Silly commuting racing

greg66_tri_v2.0

I actually spoke to a fellow commuter last night! And not in a shouty "get the fcuk out of my way" kind of way.

I pulled up at Pt Sq, and what should I spy but a Carbon Soloist waiting at the lights. This gave me the oppo to ride up alongside and ask the question I've had "If that's your winter hack, what's your good bike?"

Had quite a nice run of two abreast (down, Mr. T) along the Embankment chatting about really interesting stuff like ride characteristics and vertical compliance before I peeled off.

And the really surprising thing was that he was a Dynamo!

Clever Pun

got to the junction of the A21 today and saw a roadie with no bag go past... looked like a prize scalp... I caught up with him at the traffic lights and he clocks me and looks like he means business. The lights change and as expected with gears he pulls away faster than me but quite a lot faster...hmm I hunker down and keep pace with him but he's quite far ahead and he's got massive legs which are pounding the pedals I increase the spin (stupid lack of gears) and start to reel the inches in we both fly by another roadie... scalp! but he's not the one I'm after.

I think I've got one last real gear in me so start it up and make a little headway but I'm tiring and NOOO he's gone and turned off I don't know if that's a blessing or not.. he got away... this time

tbf If I'd have caught him I'd have shot my bolt doing it and he'd have crushed me anyway

linsen

This is the first week this academic year I have not cycled to work once

So I have nothing to report

Is it too early to start tapering my training and carb-loading for an event in just over two weeks?

Coriander

Sorry, I've been rather tardy in saying so, but thank you very much for your birthday wishes on Wednesday.

As some of you may know, I suffer from rather bad depression; I always find my birthday a particularly difficult time, but it does help a lot receiving friendly thoughts.

Feltup

Took to the lanes last night and surprise surprise no other bikes in sight. Let's face it who else would be mad enough to cycle through the tree lined lanes in the chilterns in the dark? There were a surprising number of cars, half of which gave way or said thank you when I let them past and half who tried to force me off the road. Par for the course really! The highlight came on top of one of the ridges, there flying alongside me was a barn owl. It was no more than ten feet away and keeping pace until it had had enough and silently cruised off across the fields. Moments like that make riding bikes very special.

DonDaddyD

So, for me, the SCR 2009 season is in full swing and soon my first full week of cycling to work (since Novemeber) will have come to an end.

What have I learned.

My new lifestlye rocks!
I'm fitter and marginally faster than ever! A healthy diet is the starting point to a healthy mind, body and soul. - Introspectivly I'm spiritually charged. Physically I'm on fire" It's only the beginning! I haven't been able to absorb this much information and push my body this hard since the end of college and Uni (18 - 24).

As long as I keep my mind on the destination and my head on the open road. Try to anticipate everything, plan for the worst and embrace the best then every moment on my bike will be like living my childhood all over again!

How do I feel physically.

My thighs are huge! My knees are tight and everything tweaks, pulls and borders the line between pleasure and pain. Its been worth it! I feel power growing beneath the skin and once the muscles have rested... next week I should be faster and stronger than ever!

Where next?

"I am a leaf with no tree, I drift with the wind!" ~ Laurence 'DonDaddyD' W.

don_don

Coriander wrote:

Sorry, I've been rather tardy in saying so, but thank you very much for your birthday wishes on Wednesday.

I missed it, sorry...

Belated birthday wishes and a great big hug from me

prawny

SCALP! I scalped myself! :oops:

Second commute by road bike yesterday, I'm a wuss so i've been catching the train in and riding home till get get a bit fitter.

More like SCTT that SCR round my way at the mo so I'm tryin to beat my best time, yesterday 1h 18mins for 19.8 miles and just over 1000ft of climbin (700ft down too) fairly pleased. Best I managed by MTB was about 1hr 45!

Anyone else for Silly Commuter Time Trialing?

Jay dubbleU

Feltup wrote:

The highlight came on top of one of the ridges, there flying alongside me was a barn owl. It was no more than ten feet away and keeping pace until it had had enough and silently cruised off across the fields. Moments like that make riding bikes very special.

Cool - I nearly hit a deer on my nightly ride to meet Mrs JW from work on Monday night - three of them crossed the track just in front of me 8)

Bassjunkieuk

Not a bean this morning, but I was taking it easy as I was visiting a user on one of the many sites we support around the borough so I thought it would be rather unprofessional to turn up hot n sweaty!

