Silly commuting racing

flamite

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

flamite wrote:

bloody rain! foolishly took my mudgueards off last week... schoolboy error!

tonight's gonna be fun!!

Oh MTFU, it looks like it's stopped now (at least in my part of town......) and besides I'm riding home in 3/4 lenghts and a SS jersey :shock:

I'm in shorts all year round... and t shirt at the mo...

I had another "moment" last night on those newly painted red lines on embankment by lots road... watch out people! (and for those nice greasy metal grids)

itboffin

flattythehurdler wrote:

Oh and yeaterday was the worst commute weatherwise all year. Soaked to the skin and absolutaly frozen. My hands were too cold to brake at a T junction with very nearly nasty result (fixie saved my ass just). Nearly had to prize my cold dead fingers off the bars with a pencil when I got to work.

OMG you didn't just say that, please tell me you live in the North Pole, LiTs was wearing short and a t-shirt and she's a burd!

M
T
F
U

:P

itboffin

I might just add the sun has been shining here all day not hugely warm but then this is England, mmmm sunshine.

Be safe SCRer's

Bassjunkieuk

Awesome ride home, spotted a rather rapid roadie coming down Walworth Road, he was shifting some as I was pushing along at 21/22mph and barely gaining on him!
Managed to reel him in thanks to traffic and then played cat and mouse through Camberwell until I eventually shook him off whilst coming round a bus......

Or so I thought! Nought behind be coming up Denmark Hill and just a few lone hybrid types slogging up the hill. Breezed past them and took my turn down towards Dulwich and as I'm filtering down towards the station my spidey senses go mad and I can feel someone is with me.......they stay behind through Dulwich Village until we get to the junction with the South Circ when who should pull up alongside me?

The old roadie from earlier!!!! Chapeau sit! To catch up that much ground in such a short time is very impressive!! We both head up towards the next hill and he teaches me a good lesson as the toll booth is blocked by cars, use the opposite side! Like duh! I'd never thought of doing that, we both pass through with him in front and he politely points out a sunken drain cover :-)

I say thanks as I pull out round him and move ahead expecting him to be hack on my wheel, but end up leaving him behind. Not very far behind but it was a good 25m or so by the top of the hill at Crystal Palace. He again rolled up alongside me a couple of traffic lights down the road and we exchanged a few words - he mentioned something about "Someone came belting past me on Denmark Hill then just turned left at the top!" - I don't think he was refering to me (I hope I'm a little more memorable then that.....) but he was certainly one of those old n fast types!

Managed to claim 2 more scalps along Church Road, a nice black Bianchi and a old Pinarello, before I started chasing cars down Grange Road - I'm quite liking the pedal like mad then tuck technique for the hills, a LOT more stable!

itboffin

Owing to a relapse I will be unable to fulfil my duties as roadside coach tonight, that and the train fare from Windshire. :?

redvee

Bright sunshine here in Yokel Town and I had to wear my jacket home as my bag was full of lager for tonight

LazyBoycp

JonGinge wrote:

flamite wrote:

bloody rain! foolishly took my mudgueards off last week... schoolboy error!

tonight's gonna be fun!!

Ah, so it's your fault. Burn him*


* I realise this may have no effect

Nope, my bag(/bad?), I think. :oops:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12619641

itboffin

erm it's er snowing :shock: WTF

Bassjunkieuk

itboffin wrote:

erm it's er snowing :shock: WTF

Eh? how much u had to drink today??

itboffin

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

itboffin wrote:

erm it's er snowing :shock: WTF

Eh? how much u had to drink today??

nothing yet http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/tod ... ipcode=SN8

Kieran_Burns

Exsqueeze me?

DE65
-2????? :shock: :shock:

MINUS 2???? :shock:

What in the snowy wastes of hell????

neil_sheehan2000

cjcp wrote:

Let us know whether you turn up at work looking slightly wild and beating your chest in celebration at all your scalps.

First day of SCR and I took a wee scalp!

Okay, it wasn't massively impressive- guy on a hybrid in baggies and a single pannier (not even 'baggies' in the strictest sense- but you could tell he was trying to look like a cyclist. I, on the other hand, was wearing a suit, so I'm counting this as some sort of clothing points difference).

Had to sit behind him for a while to let the traffic go past, and then left him pretty much standing still. To be honest, I didn't feel all that proud* as he was going pretty slowly and he looked pretty nervous to even be out on the road.

But still, points is points- who knows, maybe I even caused him to man up out of shame...

*Well, yes, obviously, a small part of me felt like an effing viking

cjcp

Hilarious SCR action on the way home last night.

Get to VB lights and there are three roadies lined up ready to go. Lights go green and they're off. They're very keen on drafting, no so much on the headwind it seems. Get to DSC and there's a fair bit of traffic. I move to the middle of the inside lane, about five metres back. One of the draftees looks back and clocks me. I pass them, but not at speed due to the traffic (schoolboy error), and said draftee is on my wheel.

I invite him to pass. Not accepted. I sit up and invite him again. Zippo. So I ease up and let them pass in the filtering to Chelsea Bridge.

There's the same drafting action between them on the stretch to AB, but I can't pass due to the volume of traffic, so I'm forced to sit back until the stretch to BB. Then it's bye bye, lads. :twisted:

Blue sky today. Hurrah!

itboffin

Reports on the wireless this morro of road closures at Millbank, Noooooooo!!!!

prawny

2 Motorised scalps for me this morning 1 moped on a slight downhill he joined the road in front of me at a roundabout I followed waiting for him to speed up but he never did, engaged hyper speed cruised past at 28mph before hitting the real downhill bit and leaving him for dead, hard to get the scalp off through them motorbike helmets.

10 miles further on a JCB loading shovel pulled out of a turning about 500m in front I was cruising slightly uphil at about 15 mph got to the bottom of the Barr Beacon and WHAM! Suck on that JCB driver.

I even saw 2 cyclists this morning but they were further down the food chain so got a cheery hello and a nice view of my pert bum 8) what a lovely day for all concerned.

jonginge

itboffin wrote:

Reports on the wireless this morro of road closures at Millbank, Noooooooo!!!!

Only beyond lambeth bridge roundabout. Cyclists were being waved through. Minimal delays and little SCR disruption

Bassjunkieuk

Another clutch of RLJing scalps grabbed this morning on the run down Borough High Street and over ze bridge :-) It's rather fun watching them think their all smart and go riding off through a red only to reel them and ream them a few sets ahead :twisted:

Found a rather quick SS/FG through Camberwell who was doing a fair lick, but he also went through a few reds and was a demon filterer, watching him cut a line through the various cars/vans/buses at the first section of E&C was amazing! Needless to say I was right on his tail and we parted ways as he headed down the bus lane......

Kieran_Burns

I saw me today. :shock:

No really I did. It was weird. I was just going past the Council House in the middle of Derby and this roadie type came towards me and pulled into the cycle path I take <gulp> Damn this SCR, I HAD to persue!

He's forced to slow down due to this chubby POB on a wheel bound bouncy castle, and I'm behind him (me), so I get a good look... tights - check; mtb style shoes - check; flourescent yellow jacket - check; helmet - check, touring style bike with mudguards - check, single pannier on right - check (and the SAME DAMN' ONE). We are twins.... it was uncanny

So we get to a clear stretch, so me and me go past the bouncy guy and God knows what he must've thought as two fully decked out and almost entirely similar commuters swished past 8)

the thing is: this guy REALLY looked like he knew what he was doing, and I was happily keeping up (even today which was frankly a poor effort all round) Unfortunately he was going a different way so I didn't get chance to match myself against him, err.. me.

Bizarre start to the day only matched by the lunatic weather: 100' visibility and FREEZING cold when I set off, so full cold weather gear, lights the lot. Get to Derby, it's BLAZING sunshine; and I'm now a greasy bag of sweat. :oops:

It's only a good thing I'm driving home tonight as I have to pick my car up :?

cjcp

JonGinge wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Reports on the wireless this morro of road closures at Millbank, Noooooooo!!!!

Only beyond lambeth bridge roundabout. Cyclists were being waved through. Minimal delays and little SCR disruption

Hmm, not the case when I went through. :? Got diverted around HoP via Great Smith Street and another, side street road closure. No SCR after VB lights as a result.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Glorious morning. Made only better by me having to sit on the kerb, outside the house, armed with (a) a small pointy stick; (b) a small pointy stone; (c) many pieces of kitchen roll; (d) a G66 offspring's dog-sh!t infested school shoe. :evil: :evil: :evil:

Any thoughts about "seems warmer than I expected; may have overdone the clothing this morning" were kept firmly in check by "don't get that sh!t on your hands". Why is it that one molecule of that stuff is as powerful smelling as a bucket, and never loses its potency?

What a great way to start the day. Hurrah. :x :evil:

lost_in_thought

Big bad dead legs this morning, I put it down to the gym yesterday. It's a shame there's not more cardio that isn't leg-related! Hill walking on a treadmill is surprisingly hard on the legs!

Still, managed to retain my scalp, although did have a moment with a guy on a flat-bar thingy, hybrid/roadie, take your pick. He went past me filtering... toe clips, rucksack... Aaaaaaagh!

Off I went in hot pursuit, similar to flogging a dead horse, and caught him up again and passed. If I'd remembered to put the comp on I'd probably have found I'd hit the epic speed of about 20mph... :oops:

He then RLJ'd, so I (sort of) showed him what a real cyclist looks like on an off day and 'shot' past him, again probably at about 20mph.... Yeah. That'll learn ya. :oops: :?

Also, isn't it just a glorious day?! I nearly put a LS jersey on... glad I didn't. Defo shorts and SS weather!

biondino

Third day in a row off the bike! Not at all well planned, sigh...

Off topic - last night I had Ethiopian food last night for the first time. It was delicious!

DonDaddyD

Today I imagined that I was a tour rider, nothing and I mean nothing even got close to me today. My fitness is increasing. My strength a global phenomena. My power serves a Universal purpose. Very tempted to crack my second duck at Richmond Park and get a sub 45min 1 lap time :shock:

I need long miles to develop my distance riding, commuting isn't enough and the opposition give up far to easily, much like the guy on the new, shinny Felt roadbike. I may as well have handed him the knife so he could cut his own scalp off, pathetic. :roll:

So many upstarts, (I'm no longer the rookie, I'm the Lewis Hamilton of bike commuting) I may start asking for pink slips!!!

greg66_tri_v2.0

Blondie: I've just worked out that your avatar is not a fish swimming left to right, is it?

All I could see was the fish. Now I've worked out what it is, I'm really struggling to see my old mate the fish again.

biondino

Is "to crack one's second duck" youth-speak, DDD?

Greg, I'm sorry, I'll fix that for you.

greg66_tri_v2.0

DonDaddyD wrote:

Today I imagined that I was a tour rider, nothing and I mean nothing even got close to me today. My fitness is increasing. My strength a global phenomena. My power serves a Universal purpose.

My quads are called Truth and Justice. My pedal strokes fight oppression and crime. My ...

[I could have a lot of fun with this]

shoulder_of_orion

Yo.

I'm back after an epic African adventure. I may well post about cycling in Nigeria, it was certainly an eye opener!

Loving the cool sunny weather, perfect for cycling. Back to the same routine of the 11.5 mile commute in London with a few short SCR stretches, but tbh I don't often spy true challengers, i.e. higher or even same FCN. My bit of the embankment is more of a time trial than a peloton, though I do see the big beasts pelting down in the opposite direction.

So I have to amuse myself with dispatching all that I encounter. Something I enjoyed this morning on a couple of occasions was "scalping a scalper". Just seeing someone overtake someone else and then overtaking them. Taking their little moment of victory and owning it even if they can count a scalp and I cannot...

il_principe

biondino wrote:

Third day in a row off the bike! Not at all well planned, sigh...

Off topic - last night I had Ethiopian food last night for the first time. It was delicious!

Did you get the thing where you share a huge dish, draped in a delicious soft flatbread, piled with little mountains of stewed meat and cottage cheesey type stuff? DID YOU?

If so, where, because I had that at an Ethiopian place in Amsterdam and it was tongue-boggling good.

Feltup

biondino wrote:

Third day in a row off the bike! Not at all well planned, sigh...

Off topic - last night I had Ethiopian food last night for the first time. It was delicious!

It is surprisingly good isn't it.

No SCR action for me today but last night I had a race with a moped. No traffic to get in the way and so it was a straight forward drag race. Cue excuses!

Excuse 1: My tyres were a bit flat yesterday only 55psi and cross tyres are not the fastest rollers any way.
Excuse 2: I had just done a high speed time trial for two miles and was already under the influence of lactic acid.

To cut to the chase he dropped me by about 1-2 mph, you know just enough to make you think you could try even harder and keep up but also just enough to take you deep in to the red when you do try that hard! If only I was on my roadie.

greg66_tri_v2.0

biondino wrote:

Is "to crack one's second duck" youth-speak, DDD?

Greg, I'm sorry, I'll fix that for you.

Now *that's* my kinda fish!