Silly commuting racing

UndercoverElephant

Paul E wrote:

I wish I could get my average up, so many lights and junctions though I think I would have to triple my speed to anywhere near you lot on here :-(

Aw, it was only a 22 mph average last night. Surely everyone can manage that? :twisted:

OK, there was a tailwind and I have 11 traffic lights in the 12.5 miles. :oops:

rjsterry

11 in 12.5 miles? You lucky barsteward. One of my old routes from Putney Heath to Old Street (London) via Fulham and Chelsea, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly, etc. had 75 sets of traffic lights in 10 miles. I worked out that I was spending a third of my journey stood still :shock:

bigmat

amnezia wrote:

MatHammond wrote:

Nice ride in today, wind seems to blowing the right way in the mornings this week. Had a tussle with a guy on a nice Ridley cross bike the last couple of days, good speed and decent road manners to boot - anyone off here?

What bike are you on? There was a guy with a red/black Ridley in the pack i rode down the embankment with this morning.

I ride from Balham to the City, following the Northern Line route. This guy was on a black and white Ridley cross bike with World Champ stripes - nice. I was on the iron horse - see my Flickr link, not exactly built for speed!

Reminds me, got passed whilst stopped at a red light by a London Dynamo on a Specialized S-Works yesterday, I took chase and was cruising along at over 30mph and making ground until he went straight through a red light again at Oval tube. He was lucky, proper racing snake his pride would have been in shreds had I made the catch!

Paul E

I have had a long lay off and yes I do have a huge amount of lights it seems, i have done two dry runs, first time was the first time on the bike for a long while and took 1 hour 8 second time was 57 mins which made my average 12mph which does mean my cruising speed is okay, doesn't it???

King Donut

TGOTB wrote:

Was having a quiet pootle through RP this morning, feeling sorry for myself on account of a mild dose of man flu, when someone matching KD's description came flying past.

Had to MTFU, obviously; by the time we diverged at Blackfriars my man flu had disappeared completely!

KD, if that was you, thanks very much :-)

T'was I. If I'd got close enough I would have said hello. I'm sure I'll recognise your back (and that evil pannier) next time!

Knew you were a player from the minute you awakened from pootle mode outside the ballet school in RP.
We got split by a HGV along Cheyne Walk and then I caught a red. Spent all of Embankment trying to reel you in. Certainly gave me something in the distance to aim for and I had nothing left by the time I reached Blackfirars tunnel. To think I took the short route this morning as I was feeling lazy. Chapeau sir!

rjsterry

Paul E wrote:

I have had a long lay off and yes I do have a huge amount of lights it seems, i have done two dry runs, first time was the first time on the bike for a long while and took 1 hour 8 second time was 57 mins which made my average 12mph which does mean my cruising speed is okay, doesn't it???

Sounds OK to me for a first-time-in-a-while. I recently removed my 'winter' lighting (old skool halogen and lead acid battery Vistalite jobbie - bright but built like a brick) and felt an instant improvement in speed.

itboffin

So fellow London commuters who long do you reckon it would take to cycle from KX to RP in the morning early say 6am and again how long in the evening say 8pm?

By the way what time does the park shut?

3 lap challenge here I come

DonDaddyD

"Yeah DonDaddyD mofo, let me say it slow so you can take it in! DonDaddyD, say it, love it, feel it, know it and fear it!"

After yesterdays fun and games I left my house late again 8.45am to avoid all the overcrowding of bicycles and newbies desperately trying to test themselves against my now seasoned thighs.

No such luck, despite one of the best commutes I've had this year (and I struggle to think of a better one). Along Clapham road heading to Oval tube I encounter a hairy dude on a Trek (Trek Guy). Normal service as usual I take him and go along my merry way.

He passes me, but not effortlessly, he does so a little too closely and with complete disregard to the meeting situation ahead of me between two cars and a van, one of which was trying to turn off the main road. What is it with cyclists and these?

