Silly commuting racing

lost_in_thought

Ahem.

Workfromhomealmosteverydaycurrentlysittinginthegardeninthesundoingapowerpointpresentation.

Going out on ze bike when I'm done.

itboffin

W1 wrote:

My bike computer tells me I hit a maximum of 116.4mph this morning.

I think I've been April Fooled by a computer.

Tailwind

jonginge

*points finger at ITB and LiT* You're not making any friends here, you know.


Enjoy chaps

greg66_tri_v2.0

Dat wuz niiccccceeeeee.

No one else around to play with, but I did some stomp practice off the lights. Out of practice, admittedly, but managed to hit 56km/h off consecutive sets of lights. Then felt puffed out.

Still feel like there's a squirrel's tail or two stuck in my windpipe. Must sort that out.

Pesky squirrels.

rjsterry

The weekend + Monday and Tuesday off the bike seems to have done the trick, as I barely noticed the headwind last night and managed to spin up to 30 on Millbank (and just over on Clapham Road this morning). Do seem to be gradually getting faster. Just need to work on sustaining that speed for more than a 20 seconds at a time. Also need to time my commutes so that I actually meet some worthy opponents - mainly hybrid nodders and pootling roadies, which isn't much of a challenge.

Robstar24

pretty average commute in this morning:

first lots and lots of traffic going through new cross into peckham, looked like there were roadworks blocking one lane, and a broken down lorry on the other.then managed to catch nearly all the red lights all the way to VB.

thankfully am doing the trip out to rickmansworth this eve so should be able to ride without stopping so bloody much, looking forward to doing it in daylight as well

il_principe

JonGinge wrote:

*points finger at ITB and LiT* You're not making any friends here, you know.


Enjoy chaps

hehehehe you called LiT a "Chap."

I'm off to Sunny Sussex with the bike this weekend. Aiming for some speedwork on the flat, problem is this required a tailwind on the outward leg and a headwind on the way home, I'd love it to be the other way round!

Like I said - Flat:

Ok, mostly flat. Can't wait!

jonginge

Il Principe wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

*points finger at ITB and LiT* You're not making any friends here, you know.


Enjoy chaps

hehehehe you called LiT a "Chap."

Just a phrase, dude. Just a phrase.

Il Principe wrote:

I'm off to Sunny Sussex with the bike this weekend. Aiming for some speedwork on the flat, problem is this required a tailwind on the outward leg and a headwind on the way home, I'd love it to be the other way round!

Like I said - Flat:

Ok, mostly flat. Can't wait!

Not at all jealous, nosirree. Circumstances beyond my immediate control mean not much riding for me this weekend

stuaff

JonGinge wrote:

*points finger at ITB and LiT* You're not making any friends here, you know.


Enjoy chaps

+1. I had last week off, think I was out on the bike six days out of seven.

HamishD

rjsterry wrote:

Do seem to be gradually getting faster. Just need to work on sustaining that speed for more than a 20 seconds at a time.

Ditto

rjsterry wrote:

Also need to time my commutes so that I actually meet some worthy opponents - mainly hybrid nodders and pootling roadies, which isn't much of a challenge.

Ditto x2. Or maybe I just need to move to SW and get a job in the city.

Medders

time to 'fess up to enjoying a bit of SCR....

anyway to the guy on the white dolan track bike in blue assos I traded places with all the way from queens ride to parl sq. - properly beautiful bike but could I respectfully suggest a bigger gear as it looked a bit spinny over 23ish mph...

and to the guy in bath rugby shorts on the shesh allez - please stop for red lights as retaking you got boring and when that ped moaned at you at parl sq. it was cos you were riding like a d*ck

rjsterry

HamishD wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Do seem to be gradually getting faster. Just need to work on sustaining that speed for more than a 20 seconds at a time.

Ditto

rjsterry wrote:

Also need to time my commutes so that I actually meet some worthy opponents - mainly hybrid nodders and pootling roadies, which isn't much of a challenge.

Ditto x2. Or maybe I just need to move to SW and get a job in the city.

Well it's certainly an idea

jonginge

Medders wrote:

anyway to the guy on the white dolan track bike in blue assos I traded places with all the way from queens ride to parl sq. - properly beautiful bike but could I respectfully suggest a bigger gear as it looked a bit spinny over 23ish mph...

Seen that guy before. Tis a lovely bike.

flamite

anyone else see the dudes by southwark bridge on the north side last night, they looked like bike mechanics handing out free advice or something? didnt have time to stop...

loving the sun this am, can i sneak a quick river ride in at lunchtime???

cjcp

rjsterry wrote:

HamishD wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Do seem to be gradually getting faster. Just need to work on sustaining that speed for more than a 20 seconds at a time.

Ditto

rjsterry wrote:

Also need to time my commutes so that I actually meet some worthy opponents - mainly hybrid nodders and pootling roadies, which isn't much of a challenge.

Ditto x2. Or maybe I just need to move to SW and get a job in the city.

Well it's certainly an idea

SW is where it's at 8) . Come join us.

Lovely ride this morning. Ended up having a good chat with a clubmate from Parlt Square to Blackfriars.

The Running Man

Didn't go flat out by any stretch last night but flew to Devizes. Averaging 20+ once I was through the town centres : lovely ride and dare I say it .... it stayed dry

And then there was this morning's inevitable payback. Had to take the car to Lyneham for a service and had to battle 20 miles down the A4 straight into the wind all the way. The A4 and the wind together make for a horrid ride :evil:

I do have to go and collect it tonight but I think I'll leave early, climb up over Bannerdown into Castle Combe and cut over through the lanes to Seagry and Dauntsey.

Think I deserve a treat

jamesco

After leapfrogging a red-light-jumping fool on a mountain bike from Ealing to Shepherds Bush (4-5 miles or so) I stopped at an intersection and noticed a cop standing around near his own bike. Had a look up the road and saw another one of them hiding behind a tree (in fluoro - high-viz *does* work!) waiting to catch jumpers. Couldn't believe that this was the intersection my fool finally chose to stop for a red, and therefore didn't get pinged.. lucky bugger.. :?

Anyway, lovely day for a ride. Made excellent time in thanks to the sweet tailwind, which will hopefully have turned 180 degrees by 6

gaz545

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

Tis good to be back on the bike :-)

Excellent ride in this morning, despite a near miss after the Drag Strip but I'll get to that later......

Weather was rather agreeable, nice sunshine with no apparent heat :-( Still had to make the most of it as it's my only commute this week....was going well until I get held up behind a coach in Streatham and eventually get round it after we both turn off past the train station towards Tooting. I'm aware that I've picked up a couple of other riders whilst tailgating the coach and one of them duly nips past on the brief uphill section whilst I grind up in my utter refusal to change gear :-)

Once the rider has past I notice that they rather helpfully point out a crater up ahead and then I clock white and black tyres......"These look familiar" a little voice in my head says. As I pull level I start checking for a camera and lo and behold find one perched atop the helmet.
I think I might have found a fellow gamer :-) At the next set of lights I ask "Do you post on Bikeradar?" and get a rather casual "Occasionally" reply ;-) Turns out I'd managed to find Gaz525 (IIRC) From the video's he posted previously I knew he was somewhere around where I lived but hadn't seen him yet. I suspect I might have previously along the drag strip a few weeks back but not made the connection (either that or there's another rapid person on an identical bike!)

From then on it was a fun and fast blast down towards and along the Drag Strip. We kept trading places and pretty much laid waste to everything else on 2 wheels without an engine :twisted:

I clipless failure pulling away from Clapham saw Gaz pull out a nice lead, I had to nudge it just north of 30 to start closing the gap and came through the lights ahead with the blue paint all over the road on a *very* late amber ;-) Kept the foot on the gas ahead and saw a white van turning out of a road on my left. Not knowing it was going to be out before I got there I eased up a tad but then had to jump on the anchors as a brown truck turned across the queuing traffic traffic :shock: Thankfully I manged to avoid leaving a BJUK shaped hole in the side as I just managed to scrub enough speed off to slip behind it...what really narked me tho was the fact that I swear I could hear laughing from the cab :evil:

Wind on South Lambeth Road was evil but just gave me a chance to work off the adrenaline from that near miss.

That was fun... and the traffic on the strip suprisingly clear.

To sum it up, i think your faster than me when you get going, but i get a better start :P

Bassjunkieuk

gaz545 wrote:

That was fun... and the traffic on the strip suprisingly clear.

To sum it up, i think your faster than me when you get going, but i get a better start :P

:-D With the gear I was pushing I'm more akin to Donkey Kong them Mushroom at the moment, still it was good fun having someone to chase!

Don't suppose you got any footage of my near miss with that truck before Stockwell? Mind you I think it was just that stretch of road that brought out all the myopic drivers today what with the narrow miss on that scooter and the other ejit who failed to indicate!

itboffin

Yey! I took 5 scalps this morning, I don't care that 3 of them were children on BSO the other two elderly folk, a scalp legal or otherwise in these parts is rare :twisted:

gaz545

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

gaz545 wrote:

That was fun... and the traffic on the strip suprisingly clear.

To sum it up, i think your faster than me when you get going, but i get a better start :P

:-D With the gear I was pushing I'm more akin to Donkey Kong them Mushroom at the moment, still it was good fun having someone to chase!

Don't suppose you got any footage of my near miss with that truck before Stockwell? Mind you I think it was just that stretch of road that brought out all the myopic drivers today what with the narrow miss on that scooter and the other ejit who failed to indicate!

I haven't had the chance to look. i'll give it a gander when i get home and let you know.

redvee

Hurty, hurty on the way home caused by hailstones on bare legs. Rain on my legs is no problem but hailstones is taking the pi$$

Another thing, I put a patched tube in my tyre on thursday of last week and went away, came back to find it nearly flat. Pumped it up and promised to replace one night this week. Since pumping it back up it hasn't needed any more air.
Somebody explain this please.

Zachariah

Obviously the first lot of air you put in was defective.

lost_in_thought

redvee

Zachariah wrote:

Obviously the first lot of air you put in was defective.

Silly me, of course. Why didn't I realise this?

rjsterry

After that thunderstorm, my run home was a rather pleasant ride into the sunset. Was stuck with only the smaller ring, but that didn't prove too much of a problem as the headwind was a bit stronger tonight.

Decided to take the Embankment all the way to Battersea Bridge to avoid the traffic that currently backs up at the bottom of Clapham High Street. Just as I got to Parlt Sq, I spotted a couple of roadies that looked worth a chase, but lost them both filtering round the corners, but pulling off the Lambeth Bridge Roundabout, I spotted one of them ahead - Kingston Wheelers shorts and a Hump + a white helmet, didn't spot what bike. I realised I was gaining on him, so pushed a bit harder and sailed past surprisingly easily despite the headwind. 8)

I managed to catch the lights at VB spot on so kept clipped in and pushed on down DSC. As the buildings opened up on the left hand side, Mr Kingston Wheelers (are you on here?) eased by with a slight raise of the hand. I'm not letting it go that easily and anyway, I need to return the friendly wave, so gritted my teeth and clung on to the 5-10m gap until we arrived at Battersea Bridge at about 7.30 - him continuing nonchalantly on; me gasping and with spent legs.

Ouch. If you're reading this Mr Kingston Wheelers, thanks for the hurty legs. I would probably have pootled otherwise, and that would have been much less fun. I just hope I recover enough to replace the living room floor tomorrow - a day of crowbar action awaits :shock:

Retch

Windy commuting
Produces severe dismay
In slow Welsh cyclists


Anyway: Nice duel with a chap on a Bianchi Nerone down the A3 to Clapham. Battled down the Highway but the legs woke up when required (and when the 100mph headwind abated).

cjcp

rjsterry wrote:

After that thunderstorm, my run home was a rather pleasant ride into the sunset. Was stuck with only the smaller ring, but that didn't prove too much of a problem as the headwind was a bit stronger tonight.

Decided to take the Embankment all the way to Battersea Bridge to avoid the traffic that currently backs up at the bottom of Clapham High Street. Just as I got to Parlt Sq, I spotted a couple of roadies that looked worth a chase, but lost them both filtering round the corners, but pulling off the Lambeth Bridge Roundabout, I spotted one of them ahead - Kingston Wheelers shorts and a Hump + a white helmet, didn't spot what bike. I realised I was gaining on him, so pushed a bit harder and sailed past surprisingly easily despite the headwind. 8)

I managed to catch the lights at VB spot on so kept clipped in and pushed on down DSC. As the buildings opened up on the left hand side, Mr Kingston Wheelers (are you on here?) eased by with a slight raise of the hand. I'm not letting it go that easily and anyway, I need to return the friendly wave, so gritted my teeth and clung on to the 5-10m gap until we arrived at Battersea Bridge at about 7.30 - him continuing nonchalantly on; me gasping and with spent legs.

Ouch. If you're reading this Mr Kingston Wheelers, thanks for the hurty legs. I would probably have pootled otherwise, and that would have been much less fun. I just hope I recover enough to replace the living room floor tomorrow - a day of crowbar action awaits :shock:

You had a light blue-ish bike, rear mudguard, black full -length tights with reflective strips, like to ride on the drops (the way you did this was very reminiscent of the chap on the Time Greg and I have spotted recently, so I thought it was him on his commutingon the steed)?

Bassjunkieuk

What on earth was up with the weather yesterday? 17:10 rolls round and all I can see out the window is lightning and rain, 20 minutes later is stopped and we have lovely sun!
Bl00dy British weather :-) Not that I minded it completely stopping as I'd taken the windproof coat in....

Decided to try a different route home so headed straight down Nine Elms and carried on pretty much straight-ish until I hit the Wandsworth Roundabout before bearing South to head down towards Streatham and rejoin my normal route.

All went quite well, first section of 9-E was lovely and smooth and I even had an amusing incident whilst I was sitting alongside a bus....I saw someone that appeared to be waving from the back seats so I looked up and waved back, I suspect they might have just been trying to clear the window but they did look like my sister-in-law :-) Still I think it made her (and her friend who had a look and wave!) smile so it wasn't all bad :-D

No worthwhile competition until I hit Streatham and found another roadie so the diversion only served to add a couple of miles to the ride home, still it was good fun and the weather was lovely even if it was a tiny bit windy at some points!

andyb78

itboffin wrote:

Yey! I took 5 scalps this morning, I don't care that 3 of them were children on BSO the other two elderly folk, a scalp legal or otherwise in these parts is rare :twisted:

How were their FCNs lower than yours?? Lycra'd up and SPDs on the BSOs? :shock: