Silly commuting racing

norks74

Kingstonian wrote:

Headwind was a bit heavier than expected tonight, was dripping with sweat by the time I got home

It's the time of year too where what's needed in the morning clothes-wise is pretty different to the home run for me. Was dribbling all over myself homeways this eve at a very slow pace in a long sleeved jersey. Next few days look very nice though weatherwise down in the south. Wind swinging around but hopefully quite benign. And lots of sun!

cruff

Down in That London on a training course this week. Did a base ride tonight round RP, then planned to do Hyde Park but the route I usually do was closed so did Serpentine then down past museums, Cromwell Rd and then Victoria Embankment. Ye Gods - the traffic is ten times worse than I remembered

Despatched anyone I encountered (somewhat unfairly as was on race bike) but the level of f**kwit riding seems to have been taken up a notch (perhaps in keeping with the traffic lunacy)

cjcp

Cruff wrote:

Down in That London on a training course this week. Did a base ride tonight round RP, then planned to do Hyde Park but the route I usually do was closed so did Serpentine then down past museums, Cromwell Rd and then Victoria Embankment. Ye Gods - the traffic is ten times worse than I remembered

Despatched anyone I encountered (somewhat unfairly as was on race bike) but the level of f**kwit riding seems to have been taken up a notch (perhaps in keeping with the traffic lunacy)

Yep, that's about right, although have a wander along the segregated bike lane from Westminster to the Tower of London to see the pedestrians enter the fray*.






* Don't do this.

cjcp

Norks74 wrote:

Kingstonian wrote:

Headwind was a bit heavier than expected tonight, was dripping with sweat by the time I got home

It's the time of year too where what's needed in the morning clothes-wise is pretty different to the home run for me. Was dribbling all over myself homeways this eve at a very slow pace in a long sleeved jersey. Next few days look very nice though weatherwise down in the south. Wind swinging around but hopefully quite benign. And lots of sun!

Was told last night by a fellow commuter that he couldn't believe the amount of sweat coming off me. That was before the snot started to fly.

asprilla

Over cooked it this morning in RP. Well, actually it was my general physics calculations that failed me. Coming down Broomfield with some slow moving traffic in front I move to the right lane on the right hander to over take, I start to pass the last vehicle, a flat bed, as we approach the left hander and I can see a car coming the other way. It felt like the truck accelerated but it probably didn't or if it did it was just gravity and I can't see the car coming the other way any more. I brake. So does the truck so we are still level. I can't scrub speed off quickly enough to get back in behind so I spy a gentle ramp in the grass on the right and take some impromptu CX practice.

Conclusion; I got a bit carried away, made a poor judgement and ended up looking an arse. Fortunately that's all.

cjcp

I haven't the energy to get up Dark Hill in order to ride down Broomfield in the morning.

Close pass less less than half a mile from my house, plus a dirty look to boot to suggest I'm taking up the road.

Complete sense of humour failure.

m00k

Asprilla wrote:

Think I was behind Pearcy in the park this morning.

One does not *think* they are behind Pearcy, the calves are a dead give-away

..that and the pace...

m00k

Asprilla wrote:

Think I was behind Pearcy in the park this morning.

One does not *think* they are behind Pearcy, the calves are a dead give-away

..that and the pace...

asprilla

m00k wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

Think I was behind Pearcy in the park this morning.

One does not *think* they are behind Pearcy, the calves are a dead give-away

..that and the pace...

He must have been on a recovery day.

cjcp wrote:

I haven't the energy to get up Dark Hill in order to ride down Broomfield in the morning.

Pen Ponds is closed that the moment isn't it? Must put paid to your Spankers loops.

cjcp

Asprilla wrote:

m00k wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

Think I was behind Pearcy in the park this morning.

One does not *think* they are behind Pearcy, the calves are a dead give-away

..that and the pace...

He must have been on a recovery day.

cjcp wrote:

I haven't the energy to get up Dark Hill in order to ride down Broomfield in the morning.

Pen Ponds is closed that the moment isn't it? Must put paid to your Spankers loops.

It is, and it does. Grrr.

And also for my loops with the youngest. Double grrr.

rower63

Asprilla wrote:

I start to pass the last vehicle, a flat bed, as we approach the left hander and I can see a car coming the other way. It felt like the truck accelerated but it probably didn't or if it did it was just gravity and I can't see the car coming the other way any more. I brake. So does the truck so we are still level. I can't scrub speed off quickly enough to get back in behind to a spy a gentle ramp in the grass on the right and take some impromptu CX practice...

If you had started to pass that truck and then found yourself making no progress then it must have accelerated - you are more aerodynamic than a flat-bed I think. Why would it then brake if it had a clear road in front of it? It sounds not unfeasible the driver was having a bit of sport with your life...

cjcp

Was the truck delivering materials to the road repair site? If not, what was the truck doing there?

asprilla

rower63 wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

I start to pass the last vehicle, a flat bed, as we approach the left hander and I can see a car coming the other way. It felt like the truck accelerated but it probably didn't or if it did it was just gravity and I can't see the car coming the other way any more. I brake. So does the truck so we are still level. I can't scrub speed off quickly enough to get back in behind to a spy a gentle ramp in the grass on the right and take some impromptu CX practice...

If you had started to pass that truck and then found yourself making no progress then it must have accelerated - you are more aerodynamic than a flat-bed I think. Why would it then brake if it had a clear road in front of it? It sounds not unfeasible the driver was having a bit of sport with your life...

Not unfeasible, but I'm all for giving the benefit of the doubt. When I started the whole manoeuvre I figured it was going to be quite close. Could simply be that he braked for the right hander which is when I was calculating whether I could make it, took his foot off the brake between the corners and then braked again for the left hander.

cjcp wrote:

Was the truck delivering materials to the road repair site? If not, what was the truck doing there?

No idea. He slowed for deer by the side of the road between there and Robin Hood RBT so I was back on the road and then past all off the traffic including him well before the he would have turned off. There have been a lot of commercial vehicles in the park recently. Actually saw some Rozzers there yesterday, probably the first time in a year.

Pearcy

Asprilla wrote:

m00k wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

Think I was behind Pearcy in the park this morning.

One does not *think* they are behind Pearcy, the calves are a dead give-away

..that and the pace...

He must have been on a recovery day.

Fairly hard to be mistaken

Seem to recall passing a few cars along priory and dispatching the guy in the orange poc helmet that wasn’t rower63.

tgotb

Norks74 wrote:

It's the time of year too where what's needed in the morning clothes-wise is pretty different to the home run for me. Was dribbling all over myself homeways this eve at a very slow pace in a long sleeved jersey.

We have this exact conversation every September: Arm warmers (and a gilet if necessary).

In the hope of pre-empting the conversation we have every October: Leg warmers.

kingstonian

Pen Ponds being closed led me to doing a bit of CX action on my home last night, most annoying as I was already late

kingstonian

On the point of commercial vehicles in RP, there are loads of them every morning. It really can't be that hard for a rozzer to be on the road between Kingston Gate and Richmond Gate from 7am for a couple of hours and pull them over (get them to park up in Pembroke Lodge car park) and whack them with a ticket. It would only take doing that for a few days to cut the numbers down

-Dash

Asprilla wrote:

m00k wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

Think I was behind Pearcy in the park this morning.

One does not *think* they are behind Pearcy, the calves are a dead give-away

..that and the pace...

He must have been on a recovery day.

cjcp wrote:

I haven't the energy to get up Dark Hill in order to ride down Broomfield in the morning.

Pen Ponds is closed that the moment isn't it? Must put paid to your Spankers loops.

Closed? It was open Tuesday morning though I did see an orange hivis vest man with a bicycle parked against the gates after the turning for the ballet school stopping riders coming down the hill for some reason or another. He didn't stop me coming up.