I pass Trek guy again, he sprints to pass me too closely again. I don't do anything about this yet. I know Kennington road is coming.

Anyway. Past Oval tube another guy on a road bike, flats and on the drops joins us on my right (down tube shifter guy). We are all heading to Kennington Road. I think he is trying to shift while riding three abreast. He's got downtube shifters and can't find his gear, as he's fiddling he starts banking left. I shout.

"Whoa, whoa WHOA! Jesus!

He looks over smiles. I power through, annoyed now. We get onto Kennington Road. Approaching a set of red lights and some filtering past two vans sees both Trek Guy and down tube shifter guy ahead of me while I stop sensibly int eh queue not desperate to get to the front.

Green.

I drop the rage and let slip "The power awesome" (tm). I don't see down tube shifter guy again. Trek guy eventually pulls up at Lambeth North tube, I look him up and down. He refuses to make eye-contact and meet my smile with grace and the shame of defeat.

I win!

gbsahne001

In the 18miles I'm doing in the evening I think there's 32 sets I have to go through; didn't think there was so many until I counted them

UndercoverElephant

I can cut it down to seven when Portobello prom isn't a knacked as it is currently. There's been some pretty spectacular high-tides recently which has broken bits off it.

All eleven where red last night when I got there too. :P

tgotb

itboffin wrote:

So fellow London commuters who long do you reckon it would take to cycle from KX to RP in the morning early say 6am and again how long in the evening say 8pm?

By the way what time does the park shut?

3 lap challenge here I come

I don't know the area around KX too well, but 40 mins to Roehampton Gate should be fine (either way).

The park's open to cyclists 24 hrs a day (except during the deer cull, which won't happen until Autumn)

mtb-idle

Haven't counted the lights on my current journey (Epsom to Canary Wharf) but when i did a very similar journey (Epsom to Cannon Street, exactly the same until the elephant) I counted 95 sets of traffic lights. :shock:

As one other poster mentions, I too average about 14 to 15 mph real time (none of this 'riding time' crap) and I too can pass most other traffic.

Last nights commute I was 'just riding along' when some guy, same FCN, blasts past me. I let him go cos he looked so chuffed but kept him in sight. Sure enough, he was only 'playing the game' and half a mile on slowed down to about the same as me. I tailed him until the top of Clapham High Street when you hit the climb up to the common.

I love that climb and can regularly hit 23mph uphill on it which isnt bad for an old man .

I snuck up on him and opened the after-burners as I flew past him, going slightly closer to him than I normally would just to remind him that I was the same guy from earlier.

He caught up with me at the lights opposite Clapham common tube and tried to get away but I beat him again in a straight drag-race. He caught me up again and in a lung-busting effort for him (I could see he was hurting) he went past me only to RLJ at Balham lights.

you know the man is beaten when they have to RLJ to keep ahead of you. Two strikes to me!

Anyway, as it happened I caught him again later on an went past him again. Strike three!

Mate, if you can't make it stick even with an RLJ then don't bother 8)

What made it all the more sweeter was that he was the best part of 20 yrs younger than me.

mtb-idle

DonDaddyD wrote:

"newbies desperately trying to test themselves against my now seasoned thighs"

OMFG, what an image. That made me literally laugh out loud.

Greg T

MTB-Idle wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

"newbies desperately trying to test themselves against my now seasoned thighs"

OMFG, what an image. That made me literally laugh out loud.

he means he rubs them down with olive oil, salt, pepper and cajun seasoning before getting on his bike.

He uses tabasco also - I tell him Chamois cream is more effective but he persists.

msw

TGOTB wrote:

itboffin wrote:

So fellow London commuters who long do you reckon it would take to cycle from KX to RP in the morning early say 6am and again how long in the evening say 8pm?

By the way what time does the park shut?

3 lap challenge here I come

I don't know the area around KX too well, but 40 mins to Roehampton Gate should be fine (either way).

