Silly commuting racing

roger_merriman

Was rather crisp today felt safe on the lump but then it has fair old amount of rubber on the road and weight holding it there. No bikes around but then most of the fast ones disapear around this time leaving mostly the utility bikes.

jonginge

ChrisLS wrote:

...you know active rest...well actually inactive rest...my muscles are rebuilding themselves...

We cannot naysay the father of the thread. You are probably in a state of MuscleingTFU

ChrisLS

...Jon the cheque is in the mail...

jedster

I avoided the Bucks skating rink yesterday (it was mad - sub zero over night and then we had a little rain before dawn, a layer of verglass over everything, you could hardly walk let alone ride).

Today, there was no action on my pre-train leg but in London I got a rare target. As I was turning on to Bayswater Road I had to give way to a skinny fully-lycrad roadie on a Pinarello.

Aye aye! Probably biting off more than I can chew but I haul the new gearing up to cruising speed and start to reel the roadie in. I'm just about to pass as the lights go red at Marble Arch. I'm trying really hard not to look like I'm trying but my shoulders are heaving, I put on a rictus grin and look the otherway.

Despite the gear inches, I get away a little quicker (track stand- ha!) and spin down Park Lane. I stop for another set of lights and the roadie is back with me. Honours even for now. Feeling a bit more composed I look across to see if he is looking suitably appalled by being challenged by a bloke on a mudguarded mtb ss conversion.

And... it was a girl!

I know this is wrong, and there are some fellow SCRs of the female pursuasion who are notably quick, but this did take the gloss off things a bit.

And before you ask, no the pinarello was not pink (pace threads elsewhere in this forum), it was blue. I was tempted to ask whether she also owned a pink one but
a) the explanation would have just sounded to creepy
b) the lights changed.

J

il_principe

Ooh I ride Park Lane some mornings - I'll keep my eyes peeled for her.

Bassjunkieuk

Hmm, when I was down at the Freewheel event I spotted a couple of Pinarello bikes with a decided lack of male riders nearby but instead being closely watched by some lovely ladies! Can't remember exactly what they looked like but they where certainly nice looking, and the bikes where bad either

Alas I only managed to spy them stopped near the bike challenge areas rather then out on the course so no chance for a quick "off the record" race.......

il_principe

*Cough, well they are lovely bikes!

Just realised I've passed the 3000 post mark!

Doh!

Bassjunkieuk

jashburnham wrote:

*Cough, well they are lovely bikes!

Just realised I've passed the 3000 post mark!

Doh!

*cough I also hear they are nice to ride, the bikes that is....

lost_in_thought

jedster wrote:

And... it was a girl!

I know this is wrong, and there are some fellow SCRs of the female pursuasion who are notably quick, but this did take the gloss off things a bit.

And before you ask, no the pinarello was not pink (pace threads elsewhere in this forum), it was blue. I was tempted to ask whether she also owned a pink one but
a) the explanation would have just sounded to creepy
b) the lights changed.

Now, I have seen a person on a blue pinarello about in the west of our fair city... This person is pretty quick, lycra-clad, long hair.

I have seen them twice now, and have not been able to work out if they are either a) a bloke with long hair or b) an unfortunate-looking woman with the smallest hips in the world ever...

:oops:

Due to my hangover (argh my brain) I didn't manage to get any speed on this morning. I also didn't see another cyclist going my way... very odd.

I have also done something to my foot. It hurts. A lot.

biondino

Probably "Trucker ankle", a form of repetitive strain injury brought on by decades pumping the pedals in your semi.

il_principe

biondino wrote:

Probably "Trucker ankle", a form of repetitive strain injury brought on by decades pumping the pedals in your semi.

Bad taste warning

Or kicking prostitutes in Ipswich.

Bad taste warning

greg66_tri_v2.0

biondino wrote:

Probably "Trucker ankle", a form of repetitive strain injury brought on by decades pumping the pedals in your semi.

Or perhaps a rotational injury, caused by swivling your foot on top of fag-ends to put them out at the end of lay-by stops.

Ah, the life of a trucker. Drive, pull into the lay-by, select a - ahem - magazine for perusal, peruse, tidy up, go outside, have a fag and drive off. Repeat ad bloateum.

Bassjunkieuk

JA, your treading very near to Jeremy Clarkson territory there suggesting that truckers don't like prostitutes!

lost_in_thought

jashburnham wrote:

biondino wrote:

Probably "Trucker ankle", a form of repetitive strain injury brought on by decades pumping the pedals in your semi.

Bad taste warning

Or kicking prostitutes in Ipswich.

Bad taste warning

I ran home from the bus stop last night because it was cold (only about a mile) and stood up all evening in shoes which I might as well have not been wearing for all the support they give my feet.

I thought the latter might be to blame. But it's only my right foot, and it's swollen up to the extent that I could only just get my cycling shoe on it... and my work shoe (trucking shoe) only just fits too...

