Silly commuting racing

philbar72

KingstonGraham wrote:

anonymousblackfg wrote:

KingstonGraham wrote:

Kingstonian wrote:

Yeah, Canbury Arms will hopefully be decent. It was ok when we first moved to our current house but went a bit wacky 2 or so years ago. The new owners are certainly spending a lot of money on it so it will be interesting to see the outcome.

Loved it when we first moved in too, but I think when the guy who ran it took over the Alexandra he might have lost a bit of focus. Hope it's a good revamp.

I quite like the Norbiton as an option, where does the Albion fit on the scale of Kingston Pubs given the Big Smokes efforts, I do love a pint of Cold Spark.

Norbiton's pizzas are very good, and it has Hells on tap which is all good. Mrs KG rates the Albion - I can't give a first hand review yet.

Albions good, does less ales than the Antelope but similar format, so no "high street" beers, more small brewery stuff. I really do rate the Norbiton, that's a great little pub.

hopkinb

hopkinb wrote:

A bit of SCR with a guy I've not seen before on a spesh single speed with bull horns.

Actually a red trek fixie, seeing as I saw him this morning too.

Melted the legs with a couple of sprints today, as traffic opened up nicely, one alongside Clapham Common, and one dropping down to Clapham North Tube to beat the lights, then kept the gas on back up the slight rise there towards Stockwell.

rhodrich

Good to hear the Norbiton's still doing good stuff. It was my local when I lived in Kingston. Do they still do Thai food?

rhodrich

In other news, queue for the showers at work was 8 deep when I got in this morning. We have 11 showers in total. It's bonkers - I've not seen queues this long ever. Even in July /August it wasn't this bad. You would have thought the resolutionists would have quit by now, especially given the cold weather.

I sneaked round the corner, and used the disabled shower. Feel a bit guilty, but haven't ever seen anyone use it, ever....

KnightOfTheLongTights

Very bad looking accident between Twickenham and Richmond last night c.7pm. Two riders down quite far apart, one on the pavement, one in the middle of the road - just looked like they had been clobbered?? Riders under blankets, ambulances closing off the road, police questioning driver. Didn't see the state of the bikes. Anyone any news?

kingstongraham

Rhodrich wrote:

Good to hear the Norbiton's still doing good stuff. It was my local when I lived in Kingston. Do they still do Thai food?

No, changed to pizzas 2 years ago. Shame really but the pizzas are nice.

inbike

hopkinb wrote:

philbar72 wrote:

Looking for advice, re routes. am hoping to start up a new role in Farringdon, whats the best way of getting there from Kingston.

was thinking Park, Kew, Chelsea ish....

Park, Putney bridge, New Kings Road, CS whatever it is to Parliament square (SCR racetrack), segregated lane from Parliament Square to Blackfriars, turn left & head north on Farringdon St.

I need to find someone who's the same speed as me for a controlled trial.

My hypothesis is that going into town (but not returning) Embankment -> Lambeth Bridge -> Lambeth Palace Rd -> A3200 -> Rennie St -> Upper Ground -> Blackfriars Road is much faster than going north of the river.

Major time savings:

- Eliminates Parliament Square loop.
- Lambeth Palace Rd is super fast due to slight downhill.
- No wait to cross the Embankment at the Blackfriars underpass.
- Avoids slow cyclists on the EW super highway.

If you've not done it recently there are some significant improvements on the South of the River route.

- Can go either way around Park Plaza Westminster on a bike, which cuts down on waiting time.
- A3200 past Waterloo has been cleaned up as construction is finishing - now has a decent quick bus/bike lane.
- Resurfacing on Upper Ground has sped parts of that up, too, with more to come.

asprilla

philbar72 wrote:

Looking for advice, re routes. am hoping to start up a new role in Farringdon, whats the best way of getting there from Kingston.

was thinking Park, Kew, Chelsea ish....

I'm working in Farringdon right now, just opposite Essex Market. I come in from Walton and the quickest way for me is the standard route to Blackfriars and then up Farringdon road. The alternatives have more lights and more traffic.

Prior to this I was working in Southwark and the north side of the river is generally quicker, even with Parliament Sq.

hopkinb

inbike wrote:

hopkinb wrote:

philbar72 wrote:

Looking for advice, re routes. am hoping to start up a new role in Farringdon, whats the best way of getting there from Kingston.

was thinking Park, Kew, Chelsea ish....

Park, Putney bridge, New Kings Road, CS whatever it is to Parliament square (SCR racetrack), segregated lane from Parliament Square to Blackfriars, turn left & head north on Farringdon St.

