Silly commuting racing

attica

Woo yay, 100 pages and still going strong!

I might not score much at The Game, but I am also unbeaten, not only that but I've yet to have my ring expanded, I guess you could say I play a tight game.

Clever Pun

Greg T wrote:

What's the Forecast for tomorrow pm? I don't fancy standing wet through in a pub....

I'm pretty sure today is Wednesday... Friday is 2 days away

attica

Boris wrote:

There are so many reasons to dust off your bike this summer

Erm, what summer?

12k route, or a shorter one if that's too much, I ride that distance to get to my Sunday club runs.

Clever Pun

ride_whenever wrote:

scalpfest anyone

it's not a commute though?

I'll be there I suspect

ride_whenever

But it's not a game, but a way of life...

Bassjunkieuk

ride_whenever wrote:

scalpfest anyone

Already posted this on the FB group, looks like they've changed the route from last year judging by where we're passing.

Last years was epic fun tho, could be a right laugh if a bunch of game players get out earlier then the sunday riders :-)

Littigator

I'll be joining in later on as am travelling back from Cheshire that day. Any idea what time it runs until?

Greg, shall we buy you a calendar so you know what day it is or are you just keen as mustard to get daan the boozer a day early?

Greg T

Littigator wrote:

Greg, shall we buy you a calendar so you know what day it is or are you just keen as mustard to get daan the boozer a day early?

You can all poke it.

I've suffered an inadvertent calendar discombobulation and probable spelling feck up also.

I'm plainly hypoglycaemic after my completely fruitless exertions this morning.

Bassjunkieuk

Do we actually have an agreed venue yet? I know a couple have been suggested??

UnworthyPapaLazaru

Short route today, one pass but again down the FCN so now pointage.

Yesterday was a non-bike commute day so when I got home I went for a spin. I am using the wrong route, and my office and home are in the wrong place! Heading towards the hills I saw a (incredible for Edinburgh) row of 7 (seven) commuters heading the otherway. I am going to have to take some serious diversions to get a bit of this action. Then I get to Arthur Seat and the place is mobbed with bikes. Mostly roadies in full kit, but I gave it my all and got to the top of the climb in my best time yet. In the process of this I got the mother of all stiches and had to head home. I should give my dinner more time to digest before going out.

jonginge

Just been given a lesson in humility by a guy in wall to wall assos (laydee shaved). The man's legs were not grown but chiselled from granite: mahoosive calves :shock:
I followed him (and follow was all I could do) from battersea br. to westminster. Twice (up to chelsea br. and up millbank) I had to spin my 52x16 up to 130rpm to even stay close. Technically, my scalp stayed intact when he turned off on parliament sq. but in my (still fibrillating) heart of hearts I know my skull is staring naked to the sky. Chapeau, assos boy

cjcp

Last night was hard work (although, it was significantly easier for the SSer on a green Condor, but I'll come to that shortly).

All quiet until the Lambeth Bridge roundabout. Tootling along, slowed down on to the roundabout and taken on the inside by two roadies and the said SSer. At first blush, it looked like a game of high speed race 'n' chase, with Mr SSer looking the strongest of the lot. "Hurrah! Finally!", I thought.

Took the two roadies without much difficulty, but the SSer was significantly stronger. After a stop for the lights at Vauxhall Bdg, finally went by him (albeit, slowly - although riding on the tops of the bars - but with no drafting). He then proceeded to sit on my wheel until those mini lights just before the main set at the Albert Bdg turning, when he overtook me. However, in a display of what I thought was slightly poor form, he didn't pull in to offer a pull (not that I'd take it). So, I stayed out of his slipstream and took him again on the slope after the lights. He then continued Cadelling me until the bridge on the NKR, where he overtook. I re-took him while filtering in traffic and proceeded to hug my wheel all the way to Putney Bridge. There, he pulled out from behind me on the inside just as we went over the rise. There we went our separate ways.

He was too strong to drop, but I wasn't about to get down on the drops and go for it.

Tell me: what's the point in drafting if you bought a SS to get stronger?

This morning was a great ride. No repeat of the hybrid incident this morning - paid a visit to the Hurtbox and put the hammer down all the way. The downside is that my legs are shaking, I am low on sugar and might now collapse.

jonginge

Had a similar Cadel experience last night: towed two from vauxhall br. to albert br. One pulled alongside at the RLs at chelsea br. and said "sorry, i'm feeling lazy". While maintaining a stiff upper lip I retorted "Don't worry, I quite understand", my HR was still near threshold

ride_whenever

cjcp, it doesn't matter if your legs are shaking from low blood sugar, get back out there and:

FINISH HIM

dafruk

cjcp wrote:

Tell me: what's the point in drafting if you bought a SS to get stronger?