Out for a ride with a m8 this evening who hasn't been riding for about a year...........should be a good chance to practise my pedalling technique ;-)

mapless

For 6 months now I've been commuting into London from Wiltshire (bit of train in the middle). I've been lurking here a while and must admit I love SCR. My total commute (on the bike) could be up to 50 miles but usually 30.

Apart from being dropped by the odd red light jumper, my record has been good having been scalped only once (see below), however last night I think one of you must of been in my midst. My usual haunt is Soho to Paddington + plus a few laps of Hyde Park and the back lanes of Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.

Although not scalped as such I was doing a steady 23 -25 mph around Hyde Park yesterday evening and spotted my prey, Roadie, although difficult to tell his stead in the dark. Anyway just as I got in front of him this guy bursts off at 30 mph before blowing up big time just before where I had to do a right turn. You know who you are and if wasn't for the fact I had a train to get you would have been mine. A very impressive kick and turn of speed nevertheless.

Before SCR my normal haunt(s) are the TT circuit and my stead(s) thus burdened at the top of the food chain. I have however dropped the FCN first to MTB with semi slicks and panniers, and now a X Bike with guards, panniers, and knobbly city tyres (Kona Jake the Snake), my fitness has improved beyond belief in terms of power output but this begs the question where do me and my stead sit in the food chain. Legs only shaved when the shorts come out in March.

PS I was scalped in the summer by a guy with a beard doing 35 mph+ on a Brompton. I spotted him at Paddington putting it on the train and it did have tiny electric motor attached (honest), impressed, more like gobsmacked, but in bits at the time needing a lie down having tried to catch him.

Bassjunkieuk

Welcome mapless, it sounds like your going to bring some interesting experiences and epic future battles to the board!

When you first mentioned 35 on a Brompton I did think it might have been are resident Bearded Brompton Bullet, CleverPun, but I don't think he goes over to Paddington so it might not have been him.

Just got off MSN with my friend about our ride this evening, he wants to go upto Clapham Junction.........I figure thats about 12 miles round trip if we make it there and back so should be good fun, so whilst I don't know the route we're taking we leave his house in South Norwood around 7 and head there and back so be warned if your in the area, I MIGHT BE SCALPING YOU!

biondino

BJUK, why on earth are you heading INTO town on a leisure ride?

Bassjunkieuk

It was my m8's decision, as I said he hasn't been on the bike for about a year so not wanting to do like JA did with his bro on the embankment and drop him silly I said he could lead. It's not set in stone yet and I imagine it might get a bit shorter as the weather looks like it's gonna turn.

DonDaddyD

5pm!

IT'S MORPHING TIME!!!

TEAM SCR GO!

Bassjunkieuk

DonDaddyD wrote:

5pm!

IT'S MORPHING TIME!!!

TEAM SCR GO!

I'm not sure if our "mature" members will understand this one but it made me smile imagining us all jumping around in lycra failing to scalp the baddies and then combining into a uber bike before scalping them for good :-)

itboffin

mapless

Wiltshire you say.... erm! where? times dates please, dum dee dum :roll:

@everyone
What all this just cruising in the mid 20's MPH - since when did everyone suddenly turn pro??? :evil:

itboffin

mapless wrote:

PS I was scalped in the summer by a guy with a beard doing 35 mph+ on a Brompton. I spotted him at Paddington putting it on the train and it did have tiny electric motor attached (honest), impressed, more like gobsmacked, but in bits at the time needing a lie down having tried to catch him.

That would be a nano Brompton, made in Marlborough http://www.nano-motor.co.uk/ and totally useless anywhere that's not completely flat.

biondino

itboffin wrote:

mapless

Wiltshire you say.... erm! where? times dates please, dum dee dum :roll:

@everyone
What all this just cruising in the mid 20's MPH - since when did everyone suddenly turn pro??? :evil:

I think it was you who started it with tales of enormous rings and 30mph uphill if memory serves...

itboffin

biondino wrote:

itboffin wrote:

mapless

Wiltshire you say.... erm! where? times dates please, dum dee dum :roll:

@everyone
What all this just cruising in the mid 20's MPH - since when did everyone suddenly turn pro??? :evil:

I think it was you who started it with tales of enormous rings and 30mph uphill if memory serves...

The MASSHOOF ring is history (for now) neither my back nor knees can handle it these days.

