Silly commuting racing

rjsterry

Almost makes you want to fit a big spike on the back of the seatpost when people draft in that weather.

greg66_tri_v2.0

I'm running the white flag up the mast before I set off today. I've been visited by a bug this weekend. The sort that requires frequent trips to the loo at short notice.

Really not looking forward to this...

lost_in_thought

Greg66 wrote:

I'm running the white flag up the mast before I set off today. I've been visited by a bug this weekend. The sort that requires frequent trips to the loo at short notice.

Really not looking forward to this...

Is a white flag really the most appropriate colour?

itboffin

Shocking avg speed this morning, I really struggled the whole way

Edit: metcheck and windmap confirms my suspicions 20mph wind + 30 mph gusting, good I am AWESOME after all

Rich158

Who got me involved in SCR, come on own up. It was meant to be a light recover ride this morning and then I spy two roadies up ahead just outside of Bexley. They're just approaching the summit of a small rise, so the gas goes down and I go past them at speed. Then sitting for quite a while at a set of red lights in the Blackfen area they come past, RLJ :twisted: creep across the junction and then pootle n frnt of me again. It's a busy narrowish road so I'm stuck there. Finally a lull in the traffic allows me past only to get stopped at the lights by Avery Hill, and the numpties come through and crawl in front of me again. FFS guys, I'm faster than you and have left you for dead twice, why can't you just sit behind me at the lights and let me go on my way. This time I'm forced to make it stick, with a bit of hard work up into Eltham and some fortuitous filtering they're gone, and the next victim comes into view

What was meant to be a pootle turned into a full on scalp fest, and god it felt good

il_principe

On PT today thanks to meetings, one of which I'm cr@pping myself about! Getting the train in means I get to work an hour early - it's the only way I can guarantee being able to physically squeeze onboard.

I'm not complaining though, did hill reps yesterday, Broomfield - Dark hill - Dark hill Broomfield etc. Man it was busy in RP, lots of traffic lots of bikes.

WesternWay

The wind was ENTIRELY wrong this morning, and the bike is crying out for a bit of a service.

Still, nice new saddle (*I shamefacedly broke the rails on the last one*) and a bit of resurfacing work on Holloway Road has made me happy.

rjsterry

Lovely morning for it, with fresh Monday legs, improved even more by the full on race with 4 or 5 other roadies from Stockwell up to Kennington. Nonchalance was nowhere to be seen with everyone giving it their all. I think honours were even at the end of it, as it was all over a fairly short distance, but I did have my 'guards on, so perhaps a technical scalp for me. Best fun I've had in ages

greg66_tri_v2.0

lost_in_thought wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

I'm running the white flag up the mast before I set off today. I've been visited by a bug this weekend. The sort that requires frequent trips to the loo at short notice.

Really not looking forward to this...

Is a white flag really the most appropriate colour?

Hmm. Off-white might have been a better choice.

Never been so thankful to have had a tailwind as I was today.

bigmat

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

**rolls up sleeves**

OK who started an argument about bringing up kids?

I'm with TGOTB here and TBH I'd have no concerns doing a similair thing with mine (although dragging the 9 year old upto 27mph on the trailer bike would be "difficult") but I reckon I'd be OK with one of the smaller mini-BJUK's in a bike seat :-)

I pretty much let me kids try out what they want, heck I'm normally the one leading them up trees and building the ramps to jump the bikes off :-D They've all had accidents ranging from falling off bikes or slipping over on skates but after a hug from daddy and some fussing they are generally speaking OK.

I had great fun once at Dulwich Park hooning around in one of their kiddie-carrying bikes. Admittedly this was a tricycle so a bit more stable then a standard bike but with the cornering I was doing and the under-inflated left tyre it could have easily gone wrong!
Not that I was considering that as I was just having some fun with the kids and much like TGOTB, mine where yelling "faster!"

i'm possibly a bit late to this debate but for what its worth, I would be a dead man if I got caught riding at that speed with my boy on the back of the bike! It is potentially very irresponsible as your kid has no say on the amount of risk taken, but at the same time presumably TGOTB was in no way taking a risk, was able to cruise at 27mph without any loss of stability or control and therefore it really wasn't causing anyone any harm. Good effort if so!

greg66_tri_v2.0

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

**rolls up sleeves**

OK who started an argument about bringing up kids?

I'm with TGOTB here and TBH I'd have no concerns doing a similair thing with mine (although dragging the 9 year old upto 27mph on the trailer bike would be "difficult") but I reckon I'd be OK with one of the smaller mini-BJUK's in a bike seat :-)

I pretty much let me kids try out what they want, heck I'm normally the one leading them up trees and building the ramps to jump the bikes off :-D They've all had accidents ranging from falling off bikes or slipping over on skates but after a hug from daddy and some fussing they are generally speaking OK.

I had great fun once at Dulwich Park hooning around in one of their kiddie-carrying bikes. Admittedly this was a tricycle so a bit more stable then a standard bike but with the cornering I was doing and the under-inflated left tyre it could have easily gone wrong!
Not that I was considering that as I was just having some fun with the kids and much like TGOTB, mine where yelling "faster!"

= The Right Attitude.


Cotton wool & hand-wringing = The Wrong Attitude.

& Chapeau to TGOTB!

itboffin

BAH!

Well that's almost spoilt my day and possibly life, some complete retard in a huge black Audi basically tried to run me down, leaving the lights at the busy Holborn junction, bloody idiot didn't see the next light were RED! like my temper when I caught up with him, not much will actually make me violent, however his bodged attempt at murder - pissed me off! lucky for him i'm much more calm & rational these days.

Edit: headwind all the way this morning BAH!

rjsterry

Audi = the new BMW. Even the petrolheads say so.

amnezia

I saw some truly awful cycling this morning from a young lady, she litterally jumped off the cycle path on Wandsworth bridge straight into the road without even a glance over the shoulder. When i tried to point out how close she'd come to being squashed by a bus she just pointed at her earphones, smiled and said 'Sorry I can't hear'. Brilliant!

gbsahne001

headwind + back wheel coming loose :oops: = poor commute (luckily it didn't drop out) + reminder to check bike before heading down the road.

CXXC

After riding the Burgess Hill Spring Classic yesterday and sleeping like the dead I managed to finally peel myself out of bed this morning 1 hour later than usual and set off for a recovery/leisurely commute.

But as soon as I set foot outside the front door I knew this morning was going to be anything but leisurely, as I could already see 10+ bikes which is more than I usually see in total on my normal commute when the majority of London is sensibly still in bed.

As I clipped in the legs were heavy and my posterior was sorely reminded of the 5 hours spent in the saddle going over The Wall and Cobbs Lane, but I must say thanks to the guy on the hybrid who came shooting past which was all the motivation I needed to MTFU and get out the saddle. So after giving him a 75 metre lead I chased him down by the time we’d reached the summit of Earlsfield Road, but a red light allowed him to catch back up and off he shot on the green only to be reigned in again easily and then smoked heading towards Battersea Rise.

Dropping down onto BPR I ignored the legs telling me to take it easy and chased down a few more commuters (not racers), but for all the upside and enjoyment of seeing more cyclists there was also the downside of more traffic and way more filtering needed than normal.

I crossed the river at HoP and turning right onto Embankment there wasn’t much in front of me which I thought must be down to the traffic light sequences round PS but still I pushed hard and enjoyed the burn in anticipation of what may lie ahead, and sure enough going under Blackfriars Bridge and onto LTS I pulled up and then alongside a chap on a Spesh who’s cadence immediately doubled as I tried to overtake, and he must have been too busy looking at me cos I could see it was a red light up ahead and had now stopped pedalling. I let him go ahead of me and I bide my time, relishing the dual to come.

From the lights IT IS ON and he’s much quicker away due to me not being arsed to change gear as I had approached the lights. But I don’t panic, I’m nicely warmed up now and my legs have learnt that their screams are falling on deaf ears this morning, so after getting my 10 count of hard pulls in and up to speed I start to reel him in, and I can see he’s really trying with the slight upper body sway but the effort into the headwind is starting to have an effect. As I approach his wheel I’m thinking only of destroying his morale and not letting him get my wheel, I blast past and I’m out the saddle on the short rise up to Tower Hill, and after 100m glance back to see………..nothing.

The lights are green at the Tower Hill junction (a first!) and from then onto Canary Wharf its cruise control and giving the legs a rest for a job well done! Unfortunately its back to the earlier departure time tomorrow, but for today its been helluva good fun.

blu3cat

After months of pootling due to being exhausted all the time, managed last week to actually put some effort in and grab a few scalps.

However I do have a new secret weapon . My pasty-blueish-white legs are sure to dazzle you in the sunlight at least until they get a bit of a tan.