I'd give it an hour to be on the safe side - I work near KX and it takes me 20 mins to get home to Kilburn, from where it takes 40-ish to get to RP on a Saturday morning. Admittedly may be quicker if you just drop down and burn along the Embankment.

rjsterry

95 sets of lights? Based on my calculation earlier, that works out as nearly 25 minutes stationary! Each way, that's nearly an hour a day waiting at the lights!

And when a set breaks down, the traffic frequently carries on pretty much as normal, if not more smoothly. Does make you wonder whether it's all some kind of racket.

HamishD

Just worked mine out. 72 lights between North Acton and Hither Green.

Assuming that 50% are green and that 20s at each red = 36/3 = 12 minutes stationary in 15 miles. So – best time of 52 minutes could be improved by more than 12 minutes (including slowing down time) = 40 minutes therefore average speed of 22.5 mph. 8) :shock:

All a load of rubbish methinks cos I'm not that good . . . .

MonkeyMonster

Lovely ride in earlier - looking forward to ride home apart from the lunar landscape I will have to dodge through later. If any one sees me and I don't respond. Its been 4 weeks off the bike and chest is still fairly crap - energy is going into making legs work, if I scalp you ah well 8)

rjsterry

Indeed, we've all had moments when we've craved a red light. Does make you wonder what the figures would be for one of those 'Traffic lights cost UK businesses £XXXX' headlines.

Bassjunkieuk

Greg T wrote:

MTB-Idle wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

"newbies desperately trying to test themselves against my now seasoned thighs"

OMFG, what an image. That made me literally laugh out loud.

he means he rubs them down with olive oil, salt, pepper and cajun seasoning before getting on his bike.

He uses tabasco also - I tell him Chamois cream is more effective but he persists.

Surely DDD would use Reggae Reggae sauce......;-)
Good to see your back on form (both DDD with his SCR and GT with his wit!)

ITB - PM me if/when your considering going RP for a late one, I may be interested in joining you for a few laps if you don't mind a riding buddy! Need to get some serious mileage in before June and fast running out of weekends (only getting out every fortnight on a Sunday, bl00dy family......) to rack em up in!

DonDaddyD

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

Greg T wrote:

MTB-Idle wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

"newbies desperately trying to test themselves against my now seasoned thighs"

OMFG, what an image. That made me literally laugh out loud.

he means he rubs them down with olive oil, salt, pepper and cajun seasoning before getting on his bike.

He uses tabasco also - I tell him Chamois cream is more effective but he persists.

Surely DDD would use Reggae Reggae sauce......;-)
Good to see your back on form (both DDD with his SCR and GT with his wit!)

lost_in_thought

We're approaching page 900, and nobody's angling for position...

What's happened to you people?

MonkeyMonster

We're playing a quiet war and waiting for the wrong first move...

Paul E

I am just lulling people into a false sense of security before I unleash my awesomeneesesesesesssssssss

rjsterry

Let's see if we can get one of those hi-viz newbs that everyone is talking about to take one for the team :twisted:

UndercoverElephant

I'm still basking in the glow of my glorious 15,000

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12575770&start=15000

Kieran_Burns

UndercoverElephant wrote:

I'm still basking in the glow of my glorious 15,000

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12575770&start=15000

but no one has yet managed to out awesome my 10K post

il_principe

@ITB
@Bass

I'll be starting my morning jaunts to RP soon. Aiming to be in the park for 6:30 or so, reckon this gives me time for 2 laps before getting home for 7:30 to swap bikes for the commute!

Would also be up for the odd evening jaunt. Really need to start training properly.

itboffin

lost_in_thought wrote:

We're approaching page 900, and nobody's angling for position...

What's happened to you people?

900 is so unimportant when you already have 500 in the bag....

itboffin

Il Principe wrote:

@ITB
@Bass

I'll be starting my morning jaunts to RP soon. Aiming to be in the park for 6:30 or so, reckon this gives me time for 2 laps before getting home for 7:30 to swap bikes for the commute!

Would also be up for the odd evening jaunt. Really need to start training properly.

Sounds like a plan my work dates are 19-23