we're through lombard roundabout and the light is green for the hill I take him there nice and easy... pride 1 points 0

Greg T

VL, Bass', Greg66, Attica,CP,

Bruder, I am humbled in the presence of players and bards such as you. There are without doubt some epics being payed out on the roads, Beowulf is nothing to the Saga of Greg66 and the Dark Singlie, VL's enchanted crank breaking the heart of the Warrior Limpet.

This occured to me as I was engaged in desperate battle for inner survival last night............

Just as with Greg66 I picked up my Bogeys running through the last bridges before Parliament Sq, traffic wasn't great and I select lanes worse than Ulrika Johnson picks men. A shaved roadie and a Condor Singlie are in my orbit, we dance the preliminaries in the traffic, we know the score - it don't count until the Big Chain Ring Sings.

Through the last lights by the MOD and it's lining up nicely. Easing for the lights - whooosh - a dude in Lycra and wraparounds on a slicked MTB does the three of us.

DANGER

He's fit, obscure club colours, wraparounds, a roadie on a MTB and moving fast.

All three of us recognise (Shaved dude, the Condor and me) the threat and it is on. There's a meat powered four man steam train running through Millbank with the MTB dude leading the way. I am not making allowances but in fairness to his majesty all three of us were hanging on grimly and waiting to see what would pan out. My mind is racing - how can this dude be laying down circa 26 MPH (my magnet's fallen out - no 'puter - damn) on a MTB?

A pause at the Lambeth junction - pores wide open sucking in the air.

BAM - Death star Canyon and we get broken up - I get squeezed off the back by a van and now I'm in trouble......

The van gets held up by some slow bikes and I'm now a good 75M off the three of them and they are spanking the run up to the Chelsea bridge junction - I am in a one man world of pain.

The MTB dude is now drafting the roadie and I am just not making up the ground - the lights at the top of the rise are green - they are going to shoot and I'm going to be chopped off the back by the red.... My mojo is hanging by a thread - do I lay it all out, gamble it all on green or just fade off and indulge in some self harm when I get home?

The Gods decide that they want to punish my moment of internal indecison and at the last safe moment the lights at the junction change - will they carry their speed or shoot?

They stop and I'm back up to the group - I'm holding my shoulders down so hard my toes are curling in my shoes.

Green and we are off down the slope by the hospital and MTB is back on point then roadie then condor then me..........

We are steaming and the MTB is opening up space between him and roadie, Condor is losing ground - he's a spent force, hasn't led and is now dropping off - it's now or never. I go - spooling up I'm laying down the rythm and it a glorious thing. Condor, Roadie, MTB dude. All get dropped by me expending beaucoup calories and three days of my life in a glorious show of infantile competitiveness.

Through Albert Bridge, onto the final section before the Chelsea traffic and I remain Top Cog. I'm not sure what the scoring is - I think we are all net flat (bar the condor who just tagged along spectating - we all done him) but what a tussle......

I got drafted by a roadie from Putney Bridge (where I did a dude standing up and labouring whilst seated and pushing a molto grande gear by the way) all the way through Putney and over the wee hump back railway bridge couldn't drop him and he wasn't for having a pop at the front in the big dog spot. I had a chat at the lights and told him that I was booking it as a stage win. Jaysus you should have seen him - like Skeletor in Lycra - he must have had a broken leg or something.

Feeling spent this morning so decided on a tight game. For about 15 mins before the madness took hold again.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Weird experience this morning - and something to look out for.

Rolling along on the relatively empty school holiday road. Pretty certain there's nothing around me. Can't hear anything except wind roar. Then I see something in the peripheral vision of my right eye. Damn! I think, I'm being scalped! How the hell did that happen?

Except ... the silent destroyer creeps alongside me, and I see it's a scooter. A silent scooter. An electric scooter.

Scared the sh!t out of me. But I took a draft behind it for a while, which was nice.

Bassjunkieuk

Greg, that sounds like a truly epic battle!

It does however appear I have upset the bike gods over near Thames Ditton tho as this morning, within the last 300 yards to my work place a cheeky bugger on a rather nice Cannondale racer slides past me! I didn't even hear him behind me! He was probably only doing 1-2mph faster then me but I reckon it was a fair scalp. Due to the rather warm weather I was already sweating buckets, having covered some 13 1/2 miles already, and as I was so close to work I did something I'm rather ashamed of........tucked in behind for a sneaky draft :-(

As we got closer to where I'm working imagine my surprise when he turned in to! I followed suit, slotting my bike through the "barely wider then my handlebars" gap in the car park barriers and round the back to the cycle parking.

I'm fairly certain he's a new commuter as I defo ain't seen this bike in the racks, or even in the little lock up shed next to them. Still I guess I'll have to keep my wits about me now, just incase he tries the same again tomorrow!! Roll on when I get back into London, oh how I miss the bountiful streets up there :-D

jedster

I just checked the thread after a couple of days away and, my, isn't the testosterone rising at the moment. While I can't compete with the epic tales or derring do I have noticed things have been getting a little, well, spicy, out there.

I offer a couple of little cameos:

This morning I was heading away from Paddo and could see a red ahead so was just turning the cranks gently, timing my run in when two bikes pass me - skinny hybrid and a hairy roadie. Both in trainers so not looking too serious. Not sure that they really know their places in the pecking order though.

The thing about riding a slicked MTB SS conversion is that you have a fairly narrow operating window. I'm not too bad away from the lights provided I get up on the peddles at the right time or trackstand (Greg66 claims this is more of a mad monkey wobble, I'm pleading the 5th) - after the first pedal stroke I'm accelerating HARD. But then I have a limited band to take a decisive lead before I spin out - particularly crucial if there's a drag ahead.

So we're at the lights, me waiting behind them. The ped crossing goes red, foretelling a change in our lights. I'm up on the pedals - stationary, stable, solid as a rock (as far as you know anyway). The lights change, I apply all my weight to the left crank, haul on the right and I'm off. Straight past them, six strokes, back in the saddle and spinning it up. Time to demoralise them, slay their fighting spirit. Hundred yards down the road I'm coming up to a mini roundabout, quick shoulder check and they're dim and distant - doubtless thanking me for the lesson, a little sadder, a little humbler and a little wiser.

Two nights previous, I'm half way through my other leg on my other bike - the commute optimised crosser. What's this ahead? Drop bars CHECK, lycra CHECK. Hmmm.
I'd ran 10k for the first time in a while the night before and my quads were hurting. I could plead "active recovery" but I know that common sense is a seductive trap that gradually eats the soul of a true Player. So I close the gap. Ah, it's a fixie and I've got gears. On the otherhand, he's dressed for a training ride while I'm in baggies and my bike's wearing guards, rack, paniers and blazing dyno lights. I tuck in, not wanting to make a complete @rse of myself. The pace is moderate but we're approaching a gentle hill - a great place for fixies to punish an overtake. So I wait until the hill plateaus, take a couple of gears and pass with a cheery "evening".

So what's going to happen? I've upped the pace considerably and he was happy cruising at a lower speed. His cadence will need to be uncomfortably high to stick with me. Rationally, he should let me go... Yeah, right. I can't hear him but there's the wind noise. A mile on I shoulder check and he's still with me doing the full manic hamster bit. Good effort. We get to a slight downhill , I grab more gear inches and finally break him. My thighs aren't thanking me but, hey, you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs...

J

Sea_Green_Incorruptible

Came home early today to 'work from home' re. stage 17 of the TDF so no real competition around on the roads.

Not coincidentally (if a little on the cowardly side), I thought this would be a good time to take the plunge and try out my Molteni cycling cap with the world championship stripes for the first time.

Jesus Mary Mother of God. I could not have felt more exposed if I'd been riding in my bare arse. Seriously, I have no idea why riders bother with EPO. Donning a Molteni cap is like having 100 tiny devils flicking your heels with whips and there's not a doctor in the land that can catch you out.

Now. Do I dare where it again when there might actually be other cylcists on the road? That is the question. Right now I feel like I could die from the exertion of it all. But the shame of being passed would be a million times worse...

victor ludorum

Sea_Green_Incorruptible wrote:

Came home early today to 'work from home' re. stage 17 of the TDF so no real competition around on the roads.

Jesus Mary Mother of God. I could not have felt more exposed if I'd been riding in my bare ars*. Seriously, I have no idea why riders bother with EPO. Donning a Molteni cap is like having 100 tiny devils flicking your heels with whips and there's not a doctor in the land that can catch you out.

What a coincidence. I'm 'working from home' today as well. Who knew that I could be so productive in the advert breaks?

World championship stripes, eh? You're going to have more trouble defending your honour than a drunken virgin at a Hell's Angels convention. You might as well have painted a target on your back with the words 'Can't catch me!' underneath. Still, if you didn't think you could run with the big dogs, I suppose you wouldn't be barking up the tall trees, so fair play to you.

I have an almost dayglo Liquigas chapette which doesn't come with stripes, but the brightness seems to draw lower FCN riders in like moths to a flame... that is, to some extent, the tragedy of being up the foodchain. There's not much to hunt, and plenty hunting you.