Because he actually bought it to be part of the in crowd?

UnworthyPapaLazaru
There does seem to be a fair bit of bike traffic going from the west towards town in the mornings, mostly mtbs on knobblies so not really much game, but you do get a few roadies. I even saw a SS last week, pretty sure he was a courier so would have been a fun test :twisted:, shame I didn't have my bike as was out boozing before a show.

Littigator

Day 2 of SS noobness for me. A Pearson caught dozing along Millbank...oh dear let me just have THAT (as his scalp flies into my hands)1

ithankyou

Greg T

JonGinge wrote:

Just been given a lesson in humility

There must be a lot of it going round......

I think we can all agree that going west last night was "challenging"....

I was wondering if this single speed malarky was really a good idea as I flogged my heavy and unresponsive legs to get my cadence higher than my waist size (in inches)...

I came upone an Aussie dude (we had a chat about the conditions) at Parliament Sq - he was wearing onscure kit with "Alpline Altitude Training" on it...... No rucksac he's out for fun.

So off we go and he's taking it easuy so we are together by Millbank and together after the Vauxhall junction. he then decides I'm amoeba and pumps out some sudden wattage and drops me....

Ho hum. It is blowing and I'm not going anywhere. Sure I'd like to do this dude but he's got the beans and I'm spent.

I settle into low level attritional warfare with a roadie who's done me as spooled up (VERY SLOWLY) away from a set of lights. It is a graft. I've got 50M to make up, it's blowing and interest is low. I have a chat to myself and start to close the gap, here he comes I'm reeling him in and sure as eggs is eggs I bag him.

But what it this?

50M ahead is the Aussie. He's taken his eye off the ball and slowed down, I've span up and decide to give it the full Balaclava and go for it.

40 M

30 M

20 M

10 M

I'm suffering now and not closing as fast

5 M

Level

He looks over at me smiles, makes a clicking noise and makes a pistol shape with his fingers, pushes on and kills me.

C'est la Vie.

Various hybrids - I hate hybrids - challenged in the brake space all the way home.....

Fantastic Morning though - really gorgeous. I serially did a guy with lots of showy kit from Sheen to The Embankment, he's had a shame bypass obviously and couldn't help himself squeezing ahead at the lights....

Littigator

Greg T wrote:

Fantastic Morning though - really gorgeous. I serially did a guy with lots of showy kit from Sheen to The Embankment, he's had a shame bypass obviously and couldn't help himself squeezing ahead at the lights....

A beaut of a morning indeed and no one seemed to be in a rush today which made for a scalptastic morning ride in.

Although you're right, there seemed to be a preponderance of pushers to the front today. What the F*CK is that all about?

Even worse, as I was exiting Parliament Square and pulling out to overtake a parked van, some chancer on an MTB (nobbly) decided the microgap I'd left between me and the parked van was fair game as an overtaking space, end result I swerve into the middle of the road with a withering cry of "Nice one Mate", he at least had the good grace not to pass me again.

harrumph!

cjcp

ride_whenever wrote:

cjcp, it doesn't matter if your legs are shaking from low blood sugar, get back out there and:

FINISH HIM

Not a prayer. I'm done for the day, I'm afraid. I have to focus on building up my reserves for tonight's inevitable beasting from the wind.

cjcp

JonGinge wrote:

had to spin my 52x16 up to 130rpm to even stay close.

Did you have to strap yourself into your seat?

clanton

On my ride in this mornign passed a chap on a Pearson touring bike with a full face helmet! Not sure if that's been factored into the food chain calculator?

Clever Pun

Last night I rode to wimbledon, coming round the elephant and castle roundabout was tricky having to turn into the wind was somewhat scary, more so for the roundabout just south of it. Anyway there were loads of people out and this gave me a real opportunity for competition on the A3-A24 route early doors I took out some fakengers a reall SS tried to stay with me but after I was pointing out stuff in the road I turned around and noone was there... took a roadie on an incline all too easily... the only sustained competion I had from from a dude in flipflops on a tourer... I’d bin him he’d then push ahead of me at the lights and take off quicker with gears and the like, I’d bin him again... I couldn’t take him going down a hill but as soon as it was flat and the wind was rabid again I cruised past.

