Silly commuting racing

cjcp

This morning was quick. Av speed was 19.6 before turning off at Southwark Bridge, when it's normally low 18s or somewhere in the 17s. Had everything to do with SCR action from Putney Bridge to Blackfriars. Chap in a Sigma Sport top with a Rapha Condor bike - worringly, he was only pootling. Had he put his down, we'd all have been toast. Wondered if he was saving his energy for racing tonight.

But who rides a black Dolan? Looked carbon. Wearing all black with baggies. Reveal yourself.

pangolin

I'd be the Dolan

Was a quick ride in, barely hanging on along embankent tbh, then you dropped me just before Parliment Square :oops:

My excuse is I was almost at work and didn't want to be too sweaty. And yes, I know it's no excuse. Were you in Kingston Wheelers shorts?

Aidy

Aidy wrote:

Old Carbon Fibre (I think) Lemond anyone? Down tube shifters, look pedals - Pretty retro, but cool.

Wearing a red Giro E2, between Highburyish and Farringdonish. Quick.

Saw Mr. Fast Lemond again, but on a Cannondale, with Time Atacs.

King Donut

Anyone on here nearly get taken out by the lorry that jumped the red where NKR meets Embankment (Cremorne Rd)? I thought one guy was a gonner.

Gazzaputt

Damn how hot was it last night? Pulling up the lights was awful the heat just hit you.

Nice to meet a guy at New Cross had a chat about commuting and riding and how we got started. He rides from Finchley to Chislehurst each day so fair play to him.

cjcp

pangolin wrote:

I'd be the Dolan

Was a quick ride in, barely hanging on along embankent tbh, then you dropped me just before Parliment Square :oops:

My excuse is I was almost at work and didn't want to be too sweaty. And yes, I know it's no excuse. Were you in Kingston Wheelers shorts?

Hehe. Howdy! That was me.

Couldn't put a username to it, but remembered a Dolan rider on here. Don't see many Dolans. Tis very nice. You got away pretty quick at the lights just after Wandsworth BR on NKR.

cjcp

Gazzaputt wrote:

Damn how hot was it last night? Pulling up the lights was awful the heat just hit you.

Left work at 7 and (fortunately!) had cooled down by then. It was just right.

gtvlusso

Nothing to report over the last few weeks.....just overtaking everything in site, cars too. beat a Honda S2000 this morning off the lights and kicked a focus' ar*e on a round-a-bout.....

Another day, another dollar.

prawny

Dead slow this morning Gale force headwind of doom. Knocked 2mph off my average, not cool.

No doubt it will have swung around by 5 o'clock :evil:

gadgets

prawny - the winds got to me too, made me think something was wrong coz the gears that I though were easy Tuesday were hard work today . hoping for no wind or tailwinds when I go home

pangolin

cjcp wrote:

pangolin wrote:

I'd be the Dolan

Was a quick ride in, barely hanging on along embankent tbh, then you dropped me just before Parliment Square :oops:

My excuse is I was almost at work and didn't want to be too sweaty. And yes, I know it's no excuse. Were you in Kingston Wheelers shorts?

Hehe. Howdy! That was me.

Couldn't put a username to it, but remembered a Dolan rider on here. Don't see many Dolans. Tis very nice. You got away pretty quick at the lights just after Wandsworth BR on NKR.

Thanks, I like the fact that I barely ever see another Dolan. Think I've seen about 3 in nearly a year of commuting and it always ends in a good race

At Wandsorth BR I stll fancied my chances a bit! And I reckon you're wrong about the condor, I saw the fear in his eyes.

Is that your usual time to be leaving RP? I woke up about 30 minutes late so probably won't come across you much.

Kieran_Burns

Gawd. Horizontal trees here at the moment :shock: - and not in a good direction :?

I may strap a sail to the bike and tack home... what's the FCN for a boat?

I may have to revise my number up to 8, as I think I may be kidding myself with 10 at the moment - this will of course mean having to try harder. Damn. :roll:

flicksta

Had to take a break from SCR this morning as I rode along from Gt Portland St to Marylebone. Girl on shopping bike had her skirt flapping round and got a great view. I did tell her at the lights that as much as I like yellow, she probably didn't want her pants on view.

FeynmanC

It was blowing a gale and raining this morning - so glad I chose today to be my rest day, after the first full commute of 50 miles yesterday. And, yes, the headwind on the way home last night was nasty! Took me 25 minutes longer to get home than it did getting in.

biondino

This morning the tailwind was so full on it actually became a problem on a relatively lightly-geared fixie - above 21, 22mph it all gets a bit spinny and I had to struggle to keep my speed down at times!

On the way home tonight I doubt I will be glad for the headwind, mind.

FeynmanC

flicksta wrote:

I did tell her at the lights that as much as I like yellow, she probably didn't want her pants on view.

Smooth 8)

citycommuter

This is very geeky but check out the link, proof that it is always windier in the evening than the morning (not just your imagination if you live west), and it looks like it is going to be the hardest work of the week tonight!

http://www.met.rdg.ac.uk/Data/fieldsite/cgi-bin/graph_page.cgi?ED=17-232-2009&SD=0-225-2009&Lax=U2s,U10s,U10max&Rax=Dirn10&RL=1&

fossyant

Bonus points today......me on the Fixed road bike

Waiting to turn onto Palletine Rd (Sth Mcr) a roadie in full team gear speeds past - I let on, pull onto the road.....

