Silly commuting racing

rick_chasey

Commuting to the parents in civies to work without a toddler creating havok.

In normal clothes, flats on and SS with clipless pedals and wearing a fat rucksack.

Kept a full lycra no rucksack roadie honest, even if he definitely tried to drop me. No such luck, my friend.

Turned off just as I got a good couple bike lengths on him - in my mind that was him surrendering but who knows.

kingstonian

Yesterday was my first commute since 13th March 2020. Moved company during Covid but the route is largely the same - Kingston to Liverpool St rather than London Bridge. Used the gravel bike to haul 11kgs of paraphernalia to the office. Noticed the vastly increased rolling resistance but still put an SCR shift in.

Ride home in the evening was awful - traffic felt as bad as ever.

veronese68

Oooh, I remember this thread. Must have felt odd going into an office after so long. I've been doing twice a week as punishment for knowing stuff not many others do. Not heading into London, but I'd say traffic going out to Feltham has been almost to pre-covid levels this month. The good news for me is it's almost all 20mph roads so I can keep to the speed limit most of the way in.

wolfsbane2k

Due to a small "magic smoke" leakage from the magical motoring machine yesterday, had to ride in today.
It wasn't pleasant, as i'm so unfit, but nobody managed to overtake me - (I think that's cos they were all in bed still, but shush)

hopkinb

I'm back 3 days a week. Fancy new indoor storage, proper lockers, kit dryers, and showers. Quite a few cyclists, especially in the morning. Loads more red light jumping, few to zero quicker riders, p!ss poor "segregation" along most of CS7. Motor traffic awful until stockwell ish.

hopkinb

Not only are all the segregated bits and "bus stop bypasses" full of glass, after a night of rain, they are full of standing water! Hurrah.

smokey_bacon

3 days a week for me too. The segregation is pure comedy in most places. The bus stop things remind me of a ghetto version of the water jump in a steeplechase. The bit around the light at Kennington is possible the most pointless thing ive ever seen. Not that many cyclists out when im out though.....small mercies!

mpdouglas

It's been a few years since I've posted here, but I'm back on 3 days a week. It feels increasingly like anarchy on the roads, especially going home (to Surbiton) in the evening. There's crazy sh1t going on all the way to Putney, on a daily basis, before it finally starts to calm down. I set off at 6am on Monday morning this week and loved the tranquility compared to my more usual 7:00/7:30 start.

I didn't enjoy running over a badger last week in the middle of Richmond Park. It luckily held back momentarily so didn't go under my front wheel, but its attempt to sneak through in the gap between my wheels didn't work. Sickening bump and crunch as my back wheel rode over it. I went back to see what harm I'd done, but it was nowhere to be seen. They're pretty hardy, so maybe it got away with it.

The pacy riders seem to be coming back slowly so there are some days when SCR can resume. I'm on a bright blue Trek Domane with full mudguards for those that go in to London over Putney Bridge/and along the embankment past Millbank.

seanoconn

mpdouglas said:

It's been a few years since I've posted here, but I'm back on 3 days a week. It feels increasingly like anarchy on the roads, especially going home (to Surbiton) in the evening. There's crazy censored going on all the way to Putney, on a daily basis, before it finally starts to calm down. I set off at 6am on Monday morning this week and loved the tranquility compared to my more usual 7:00/7:30 start.

I didn't enjoy running over a badger last week in the middle of Richmond Park. It luckily held back momentarily so didn't go under my front wheel, but its attempt to sneak through in the gap between my wheels didn't work. Sickening bump and crunch as my back wheel rode over it. I went back to see what harm I'd done, but it was nowhere to be seen. They're pretty hardy, so maybe it got away with it.

The pacy riders seem to be coming back slowly so there are some days when SCR can resume. I'm on a bright blue Trek Domane with full mudguards for those that go in to London over Putney Bridge/and along the embankment past Millbank.

I do Chessington/Surbiton to Putney regularly through Richmond park. You won’t see me at 6am though! Lucky the Badger didn’t slash a tyre as you rode over him, they’re mean.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

River Itchen has timed a high tide with today's storm, had to wade through almost knee deep water on the riverside cycle path near Northam bridge on the way home... Won't be able to wear those trousers or MTB shoes tomorow morning!

daveholla

Shout out to the absolute pr!ck on the Cervelo S5 on the CS7 who nearly hit into an old lady crossing on a flashing amber just after Stockwell going southbound; ignored my warnings and didn't exactly swerve to avoid her. 10 seconds later is having an argument with a moped about something when he was clearly riding like a tw@t. I caught up him and told him what I thought yet he laughed it off and tried to barge me (?). Found him on Strava but thought better of making a deal as he knows what he's done. Absolute knob, full kit rapha and no idea.

Tashman

Does a school minibus over the full 26km distance of the commute count? 1st passed him at 1 of his local pick ups then to'd and fro'd with him each time he stopped to collect at various villages. He made up a lot of time passing me along the A27 into Brighton then I made my final victorious pass on the Falmer-Woodingdean shared path (recently upgraded to tarmac from gravel, lovely) whilst he queued in the traffic on the parallel road

wolfsbane2k

Tashman said:

Does a school minibus over the full 26km distance of the commute count? 1st passed him at 1 of his local pick ups then to'd and fro'd with him each time he stopped to collect at various villages. He made up a lot of time passing me along the A27 into Brighton then I made my final victorious pass on the Falmer-Woodingdean shared path (recently upgraded to tarmac from gravel, lovely) whilst he queued in the traffic on the parallel road

Yes, that definately counts... and even better, you get an extra point for all the kids on board too!

