Silly commuting racing

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  • elbowloh
    elbowloh Posts: 7,078
    Saw a cyclist and a van driver (van parked round corner, driver out) having an animated discussion on the CS7 between Colliers Wood and Tooing Broadway. I suspect the altercation was about the van trying to turn left to St Georges, with the cyclist going straight on along the CS and neither wanting to give way. The driver looked very animated, lots of hand waving etc, whilst the cyclist seemed pretty calm. Nice to see it ended with handshakes though and a nice goodbye.

    Not much in the way of SCR, kept it calm all the way, but when going through Wallington on a down hill, keeping pace 3 metres behind (and to the left) of the car in front, the car behind tries to overtake when there was no where to overtake into. Drivers seem to think that cyclists are just there to be overtaken no matter what the actual situation on the road is. I wasn't holding them up as i was keeping up with traffic.

    Ehco the sentiments about the closures around Parliament Square. Most inconvenient, especially when the cycle specific lights don't seem to be consistent. One minute they go green before they let the cars go, other times the cars go and the bikes get held at a red so i'm never sure whether its best to take the road or the lane when i want to go up Whitehall.
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  • frogonabike
    frogonabike Posts: 157
    Smokey Bacon wrote:
    frogonabike wrote:

    Think I saw the same guy a couple of times this morning.. we may have crossed paths as well. Although I don't think I remember anyone coming past me :)

    Perhaps, I was along there around 7.30ish. What are you riding?

    Maybe not then! I was a little after that, more like 8 I think. He must have been doing laps of CS7, only possible explanation. I'm usually on either a fluro yellow Fuji Cross or a dark blue old steel Dawes SS so do say hi if you see me! Always up for a chat and a non-race :D
  • anonymousblackfg
    anonymousblackfg Posts: 2,029
    As clogged as CS7 was with fairweather types (the bus lane on the run up to E&C was pretty much full of cyclists three abreast as far as you could see) I still enjoyed it.

    They seem a lot better behaved on the in than on the way home, loads of RLJers last night. Very easily influenced, that if one does it, they all do it.
    If I know you, and I like you, you can borrow my bike box for £30 a week. PM for details.
  • smokey_bacon
    smokey_bacon Posts: 1,639
    frogonabike wrote:

    Maybe not then! I was a little after that, more like 8 I think. He must have been doing laps of CS7, only possible explanation. I'm usually on either a fluro yellow Fuji Cross or a dark blue old steel Dawes SS so do say hi if you see me! Always up for a chat and a non-race :D

    Lol....laps of CS7! That would be interesting

    Will keep an eye out for you. I'm on a black Allez with purple bar tape so I may blend in with the peloton past Tooting!
  • frogonabike
    frogonabike Posts: 157
    Smokey Bacon wrote:

    Lol....laps of CS7! That would be interesting

    Will keep an eye out for you. I'm on a black Allez with purple bar tape so I may blend in with the peloton past Tooting!

    Likewise, I sometimes head through at around 7:30 :)
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Think I'll give Parliament Square a miss tonight...
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • asprilla
    asprilla Posts: 8,440
    CXy commutes today. Was lovely on the way in, 25km into London of which only 6km was on the road.

    Shifting a load of stuff out of the office was less fun with an extra 15kg on my back. Tyre pressures weren't set for this so I kept bottoming out the rear rim a bit, but not enough to make me stop and get a pump out.

    Terrible rubbing from the front mech.Who needs to use the big ring anyway? 34t is where it's at.
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  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Asprilla wrote:
    CXy commutes today. Was lovely on the way in, 25km into London of which only 6km was on the road.

    Shifting a load of stuff out of the office was less fun with an extra 15kg on my back. Tyre pressures weren't set for this so I kept bottoming out the rear rim a bit, but not enough to make me stop and get a pump out.

    Terrible rubbing from the front mech.Who needs to use the big ring anyway? 34t is where it's at.

    Why would take a trail when there are congested roads to enjoy?

    I won't comment on the use of the 34...
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    Asprilla wrote:
    34t is where it's at.
    My 3 Peaks setup is 34 x 11-36. 34x11 is plenty for most road stuff; it's 84", which is a reasonable track gearing, and a decent youth rider would be able to get it up to speeds the rest of us can only dream about.
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • smokey_bacon
    smokey_bacon Posts: 1,639
    All I could think this morning was that Mad Max had come to West London. So much aggro about, drivers, cyclist, peds and even dogs getting in on the action. They should rename LRR Fury Road! Plus it seemed I went through RP at peak TT-Nodder O Clock in the words of CJ...fasands of em. Special mention to the Paceline TTer's who cant stick to the right side of the road! Good work guys :roll:
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    Smokey Bacon wrote:
    All I could think this morning was that Mad Max had come to West London.
    I think we must be living in parallel universes; I left just before 8am and spent the whole journey wondering where the traffic had gone! LRR was stationary (but opposite carriageway clear), but everywhere else, even NKR, seemed pretty clear.