Right then, bike up to speed and I'm gaining - fly past him and another cyclist. Carry on, and the chap's following - can't quite catch me.

Through Northenden towards Gatley, the guy's still on my tail. At Gatley, we meet traffic, and filter through, he goes in front at the lights.....

Notice his bike is pretty flash - Quinta Roo TT bike, with aero bars..the works...... and he's got shaved legs....

We pull away and I quickly overhaul him, and keep this up for another few miles. We eventually part company.

A few miles on, I see him again - he passes a junction as I'm 4 cars back. He's about a minute ahead by the time I set off. We're now on the drag up towards home..... I quickly catch him. As I pass I shout a cheery ''ello again'........the guy lets of a "oh no" and starts laughing.

Anyway, we pull up at the lights and he starts chatting. Asks me if I ride at weekends etc. etc. - turns out he lives round the corner, he's from Poland and mentions he's fed up riding on his own, and suggests we do some miles together. Swap numbers etc and he's doing the Manchester 100 next weekend......

He even went on that he doesn't normally ride that fast......

TT bike 0 - Fixed 74" 1......what's the SCR points for a TT bike....

Fortunately for me it was pretty windy and gusty, head to cross winds which is where the fixed is good - had we had a howling tail wind I'd have run out of rpm pretty quickly.

jimmypippa

And the real thing:

From bikeradar

The race started off a fairly decent pace with everyone keen to establish a good spot near the front of the peloton. I managed to work my way up front without too much difficulty, much to the surprise of many competitors as I rode past, my big knobbly tyres buzzing as the pace was wound up.

cjcp

pangolin wrote:

cjcp wrote:

pangolin wrote:

I'd be the Dolan

Was a quick ride in, barely hanging on along embankent tbh, then you dropped me just before Parliment Square :oops:

My excuse is I was almost at work and didn't want to be too sweaty. And yes, I know it's no excuse. Were you in Kingston Wheelers shorts?

Hehe. Howdy! That was me.

Couldn't put a username to it, but remembered a Dolan rider on here. Don't see many Dolans. Tis very nice. You got away pretty quick at the lights just after Wandsworth BR on NKR.

Thanks, I like the fact that I barely ever see another Dolan. Think I've seen about 3 in nearly a year of commuting and it always ends in a good race

At Wandsorth BR I stll fancied my chances a bit! And I reckon you're wrong about the condor, I saw the fear in his eyes.

Is that your usual time to be leaving RP? I woke up about 30 minutes late so probably won't come across you much.

Nah, that was a shade early for me! I usually leave home by 8am, but I can see myself having to leave 10 mins earlier soon.

The chap on the Condor looked the real deal - shaved legs, skinny, well formed calves containing a good few watts than mine!

cjcp

fossyant wrote:

Notice his bike is pretty flash - Quinta Roo TT bike, with aero bars..the works...... and he's got shaved legs....

Ooooh, very nice. Was it the Lucero? This may be some useless knowledge (indeed, it may even be wrong), but I heard sometime back that the chap who designed the QRs was the chap who came up with the idea of tri-specific geometry.

UndercoverElephant

Right, own up, who's the wily bearded roadie (Specialized something) who I keep racing between Portobello and Leith? I've only ever seen him after I've commuted the first ten miles into a heavy headwind and I swear he must lie in wait just off Porto prom to check if I'm knackered.

Doesn't half make for a fast and fun final two miles though. My average into the headwind for the first 10 miles was about 17 mph. My average into the same headwind for the final 2 miles was about 23 mph.

Yes, I know, MTFU.

cjcp

This morning was a good morning. :twisted:

prawny

Phew it was tough last night, nearly got taken out by a muppet in a toyota people carrier (what was I saying yesterday) turning left across the bus lane without looking or indicating - he was lucky I wasn't a bus, his mrs would have been toast.

Then the head wind from the morning had tuned 90 degrees to become a crosswind on the fast downhill drag down the murder mile and a 45 degree head/cross wind most of the way after that. I'm sore today TFi friday!

shoulder_of_orion

Nothing to report other than a monster westerly headwind on embankment. Enjoy your ride home...

posh_pedaller

Who's the seriously quick guy on the gold Eddie Mercx fixie that I see occasionally on Chester Road? Is that you fossyant?

Kieran_Burns

Shoulder of Lamb wrote:

Nothing to report other than a monster westerly headwind on embankment. Enjoy your ride home...

last nights wind was so strong it blew the roof off my conservatory. :shock:

I had a note waiting for me when I got home: "Your roof landed in my Garden"

Jay dubbleU

Weird riding home last night - had to go out on a site visit pm which made for a longer commute but although I turned through 270deg because of the road system I always had a headwind :roll:

Backsplash

Had a good ride in this morning, Picked up a couple of fast fixies and a chap in Cyclefit kit on a tasty looking Serrota in Deptford, and did a fair bit of position swapping and red light drags all the way to London Brdige.

My thighs felt like steel when I got off the bike.

tgotb

Chapeau to the guy I passed this morning with a pack of Marlboro sticking out of his back pocket. He was also wearing a rucksack, so they must have been in his pocket for easy access while riding...