Silly commuting racing

cjcp

Clever Pun wrote:

cjcp wrote:

WFH today, so no commute for me. Chuffin' cold out there. Then a friend in Helsinki told me this morning that it was -24C there yesterday. Just the -7C today. :shock:

not an auspicious start from last years man of steel

:oops: I know. Got a dentist's appt at 2pm though. I might sneak in a ride in the Park later. Looks doubtful, but will see.

rjsterry

Having dismantled my mask for cleaning over Christmas, this morning I could find no sign of the little plastic valves, so had to leave it at home. :roll: Could have really done with it to take the chill off my face and lungs this morning. Actually my ears were the worst bit - a bit like being tango'd continuously - must pop out at lunch time to get one of those earwarmer things.

Managed to get the hands about right though: Spesh BG Gel mitts under Endura Strikes, both left on radiator for half an hour prior to leaving (I think the gel must store the heat), then keeping my hands on the drops as much as possible (less exposed metal to conduct heat away). Also riding in a silly spinny gear helped generate heat without too much wind chill.

Saw one nutter in Mitcham riding the opposite direction in shorts (no not over tights, bare legs) :shock:

Otherwise nothing much to speak of bar an enthusiastic flat bar roadie with Carradice saddle bag from Balham to C Common. Thanks for shaking me into action after two weeks of sofa-based cake eating. Anyone else notice that the roads were eerily empty of cars today? Always makes me worry that they know something I don't.

Jay dubbleU

Interesting ride this am - as in a 'May you live in interesting times' sort of way - snow over ice. Bl**dy thumbs were frozen by the time I got in - I hate hot aches :roll:

flamite

ahhh first ride in 3 months after bad crash.... hard going though, lost all muscle and fitness!

if anyone sees a blue dolan struggling along, please make scalp quick and painfree

Bassjunkieuk

For those looking for warm gloves I can recommend the Endura Strikes, used them on my morning ride yesterday which started out at a rather nippy 0.7C and again this morning (admittedly on a much shorter ride, about 1/10th the distance!) and my hands where fine.

Got them before Xmas and used them in the early hours of the Friday morning of the SCR Drinks and actually got to work with mildly clammy hands :-)

Found a couple of other riders on my 2 1/2 mile commute today but none of them worthy of scalping.

King Donut

MonkeyMonster wrote:

saw another giant of a man out there in full black dhb on a what looked like a new red white and black trek.

Might have been me... I was late leaving this morning and seemed to pick up a few clagnuts along Embankment. But it's not new, it's just clean!

Was tough going out there. Luckily everyone else seemed to be feeling it too. A tallish chap on a red Look kept the pace up along NKR and then on Embankment I felt the breath of a couple of flat-bar / hybrids. Was glad to arrive at work with my toes still attached to my feet.

King Donut

flamite wrote:

ahhh first ride in 3 months after bad crash.... hard going though, lost all muscle and fitness!

if anyone sees a blue dolan struggling along, please make scalp quick and painfree

Welcome back! Did you heal ok?

rjsterry

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

For those looking for warm gloves I can recommend the Endura Strikes, used them on my morning ride yesterday which started out at a rather nippy 0.7C and again this morning (admittedly on a much shorter ride, about 1/10th the distance!) and my hands where fine.

Got them before Xmas and used them in the early hours of the Friday morning of the SCR Drinks and actually got to work with mildly clammy hands :-)

Found a couple of other riders on my 2 1/2 mile commute today but none of them worthy of scalping.

I'd second that about the Endura Strikes although this morning I reckon it was somewhere between -5˚C and -3˚C, and with those extra few degrees and a longer commute even they struggled. I pity the trendy fixies with their bare chrome bars; in these temperatures they run a serious risk of freezing their hands to the bars

Clever Pun

rjsterry wrote:

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

For those looking for warm gloves I can recommend the Endura Strikes, used them on my morning ride yesterday which started out at a rather nippy 0.7C and again this morning (admittedly on a much shorter ride, about 1/10th the distance!) and my hands where fine.

Got them before Xmas and used them in the early hours of the Friday morning of the SCR Drinks and actually got to work with mildly clammy hands :-)

Found a couple of other riders on my 2 1/2 mile commute today but none of them worthy of scalping.

I'd second that about the Endura Strikes although this morning I reckon it was somewhere between -5˚C and -3˚C, and with those extra few degrees and a longer commute even they struggled. I pity the trendy fixies with their bare chrome bars; in these temperatures they run a serious risk of freezing their hands to the bars

might be trendy but I'm sure even the most hip hipster will be wearing gloves right now

itboffin

[Engage smug mode]I was toasty as I arrived at the station this morning -8 and I was sweating like a MXXXXXer got some seriously strange looks from my fellow passengers

May have been the steam coming off me

I did have to thaw my lock with a glug of hot coffee before the key would turn, must remember to get a coffee on the way home
[/and relax]

Ice & snow pah!

MonkeyMonster

King Donut wrote:

Might have been me... I was late leaving this morning and seemed to pick up a few clagnuts along Embankment. But it's not new, it's just clean!

Was tough going out there. Luckily everyone else seemed to be feeling it too. A tallish chap on a red Look kept the pace up along NKR and then on Embankment I felt the breath of a couple of flat-bar / hybrids. Was glad to arrive at work with my toes still attached to my feet.

You passed a yellow long sleeved, red mask flat bar at about templ with no one ahead and that large legged dude was trying to stay with you and lost - went my way up blackfriars and rlj'd. Tis a rare bike colour wise, if so hello!

cjcp

King Donut wrote:

seemed to pick up a few clagnuts along Embankment.

Clagnuts! My first fantasy footy team was called "XI Fine Clagnuts".

MonkeyMonster

Oh there may well have been a load of nice new cyclists but majority of them seem to have received a copy of "How to ride like a twunt" in their stocking too...

So many times I was waiting at lights after scalping fixes and roadies and the bunch of muppets just swan through the red lights and I have to retake them again - or do I keep it because they jumped? Was on the lookout for any of the usuals but alas no luck today.

amnezia

MonkeyMonster wrote:

Oh there may well have been a load of nice new cyclists but majority of them seem to have received a copy of "How to ride like a twunt" in their stocking too...

So many times I was waiting at lights after scalping fixes and roadies and the bunch of muppets just swan through the red lights and I have to retake them again - or do I keep it because they jumped? Was on the lookout for any of the usuals but alas no luck today.

Yeah there were a lot of numpties this evening. i wonder how many peoples new years resolution was to start cycling to work?

Actually felt very good today, i flew past all but a few.

jonginge

May have annoyed someone this evening.

Cruised up to 5 or so metres behind another roadie on Vic. embankment and awaited a safe gap to pass. (I say cruised but it was hard work this evening.) During this SCR hiatus he spots me and turns up the wick. I pass anyway and give my normal jaunty hand raise and nod. He sits right on my six to westminster. The lights along chelsea embankment cause him to yo-yo on and off my tail but I finally lose him on the NKR.

I went about a minute off my PB this evening

Dazzza

If most of you are freezing aldi have a big thing about skiing gear thios week, tons of offers on stuff and more importantly warm gear, including buffs for £2.99.

cjcp

JonGinge wrote:

May have annoyed someone this evening.

Cruised up to 5 or so metres behind another roadie on Vic. embankment and awaited a safe gap to pass. (I say cruised but it was hard work this evening.) During this SCR hiatus he spots me and turns up the wick. I pass anyway and give my normal jaunty hand raise and nod. He sits right on my six to westminster. The lights along chelsea embankment cause him to yo-yo on and off my tail but I finally lose him on the NKR.

I went about a minute off my PB this evening

Chapeau .

First day back on Embankment tomorrow.

iain_j

First day back on the bike tomorrow since Christmas eve and I can't wait

Been in work plenty of days since but the bike's been poorly after too much snow/ice/slush and not enough maintenance. Took my dad (a wizard with anything mechanical) all of 5 minutes to fix it after me spending days sweating and swearing and cutting my fingers to pieces

Clever Pun

had a little head to head with a fast fixed rider this evening, I think he's on lfgss. Anyway I draw level with him and he picks up the speed, we're head and head, all of a sudden he drops his head gurns and takes the lead it did make me lol.. but feck took that too easily. I stay with him and bide my time... a mile or so later and having caught up with him after he'd rlj'd I proceeded to drop him good and proper, that felt good chasing someone down

jonginge

Good work CP. I hate it when people speed up just as you're moving alongside :roll:

rjsterry

Clever Pun wrote:

felt good chasing someone down

I find a good chase is much more satisfying than just blasting past: if a straight scalp looks too easy I prefer to let them build up a bit of a lead first to make it more interesting. I need to brush up my act a bit though after Christmas

The sudden ramp up from sitting around and eating over Christmas (a few gentle strolls and a bit of gardening, but only one 'warm up' ride on Saturday around Woodmansterne, Banstead and Coulsdon - a few decent hills, but pretty low mileage) to the full 13.5miles each way in sub-zero temperatures proved a bit of a shock to the system this evening.

Showed two groups of RLJers including a couple of roadies the error of their ways between Stockwell and Clapham (including the full nonchalant sit up and take one hand off the bars as you steam past - must stop doing that, or I've a feeling I'll make a complete fool of myself one day). One non-RLJ roadie, who I had led along the same stretch of road reappeared as we came up Clapham High Street, and I was up for a bit of a chase across the common, but he turned off

All quiet after that bar a numpty in red shorts over tights who steamed straight across the lights by Balham tube on red. Caught him up, but not enough room to pass until he pulled up to turn off at Tooting Bec.

Anyhoo, it all started getting rather too much like hard work after that: pootled pretty much all the way from there on, and a weird random squeaking has started emanating from what sounds like the left hand side of the bars. Doesn't seem to correspond to any particular pulls or pushes on the bars; even occurs with no hands, but a bit worried that I'm due a dramatic 'came off in my hands' moment - the bars are still the original 13 yr old alloy ones :?

tgotb

JonGinge wrote:

May have annoyed someone this evening.

8.30-8.45-ish? Were you wearing a rucksack with high-vis cover? Victim have a pannier? If so, that was me and I did not enjoy the experience :-(

Doesn't seem to be anything in the legs this week; not sure whether it's the cold, Xmas layoff, or just need to MTFU...

jonginge

That guy on the Brompton wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

May have annoyed someone this evening.

8.30-8.45-ish? Were you wearing a rucksack with high-vis cover? Victim have a pannier? If so, that was me and I did not enjoy the experience :-(

Doesn't seem to be anything in the legs this week; not sure whether it's the cold, Xmas layoff, or just need to MTFU...

Sounds about right. I really wasn't drafting you, just waiting for the traffic to clear That's about a typical time for my commute so I'll say hi next time our paths cross.

It was hard work last night: cold and a headwind. Brrr

Clever Pun

JonGinge wrote:

Good work CP. I hate it when people speed up just as you're moving alongside :roll:

I know, it was impudent of him... I dropped him this morning as well and gave him a cheery morning!

I sped up over tower bridge where I was dawdling a bit and I noticed someone attempting an overtake so I slowly with no discernible effort shown sped off scalp intact

MonkeyMonster

Blimey bit nippy this morn. Nobbled a couple of roadies who were dawdling again along the way. No donut this morning - some mental case on a slick mtb wearing just gym shorts and footy socks with maybe a jumper. Chunkathon legs were the norm this morning with a guy in top (maybe) 44/11 for a mtb just powering along at very low cadence. Chasing people down who then rlj to stay just ahead...

and then a price twat in a mercedes crossing in front of me to turn right and just say in the middle of the junction when he "realised" he mis-timed, so I stopped to allow the traffic to clear. 1 fecking idiot ruining a good cycle in.

Plus anyone come up blackfriars from the racetrack - is it just me or is that new set of pedestrian cross over lights now timed to activate just after you've been released from backfriars upramp... Well fecking annoying. AND another thing - the lights on parliament sq going west seem to have changed too - when you turn sharp right from embankment onto the road from the bridge - the lights to then left onto the square itself only used to activate after 10 seconds maybe... last night they were already on.

Enough rambling... Morning all

iain_j

Oh the shame. Today for the first time ever I abandoned my commute by bike. I have no problem riding in snow, but this morning I had snow on top of solid ice. Got as far as the main road (about quarter of a mile) and had nearly fallen off several times and nearly hit by 2 cars (the drivers of which didn't seem to have noticed the conditions :roll: ).

So i got off and walked back home, got changed, and got the bus to work.

Sorry.

Bassjunkieuk

Started to feel a little pang of cold through the Strikes this morning, put it down to the short ride and the 5 minute walk at the start to get the eldest to school + time standing around in playground!
Hands warmed up by the time I got to the office tho but I think I'll be using them again when I pop out for food as it's still stupid cold out there.

Considering hauling the MTB out the shed this evening and seeing if the transmission still works (didn't clean it after the snow last feb........) based on the predicted snow over the new few days, could make the commute a ton more fun :-D

cjcp

First day back and had two or three sitting behind me or a bit further back, but not wanting to overtake. One chap was head down whizzing towards the ped-x-ing near Temple, but didn't see the ped actually crossing until five yards away, so had to swerve. :roll: His legs literally ran out of gas shortly after and he was duly passed.

MonkeyMonster

Had a fucking stonker of a ride home - might even be a pb. Lots to chase and overtake and then chase again 8.6 miles in 30 mins 8)

What a "this is why I ride my bike" feeling when i got home ! :twisted:

Totally roasting too...

redvee

Had a tarmac meets shoulder knee moment this morning Managed to ride in without a single slip atall and get within 20yds and I hit tarmac at 5mph. The knee was OK on the ride home but not lookig forward to the ride in the morning after a night of rest.