I need to find someone who's the same speed as me for a controlled trial.

My hypothesis is that going into town (but not returning) Embankment -> Lambeth Bridge -> Lambeth Palace Rd -> A3200 -> Rennie St -> Upper Ground -> Blackfriars Road is much faster than going north of the river.

Major time savings:

- Eliminates Parliament Square loop.
- Lambeth Palace Rd is super fast due to slight downhill.
- No wait to cross the Embankment at the Blackfriars underpass.
- Avoids slow cyclists on the EW super highway.

If you've not done it recently there are some significant improvements on the South of the River route.

- Can go either way around Park Plaza Westminster on a bike, which cuts down on waiting time.
- A3200 past Waterloo has been cleaned up as construction is finishing - now has a decent quick bus/bike lane.
- Resurfacing on Upper Ground has sped parts of that up, too, with more to come.

Shhhhh, don't tell anyone about south of the river - the Parliament Square mob think there are dragons, and it keeps them away...

anonymousblackfg

hopkinb wrote:

Shhhhh, don't tell anyone about south of the river - the Parliament Square mob think there are dragons, and it keeps them away...

I'm not sure it's the dragon's rumour keeping them away, they just couldn't handle Tooting twice a day.

I didn't share your keenness to push it this morning with wet roads and incompetent drivers everywhere. I did get to use my usual 'your bags open' routine on some New Years resolutionist jumping the lights up through Kennington to good effect which felt nice.

veronese68

anonymousblackfg wrote:

I did get to use my usual 'your bags open' routine on some New Years resolutionist jumping the lights up through Kennington to good effect which felt nice.

I like that.
Slippery riding through Bushy Park so I took it easy, still no competition.

So, SCR drink in the Norb or the Albion. Hopkins can have a diet Coke as the daft fool is off the booze.
Actually does that count as cheating in SCR terms? Seems a trifle serious.

kingstonian

I was pondering going south of the river when I moved jobs and started commuting by bike a couple of years ago, but quite frankly there is good reason why pretty much everyone from the Kingston area goes over Putney Bridge and then round Embankment. The few times I have done some of the journey south of the river has been an absolute cluster.

hopkinb

Kingstonian wrote:

I was pondering going south of the river when I moved jobs and started commuting by bike a couple of years ago, but quite frankly there is good reason why pretty much everyone from the Kingston area goes over Putney Bridge and then round Embankment. The few times I have done some of the journey south of the river has been an absolute cluster.

I normally just use CS7, which takes me straight from home to work and vice versa, so I'm not from the Kingston area, but in the summer, when I go and do some pre or post-work laps of RP, I nearly always find staying north of the river to be an absolute cluster, so on the way from work to Park I do CS7 to Clapham Common, then take the A3 through Wandsworth to Putney Bridge Road, then Lower Richmond Road/Priory Lane to the Park, and on the way from Park to work, I reverse that. It's more or less the same distance, takes more or less the same time and, for me at least it's a better ride, you're certainly far less likely to end up towing a line of fairies, and in the summer, the Parliament Square to the City segregated route is pretty slow if you want to stay safe.

I think a lot of it is perception though - it's what you're used to.

hopkinb

Veronese68 wrote:

So, SCR drink in the Norb or the Albion. Hopkins can have a diet Coke as the daft fool is off the booze.
Actually does that count as cheating in SCR terms? Seems a trifle serious.

Yep, I'm always keen for a drink. I can decide whether or not it's beer or not depending on when we actually make it to the pub.

Reminds me V68 - I need to bring my plastic wheel round for a new spoke to be fitted in exchange for beer. Let me consult with the Mrs - are you around much this weekend?

london-red

KingstonGraham wrote:

Rhodrich wrote:

Good to hear the Norbiton's still doing good stuff. It was my local when I lived in Kingston. Do they still do Thai food?

No, changed to pizzas 2 years ago. Shame really but the pizzas are nice.

I know the guy who manages the chain that owns the Norby, and if his description of the state of the kitchen and other food prep areas when they took it over is anything to go by then it's no great shame... Rats the size of small dogs, and all sorts of other pleasant stories...

veronese68

hopkinb wrote:

Reminds me V68 - I need to bring my plastic wheel round for a new spoke to be fitted in exchange for beer. Let me consult with the Mrs - are you around much this weekend?

Yes, think we're around most of the time.

anonymousblackfg

Even better, the micro brewery have just announced they're taking over the Royal Oak in Hombury St Mary, definitely a SCR dash to the hills in the summer...

asprilla

anonymousblackfg wrote:

Even better, the micro brewery have just announced they're taking over the Royal Oak in Hombury St Mary, definitely a SCR dash to the hills in the summer...