Ouch.

Feltup

Right foot eh, must be from where you have been pushing the accelerator as hard as possible to try and overcome the speed limiter and make it past that other truck which you have been sat outside for the last 10 miles whilst holding up 300 cars even though you know the other truck is limited to exactly the same top speed as you...............................

lost_in_thought

Feltup wrote:

Right foot eh, must be from where you have been pushing the accelerator as hard as possible to try and overcome the speed limiter and make it past that other truck which you have been sat outside for the last 10 miles whilst holding up 300 cars even though you know the other truck is limited to exactly the same top speed as you...............................

My god I hate it when (my fellow) truckers do that. It should be illegal on dual carriageways. I have been known to sit behind the 'overtaking' truck holding my horn down... :oops:

Feltup

You can understand why they do it, you know to save those 30 seconds they will make up over the next 50 miles until they get to the next slower truck and the one behind catches up again...........and breathe........

snooks

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

JA, your treading very near to Jeremy Clarkson territory there suggesting that truckers don't like prostitutes!

To be fair to Clarkson, he didn't say truckers didn't like hookers, he just said they murdered them :shock:

Mrs_Ragbrutty

I wear baggy shorts with or without shaved legs and my beards really not that bad for an old crone. So where does this put me in the pecking order.
Oh I use cleats as my knees can't cope with ordinary peddles I have a tracking error in my kness. I ride a road bike because it looked sexy. (I need all the help I can get here).

Is there a handicap for age and gender?

Greg T

Mrs_Ragbrutty wrote:

Is there a handicap for age and gender?

There certainly is - I can never find my keys when I leave the house and I keep finding myself standing upstairs on the landing with a potato in my hand wondering what I'm doing there.

As for the racing there's "no" modifier for gender - (however guys will die a little death and weaken inside if you pass them) age is difficult as there are two camps.

Old and proper slow
Old and really really fast, mean and cruel.

Old guys on road bikes are well known to be Trojan horse, skin you ragged and offer you a mint with a wink, man breakers.

ChrisLS

...so let's be specific...at what age do we start being classed as old? :?:

Feltup

I asked my friends nephew (6yrs) that question and he said 20 was old and 30 was really old. People I work with in the upper 60's call me youth, I am mid 30's. Age is therefore relative.

I would therefore suggest +/- 10 years from your age could be used as a modifier.

Bassjunkieuk

Greg T wrote:

Mrs_Ragbrutty wrote:

Is there a handicap for age and gender?

There certainly is - I can never find my keys when I leave the house and I keep finding myself standing upstairs on the landing with a potato in my hand wondering what I'm doing there.

As for the racing there's "no" modifier for gender - (however guys will die a little death and weaken inside if you pass them) age is difficult as there are two camps.

Old and proper slow
Old and really really fast, mean and cruel.

Old guys on road bikes are well known to be Trojan horse, skin you ragged and offer you a mint with a wink, man breakers.

I'm assuming you fall into this category.......... except without both the really's

Greg T

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

Greg T wrote:

Old and really really fast, mean and cruel.

I'm assuming you fall into this category.......... except without both the really's

Fast, mean and cruel.

Well it certainly has a little more elan and cachet than

Fat, old and boring

So I guess I'll take that and book it as a win.

ChrisLS

...what about old and really slow, mean and cruel...and bitter and twisted...

Greg T

Here's something that I've observed.

I'm cranking along enjoying the night air.

Pedestrian crossing coming up Ped coming up to it, obviously going to cross.

I start to brake.

I look straight at them as I'm slowing down, they stand by the road looking at me.

I'm down to a couple of miles an hour now, ten meters off the crossing, they are still standing there. Dead slow, still not a twitch.

I stop dead.

They cross.

Why is it that they don't start to cross when it's obvious that I'm slowing and that they could cross ahead of me getting to the crossing in the first place?

It drives me mad as I've got to build up all the speed again (and my inertia is significant) and it increases the likelihood of opportunity scalpings by the following pack.

I think they do it just to wind me up.

simple_salmon

Put it down as good (interval) training and be on your way

Bassjunkieuk

I've had a few times where I've been really going some, see someone at the crossing and start to slow and they wave me through....... :-D

Maybe you should stop staring at them like you want to run them down and they might move out?

Greg T

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

Maybe you should stop staring at them like you want to run them down and they might move out?

Perhaps I could start shouting encouragement?

Totalnewbie

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

I've had a few times where I've been really going some, see someone at the crossing and start to slow and they wave me through....... :-D

Maybe you should stop staring at them like you want to run them down and they might move out?

Me too.

I think the reason many like to wait until you've stopped before they cross because it is actually pretty rare for a cyclist to stop at a zebra crossing and they are just making sure. They always look surprised when I nod to show I've seen them and hence they can cross (if nothing else is coming).