Silly commuting racing

UndercoverElephant

Chapeau to the young brunette roadie with the two panniers this morning. It takes some effort to wear tights that threadbare, possibly the best form of hi-viz I've ever come across.

I could have overtaken, I really could, but it somehow seemed fine just drafting. :oops:

I was in the car. :twisted:

will3

"Nothing - I repeat, nothing"

"but they must be there"

"well come and look for yourself then."

Wallace1492

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Chapeau to the young brunette roadie with the two panniers this morning. It takes some effort to wear tights that threadbare, possibly the best form of hi-viz I've ever come across.

I could have overtaken, I really could, but it somehow seemed fine just drafting. :oops:

I was in the car. :twisted:

Disgraceful sir!! Car? I was going to drive, but need to make up for last weeks inactivity.

UndercoverElephant

Wallace1492 wrote:

Disgraceful sir!! Car? I was going to drive, but need to make up for last weeks inactivity.

Yes, car indeed. I'm off out with work tonight, and we're going places I wouldn't leave my bike chained up. Shame though, looks a lovely day for it.

Bassjunkieuk

Oh it's good to be back! Once I got out of out of the foggy pit that was Long Lane/Parchmore Road in Thornton Heath and onto Streatham High Road I found I could actually see where I was going and started to warm up a bit :-)

Took my first roadie scalp as I picked came round Tooting Common (I think!) and then joined DDD's infamous Drag Strip.

Despite the going feeling rather difficult this morning (put it down to cold weather and lack of longer distance commutes over the past 4 weeks, I'd already doubled my normally daily by this point!) I picked off several roadies. One chap who I thought would be fun, a hairy legged chap on a blue/white Giant with *I think* world champ cycle shorts on (spotted the rainbow rings......) proved to be a bit of a pillock. He came past whilst filtering alongside Clapham Common, I thought that he would prove some worthy competition so swept past him as soon as I could. Held him off until the next set of lights which turned red and he duly RLJ'd :-( I almost caught him again by Stockwell but the lights just before changed as I got near them :evil:

All in it was a great first day "proper" commuting and I can't wait to do the return trip this evening :-)

gtvlusso

usually bimble - was trying to use my new found track skills....does not work on the road though!

No competition again, even though it was a constant headwind! I expected to be knackered.

Cafewanda

MonkeyMonster wrote:

Can't wait for computer assisted start sections that ban slow people from going to the front... Please don't do that.

:oops: :oops: but, but we need all the help we can get

To be fair, I don't deliberately go to the front to annoy anyone as I know my puny speed so, more often than not I stay at the back.

MonkeyMonster

Cafewanda wrote:

To be fair, I don't deliberately go to the front to annoy anyone as I know my puny speed so, more often than not I stay at the back.

Exactly - its the one who weave past all the roadies and raring to go-ers and then sit in front and cause a slow fat caterpillar rather than staying at back and letting the faster people leave first and thus actually being safer for all concerned. (imho, though given this is the interweb, someone will disagree)

gtvlusso

Wet and miserable this morning - still no competition on the A38 on the way in or the way home.

As I came to the final climb this morning I shouted "God, I am tired" at the top of my voice - A voice came back from behind me shouting "Get on with it" - I had a chuckle as I was not aware of anyone behind me...so I got outta the saddle and climbed like a b*stard. Looked back and I had made 200 yards on him.

Anyway, nice end to a miserable wet ride in!

BentMikey

MonkeyMonster wrote:

Cafewanda wrote:

To be fair, I don't deliberately go to the front to annoy anyone as I know my puny speed so, more often than not I stay at the back.

Exactly - its the one who weave past all the roadies and raring to go-ers and then sit in front and cause a slow fat caterpillar rather than staying at back and letting the faster people leave first and thus actually being safer for all concerned. (imho, though given this is the interweb, someone will disagree)

Although if we're using good road position across the junction (i.e. middle of the lane), all the slow twonks who go to the front aren't in the way anyway, as they nearly all cross junctions too far to the left.

Roastie

MonkeyMonster wrote:

So what would the fcn of

be

http://dvice.com/archives/2007/09/a-bik ... tead-o.php

:shock: WTF?

Roastie

First day back on the commute today since another bleeding chest "episode".

Saw my thoracic specialist a few times last week, got hooked up to many very high tech machines, and was poked, prodded and irradiated. Bad news is that I am not just a hypocondriac. Good news I think it will get sorted.

Anyhow, stupid health issues aside, it was good to be properly back in action. I left on time this morning, which would usually be very quiet, but oddly there were more than usual for the time braving the cold. My observations:
a) do not underestimate the stupidlty of WVM.
b) if the Royal Mail strike kept the Royal Mail drivers off the roads, then perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing.
c) when my commute changes in 2.5 months, I will sorely miss the morning London Bridge sprint.

