Silly commuting racing

mtb-idle

anonymousblackfg said:

Christ, got enough # in there...

yup, the 'gram is all about the #

smokey_bacon

Lovely tailwind in this morning. Not having ridden in a week or so I had fun with new embankment layout in the run up to Battersea bridge.

Also........fun times https://road.cc/content/news/271405-london-bridge-be-closed-all-traffic-bikes-buses-and-cabs-essential-waterproofing

itboffin

smokey_bacon said:

Lovely tailwind in this morning. Not having ridden in a week or so I had fun with new embankment layout in the run up to Battersea bridge.

Also........fun times https://road.cc/content/news/271405-london-bridge-be-closed-all-traffic-bikes-buses-and-cabs-essential-waterproofing

What are they doing, covering the whole bridge in left over blue cycle lane paint?

rower63

The new Kings Road expanded traffic island layout at the junction between Tadema Road and Kings Road is a complete mess. Large vehicles coming from the Embankment trying to turn right into Kings Road now don't have enough space to turn right. This morning an articulated lorry got stuck, front wheels on the opposite pavement and unable to even use the pavement because of a blocking pillar or railing. And on Tuesday, a coach had to do a three-point turn to make it round. Someone's got their sums wrong...

mpdouglas

rower63 said:

The new Kings Road expanded traffic island layout at the junction between Tadema Road and Kings Road is a complete mess. ...

I couldn't agree more. Yet more evidence (if any were needed) that this whole country is run by cretinous idiots. Those crossing islands needed zero modification. The expansion of them has now made it much harder (almost impossible) for cyclists to filter to the advanced stop box, long vehicles cannot turn out of side streets, and all done for zero benefit to anyone. I have never, in nine years of cycling on that route, noted a surplus of pedestrians that suggested the islands needed to be larger. Yet in a land where we have constrained budgets, we have councillors prioritising pointless work like this over basics like fixing the multitude of potholes the size of open cast mines! It beggars belief.

jonginge

Agreed. It's an awful piece of work

asprilla

Looks like they took the feedback from 2018 consultation on board:

https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/roads/edith-grove/

jonginge

Yep, the extended island blocks entry to the ASZ from the right :sigh:

wolfsbane2k

40mph head wind - and I was acting as the wind block for someone on an ebike for about 1.5km, who didn't take any time on the front. Sods.

kingstonian

After being away for a week it was sheer delight to see the bloody road is being dug up again just before Battersea Bridge. Looks like the road will be out of action for some time too as they're replacing some bloody big pipes (as you can tell, I missed my calling as an engineer).

Is anyone trying a detour, or just putting up with weaving through the cones etc?

rower63

kingstonian said:

After being away for a week it was sheer delight to see the bloody road is being dug up again just before Battersea Bridge. Looks like the road will be out of action for some time too as they're replacing some bloody big pipes (as you can tell, I missed my calling as an engineer).

Is anyone trying a detour, or just putting up with weaving through the cones etc?

I use Millman's Street...

asprilla

rower63 said:

kingstonian said:

After being away for a week it was sheer delight to see the bloody road is being dug up again just before Battersea Bridge. Looks like the road will be out of action for some time too as they're replacing some bloody big pipes (as you can tell, I missed my calling as an engineer).

Is anyone trying a detour, or just putting up with weaving through the cones etc?

I use Millman's Street...

I forgot that this morning and just followed the crowd. Was too late to turn around when I realised, so instead I just annoyed traffic, pedestrians and waved at the workman who was filming us all.

By the looks of things it's two separate bits of work, gas pipe replacement and TFL resurfacing the bit by Lots Road, and installing a 'signalised' crossing but it doesn't say which crossing they are replacing.

Works are due to finish 21/4. Would be nice if they actually put diversion signs in.

kingstonian

rower63 said:

kingstonian said:

After being away for a week it was sheer delight to see the bloody road is being dug up again just before Battersea Bridge. Looks like the road will be out of action for some time too as they're replacing some bloody big pipes (as you can tell, I missed my calling as an engineer).

Is anyone trying a detour, or just putting up with weaving through the cones etc?

I use Millman's Street...

Will give that a go tomorrow - thanks !

cjcp

rower63 said:

kingstonian said:

After being away for a week it was sheer delight to see the bloody road is being dug up again just before Battersea Bridge. Looks like the road will be out of action for some time too as they're replacing some bloody big pipes (as you can tell, I missed my calling as an engineer).

Is anyone trying a detour, or just putting up with weaving through the cones etc?

I use Millman's Street...

That's the one I used yesterday, but purely by luck.

What's the idea behind that expanded island? Do you they not know that massive vehicles swing right to make the left turn?

Also saw a fella pedalling with his right leg, whilst carrying a crutch and his backpack. Solid effort.

rower63

Uncommon amount of RLJ-ing left right and centre today, even from people dressed and equipped to know better...

martinc

Big yellow ball in sky?What that then?

kingstongraham

Forgot about the deer cull, and ended up going over Kingston Hill outside the park. That bike lane is a real half-arsed effort. Where it's there and not full of a puddle, it's fine, but who decided that the middle of a bus lane was the ideal place to put bus stop signs?

martinc

Aye, that bit coming down Kingston Hill towards at Kingston Lodge before hospital -
Bus stop signs right in middle of lane just before kerb drop where you may be shoulder-checking. Saw it from car last week and thought it looked lethal. Muppets.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Sorry all, I swapped out my Gravdal ice tyre for a 50mm Schwalbe Century on Sunday on the commuter, resulting in yellow ice warning across the south coast tonight until mid morning tomorrow.

It's certainly forecast to be a chilly start around Southampton, approx +3C feels like -3C at 0600.

It's only a ~5min job and I really should do it, but swapping back to the ice tyre feels like such a drag in multiple ways.

itboffin

martinc said:

Big yellow ball in sky?What that then?

Fake news

kingstonian

That headwind. Two nights in a row is just rude. As were the wheelsuckers.

jonginge

itboffin said:

anonymousblackfg said:

10 weeks till my annual cycling jolly, motivation to cut the food intake but christ it's grim and knackering.

I'm with you on that, my club annual epic this year is coast to ² East to West across France taking in both the Alps & Pyrenees, i need to loss at least 20lbs by July, its going to be a brutal journey

Sounds epic.Sounds hard work

asprilla

Left late this morning. Last commute in for a while as I become a gentleman of leisure (hopefully not for too long) and I wasn't really motivated.

Weather app said last night were were due sleet and raid today so I'd laid out all my waterproof kit. Obviously that changed and so I had to change too before I left. Then I lost a glove and it took me ages to find that. Shambles.

Advertised tailwind didn't really feel like it. Picked up a drafting fairy on Lower Kings Road in Kingston who stuck there until we were heading towards Pen Ponds when a faster wheel came past and he jumped on that. And blew himself up. Overtook him again on the way up to the ballet school and he didn't get on this time. Satisfying.

Managed to remember to go down Millman Street today.

Waiting patiently for the peds at the crossing from Westminster Bridge having come up the road from Parliament Square and I notice the chap next to me in black and yellow kit; long ginger hair and and mk1 Scott CR1. I wonder if that's #woosh off into the distance# jonginge. Probably. He put about 25m into me and I couldn't bring it back for traffic. He made it over the crossing at Blackfriars and I didn't.

jonginge

~Waves~ Sounds like me. A rare appearance of the flouro kit today. Because we waited for the last of the peds it was a clear run to the chicane

silverstreak

asprilla said:

Advertised tailwind didn't really feel like it. Picked up a drafting fairy on Lower Kings Road in Kingston who stuck there until we were heading towards Pen Ponds when a faster wheel came past and he jumped on that. And blew himself up. Overtook him again on the way up to the ballet school and he didn't get on this time. Satisfying.
.

Likewise. Felt done out of the tailwind coming across RP. I think the faster wheel was NH. He was about a minute or so ahead of me in the park. Not someone you want to tag on the back off unless you’re up for a proper workout!

wolfsbane2k

N0bodyOfTheGoat said:

Sorry all, I swapped out my Gravdal ice tyre for a 50mm Schwalbe Century on Sunday on the commuter, resulting in yellow ice warning across the south coast tonight until mid morning tomorrow.

It's certainly forecast to be a chilly start around Southampton, approx +3C feels like -3C at 0600.

It's only a ~5min job and I really should do it, but swapping back to the ice tyre feels like such a drag in multiple ways.

So that's your fault.
I'd gone and refitted the cranks and pedals to the MTB and swap the wheels to the those fitted with spikers last night in prep, only to walk out into sunshine. Ah well, will at least take the pedals off this evening as too many bikes in the garage is now becoming an access problem.

wolfsbane2k

Little bit of SCR this morning - tailed by another E-biker who caught up and overtook easily on the uphills, who I then caught on the downhills, only to repeat again on the next 3 hills, until eventually the string snapped and I couldn't haul him back in again.

Nice chat though about how his e-bike had given him his ability to ride back again, rather than struggling to ride because of pain from knackered knees.

itboffin

jonginge said:

itboffin said:

anonymousblackfg said:

10 weeks till my annual cycling jolly, motivation to cut the food intake but christ it's grim and knackering.

I'm with you on that, my club annual epic this year is coast to ² East to West across France taking in both the Alps & Pyrenees, i need to loss at least 20lbs by July, its going to be a brutal journey

Sounds epic.Sounds hard work

Sounded like a great idea at the time I agreed to do it, not so much now

cjcp

asprilla said:

Left late this morning. Last commute in for a while as I become a gentleman of leisure (hopefully not for too long) and I wasn't really motivated.

Weather app said last night were were due sleet and raid today so I'd laid out all my waterproof kit. Obviously that changed and so I had to change too before I left. Then I lost a glove and it took me ages to find that. Shambles.

Advertised tailwind didn't really feel like it. Picked up a drafting fairy on Lower Kings Road in Kingston who stuck there until we were heading towards Pen Ponds when a faster wheel came past and he jumped on that. And blew himself up. Overtook him again on the way up to the ballet school and he didn't get on this time. Satisfying.

Managed to remember to go down Millman Street today.

Waiting patiently for the peds at the crossing from Westminster Bridge having come up the road from Parliament Square and I notice the chap next to me in black and yellow kit; long ginger hair and and mk1 Scott CR1. I wonder if that's #woosh off into the distance# jonginge. Probably. He put about 25m into me and I couldn't bring it back for traffic. He made it over the crossing at Blackfriars and I didn't.

*MEEP, MEEP!*

N0bodyOfTheGoat

wolfsbane2k said:

N0bodyOfTheGoat said:

Sorry all, I swapped out my Gravdal ice tyre for a 50mm Schwalbe Century on Sunday on the commuter, resulting in yellow ice warning across the south coast tonight until mid morning tomorrow.

It's certainly forecast to be a chilly start around Southampton, approx +3C feels like -3C at 0600.

It's only a ~5min job and I really should do it, but swapping back to the ice tyre feels like such a drag in multiple ways.

So that's your fault.
I'd gone and refitted the cranks and pedals to the MTB and swap the wheels to the those fitted with spikers last night in prep, only to walk out into sunshine. Ah well, will at least take the pedals off this evening as too many bikes in the garage is now becoming an access problem.

Did the swap back last night and it was pretty fresh heading across the city at ~0600, but I'm not so sure I saw any ice, was quite pleasant outdoors from ~1000 to 1400 when the wind dropped a bit.

But the ride back up the hill home felt a slog, no doubt partially from work shift and yesterday's turbo session, but that draggy Gravdal didn't help... Neither did having a few packs of large Lidl tortilla wraps and the Boardman MTB trousers tucked inside my jacket!