Silly commuting racing
Comments
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King Donut wrote:iPete wrote:Ha, I do hope 24 isn't past it?
I love the sweatless back after 17 miles but I'm using them for tour training, not a fan of the added weight! Great for that wolf in sheeps clothing look though... :twisted:
24? Good God boy, I'm going to have words with your parents about all this pannier carry on. You know the rules, if you can't grow a proper beard you haven't earnt you panniers.
The shame runs deep but I've got to lug my tent, kitchen sink etc to Rome at nearly 100 miles a day come summer, the backpack had to go :oops:
That guy on the Brompton, duly updated my signature for saving grace, somebody will rise to the challenge soon I'm sure!0 -
iPete wrote:King Donut wrote:iPete wrote:Ha, I do hope 24 isn't past it? I love the sweatless back after 17 miles but I'm using them for tour training, not a fan of the added weight! Great for that wolf in sheeps clothing look though... :twisted:
24? Good God boy, I'm going to have words with your parents about all this pannier carry on. You know the rules, if you can't grow a proper beard you haven't earnt you panniers.
The shame runs deep but I've got to lug my tent, kitchen sink etc to Rome at nearly 100 miles a day come summer, the backpack had to go :oops:
That guy on the Brompton, duly updated my signature for saving grace, somebody will rise to the challenge soon I'm sure!
Where abouts do you turn left after Battersea Bridge?0 -
Hi ITB : Only thing to bear in mind is that I think you'll have a "travel to" issue with any of the local clubs. From memory I don't think there's a local club in Marlborough. I know there's a tri-club but I think your choice is Swindon which I'm sure is quite a big club or Chippenham.
My experience with Chippenham, and that's all I can comment on, has been absolutely brilliant. They're a really friendly welcoming bunch, and the club organisation is excellent. Big range of abilities (thankfully
) Some seriously quick riders on the Sat chain gang that I've not dared to even think about yet.
There's an online calendar of forward events, which include track nights at Newport velodrome, club racing at the Castle Combe race track, a choice of long Sunday rides or Leisure rides, faster Saturday chain gangs, turbo nights, and a cracking junior section, etc.
One of the guys in the club also runs a cycling tours business so I know there are a few guys going out to do the Tourmalet this summer.
Have a look at the website http://www.chippenhamwheelers.org
All in all a good bunch of friendly but serious riders. If you do fancy coming over for a ride one Sunday let me know. You can park up at my place and we can ride over to the meet together and have a potter round!! Specialized Roubaix Pro SL : Litespeed Titanium Siena : Specialized Allez : Specialized Tri Cross :
Specialized Rockhopper0 -
That guy on the Brompton wrote:
What time do you normally hit Embankment? :-)iPete wrote:That guy on the Brompton, duly updated my signature for saving grace, somebody will rise to the challenge soon I'm sure!
Oh yeah - this could get interesting to watch... Warning IPete - el bromtono is fairly nippy
Le Cannon [98 Cannondale M400] [FCN: 8]
The Mad Monkey [2013 Hoy 003] [FCN: 4]0 -
Haha, set myself up, I enter on Cheyne walk from Edith Grove (A3220) go along the Embankment past Battersea bridge, enjoy the sprint to the Albert bridge then shoot off left down the cycle lane exit onto the other Cheyne walk and head to Victoria...
...normally get to here around 8:30, depends if I've had a head wind for the first 15 miles of my journey
Sadly though, I'm on the train for the next week, the bike is being rested for a half marathon at the weekend... so your scalps are going to have to wait unless you catch me leaving London gone 6 tonight but then its all traffic down there
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That guy on the Brompton wrote:
Hmmm, we'll have to see about that...iPete wrote:fastest pannier laden cyclist in the city!
There's a chap on here called "citycommuter" who rides green, steel Roberts laden with one pannier. He's like sh!t off a stick. Roastie and I both ran into him last summer, and I saw him again last Friday. The only way to outrun him is to accelerate hard, keep accelerating, maintain balls-out speed until you see stars, and then pray that he's stopped by a red light and you don't.FCN 2-4.
"What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
"It stays down, Daddy."
"Exactly."0 -
Was planning on riding the MTB this morning, my old friend put paid to that idea seems I had a vistor in the night
Psssst!
That'll teach me to go for a Sunday pootle without repair kit Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.0 -
MonkeyMonster wrote:That guy on the Brompton wrote:
What time do you normally hit Embankment? :-)iPete wrote:That guy on the Brompton, duly updated my signature for saving grace, somebody will rise to the challenge soon I'm sure!