Stops at the Silent Pool distillery and Weber Grill School down the road and you are on.

May need an ebike to get home.

asprilla

Veronese68 wrote:

anonymousblackfg wrote:

I did get to use my usual 'your bags open' routine on some New Years resolutionist jumping the lights up through Kennington to good effect which felt nice.

I like that.
Slippery riding through Bushy Park so I took it easy, still no competition.

So, SCR drink in the Norb or the Albion. Hopkins can have a diet Coke as the daft fool is off the booze.
Actually does that count as cheating in SCR terms? Seems a trifle serious.

So, pint?

hopkinb

Not a day to not check the weather, and therefore forget to clip on the guards this morning.
On the plus side, a little bit of wet weather e-bike assisted SCR with someone I can only assume is dekant, given his name on Strava. Hi dekant, you were putting up such a good effort keeping up with e-bike man, I couldn't help but join in. Apologies for the stealth pass heading up the rise towards Wandsworth Common station, you caught up at the burntwood road lights anyway, then traffic stopped play.

mattsaw

Asprilla wrote:

anonymousblackfg wrote:

Even better, the micro brewery have just announced they're taking over the Royal Oak in Hombury St Mary, definitely a SCR dash to the hills in the summer...

Stops at the Silent Pool distillery and Weber Grill School down the road and you are on.

May need an ebike to get home.

Silent Pool is fantastic. I thoroughly recommend both the tour and the drink.

london-red

Jesus, that was fecking awful. I reckon my worst experience so far on a commute. Either that or I’m getting softer with age...

asprilla

Mattsaw wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

anonymousblackfg wrote:

Even better, the micro brewery have just announced they're taking over the Royal Oak in Hombury St Mary, definitely a SCR dash to the hills in the summer...

Stops at the Silent Pool distillery and Weber Grill School down the road and you are on.

May need an ebike to get home.

Silent Pool is fantastic. I thoroughly recommend both the tour and the drink.

Indeed. Easily the greatest gin I've ever had. Would you believe it was 1/3 off from Amazon for Black Friday? I have much stock...

veronese68

London-Red wrote:

Jesus, that was ******* awful. I reckon my worst experience so far on a commute. Either that or I’m getting softer with age...

If you’re getting old what does that make me?
That was grim to be fair. Couldn’t see properly with glasses on, worse without them. This meant I had to take it steady so struggled to keep warm. Stupidity meant no overshoes so feet got cold. Honking disc brakes were useful to warn lemmings of my presence.

kingdav

Epic ride last night, was 3up with a couple of club mates and sharing the experience did make it better. I had to settle on glasses off, but kept getting the gigantic snow flakes in my eye. Very damp by the end.

I was trying to explain earlier in the day the feeling you get when you are cycling in that kind of weather, there's kind of pride you feel both during and after.

rhodrich

That was challenging to say the least last night. Heavy wet snow that got in your eyes, and made everything freezing. Took the non RP route via Queens Road and Petersham, and on the descent into Petersham, realised that my fingers were so cold that I couldn't grip the brakes properly. Not sure I've ever had frostnip that bad. It's a good job I ride fixed, or else slowing down would have been a problem.

When I got home and my fingers and toes thawed out, it was agony - as if I'd just plunged them into a pan of boiling water. They're still a bit tingly today. No lasting damage I hope, but if I'd carried on much further, frostbite could have become an issue......

anonymousblackfg

Yep, grim to say the least. Bottom half was fine but a light weight emergency jacket over a base layer was no way good enough. Both gloves (probably due to my arms being so cold)and my sense of humour failed with about 7k to go but else I quite enjoyed it and from the comments above having a cap on really makes a huge difference.

WFH today so I get an additional 24 hours to dry my kit out.

kingstongraham

Yesterday wasn't a day to be in the lightweight bib longs, no overshoes and no waterproof. Using ski gloves at the moment and they were the business. Other than that, was unpleasant. Not the best decision to go across the middle of RP at 6:30 when the snow was settling on the road, but got away with it. Couldn't see, obviously.

Worst discomfort was when it was sleet rather than snow, and it's stinging your face.

kingstongraham

It was fine out there this morning (apart from the grinding noises where I haven't cleaned the brakes).

kingstonian

Last night was officially badass riding. I went through the park at about 7.15pm and it was slippery on the slush, but you've just gotta power through it in badass fashion leaving all drafters behind.

Late start today, had to drop a wheel off at the LBS then headed into town. Less bikes but the nodder percentage at that time of day is way higher than my usual commute time.