(hadn't realised you were over that way... I ain't ridden up to woodingdean for a while... many fond memories of the movie rental place up there)

Tashman

wolfsbane2k said:

Tashman said:

(hadn't realised you were over that way... I ain't ridden up to woodingdean for a while... many fond memories of the movie rental place up there)

I'm north of Lewes at home so it's a decent, lumpy ride into the office in Brighton

wolfsbane2k

Tashman said:

I'm north of Lewes at home so it's a decent, lumpy ride into the office in Brighton

Yowch, aye, that's a lump and a half! The decent from woodingdean is smile inducing though ( until you suffer brake fade...) although not sure about it on the shared path.

veronese68

Daughter is in her first year at Sussex uni so I've been down there a bit lately, that is definitely quite lumpy around Falmer.

Tashman

wolfsbane2k said:

Tashman said:

I'm north of Lewes at home so it's a decent, lumpy ride into the office in Brighton

Yowch, aye, that's a lump and a half! The decent from woodingdean is smile inducing though ( until you suffer brake fade...) although not sure about it on the shared path.

Discs have yet to fade on me down there yet. Wilson Ave heading down to the Marina is my downhill of choice into East Brighton. Mostly sensible drivers appear to realise that I'm going at a decent lick and there's no need to try and pass.

Tashman

veronese68 said:

Daughter is in her first year at Sussex uni so I've been down there a bit lately, that is definitely quite lumpy around Falmer.

It is indeed, you'd think I'd be better at climbing by now but I still struggle up inclines.

kingstongraham

My first commute for 27 months today. Very happy. And happy to be working in an air conditioned office today.

seanoconn

kingstongraham said:

My first commute for 27 months today. Very happy. And happy to be working in an air conditioned office today.

I expect your contribution to the small races thread none the less.

monkimark

I had planned a cycle in today but suspected broken thumb has put paid to that idea.

Am i right in thinking Hammersmith bridge if reopened to cyclists now? I have been using an alternative route since it shut but I read yesterday that it has been reopen for months - much prefer the richmond park commute if it is available

kingstongraham

seanoconn said:

kingstongraham said:

My first commute for 27 months today. Very happy. And happy to be working in an air conditioned office today.

I expect your contribution to the small races thread none the less.

Don't worry. I was in the office yesterday and still managed to see two race finishes.

abishek_l

monkimark said:

I had planned a cycle in today but suspected broken thumb has put paid to that idea.

Am i right in thinking Hammersmith bridge if reopened to cyclists now? I have been using an alternative route since it shut but I read yesterday that it has been reopen for months - much prefer the richmond park commute if it is available

It has been open for a long while for cyclists.

kingstongraham

abishek_l said:

monkimark said:

I had planned a cycle in today but suspected broken thumb has put paid to that idea.

Am i right in thinking Hammersmith bridge if reopened to cyclists now? I have been using an alternative route since it shut but I read yesterday that it has been reopen for months - much prefer the richmond park commute if it is available

It has been open for a long while for cyclists.

It's open but you need to walk your bike across, and there's even a one way system for pedestrians.

monkimark

I'll take that if it means i get to cycle through the park and up Castlenau (which I guess doesn't have much traffic) rather than through Putney high street.

Not sure how I missed the reopening, guess I stopped looking once I heard it was closed indefinitely.

thanks chaps.

abishek_l

kingstongraham said:

abishek_l said:

monkimark said:

I had planned a cycle in today but suspected broken thumb has put paid to that idea.

Am i right in thinking Hammersmith bridge if reopened to cyclists now? I have been using an alternative route since it shut but I read yesterday that it has been reopen for months - much prefer the richmond park commute if it is available

It has been open for a long while for cyclists.

It's open but you need to walk your bike across, and there's even a one way system for pedestrians.

Was that recent? Because the last time I went, a couple of months back, they had opened the main road for walking and cycling traffic. I remember it was as you suggest when they first opened it for access.

kingstongraham

Castelnau was indeed VERY quiet this morning.

msmancunia

So.... it's been quite a while since I paid a visit - lots of new names and nice to see some familiar ones :-D Lost my bike mojo a fair bit over the past couple of years when I left a certain sports federation but it's reappeared with a new job and new cycle to work facilities. Mainly riding to work along a canal towpath for six or seven miles these days but having issues with wrist/hand pain. If anyone has any recommendations for decent padded fingerless gloves would appreciate a heads up. Or just come and say hello and tell me off for not logging in since 2019!

veronese68

Hey MSM, noticed you'd been using your feet more recently when I see you pop up on Strava. Hope all is well and you're enjoying the new job.
I was struggling with wrist/hand pain after being knocked off and breaking my wrist (scaphoid) a couple of years back. I found angle of the bars made a bigger difference than gloves. Drop bars were better than flat bars on my MTB or town bike, but I had to tweak the position for a bit by rotating the bars back a bit. They are now back to normal, but I still can't use completely flat bars. Gloves will be more likely to help with tingling or pins and needles but I don't think they will help if it's joint pain as that's deeper. Hope that makes sense.

msmancunia

Hi Veronese! Glad to hear you are still on two wheels and sorry about your "off" - scaphoid's a tricky one. Thanks for the tip about the bars - will have a fiddle with that. Boyfriend has matched the CX canal bike seat position with my Bianchi which is really comfy, so seeing if that helps too. Not sure if the pain is due to riding or a bit of RSI - am doing a lot of typing in the new job. How are the kids doing these days?