    Tried South of the river last night, but didn't enjoy it much. Getting to Elephant & Castle from Blackfriars involves the Cycle Superhighway From Hell - traffic lights every couple of hundred yards and zebra crossings between. Better from E&C, but still seemed to be a red light every few hundred yards until I got to Clapham Common. Fine as a functional way of getting home, but not so much as an enjoyable ride. Is just that what "normal" London commuting is like?

    South London seems to have been gentrified since I last went there. Dragon seemed to be on vacation (or maybe it doesn't stray far from Battersea Park).
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    hopkinb wrote:
    All the shyte Sagans and cut-price Cavendishes were out in force today - all elbows and knees, no pace, weaving about all over the place, PE shorts and hairy butts very much in evidences

    This was last night's commute home, absent the hairy butts: down on the drops, sprint for that rear wheel, and repeat.

    Not going anywhere near that south London route, no way, not never.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • smokey_bacon
    smokey_bacon Posts: 1,639
    TGOTB wrote:
    I think we must be living in parallel universes; I left just before 8am and spent the whole journey wondering where the traffic had gone! LRR was stationary (but opposite carriageway clear), but everywhere else, even NKR, seemed pretty clear.

    I've noticed bubbles like this for a while. There is no rhyme or reason to it, 5 mins either way can mean the difference between quiet and smooth or aggy and hard.
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Smokey Bacon wrote:
    TGOTB wrote:
    I think we must be living in parallel universes; I left just before 8am and spent the whole journey wondering where the traffic had gone! LRR was stationary (but opposite carriageway clear), but everywhere else, even NKR, seemed pretty clear.

    I've noticed bubbles like this for a while. There is no rhyme or reason to it, 5 mins either way can mean the difference between quiet and smooth or aggy and hard.

    Yep, seems to be my experience, too. I'd love to know how long it takes to get from Bolan Bridge to Putney Bridge by car atm.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • anonymousblackfg
    anonymousblackfg Posts: 2,029
    Brommied from Waterloo to the City, won the Imax roundabout sprint by a country mile.

    Glad I get to commute home late tonight, avoid this sh1t show everyone seems to be enjoying.
    If I know you, and I like you, you can borrow my bike box for £30 a week. PM for details.
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    cjcp wrote:
    This was last night's commute home, absent the hairy butts: down on the drops, sprint for that rear wheel, and repeat.
    Quite a lot of my morning commute was like some sort of dystopian Keirin; away from the lights everyone would battle to line out behind me; short period of relative peace, albeit with a background of squeaking chains and occasional crunchy gear changes; then I'd cross an invisible line 200 yards before the next red light and they'd all come flying past like Jason Kenny on crystal meth.
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • kingstonian
    kingstonian Posts: 2,847
    Brought the nice bike out for a bit of London sightseeing this morning, always a much nicer commute when on it.

    The list of road clusters is now getting ridiculous - Kingston Gate entrance to RP, LRR being clogged up, roadworks on Putney Bridge almost but not quite finished, roadworks on NKR still not finished, Chelsea Flower Show, the road approaching Parliament Square.........
  • monkimark
    monkimark Posts: 1,928
    Asprilla wrote:
    CXy commutes today. Was lovely on the way in, 25km into London of which only 6km was on the road.

    I have a cx commute route that I planned about 6 months ago and at 40km is probably just about long enough that I'll never actually manage to do it.
  • hopkinb
    hopkinb Posts: 7,129
    TGOTB wrote:
    Tried South of the river last night, but didn't enjoy it much. Getting to Elephant & Castle from Blackfriars involves the Cycle Superhighway From Hell - traffic lights every couple of hundred yards and zebra crossings between. Better from E&C, but still seemed to be a red light every few hundred yards until I got to Clapham Common. Fine as a functional way of getting home, but not so much as an enjoyable ride. Is just that what "normal" London commuting is like?

    Glad the dragon stayed in its lair.

    Luckily I don't ever have to use that Blackfriars superhighway.

    It's as much a function of what you're used to as anything else. CS7 takes me door to offce, so I've always used it, so I barely notice the red lights any more unless I get a long string of them, and I'm running late to collect my daughter. When I do an extended commute in the summer, I used to do the north of the river route, but always hated it - it always seemed totally clogged with traffic & choppers (especially Kings Road), and I never felt comfortable until I got over Putney bridge. I don't think there's any difference in the time it takes me to get from Southwark bridge to Richmond Park whether I go north or south.
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    hopkinb wrote:
    I don't think there's any difference in the time it takes me to get from Southwark bridge to Richmond Park whether I go north or south.
    On a statistically meaningless sample size of 1, it was about 2 mins longer than my normal route but about 0.8 miles further; overall that makes it faster (I don't mind a bit of extra distance so long as I can cover it at speed). Would have been shorter/quicker if I'd taken the A3 to Robin Hood Gate.
    I'll give it a few more tries; I really missed the continuous 1-2 fast miles at a time that you can often do on my normal route, but quite possible I was unlucky with the light phasing.
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • anonymousblackfg
    anonymousblackfg Posts: 2,029
    About 600 metres and 4 mins longer to go north of the river, generally CS7, despite the poor quality of Tooting drivers and Clapham man, having a longer clearly marked (not segregated) path wins it. Maybe it's also not having the Cat 5 choppers of Fulham.

    There's an idea, which hockey sock clad budget Propel riding weapon would win in a fight, Fulham man or Clapham man.
    If I know you, and I like you, you can borrow my bike box for £30 a week. PM for details.
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    anonymousblackfg wrote:
    About 600 metres and 4 mins longer to go north of the river, generally CS7, despite the poor quality of Tooting drivers and Clapham man, having a longer clearly marked (not segregated) path wins it. Maybe it's also not having the Cat 5 choppers of Fulham.

    There's an idea, which hockey sock clad budget Propel riding weapon would win in a fight, Fulham man or Clapham man.

    :lol::lol::lol:

    Deep sections at dawn.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    anonymousblackfg wrote:
    About 600 metres and 4 mins longer to go north of the river
    Depends on your start/end point. For me South is further, I think because I have to head South to E&C, which is slightly East of my starting point, before I can start heading West.

    On paper, South should win it for me because (although further) the average speed is higher. In practice, I think I enjoy North more because there are generally a couple of opportunities to ride 1-2 miles at a time at whatever speed my legs can generate, and that makes up for the slow filtering between. The one time so far that I've tried South there was less slow filtering, but also no opportunities to drop the hammer for more than a few hundred yards at a time.

    NB: I'm talking about the bit East of Priory Lane here; Priory Lane onwards (on the way home) is all good.
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • kingstonian
    kingstonian Posts: 2,847
    My incredibly scientific experiment, in which I left home quarter of an hour earlier this morning, proved that it makes zero difference to the level of carnage on LRR.
  • rower63
    rower63 Posts: 1,991
    Kingstonian wrote:
    My incredibly scientific experiment, in which I left home quarter of an hour earlier this morning, proved that it makes zero difference to the level of carnage on LRR.
    Just after 0720 Queen's Ride was remarkably clear for me this morning, although LRR was a queue from Barnes direction...
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  • kingstonian
    kingstonian Posts: 2,847
    rower63 wrote:
    Kingstonian wrote:
    My incredibly scientific experiment, in which I left home quarter of an hour earlier this morning, proved that it makes zero difference to the level of carnage on LRR.
    Just after 0720 Queen's Ride was remarkably clear for me this morning, although LRR was a queue from Barnes direction...


    We can't have missed each other by much, I was heading through there at that sort of time.
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Kingstonian wrote:
    rower63 wrote:
    Kingstonian wrote:
    My incredibly scientific experiment, in which I left home quarter of an hour earlier this morning, proved that it makes zero difference to the level of carnage on LRR.
    Just after 0720 Queen's Ride was remarkably clear for me this morning, although LRR was a queue from Barnes direction...


    We can't have missed each other by much, I was heading through there at that sort of time.

    Went through about an hour later.

    Absolute shambles, as was Putney Bridge and the NKR.***

    And Chelsea Embankment is further screwed because of the Hayfever Show.

    And Parliament Square is a b0ll0cks because of "drains".

    Everything's screwed. :evil:

    ***What are they doing on Putney Bridge and the NKR? Are the traffic lights and bollards for display purposes only?
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • anonymousblackfg
    anonymousblackfg Posts: 2,029
    cjcp wrote:

    Absolute shambles, as was Putney Bridge and the NKR.***

    And Chelsea Embankment is further screwed because of the Hayfever Show.

    And Parliament Square is a b0ll0cks because of "drains".

    Everything's screwed. :evil:

    ***What are they doing on Putney Bridge and the NKR? Are the traffic lights and bollards for display purposes only?

    Come on, Norbiton, Raynes Park, Colliers Wood, DT, Balham, Clapham then E&C. Unless you're scared of a little Dragon?

    Rode from Clapham to home at 9:30 last night on the good bike, zero chopperdom, bliss, though only equaled my KOM on a segment near home.
    If I know you, and I like you, you can borrow my bike box for £30 a week. PM for details.
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    anonymousblackfg wrote:
    cjcp wrote:

    Absolute shambles, as was Putney Bridge and the NKR.***

    And Chelsea Embankment is further screwed because of the Hayfever Show.

    And Parliament Square is a b0ll0cks because of "drains".

    Everything's screwed. :evil:

    ***What are they doing on Putney Bridge and the NKR? Are the traffic lights and bollards for display purposes only?

    Come on...Colliers Wood, DT, Balham, Clapham then E&C. Unless you're scared of a little Dragon?

    Used to do this route back in 2002. The coming together with a coach at Stockwell remains a vivid memory.

    So I'll pass on that one, thanks. :lol:
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • joe_totale-2
    joe_totale-2 Posts: 1,333
    Things were worryingly alright today, are some schools closed for the elections?

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