Oh yeah - this could get interesting to watch... Warning IPete - el bromtono is fairly nippy
haha, have to buy myself a Muvi to film my un-doing, I fear mr Bompton has passed me before, my commuting partner never did understand why I wanted/needed to make chase! 0 -
a really great ride in this morning. Left slightly later than normal but that just meant with the sun out it was a degree or two warmer than it would have been and was the first morning since about November that I didn't bother wearing the 'buff'.
thought i was going to struggle as i was out yesterday dragging my 'big' bike round the Surrey Hills (all 36lb's of it).
But it was just good training for this morning as my road bike felt superlight beneath me and really responsive.
Some minor SCR action up to Balham, chatting to a bloke on a nice Litespeed MTB frame then onto the main event, Clapham High Street to Elephant & Castle.
Was leaving all in my dust when a chap on white dropped bar singlespeed summat or other took an opportunity to pass me at some lights. Normally I may have let him go but thought not today matey.
Was in a big gear so stood on the pedals to get immediate speed and dived into his slipstream for about 10 metres then thought fook it and went past him pedalling for all i was worth. That surprised him and I kept his scalp for the next half mile or so. He came back at me after i had slowed for another changing light but i was on his tail again until we hit Elephant & Castle where it's far too busy for any SCR action.
Legs stiffening up now and getting some funny looks as i stretch in the office but looking forward to this evening.FCN = 40 -
I'll add another great ride to report this morning :-) Was travelling a bit lighter then normal as I didn't have to pack a full change of clothes and was heading out via Dulwich/Camberwell.
Started off with a fairly decent descent from the lofty heights of Crystal Palace, managed to get rid of the obstructions in front (i.e the cars turned off!) and I got to open it up a bit more and overtake the chap on a hybrid ahead of me. Still getting the feel of handling the bike at high speeds but I'm slowly getting there :-D
Get to Denmark Hill and have to time my turn just right as I have someone on a road bike already coming from the left, another bike behind them and a car up my ar$e! Managed to join the road without incident and set about chasing down the roadie who had just passed. As we draw closer I spot a pony-tail out the back of the helmet......and nice shapely legs......and a pink bottle cage :-) Strewth she's going some!!
As we all know The Game is a tough mistress with no respect for gender. A slip at the next lights as I attempt to push off to clip in means she has a jump on me and she accelerates off like a whippet. We trade places just past the hospital before having to come to another stop by Camberwell Green. Each time I've overtaken her I've been doing north of 25mph and all I can think is a) How quickly could I get a divorce? and b) If she's heading towards E&C to I'm in for a good race :-)
As it happened I think she was following me still as we headed towards the petrol station but I lost her as we had a bus pulling over 2 lanes - I filtered wide round the right and didn't see her again after that
She was on a black Specialized roadie so if your on here.....errrr...good riding :-)
Nothing of note from E&C to London Bridge asides from a chap who kept chancing it on a Kona roadie, he had a lead on me one the south side of the bridge but I got to the north side first :evil:0 -
Got mugged this morning. Picked up a tail all the way from Cheyne walk to VB lights. He then nipped to the front of the ASL and had about 20m on me when the lights turned. He was pretty rapid and I couldn't close the gap up Millbank. He got away after Lambeth rbt when I stopped for the ped crossing and then the red light after it. Grr.
A 'thanks for the tow' would have been nice. Not forthcoming.0 -
Nah, that chap is in Italy this week, I think.Bassjunkieuk wrote:JonGinge wrote:I couldn't close the gap up Millbank
It wasn't a small chap on a Scott in HTC kit was it ;-) Feck me if you couldn't catch him there's no hope for us mortals......
4 days off the bike took their toll. Need to up my game...0 -
And while I think of it did anyway start sneezing over the weekend?
I have definitely had an allergic reaction to something. Tree pollen anybody??Specialized Roubaix Pro SL : Litespeed Titanium Siena : Specialized Allez : Specialized Tri Cross :
Specialized Rockhopper0 -
There seem to be a couple of Scott/HTC roadies about then, as there is one that I've bumped into a couple of times near The Cut. Either it's a different chap (he wore a tatty blue cap under his helmet, and had grey hair), or I'm a lot faster than I think (which seems very unlikely).
EDIT: Now that you mention it RM, +1. Brilliant, so the 'hayfever' season now starts in early March - bloody global warming (don't start everyone).1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
Pinnacle Monzonite
Part of the anti-growth coalition0 -
Bassjunkieuk wrote:JonGinge wrote:I couldn't close the gap up Millbank
It wasn't a small chap on a Scott in HTC kit was it ;-) Feck me if you couldn't catch him there's no hope for us mortals......
If I had a tow from you that far, I'm fairly sure even I could put one over on you. Darn drafting fairies.
bLeft early this afternoon - 4pm. It's amazing how the fear of being greeted by the words "You're late" when you arrive home to go to parents' evening can spur you on to keep pedalling, despite the headwind, despite the sensation of being utterly knackered. Was about 1 minute slower than this morning - nearly a negative split. Dagnabbit!FCN 2-4.
"What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
"It stays down, Daddy."
"Exactly."0 -
itboffin wrote:Was planning on riding the MTB this morning, my old friend put paid to that idea seems I had a vistor in the night
Psssst!
That'll teach me to go for a Sunday pootle without repair kit
Thought you and her had an understanding?I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.0 -
Some idiot this evening leaving a pub car park decides that he has time to pull out in front of me...... I lock both wheels trying to stop and manage to pull up just in time, only to be faced with a, what's your problem look from the occupant. :x0
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redvee wrote:itboffin wrote:Was planning on riding the MTB this morning, my old friend put paid to that idea seems I had a vistor in the night
Psssst!
That'll teach me to go for a Sunday pootle without repair kit
Thought you and her had an understanding?
We do, hence the perfect social ride with the family on Sunday flat free, who cares if it goes flat hanging on the wall, I have 5-6 more to choose from Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.0 -
cjcp wrote:Bassjunkieuk wrote:JonGinge wrote:I couldn't close the gap up Millbank
It wasn't a small chap on a Scott in HTC kit was it ;-) Feck me if you couldn't catch him there's no hope for us mortals......
If I had a tow from you that far, I'm fairly sure even I could put one over on you. Darn drafting fairies.
bLeft early this afternoon - 4pm. It's amazing how the fear of being greeted by the words "You're late" when you arrive home to go to parents' evening can spur you on to keep pedalling, despite the headwind, despite the sensation of being utterly knackered. Was about 1 minute slower than this morning - nearly a negative split. Dagnabbit!
Headwind? What headwind? Must've been after Battersea Bridge (or can I get one MTFU back on you? ). A few years until i race home for a parents' evening, but have had a few appointments that I have cut a bit fine, so know exactly what you mean. Nothing like turning up gasping in your lycra to persuade a man to give you a mortgage.
BTW Anyone own up to being the guy in Balham, just north of the station, who was pedaling like a man possessed at about 7:30ish this evening. Proper out of the saddle, head down, Abdoujaparov-style. Was going to give chase, but the lights intervened. He got himself a round of applause from another cyclist (who did smell slightly of alcohol, but still).1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
Pinnacle Monzonite
Part of the anti-growth coalition0 -
Completely devoid of SCR action on the way home this evening....a couple of roadies after passing the temp lights in Dulwich Village but I managed to pick them off on the ride up to Crystal Palace. Really found a good rhythm up that hill this evening and wasn't my useless gasping for breath self even after going up to the roundabout at the top - a good workout as you can't let up for fear of not being able to set off again :-)
One more day on the bike this week then it's the car as I'll be working in Woking :-(0 -
Lovelly ride in with the sunshine this morning. I think we'll be seeing a few more riders on the roads soon. Scalped a SSer out of P'Square and then again at every red light up to Blackfiars, he put in the effort to pull away but the tail wind meant I was holding 26mph and his legs couldn't keep up. Same scalp, multiple cuts. Bless.
Fun ride home with a guy wearing blue and white team strip plus a cloth cap, we caught each other at P'Square. He was about 0.5mph faster than me but this being SCR meant I was trying to be 0.5mph faster than him. Honours even the whole way to Lotts road where I turned off. A good run all in.
Unfortunately that meant the green-n-white socked, fast muppet who RLJ'd to keep up with us then got in my way and cut me up a couple of times up to Wandsworth bridge. He seemed to think he was faster (previous evidence to the contrary) but managed to brake check me twice too. Unfortunately he was going straight, me going south over the bridge on so I couldn't unleash my legs to make a decisive victory.
All in, a great day on the bike FCN3: Titanium Qoroz.0 -
Not sure what caused it this morning but I was positvely flying. Although the average didn't tell the same story it seemed whenever more power was requested, 110% was delivered :-) I also seem to have found my descending head as I scalped 3 CARS on the way down College Road today, last one was great fun as it was a proper wrong side of the road/out of the saddle sprint to get past only to have to slam the anchors on for a ped at the zebra crossing :-(
Fun and games started just south of E&C with a chap on a celeste Bianchi in a blue Altura top (anyone on here?) Come past on the approach before the Thomas Brown building and we where joined by a chap on a Viner once on the roundabouts :-D
Me and the Bianchi rider managed to clear the lights before the turn off for Southwark Bridge Street and where left to race up Borough High Street. I was leading until we hit the mega snarled up traffic by London Bridge Train station at which point he'd filtered round the right and got ahead of the bendy bus that was turning towards the station. This lead to a good 20m lead on the London Bridge Sprint, not a problem as I was feeling like a little ball of energy so once I got a clear run ahead and locked onto his blue jacket I just lit the afterburners :twisted: Had one of those Star Wars-esque warp speed moments where everything on the periphery goes into a blur and everything ahead of you gets a lot closer very quickly. Blew past him and a swathe of other bikes whilst still accelerating, it was amazing!0 -
Tried a slight variation on the route this morning to miss out the traffic coming into Mitcham, which was very pleasant. The swoop down over the Wandle on Bishopsford Road is beautfully smooth new tarmac and you can pick up some pretty serious speed without trying. I passed a proper courier on his way into work, and had a nice chat at the next lights. No scalp really as he was riding fixed in civvies and he'll be riding all day so was taking it easy (although I think he would have been up for a race in different circumstances). Morning, sir.
Bit of a power-pootle over Clapham Common, enjoying the sunshine, and not much after that, as all the other roadies turned off left after Stockwell Tube. If we could just hold the weather like this for the next few months that would be perfect.1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
Pinnacle Monzonite
Part of the anti-growth coalition0 -
So what's the latest thinking on the lady whost name shalt not be spake and her runs of visitations? I'm trying to work out whether I'm home free now...
Friday. Beautiful run in. Full of the joys of (Almost) Spring when the back wheel goes all squirrely. Shortly after flatter than a flat thing. Booger! 5 mins walk from the station so I push it to the racks and decide to fix it on the way home.
Of course, I get tied up at work, miss a train, catch a slow one, remember I have a p*ncture to fix. Bah. Looks like a fairly small shard of glass, pull it out, reckon its worth a shot with the CO2/slime thing. And it appears to work! For 300 yards. Bah!! Change the tube, get home without further excitement.
Yesterday morning the tyre seems fine. Another beautiful run in. Full of the joys of (almost) Spring again. And repeat. This time 8 mins walk from the station. Full ground hog day experience. AGain get tied up at work, again miss a train, catch the slow one, again remember I need to fix a p*ncture... This time, I'm not messing about, swap the tube straight away. Leak is near the valve stem. Seems like I pulled the valve too hard against the rim. Operator error. Got home OK.
This morning... Beautiful run in, etc. And got to the station ok! Phew.
Thing is that I forgot to replenish the tubes in my panier. I have no repair kit. My flank is exposed. Have I been through the proverbial run of three or does the fact that one was my mistake rather than bad luck mean that I've got another coming?
Who's opening the book?
J0 -
rjsterry wrote:Bit of a power-pootle over Clapham Common, enjoying the sunshine, and not much after that, as all the other roadies turned off left after Stockwell Tube. If we could just hold the weather like this for the next few months that would be perfect.
I'm sure this whole SCR thing must be becoming better known as when I'm coming past Stockwell to run left all the other roadies turn RIGHT and carry on down Kennington Lane - maybe they've got wind of our antics and run away scared of a scalping :-)0 -
In the words of Jeremy Clarkson "POWER!" What a ride in this am, averaged 19mph (moving) thanks to a surprisingly traffic free Embankment, topped out at 29.9mph - which is highly annoying, if I'd noticed then clearly would have made that extra effort. I must admit that mornings like this do make me crave gears as things get a little spinny on 50x16 but then scalping geared roadies on the SS is so much more enjoyable, and I took a good number of sacleroonies this morning.
On the negative side, I felt very very sick when I dismounted, thought it might be the effort but then I remember I'd popped an antibiotic about 15 mins before leaving, and one of those + an empty stomach + a balls out ride in = not such a good idea.
Anywho, what a great morning to be on 2 wheels.- 2023 Vielo V+1
- 2022 Canyon Aeroad CFR
- 2020 Canyon Ultimate CF SLX
- Strava
- On the Strand
- Crown Stables
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What a ride in this am, averaged 19mph (moving) thanks to a surprisingly traffic free Embankment, topped out at 29.9mph
good effort. would have thought that in combination with a bacterial infection was not too clever never mind antibiotics on an empty stomach!
back on topic after my last divergence - did three (count 'em) lycra clad roadies on my SS MTB conversion yesterday morning. Passed them on Bayswater Road past Hyde Park. In their defence they were probably stunned by the sight of me spinning like a demented hamster on crystal meth as I passed.0 -
Think I picked up that guy on the Trek in BNP shorts that CJ has duelled with recently. Definitely walks the walk. Battle lasted for a few miles from Putney Bridge. Passed him for the final time by Embankment stn but I wouldn't be foolish enough to claim that I broke him.
Again, not really what I needed but got a couple of enforced rest days at end of the week so got to make hay.0
