Silly commuting racing

asprilla

With rain forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday this week I took the opportunity to travel first class today on the R3.

Caught up with a chap just outside Walton and he jumped on my wheel. We took turns towards Hampton Bridge, where he out filtered me in traffic and got a decent lead. When I saw he took the cycle track I stayed on the road and overtook again just before the drop kerb when he rejoined the road. I went right at the rbt while he went straight on. I'm counting that as a win.

njee20

Di2 battery went flat this morning, totally forgot to charge it after getting the warning on the Garmin on Saturday! Only realised when the front mech started rubbing as it has shut down and wasn't doing the auto-trimming.

Popped into Elwood Cycle Works in Putney who charged it for me for 10 minutes while I had a little sat down, marvellous! Nice little shop too, definitely one to remember for when I've forgotten stuff!

mtb-idle

njee20 wrote:

<snip>
Popped into Elwood Cycle Works in Putney who charged it for me for 10 minutes while I had a little sat down, marvellous! Nice little shop too, definitely one to remember for when I've forgotten stuff!

I always speak to Jake when I drop in there. Nice lad although he's always moaning about the tax he's gotta pay for the orphanage

UndercoverElephant

Asprilla wrote:

With rain forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday this week I took the opportunity to travel first class today on the R3.

Caught up with a chap just outside Walton and he jumped on my wheel. We took turns towards Hampton Bridge, where he out filtered me in traffic and got a decent lead. When I saw he took the cycle track I stayed on the road and overtook again just before the drop kerb when he rejoined the road. I went right at the rbt while he went straight on. I'm counting that as a win.

Definitely a win that, just not for you.

njee20

MTB-Idle wrote:

I always speak to Jake when I drop in there. Nice lad although he's always moaning about the tax he's gotta pay for the orphanage

I'd never clocked it opened at 8am (and closes at 7pm), quite shrewd that to pick up the commuters!

kingstonian

Looks like a tailwind on the way home, that's a rarity

njee20

MTB-Idle wrote:

I always speak to Jake when I drop in there. Nice lad although he's always moaning about the tax he's gotta pay for the orphanage

I'd never clocked it opened at 8am (and closes at 7pm), quite shrewd that to pick up the commuters!

anonymousblackfg

Nice ride in with Hopkins for the most part, more pace than I needed with a cold headwind and feeling fat and lazy.

veronese68

Kingstonian wrote:

Looks like a tailwind on the way home, that's a rarity

I wish, that was hard work after a long day and not enough sleep.

kingdav

On top of the wind, London Bridge & Elephant were a bit noddergeddony hampering progress

kingstonian

Super quick ride home, tailwind plus a few other keen riders meant I clocked my fastest time door to door ever. That was despite the noddergeddon which I can only put down to the changing of the clocks.

asprilla

Kingstonian wrote:

Super quick ride home, tailwind plus a few other keen riders meant I clocked my fastest time door to door ever. That was despite the noddergeddon which I can only put down to the changing of the clocks.

Tail wind? Nah....

shamrock134

I hope this isn't anyone here:



The embodiment of self-entitled **** on a bike that gives us all a bad name by purposely antagonising drivers.

inbike

How did he get in that position? Moving up to the ASL only to find there isn't one at that junction?

DrLex

Or possibly an earlier altercation that the rider wished to continue?

I saw on another site the measured response by Jeremy Vine to getting right-hooked by a private hire driver. Don’t miss the joys of London cycling.

shamrock134

The car was already there, in the ASL. I presumed they had got caught out by the lights changing and not parked there on purpose, which is a legal reason to be in one.

The cyclist pulled in front of the car and started mouthing off without actually knowing the circumstances.

anonymousblackfg

Nice ride in apart from when my chain fell off under load at Clapham. Stayed upright but a bang tidy bruise on the right thigh.

A good spread of nodders but I'm resistant to call Noddergeddon. Right tonight so that should put some of them back in their box.

njee20

Tail wind for me last night was great. Ended up with 2 others who were quick, but a bit of a liability. One serial RLJer, who was very erratic, and one who seemed more interested in watching everyone else than concentrating on what he was doing. Was happy to keep them behind me wherever possible!

PR through Richmond Park was a surprise, it didn't feel that windy.

asprilla

Legs are cooked this morning.

Have to say though, that for the first time in two years I actually feel like I could do a run or a swim during the week as well as riding too and from work.

mtb-idle

anyone here on a mustard/brown Surly singlespeed or possibly alfine hub?

Saw him at Balham tube station lights on CS7 this morning and thought "he looks like a player of the game".

Then he took the sex panther shortcut at Clapham and I thought "yup, he must be an SCR'r"

hopkinb

What tailwind? That KOM I got last night was all me I tell you. I don't think I've had one before.

anonymousblackfg

MTB-Idle wrote:

anyone here on a mustard/brown Surly singlespeed or possibly alfine hub?