The police blocked off the road and as I walked my bike round through clapham common, I could see a massive tree had fallen onto a van...I couldn’t see the driver but there’s no way he was alive... yuk

I continued on to wimbledon where I knew a bit of a hill awaited me I took the steady incline of Gap Road then through the 2 mini roundabouts up leopold road in W19... on a brompton last week it was knackering today it mash o’clock... still I made it up played and awesome game of netball we won 27-2 heh heh. Once we’d finished another cyclist who’d parked his bike next to mine said well done for getting up the hill on the SS...cheers fella.


this morning was like the scalping fields on the brompton, I took 4 mtbs (2 of them twice), 2 rlj’ing hybrids and a fixie.. that was particularly pleasing and galling for him no doubt, a scalpfest for me and not even breaking a sweat

clean sheets and kudos to me huzzar

cjcp

clanton wrote:

On my ride in this mornign passed a chap on a Pearson touring bike with a full face helmet! Not sure if that's been factored into the food chain calculator?

Saw one of these on a fixie a couple of nights ago. He was built like a brick out house.

jonginge

cjcp wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

had to spin my 52x16 up to 130rpm to even stay close.

Did you have to strap yourself into your seat?

Nah. I do spinning drills on the rollers occasionally. And I sprint through blackfriars underpass every morn up to mid-130s

The real reason, though, is the commute bike is old skool and has the gear levers on the downtube and I can't be ars3d to change up 17 of my gears are feeling unloved

Littigator

JonGinge wrote:

The real reason, though, is the commute bike is old skool and has the gear levers on the downtube and I can't be ars3d to change up 17 of my gears are feeling unloved

Sounds like you're an SS rider in denial JG. Come on be honest with yourself...

cross over to the Dark Side

DonDaddyD

Question: What is an SS?

Anywho...

Yesterday, turned up Acre Lane and onto Clapham High Street by Clapham Common Station and stopped at the trafic lights were six commuters behind me. Yippee! I thought, I slowed right down so that they could over take me, I even slowed down for a girl wh was slowing down as I was slowing down. "Whizz" The sound of a shaved roadie on an Orbea. The start gun had fired and I made my move to claim my scalps.

I looked up for a second and noticed blue flashing lights and the Orbea had mounted the pavement, something was wrong. I followed onto the pavement, having stopped racing. Jumped off, over the road and onto the common where a group of other cyclists had gathered to look at an upturned tree, which had crushed a Ford Transit.

After that my heart wasn't in it.

This morning was lovely though. Not many cycles for me but still a relaxing ride.

el_presidente

DonDaddyD wrote:

Question: What is an SS?

Single Speed

Coriander

Sorry to be a dimwit but:

When you scalp someone do you get just one point, or do you get the number of points equivalent to their FCN?

And to move up the food chain do you have to change your bike/clothes/get rid of your panniers or do you move up simply by scalping sufficient people above you in the food chain?

And yes, I am being too lazy to trawl through the early pages of this thread.

ride_whenever

ss = single speed, it is a shame when something takes the mood away in the mornings though...

Greg T

Coriander wrote:

Sorry to be a dimwit but:

When you scalp someone do you get just one point, or do you get the number of points equivalent to their FCN?

And to move up the food chain do you have to change your bike/clothes/get rid of your panniers or do you move up simply by scalping sufficient people above you in the food chain?

There has been an evolution in doctrinal and theological interpretation of the rules......

The key text reads:

Dropping / Pulling anyone higher in the Food Chain Number makes you stronger and more attractive to burds*. Getting dropped / trying to keep up with anyone lower means your soul hires a kudos remover to lower your self worth

The early church was very much directed at counting wins and losses against the strict interpretation of FCN rules...... a win = 1 a loss = -1....

During the middle period (or reformation as it became known) a more intuitive approach to scalping developed that was less slavish in reliance to base FCN calculating and more attuned to the subtle indicators of pegging yourself against your oppo. There is however the immutable rule that the FCN rules are the word of a pissed up and incoherent God that must be accepted, or alternatively ignored as the devotee sees fit.

The more relaxed approach solved the problem of having to do hard sums in your head whilst pretending not be in the equivalent of Elephant labour pains.

The current period is something of a mish mash with beared fundamentalists religously keeping score and checking out "equipment" whilst new age adherenets "feel their way" using smell and crystalls.

So - the answer is within - is the guy you just dropped crying inside?

One word of warning Hyrbids are the work of Satan. You can meditate on it all you want nothing hurts more than a hybrid.