It's good to be back. :twisted:

itboffin

Did anyone else see the shaved legs yellow BMC rider this morning around Waterloo bridge, northside?

He was wearing normal shorts and t-shirt and get this a full Giro aero helmet now that's funny, i'm guessing it was a dare

iain_j

Landmark moment of the year this afternoon! First ride without jacket. Glorious sunshine even if it was a little bit chilly.

Then I went for a haircut, came back out, and it was hailstoning :roll:

redvee

Scalped a work colleague who doesn't know the existance of the game nor play it, mind you he was the victim of a hit n run on foot back in Jan 09. He left work 3 mins before me and I caught and passed him within 4 mins Back to real cyclists and I came upon a Giant rider wearing Adidas trackie bottoms with roadie clipless pedals who wasn't impressed with the fact I kept catching him up at junctions etc. He asked me "what my hurry was?", to which I replied I haven't got one but he was the one racing ahead :?

Bassjunkieuk

No competition on my short little commute today but a proper good blast was just what I needed to release a bit of tension :-) Tried to put in a sprint effort this morning as I hit the main bus lane in town, full on effort into a headwind and got "repaid" with a tiny wait at the lights at the opposite end :-)

3 more days commuting then I'll be taking the bike down Longleat Centre Parcs

and possibly turning a blind eye to the "no cycling" routes ;-)

Aidy

WesternWay wrote:

The wind was ENTIRELY wrong this morning

Yeah, really.
After a reasonably quiet wind period, the wind this morning was fairly epic.

Aidy

redvee wrote:

Scalped a work colleague who doesn't know the existance of the game nor play it

Heh, reminds me.
Spotted a colleague getting on the tube at Manor Park on my way in on Friday.

Cue my relatively cheerful "Hi!", and getting into the office more than half an hour before him. Bikes are great

cjcp

Wet and windy. Bleurgh. At least it wasn't cold though.

Saw that rapid panniered-up Condor Man again.

gbsahne001

great ride home, felt like a headwind but I was moving at 23 / 24 on the hybrid..... must be Monday legs, I'm sure I'll pay for it in the morning, especially as I've just noticed that the cheap back wheel I'm using appears to be falling apart!

Paddy O Dawes

Hard work in this morning, but for once the wind hadn't done a 180 by home time. Absolutely flew home, trashing a Trek and a Bianchi on Green Lanes heading up to Manor House. All the more enjoyable 'cos the Bianchi had been drafting me - without my knowledge - at very high speed, in the wet - neither smart nor the act of a gentleman - then nipped round to get in front of me at the lights. Took off at a thrash, but failed to get into his toe clips, which started snicking the ground at every turn. When he finally paused to sort it and fumbled the entry, I passed him and away.

rjsterry

cjcp wrote:

Wet and windy. Bleurgh. At least it wasn't cold though.

Saw that rapid panniered-up Condor Man again.

I must be going a bit weird - I've started to quite enjoy the damp weather now that it's warmed up. Younger brother is down from Derby on Saturday; rubbish forecast, but we'll go whatever. Planning a sort of my-hills-are-better-than-yours loop from Dorking round Leith Hill, Ranmore Common and Box Hill then back to Carshalton.

cjcp

rjsterry wrote:

cjcp wrote:

Wet and windy. Bleurgh. At least it wasn't cold though.

Saw that rapid panniered-up Condor Man again.

I must be going a bit weird - I've started to quite enjoy the damp weather now that it's warmed up. Younger brother is down from Derby on Saturday; rubbish forecast, but we'll go whatever. Planning a sort of my-hills-are-better-than-yours loop from Dorking round Leith Hill, Ranmore Common and Box Hill then back to Carshalton.

Take him up Radnor Lane (in Peaslake) and Whitedown, too.

WesternWay

Took a detour on the way home last night to look in Finsbury Park Lidl for their cycling stuff (they had none).

Went past a fixie on Holloway Road and had a bit of a belt down, but he rear ended me in a traffic stop, got embarrassed and hung back.

Beautiful ride in this morning, despite a slight frost and some fog. 40 minutes this morning rather than the normal 45. Probably more to do with the way the lights fell than anything else, but still.

Precious few scalps to be had when arriving for work at 6:45. I don't generally even see another cyclist until Holloway Road.

itboffin

Wickedly cold morning frost on the ground and a stiff wind to boot :evil:

Very's odd I was pretty sure the estate agent said this house was in Wiltshire, not Moscow.......!

Spring WAS nice wasn't it