Kingstonian wrote:

On the point of commercial vehicles in RP, there are loads of them every morning. It really can't be that hard for a rozzer to be on the road between Kingston Gate and Richmond Gate from 7am for a couple of hours and pull them over (get them to park up in Pembroke Lodge car park) and whack them with a ticket. It would only take doing that for a few days to cut the numbers down

I have seen them doing this occasionally but generally after 8am and it seems to take them 15mins+ to deal with one driver. Meanwhile lots more are driving by.

asprilla

-Dash wrote:

Closed? It was open Tuesday morning though I did see an orange hivis vest man with a bicycle parked against the gates after the turning for the ballet school stopping riders coming down the hill for some reason or another. He didn't stop me coming up.

11th to the 14th for road repairs. Barriers across the road by the ballet school end of the car park, on the road down to Robin Hood gate and also on the shared path junction heading towards Ham Cross. A bit of judicious CX taking the gravel paths at either end of the car park means it's not really a problem for those heading from Sheen Cross to Ham Cross.

tgotb

Asprilla wrote:

11th to the 14th for road repairs. Barriers across the road by the ballet school end of the car park, on the road down to Robin Hood gate and also on the shared path junction heading towards Ham Cross. A bit of judicious CX taking the gravel paths at either end of the car park means it's not really a problem for those heading from Sheen Cross to Ham Cross.

I always use that junction to practice my cornering - grippy, decent sight lines, and a run-out that's messy enough to make you commit to the corner without actually being dangerous. Taking it at speed will be a total nightmare if, as I suspect, they chip & seal it...

kingstonian

they don't seem to be doing the whole road, just patches here and there, so it will be an inconsistent surface

rower63

Someone I follow on Strava titled his ride in RP yesterday evening:

"Afternoon Ride: saw a cyclist speared by a deer on Broomfield Hill in Richmond Park, not sure if he was cycling or taking a picture of it. Look to be is a lot of pain, hope he’s OK."

with an added comment:

[seemed OK] "... he had enough nous/sense to run to the nearest tree to hide from the deer. He was clasping at his left ribs when I left him. The police came less than a minute later so should be in good hands."

take care folks

asprilla

I might start going via Sawyers. If those ones at the bottom of Broomfield have a taste for human blood then I'm not going anywhere near them.

tgotb

rower63 wrote:

The police came less than a minute later so should be in good hands.

Call me a cynic, but I bet the deer doesn't even get a driving ban...

mamil314

Slap on a .. hoof.

itboffin

What makes people think those deer are any different to the rest of the wild deer in the country, they're not pets FFS

tgotb

itboffin wrote:

What makes people think those deer are any different to the rest of the wild deer in the country, they're not pets FFS

Actually, they are different. You have to work pretty hard to get within 100 yards of a proper wild deer, the ones in RP don't give a s**t, and this year they seem to be "friendlier" than ever. The ones in Bushy Park are worse, mind you, I've seen them steal food from people's picnics. I guess that's down to stupid tourists popping over from Hampton Court...

itboffin

TGOTB wrote:

itboffin wrote:

What makes people think those deer are any different to the rest of the wild deer in the country, they're not pets FFS

Actually, they are different. You have to work pretty hard to get within 100 yards of a proper wild deer, the ones in RP don't give a s**t, and this year they seem to be "friendlier" than ever. The ones in Bushy Park are worse, mind you, I've seen them steal food from people's picnics. I guess that's down to stupid tourists popping over from Hampton Court...

Now that i disagree with the wild deer and boar out here have become very bold and dont all run off immediately especially the boar, they can and do stand their ground.

The sneaky deer love to jump out into the road straight into you or your car, i've been here 13 years and have seen an unbelievable increase in traffic down every little back lane, perhaps that is making them less scared.

itboffin

Same for the buzzards and red kites, i rode right up to one sat by the side of the road before it flew away.

cruff

I played golf in RP about ten years back and they were literally sat five feet from the tee box on the 14th. Didn't move an inch when we teed off. I'd say that makes them a damn sight tamer than the ones on, say, the moorlands in Lancashire - when the only time you see one is at 5 in the morning in summer or when they've got spooked and belted by a car (usually leaving the car in not quite as bad a state, but still causing significant damage)