Cafewanda

BentMikey wrote:

MonkeyMonster wrote:

Cafewanda wrote:

To be fair, I don't deliberately go to the front to annoy anyone as I know my puny speed so, more often than not I stay at the back.

Exactly - its the one who weave past all the roadies and raring to go-ers and then sit in front and cause a slow fat caterpillar rather than staying at back and letting the faster people leave first and thus actually being safer for all concerned. (imho, though given this is the interweb, someone will disagree)

Although if we're using good road position across the junction (i.e. middle of the lane), all the slow twonks who go to the front aren't in the way anyway, as they nearly all cross junctions too far to the left.

Prezackly !

Who you calling a twonk? :x

Bassjunkieuk

Last nights commute was just brilliant. I took a slightly different route then usual back from Soho to avoid using one-way streets the wrong way :-(
I found my way onto Shaftsbury Avenue then binned it down Charing Cross Road before deciding to hop on the SCR Highway from Parlit Square :-D
Just after the first ped lights something big and black on a Pinnacle Road bike swept past me......GAME ON I think and duly set about chasing him down on the approach to Lambeth Roundabout, I got past but then nearly went into the side of a white van who stopped mid-roundabout!! Thankfully a quick adjustment saw me sail round the back.

Heading towards Morpeth I knew Pinnacle chappie was on my tail so kept up a decent pace, I think it was just before there that he put in a burst of speed to come round. Not wanting to let go of my scalp I upped the pace and we we're both sprinting on the approach to VB lights! Not sure if I can claim the scalp, he didn't really make the overtake stick but I'm sure he would have had good staying power!

Took a few other random roadies before finding some suicidal MTB riders along the A24 and think I need to give a chapeau to the MTB rider in FLIP FLOPS who gave it large away from the lights to hit just north of 20mph :-)

Ride in this morning was un-eventful, A24 drag strip was devoid of any decent competition and I ended up chasing scooters away from the lights on South Lambeth Road to give the legs a proper test :-D Managed to get an average of 17.8mph according to the cycle comp which isn't bad for 8 miles of London Road, I can only assume my body had finally processed the carbs in the monster slab of lasagne I got yesterday from Princi on Wardour Street :-D

Clever Pun

Everyone seemed a bit slow this morning, I took 3 roadies and 2 ss'ers with virtually no effort which was a little disappointing. I had to up it a bit to take a much more serious roadie but the lack of riposte was again disappointing. Maybe I'm just set to awesome?

iPete

Not having much luck either, despite cycling nearly 17 miles into London I've yet to meet someone of FCN 8 and when I do they RLJ or fly up the pavement, grrr!
Pass MTB's, hybrids & bike shaped objects by the boat load but alas, my time shall come.

Had to drag race cars upto 30mph for my morning satisfaction.

BentMikey

On Sunday evening after work I went up to Regent's Park for a couple of laps, but couldn't find any hares to chase. I did manage to roast some riders down the A202/Vauxhall Bridge Road, they were just a byproduct of my racing with a scooter. I managed to stay with the scooter from Victoria station all the way to past Camberwell, so I'm pretty pleased with that!!

Clever Pun

iPete wrote:

Not having much luck either, despite cycling nearly 17 miles into London I've yet to meet someone of FCN 8 and when I do they RLJ or fly up the pavement, grrr!
Pass MTB's, hybrids & bike shaped objects by the boat load but alas, my time shall come.

Had to drag race cars upto 30mph for my morning satisfaction.

grow a beard

The Running Man

Morning all : back in business after the weekend in Brum :

29 miles home last night after having to go back to the office to collect my front light spare batteries (which incidentally I needed) and had a lovely steady cruise home.

Proper wet one this morning - and cold - and got visited by the PF for the first time this year while trying to negotiate a pile of crap (literally) outside a farm entrance in the lanes and the rear tyre went very flat very quickly.

So had a rapid pit stop to replace the tube with freezing cold wet hands that refused to work. The only saving grace was the the Michelin Pros are easier to manipulate when they're warmed up so there wasn't too much unseemly wrestling with tyre levers.

:evil: :evil: :evil:

I wasn't sure what pressure I had on the rear so took it steady for the rest of the journey. Not another rider in sight again - ho hum.

May thrash it a bit going home tonight instead

cjcp

Bit chock-a-block this morning. A car beeped me on Embankment to get out of the way and then passed within inches. My subsequent language and hand signals were not restrained.

Bassjunkieuk

cjcp wrote:

Bit chock-a-block this morning. A car beeped me on Embankment to get out of the way and then passed within inches. My subsequent language and hand signals were not restrained.

And I bet he went racing up the road to the back of next queue of cars that was what, 10 yards away?

cjcp

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

cjcp wrote:

Bit chock-a-block this morning. A car beeped me on Embankment to get out of the way and then passed within inches. My subsequent language and hand signals were not restrained.

And I bet he went racing up the road to the back of next queue of cars that was what, 10 yards away?

Nope. He got as far as half a car length in front of me. I didn't see him again.

iPete

Clever Pun wrote:

iPete wrote:

Not having much luck either, despite cycling nearly 17 miles into London I've yet to meet someone of FCN 8 and when I do they RLJ or fly up the pavement, grrr!
Pass MTB's, hybrids & bike shaped objects by the boat load but alas, my time shall come.

Had to drag race cars upto 30mph for my morning satisfaction.

grow a beard

I'm trying but my Movember efforts are poor, facial hair that a 13 year would be proud of...

DonDaddyD

Yesterday, having listened to Skindred's new album, I find myself upon Balham tube heading to Tooting Bec tube. The dragstrip.

A guy with zombie like eyes (dark pupil and near white iris) on a specializedAllez. His knees hand bandages on them but he had been spinning in the small ring like a crazy-man. My thoughts were that they were there for warmth more than anything else.

Any way green, and I hear click click click behind me, I can feel him creeping on me as we reach 27mph. Around 28-29mph and he is a little too close to neck and neck for my liking.

30mph and he is firmly behind me.

Business as usual.

Bassjunkieuk

DDD - What time are you along the DS now? I've been keeping an eye out for you over the last 2 days but so far haven't spotted you :-) Assume your still in the white coat?
Good work along there tho, 30mph is certainly going some, I think I only hit about 27mph this morning chasing the scooters before I had to slam the anchors on for a ped crossing red light :-(

I've made an addition to my bag now, just to make it a bit easier to spot me........I now have a reflective skull hanging of the top light hook......with my FCN on ;-)

roger_merriman

BentMikey wrote:

MonkeyMonster wrote:

Cafewanda wrote:

To be fair, I don't deliberately go to the front to annoy anyone as I know my puny speed so, more often than not I stay at the back.

Exactly - its the one who weave past all the roadies and raring to go-ers and then sit in front and cause a slow fat caterpillar rather than staying at back and letting the faster people leave first and thus actually being safer for all concerned. (imho, though given this is the interweb, someone will disagree)

Although if we're using good road position across the junction (i.e. middle of the lane), all the slow twonks who go to the front aren't in the way anyway, as they nearly all cross junctions too far to the left.

yup, though I find on the heavy commute bikes where i'm smack in the middle i'll get fast lycra warrior on my far right, all fine as they'll set off quick? oddly enough they tend not to so end up having choice. a) potter behind until they can get them selfs in to gear and pull away. or b) pull of as normal and end up under taking them.

in other news the deer in bushy park don't seem to get SCR....

DonDaddyD

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

DDD - What time are you along the DS now? I've been keeping an eye out for you over the last 2 days but so far haven't spotted you :-) Assume your still in the white coat?
Good work along there tho, 30mph is certainly going some, I think I only hit about 27mph this morning chasing the scooters before I had to slam the anchors on for a ped crossing red light :-(

I've made an addition to my bag now, just to make it a bit easier to spot me........I now have a reflective skull hanging of the top light hook......with my FCN on ;-)

Nope, I'm not longer in the white jacket. I'm full ninja, black tights, black coat and black gloves. My bag's strap and largeportion of the back is reflective.

I hit the drag strip anytime between 5.30 - 6.30. Today I'll be hitting it around 6.30. Leaving work around 6pm. If you're near Soho, our commutes could overlap and I could take a detour to include the Millbank...

Oh and:

I've made an addition to my bag now, just to make it a bit easier to spot me........I now have a reflective skull hanging of the top light hook......with my FCN on ;-)

This makes you SCR of the year IMO

Bassjunkieuk

Alas this evening I'll be joining from Stockwell tube shortly after 5:40 ish as I'm working just south of VB, albeit with a rubbish view out the window now as we've moved desks.........was nice overlooking Vauxhall Cross when I used to be here :-)

Back in Soho area Friday so might spot you then, but I'll be Morpeth bound then :-D

crumbschief

First i read about a MTB with Flip Flops,this time of year wow was he human,then i read of zombie like eyes at 30mph,this is starting to sound like 28 days later but on bikes,it could work.

Cafewanda

Clever Pun wrote:

2 ss'ers

So I read that as two t*ssers :oops: