Silly commuting racing

Kieran_Burns

I want to walk the horseshoe over Snowdon at New Year and here's me thinking the cycling will get me fit enough to make it. Bugger.

I may have to get some walking in as well.....

Oh, non cycling weekend and possibly WEEK for me this week Got the house up for sale and the first week or so is always the buiest. I don't think potential buyers would like me to be showing them around when I've just got back in from the commute. :?

cjcp

Christophe3967 wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

Another non-cycling weekend. Went to a friend's BBQ on sat so was on the high-protein recovery diet

Bumped into CJ on Col de Putney Bridge this morning. We both said pootling would be good. Now, there was some pootling but there was also several 30+ stretches along various bits of embankment. Opened the legs and lungs up a bit

Funny that, he said much the same thing to me just the other day with similar results Old age isn't slowing him down...

Oi! What are these scurrilous "old age" allegations? (Perhaps now is not the time to divulge that the Good Lady bought be a bottle of cod liver oil tablets for my birthday. :P )

Yep, my heart sank a little when JG swept by with a big grin on his face. I was indeed pootling and had been scalped already that morning by a panniered-up roadie (although my excuse is that my chain came off and had to stop).

There were a good few roadies out this morning, particularly by VB lights. After some jockeying in DSC, I figured that I'd rather be out in front than in the middle of that mini peleton, so used the following wind to my advantage and, along with JG, floored it. Speedo says 33.1mph. Didn't quite reach that in Blackfriars Tunnel, but I was beginning to taste Shredded Wheat and nutella in my throat i.e. breakfast, so pootling really would have been the best option after all.

jonginge

Yep Millbank was quite rapid. Think we would have maintained 30 to the roundabout if we hadn't had to lift for that left-turner.
Through blackfriars I glimpsed a cadence of 132 which is about 33.
Max recorded cadence was 137 behind that bus along chelsea embankment

prawny

cjcp wrote:

I was indeed pootling and had been scalped already that morning by a panniered-up roadie (although my excuse is that my chain came off and had to stop).

Yeah I set my limit screws like that too, so I can throw the chain off at exactly the moment someone looks like they're going to pass me

biondino

I was just about to make a joke about CJ's age - how idiot savants memorise the digits of his age as an alternative to pi - and then I look at his smaller-fonted age confession with my feeble gimlet eye and the bugger's younger than me! Not fair.

cjcp

prawny wrote:

cjcp wrote:

I was indeed pootling and had been scalped already that morning by a panniered-up roadie (although my excuse is that my chain came off and had to stop).

Yeah I set my limit screws like that too, so I can throw the chain off at exactly the moment someone looks like they're going to pass me

My offs are down to me not being a@rsed to trying putting front mech on the bike. :oops:

Biondino - heh heh. I thought you were younger than me!

Roastie

biondino wrote:

... - and then I look at his smaller-fonted age confession with my feeble gimlet eye and the bugger's younger than me! Not fair.

Does this perhaps explain your issues with the small font?

But in all honesty, you can take comfort in the fact that I reckon you look younger than your years.

Roastie

cjcp wrote:

My offs are down to me not being a@rsed to trying putting front mech on the bike. :oops:

Speaking of which, any plans to reinstate the front mech for a visit to Hog Hill?

Jay dubbleU

Did Cader Idris yesterday plus 6 hours driving there and back so definitedly a recovery ride this morning - did manage to bag a yoof on a specialized hybrid convincingly though

cjcp

Roastie wrote:

cjcp wrote:

My offs are down to me not being a@rsed to trying putting front mech on the bike. :oops:

Speaking of which, any plans to reinstate the front mech for a visit to Hog Hill?

<waves his hand across the screen Obi Wan Kenobi-at-the-Stormtroopers style>

You have no idea what you're talking about.



I do. But I haven't got round to it. I've pencilled in either 21st (Hillingdon) or 23 (HH) for some racing as a bit of last minute speed training before the Tour of the Black Mountains.

cjcp

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Did Cader Idris yesterday plus 6 hours driving there and back so definitedly a recovery ride this morning - did manage to bag a yoof on a specialized hybrid convincingly though

Excellent. What was it like?

will3

Not strictly commuting, but I popped out to screwfix at lunch and on the way back scalped someone whilst freewheeling, on the flat, by the power of the wind.

cjcp

I was describing the effect of this morning's tailwind to my room-mate (she commutes by train). In reply, she said, wait for it, "Is it a race, then?".

Tarmac Terrorist

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

Tarmac Terrorist wrote:

this looks like a fun game! i regulary roast fellow cyclist on my way to work - a short hop rom dulwich to elephant and castle. I extended my journey to take in the old kent road to make the journey longer and look for new scalps. I was mullered by this guy one morning and it pushed me to train harder and push myself a bit harder....but i was wondering how much of a difference (it might sound silly i know) your bike makes in these situations?

Welcome TT :-) What you riding? One of my commute routes take me through Dulwich (Village) then to E & C via Denmark Hill & Camberwell - So far I've only encountered one person on that route (a chap on a SS Genesis) who has ever given me any trouble but I can at least keep an eye out for you ;-) As far as bikes go the we have an allowance for these with the FCN (google it or look at the link in my sig for "The Game" group on Facebook) so roadies and FG sit just below scooters (included to give those uber fast people something to play with!) at the top down to full on knobbly equiped MTB's and shoppers at the bottom.

Also belated happy birthday CJ :P

Thanks Bassjunkieuk! i ride a carerra virtuoso, gets me around, but have realised my entusiasm is not matched by my choice of steed lol! so hoping to purschase a Boardman team carbon in next few weeks. its red and i normally wear a grey lid and there are not many black guys cutting through traffic at that time of the morniing down my way lol! what bike do you ride, will look out for you!!

amnezia

Not the best journey home. Strong head wind along the embankment and wet, slippery roads.

Saw someone come off a MTB at parliament square. Hope you're okay who ever you are.

cjcp

+1. Very easy-does-it on the way home.

redvee

My ride home always seems to start with an headwind but the good thing about that is as soon as I hit the roundabout I'm virtually riding back on myself so have a tailwind. On another tangent I left my waterbottle in the fridge this morning, luckily it wasn't too hot in Bristol today to warrant the use of my bottle. Will need it tomorrow I think as I may go for triple the commute I was doing at the beginning of the year.

jimmypippa

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I want to walk the horseshoe over Snowdon at New Year and here's me thinking the cycling will get me fit enough to make it. Bugger.

I may have to get some walking in as well.....

Why the sad fact?

I have found that I have recovered my hill"walking" fitness that I used to have at university.

I do find running up hills a lot easier now.

(Yes I do wear the same kit for both, except the bike helmet...).

The legs hurt in different places when on the hills, but my aerobic fitness is good for at least a couple of hours without noticing (90-100-minute round trip commute).

I do try to do the odd weekend walk as well as cycle, usually going somewhere up Kinder Scout.

Greg T

Head wind

Rain

Monday

I'm on a diet.

At least the dog didn't die today.

lost_in_thought

Head....wind...rain....JACKET... sunshine.... remove jacket, engage sunglasses.

Headwind gone by the time I left the pub, unfortunately still soaked through.

Lesson learnt? Always wear lycra. It dries far faster than other materials.

Deadeye Duck

Well, on the way to work today, first biking commute of the week (bussed it yesterday to take in all my clean clothes for the week. It's my excuse and I'm sticking to it), I was passed by a roadie coming down the steep bit of my route, and then passed again by the same guy coming back up it again. Talk about taking the piss! I took great consolation in the fact he looked like he was about to have a heart attack though

On the plus side, I did find the second half of my commute in a lot easier this time round, which has got to be a good sign right? I just wish the first hill would become easier at some point soon. It's going to be the death of me if it doesn't

jonginge

Scalped Cav this morning. Yes, that's right. Well, OK, it was a moped whose plate ended in CAV. Bagged two of the blighters going up millbank

There may have been a tailwind. Definitely a headwind last night, was hard work and hit a lot of RLs but, oddly, the door to door time wasn't too bad :?

cjcp

Unexpected deflation this morning crossing Chelsea Bridge. Grrr.

Was late as it was, so no SCR action.

DonDaddyD

Fellow SCRers I stand before you a scalped man, scalped good and proper.

I pick up a guy on a Blue Reynolds and I keep dropping him only for the lights to be his saviour. We arrive at part two of my beloved Balham drag strip and once again I'm faster than everything and everyone.

I look down and see that I'm on either 4 or 5 of 10 on the rear cog (though this means nothing). In my periphery was a guy spinning like thunder. He overtakes, its a full suspension mountain bike on slicks :shock:

The shame, now I could have caught him but I was in part stunned, shocked and amazed that he was going so fast on something that weighs about the same as me... (hehehe)

For some reason I didn't open the taps, I held back thinking that I could flog myself but I need to save energy for the rest of the commute and I'm going to need to sprint later in the journey. So instead of chasing him down I maintained my cadence and watched him jump onto the curb and speed away.

Lesson learnt: "You don't need to ride flat out, you only need to ride flat out longer than the other cyclists around you."

King Donut

DonDaddyD wrote:

its a full suspension mountain bike on slicks :shock:

I think they shames lies with him to be honest. Slicks on a full susser is just wrong

lost_in_thought

Well, I was very late in to work this morning, and moved my saddle forward on the advice of LBS guy - just to try it really.

There must have been a tailwind, as I basically flew in, had a guy in a car which I was slowly overtaking comment 'bl**dy hell you're fast'.

I was tempted to ask him how fast, my comp is still broken.

Only saw one other bike, going in the opposite direction.

Kieran_Burns

lost_in_thought wrote:

Only saw one other bike, going in the opposite direction. He looked very slightly red as I approached, and blue as he receded.....

Fixed that for you

edhornby

ok FCN adjudication request

at the lights I'm stopped next to a guy holding a brolly as he's riding his bike !!! he was riding one handed and holding brolley in other

it was hammering it down this morning in manchester so it was b ugger all use.... funny tho

amnezia

Kieran_Burns wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Only saw one other bike, going in the opposite direction. He looked very slightly red as I approached, and blue as he receded.....

Fixed that for you

other way round

cjcp

edhornby wrote:

ok FCN adjudication request

at the lights I'm stopped next to a guy holding a brolly as he's riding his bike !!! he was riding one handed and holding brolley in other

it was hammering it down this morning in manchester so it was b ugger all use.... funny tho

Some people are too stupid for words.