Saw him at Balham tube station lights on CS7 this morning and thought "he looks like a player of the game".

Then he took the sex panther shortcut at Clapham and I thought "yup, he must be an SCR'r"

Nope, but I am intrigued by further Sex Panthering, which bits this on?

veronese68

hopkinb wrote:

What tailwind? That KOM I got last night was all me I tell you. I don't think I've had one before.

Pah! Even I got one the other morning, but keep it quiet as a few on here could easily take it off me. :oops:
Although fastest out of 12 isn't exactly a proud boast.

mtb-idle

anonymousblackfg wrote:

MTB-Idle wrote:

anyone here on a mustard/brown Surly singlespeed or possibly alfine hub?

Saw him at Balham tube station lights on CS7 this morning and thought "he looks like a player of the game".

Then he took the sex panther shortcut at Clapham and I thought "yup, he must be an SCR'r"

Nope, but I am intrigued by further Sex Panthering, which bits this on?

As you are heading North in the morning along CS7 and cross the lights at Clapham South tube station you see the lights about to go from Green to Red ahead of you (like me you have been doing this so long you can sense them about to change).

It's too far to beat the lights in a straight on dash so take a quick left at the Avenue where cars turn to cross Clapham Common and then an immediate right and you are back on CS7 but you have beaten the light phasing and for once have some clear, fresh tarmac both ahead of and behind you and it's time to drop the hammer.

rhodrich

There's another Sex Panther on the Lower Richmond Road at the Sainsbury's Petrol Station (after the right turn from Putney Bridge when you're heading towards the park):

There's a pedestrian crossing just by the Petrol Station. If the lights are just turning/have just turned red as you're coming up to them, take a left turn into the petrol station, ride through the petrol station, and exit (which should be clear, as the lights will still be red....).
Bingo - you've just legally bypassed the red lights at pedestrian crossing. Works every time, 60% of the time!

elbowloh

MTB-Idle wrote:

anonymousblackfg wrote:

MTB-Idle wrote:

anyone here on a mustard/brown Surly singlespeed or possibly alfine hub?

Saw him at Balham tube station lights on CS7 this morning and thought "he looks like a player of the game".

Then he took the sex panther shortcut at Clapham and I thought "yup, he must be an SCR'r"

Nope, but I am intrigued by further Sex Panthering, which bits this on?

As you are heading North in the morning along CS7 and cross the lights at Clapham South tube station you see the lights about to go from Green to Red ahead of you (like me you have been doing this so long you can sense them about to change).

It's too far to beat the lights in a straight on dash so take a quick left at the Avenue where cars turn to cross Clapham Common and then an immediate right and you are back on CS7 but you have beaten the light phasing and for once have some clear, fresh tarmac both ahead of and behind you and it's time to drop the hammer.

I've always wondered about this. Thanks for explaining.

Whenever i get to that junction though, the Avenue always seems to be snarled up with stationary traffic?

I turn left down The Rookery midway along Clapham Common and head to Wandsworth Road, which also takes you to Vauxhall Cross. I think there's less traffic that way and a lot fewer traffic lights than on the CS7.

mtb-idle

elbowloh wrote:

<snip> Whenever i get to that junction though, the Avenue always seems to be snarled up with stationary traffic?

It is but that is because it is waiting for the lights to change. The snarl up actually helps your manouevre as you can cut right past the cars that are stood still in the queue and then cut left as the next queue starts to move as the lights change and you exit onto CS7.

It's all a matter of timing. I surprised one commuting buddy last year as we headed towards the lights and I shouted 'follow me' as I recognised the opportunity to pull the move.

He had never seen it before but despite his surprise we both managed to get around successfully.

anonymousblackfg

Very helpful, much like the dodge around the lights on Borough High Street when you hit Southwark Street or the parallel road to CS7 just before the ascent of the Col du Balham.

PT + Brommie, classic racing around the Imax round about.

smokey_bacon

Glad to be back on the bike today after a nightmare PT home last night because Waterloo was closed. No SCR, the dip in temps didn't seem to have thinned out the herd, much chopping and nodding occurring but the mist in RP was lovely.

j_mcd

Smokey Bacon wrote:

Glad to be back on the bike today after a nightmare PT home last night because Waterloo was closed. No SCR, the dip in temps didn't seem to have thinned out the herd, much chopping and nodding occurring but the mist in RP was lovely.

The trains were a chuffing nightmare yesterday. No trains in due to suicide #1 so I ended up cycling all the way in. Checked the web to see how things were doing and found out about suicide #2. Luckily managed to squeeze the bike on to a train as my legs just didn't have it in them for another 40+ mile ride in a day.

Perhaps it's time to put in safety barriers at stations...