In fact this afternoon's ride was an all time low of 64GI and it's staying that way until the summer possibly longer.

I did manage the first 20 miles of my ride at an avg of 19.8mph - Buns would be proud

Bassjunkieuk

Did a ninja'd SS on the way home today :-) Say someone join the road ahead of me whilst waiting at some lights with a nice turn of speed but a decided lack of lights.
I had a guy on a full sus rig next to me that I'd binned on the dual carriageway section through town and had plans to lay down some awesome away from the lights (I'm feeling rather energetic!) to catch the tw4t with no lights ahead.

As I engage the warp drive away from the lights and everything goes blurry I start to spy the rider ahead filtering down the inside of traffic with the tiniest of glimmers of a triple LED light on the back. As I get closer it was then I spotted the distinct lack of gears and did dropped him on the small hump back bridge ahead.

He then decided that the pavement was fair game and went past on there as I was filtering past traffic and rejoined just ahead of me but I wasn't having any of it and turned up the speed again to get to the roundabout half a wheel ahead but needing to brake as my way wasn't clear and he just went straight over.........

Change of plans for ride this evening, now heading out to my m8's gym in Beckenham, decidely shorter ride!

jimmypippa

Ah, "thanks" for the answers,

It was as I suspected, I need to MTFU.

Actually thought that anyway, because today, trying to get home quickly, and getting uncomfortable, I shaved 7-mins off my usual time. :oops:

Slacker.

DonDaddyD

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

5pm!

IT'S MORPHING TIME!!!

TEAM SCR GO!

I'm not sure if our "mature" members will understand this one but it made me smile imagining us all jumping around in lycra failing to scalp the baddies and then combining into a uber bike before scalping them for good :-)

That's exactly how I imagined it!!!

Only my Megazord was called Scalplord....

On the way home I was singing the Scalp Lord theme tune as I held off and then but distance between a Trek Soho. - Very quiet journey home though...

Clever Pun

this morning the traffic was horrific but once the bus lane opened up I took a roadie and fixed guy in quick succession.. then a roadie had the temerity to take me after I'd done that... I stayed with him and then a really nice stretch comes in to view.. I hold and then bam rip the side of his face off with raw spinning power he's left for dead I feel better about the traffic and it being a monday

attica

Clever Pun wrote:

then bam rip the side of his face off

CP you are on fire at the moment, taking every scalp in sight, however you're scalping accuracy is starting to suffer, it's the top of his head you need to go for old boy. No need to get slapdash.

In general though, Chapeau sir, I doff my deerstalker to you.

biondino

I had a commute to work 100% free of bad driving, bad cycling, idiot peds, or anything annoying or negative (apart from my bum being soaked thanks to mudguard-forgetting). Tonight may be karmic payback... :?

gtvlusso

Heavy rain, overtook everything in my path, but was not comfortable on bike - stopped adjusted saddle and seatpost - everthing overtook me and consequently I was late to work....bollox!

Clever Pun

Attica wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

then bam rip the side of his face off

CP you are on fire at the moment, taking every scalp in sight, however you're scalping accuracy is starting to suffer, it's the top of his head you need to go for old boy. No need to get slapdash.

In general though, Chapeau sir, I doff my deerstalker to you.

Cheers! It was the sheer(ing) speed... I think I benefited from not really having a break over Christmas so it only took a little while to bring it back up to speed... It's feeling good on the fixed and I'm thinking of going to 16T at the back so I can compete a little more with mopeds

plus I seem to be lucky on fridays when i'm just a shell with legs flapping around that noone else is around Also I think my commute is less competitive than the 30mph drag strip of the embankment

I got a deerstalker for Saturdays tweed run as well!!! oh yes there will be pictures

TheBrogueadier

Thanks to heavy traffic I had a bit of a pootle into work today, nice low-mid 20's toddle at the same speed as everyone else.

I think a quite day was karmic payback for Friday - Collision with a mini who pulled out infront of me (almost managed to stop but still had a suprise encounter with the drivers side window) and an absolute tw*t who kept trying to overtake despite the fact there was no room in front of me and I was at the same speed as the car in front. Didn't stop mr BMW from pulling out into oncomming traffic, drawing along side and trying to force me over into parked cars. 3 times. Almost made me wish I had my D-lock to hand.

cjcp

Clever Pun wrote:

. I hold and then bam rip the side of his face off with raw spinning power

:shock: 8)