Silly commuting racing

mtb-idle

Rhodrich wrote:

I was in the Netherlands last week, so it's all been a bit of a shock coming back from a country with proper cycling infrastructure, to one that's downright dangerous.

<snip>

yeah me and my cycling buddy Greg have done a few trips across Belgium and Holland and it's really disconcerting when drivers give you priority at a roundabout. We kept on slowing down to let the traffic flow but they were doing the same and insisting we crossed first.

Took quite a few hours to get used to it.

mr_ribble

Oval around 8.50pm last night. After cycling for 10 years this was a new one for me

A group of 30-50 youufs on cheap bikes, spread out across the whole road pulling wheelies. As the traffic queued up behind them, they then started dropping tennis balls out of the JD Sports rucksacks. Myself, the cars and the mopeds then started swerving to miss them... chaos.. like playing mario kart

Survived all that then to get a visit from the fairy in Tooting

This morning... thought I was in for a right challenge when I hooked up with a tri guy with shorts with a K on the back. He was starting to get the better of me, but then went through a suspect burnt orange at Clapham South. Later on there was a guy who was wearing a distinct top with lots of different pieces of fruit on it. He went through every single red light and still couldn't shake me off. He used every trick in the book to try and justify going through red. By the time he'd got to E&C he was sat on his top tube, unclipped and propelling himself with his foot on the ground.... yup its still a red light though.

cruff

Mr_Ribble wrote:

Oval around 8.50pm last night. After cycling for 10 years this was a new one for me

A group of 30-50 youufs on cheap bikes, spread out across the whole road pulling wheelies. As the traffic queued up behind them, they then started dropping tennis balls out of the JD Sports rucksacks. Myself, the cars and the mopeds then started swerving to miss them... chaos.. like playing mario kart

Survived all that then to get a visit from the fairy in Tooting

This morning... thought I was in for a right challenge when I hooked up with a tri guy with shorts with a K on the back. He was starting to get the better of me, but then went through a suspect burnt orange at Clapham South. Later on there was a guy who was wearing a distinct top with lots of different pieces of fruit on it. He went through every single red light and still couldn't shake me off. He used every trick in the book to try and justify going through red. By the time he'd got to E&C he was sat on his top tube, unclipped and propelling himself with his foot on the ground.... yup its still a red light though.

Come back up North. Much more civilised...

j_mcd

Supposed to be a pleasant rest day pootle in this morning but that tail-wind encouraged a bit of a push. 19 achievements and 10 PBs today. Not bad on tired legs.

On a less happy note, I get the feeling I'm going to be VERY annoyed by the Barnes Bridge delays before 3 years is out. The traffic down LRR was horrific today.

jonginge

itboffin wrote:

I noticed last week JG put in a 56 something then on Sunday 4th place at the Cambs. UCI was someone with the very same name ......

John Smith, must be him @jonginge

I wondered what you were on about. Must be a JG doppelganger.

Just under 55 for the 3LC, 56odd for the Sheen gate to Sheen gate segment. Not as easy as it used to be. Getting old sucks.

rower63

dizzydane wrote:

MTB-Idle wrote:

The Establishment Blues (for all you Saffers)

Is that rower63 I see at 1:26??

Haha guilty

dizzydane

JonGinge wrote:

Not as easy as it used to be. Getting old sucks.

In the good ol days the 3LC had half the cycle traffic and no speed bumps in the park.

mtb-idle

dizzydane wrote:

<snip>

I hope you're all in for drinks on the 20th. Looking forward to catching up. Career change AND 4th place at TOC!

Whoa! Hold on there cowgirl. Are these stealth beers on the 20th? Am I invited? Is this MTB-Idle minus one beers?

berggg

J_MCD wrote:

On a less happy note, I get the feeling I'm going to be VERY annoyed by the Barnes Bridge delays before 3 years is out. The traffic down LRR was horrific today.

[SORRY FOR THE INTERRUPTION - LONGTIME LURKER CURIOSITY POST]
Out of interest for all those suffering with LRR, have you thought about taking advantage and switching the route to go over Hammersmith Bridge instead? The main road up to it now on Castlenau is a good long stretch, w. bus lane & traffic free and then there's the joy of crossing the bridge itself sans cars and pedestrians.

How bad it would be from there to re-join your various routes? The road east via High Street Ken and Knightsbridge is not great but you do go past Hyde Park, Royal Albert Hall etc and then looks kind of fun, maybe.. to re-join the velo autobahn at Westminster via Consitution hill & Regents Park, or Trafalgar Sq via the Mall. Guess it's longer and more fiddly but could be a bit of occasional light relief to the LRR grind.

veronese68

MTB-Idle wrote:

dizzydane wrote:

<snip>

I hope you're all in for drinks on the 20th. Looking forward to catching up. Career change AND 4th place at TOC!

Whoa! Hold on there cowgirl. Are these stealth beers on the 20th? Am I invited? Is this MTB-Idle minus one beers?

I vaguely remember something but may be imagining it. I put it down to old age and was going to search Dizzy’s posts later.
Her occasional posting becomes an advantage as she doesn’t post lots of irrelevant sh!t. :oops:

itboffin

irrelevant or FACTS you didnt need to know ...?

dizzydane

Veronese68 wrote:

Her occasional posting becomes an advantage as she doesn’t post lots of irrelevant sh!t. :oops:

Thanks Veronese68, if only my online presence reflected my true personality Posted on the 'drinks chat' to refresh the conversation. Life keeps me from getting caught up in the online world.

anonymousblackfg

Ah yes, I am guilty of having done naff all about this. Same plan, no confirmation that Big Smoke have taken over this pub yet so venue is out for debate... See thread for details

LETS GO FOR DRINKS ON THE 20TH

veronese68

dizzydane wrote:

Veronese68 wrote:

Her occasional posting becomes an advantage as she doesn’t post lots of irrelevant sh!t. :oops:

Thanks Veronese68, if only my online presence reflected my true personality Posted on the 'drinks chat' to refresh the conversation. Life keeps me from getting caught up in the online world.

No problem, well done and congratulations on having a life

sgt.pepper

What score does my dynamo add to the 10 speed's FCN?

inbike

The royal parks are putting together a movent strategy.

https://www.royalparks.org.uk/managing- ... t-strategy

Definitely worth filling out the survey.

mattsaw

An impromptu drag race down Castelnau this morning picked up a handful of medals.

Technically I think it was a draw, morally I think he takes the kudos as he still had breath left at the end.

rower63

inbike wrote:

The royal parks are putting together a movent strategy.

https://www.royalparks.org.uk/managing- ... t-strategy

Definitely worth filling out the survey.

God, the language that these people use:

"how ... visitors will ... experience the parks"

"... to explore ... movement opportunities. Input from key stakeholders ..."

"Engagement"

frogonabike

I've been trying to use my commutes as training a bit recently and thought I'd do some interval efforts this morning... this caused some accidental SCR when an older (than me) chap on something aero over took me while I was taking it easy but took offence to me passing him on the slight climb through Hyde Park I hadn't even realised he was sucking my wheel so was a bit surprised when I eased up and he shot past!! If I'd have known he was there I would have kept going... Couldn't let it end there so hammered him on the next short section then filtered my way to victory 8)

anonymousblackfg

Top ride in, I saw Mike on his bling fixie almost come unstuck trying to beat a man with a cracking mullet getting into the Oval bike lane.

Then great bit of shouting with Uber on Uber crash (v.minor) on the official sex panther bypass.

mamil314

Sgt.Pepper wrote:

What score does my dynamo add to the 10 speed's FCN?

Do you ride a lot in the dark or just got fed up with the charging?

tgotb

Following the introduction of a 20p charge to use the loos,

inbike wrote:

The royal parks are putting together a movent strategy.

rower63

i suggested the big parks, bushy and richmond, only open their gates to motor vehicles at 0930 and close them at 1600, to exclude commuter traffic

london-red

rower63 wrote:

i suggested the big parks, bushy and richmond, only open their gates to motor vehicles at 0930 and close them at 1600, to exclude commuter traffic

I'm not sure that's the best solution though as it will just clog up surrounding residential areas, increase pollution in the streets where we and our kids live and potentially lead to accidents.

Can't see what the benefit is either, other than to give cyclists a nicer commute. It's already fine IMO at that time, it's when you get out of the park that the cluster begins...

mattsaw

A lot of runners and dog walkers are in well before then. Also the lunatics charging about with enormous cameras trying to win Countryfile photography competitions.

If they could find a workable low-cost way of allowing traffic but dissuading the park from being used as a rat run would be the fairest for all.

frogonabike

I think someone on here recently suggested ANPR that only allows you to exit via the same gate you came in to stop people using it as a rat run. Seems the most sensible/easiest to implement idea I've heard

rower63

frogonabike wrote:

I think someone on here recently suggested ANPR that only allows you to exit via the same gate you came in to stop people using it as a rat run. Seems the most sensible/easiest to implement idea I've heard

yes I was going to suggest in the survey too that while the gates are closed 0930 to 1600, the car parks' exits to the rest of the park could be closed to allow in parking-only traffic

cjcp

BergGG wrote:

J_MCD wrote:

On a less happy note, I get the feeling I'm going to be VERY annoyed by the Barnes Bridge delays before 3 years is out. The traffic down LRR was horrific today.

[SORRY FOR THE INTERRUPTION - LONGTIME LURKER CURIOSITY POST]
Out of interest for all those suffering with LRR, have you thought about taking advantage and switching the route to go over Hammersmith Bridge instead? The main road up to it now on Castlenau is a good long stretch, w. bus lane & traffic free and then there's the joy of crossing the bridge itself sans cars and pedestrians.

How bad it would be from there to re-join your various routes? The road east via High Street Ken and Knightsbridge is not great but you do go past Hyde Park, Royal Albert Hall etc and then looks kind of fun, maybe.. to re-join the velo autobahn at Westminster via Consitution hill & Regents Park, or Trafalgar Sq via the Mall. Guess it's longer and more fiddly but could be a bit of occasional light relief to the LRR grind.

Last went up Castlenau and over Hammersmith Bridge as a trial-run the day before they shut Putney Bridge back in, what, 2014 or 2015.

The roundabout under the flyover, even on a Sunday, wasn't to my liking, but, given the shambles along Chelsea Embankment too, I'm considering a route... *shudders*... south of the river, all the way to Vauxhaull Bridge.

But this represents change. And we all know that change is bad.

inbike

London-Red wrote:

rower63 wrote:

i suggested the big parks, bushy and richmond, only open their gates to motor vehicles at 0930 and close them at 1600, to exclude commuter traffic

I'm not sure that's the best solution though as it will just clog up surrounding residential areas, increase pollution in the streets where we and our kids live and potentially lead to accidents.

Removing traffic from the parks will make cycle commuting look more attractive (as it'll be much faster than driving) encouraging more people out of their cars onto bikes or PT and lowering overall pollution.

The solution to the problem you raise (traffic diverted onto unsuitable residential streets) is to filter or slow those as well so that through-drivers stick to trunk roads where they belong.

tgotb

cjcp wrote:

The roundabout under the flyover, even on a Sunday, wasn't to my liking,

OT - I once rode over the flyover; it was about midnight, there was a bit of a tailwind, and it's 2 lanes each way with a 30mph speed limit. I was probably doing 25mph, so I figured it would be quicker and safer than the gyratory system. What I didn't account for was the lack of speed cameras, which meant that most of the cars were actually doing 60+mph. Combined with poor sight lines and drivers using the full width of both lanes to take a "racing line", it was an experience I don't wish to repeat...