Silly commuting racing

cjcp

ketsbaia wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

cjcp wrote:

Stelvio_W wrote:

Nice to meet you as well. I remember you now! I need some new shorts to push the FCN number up, especially when I do some hair removal in anticipation of the summer sportive season starting! In desperate need of some of your "endurance miles" as the marmotte approaches.

Another Marmotter! Hurrah!

Seems to be a few of us now

WRT endurance miles: yes, well, ahem. May be lacking those, too, at the moment. April mileage has been way lower than I planned. Hopefully, I'll catch up a bit at the weekend

Ha. That's my plan too. Nice long weekend in which I'm hoping to rack up some serious mileage. It's only nine and a half weeks away, you know. :shock:[/quote]

Can't hear you. Lalalalalalalala.

Stelvio_W

I am anticipating getting seriously scalped on Monday 5th of July ! Please have mercy on me

ketsbaia

Stelvio_W wrote:

I am anticipating getting seriously scalped on Monday 5th of July ! Please have mercy on me

I've booked the day off. I may extend that to the whole week.

Clever Pun

ketsbaia wrote:

Stelvio_W wrote:

I am anticipating getting seriously scalped on Monday 5th of July ! Please have mercy on me

I've booked the day off. I may extend that to the whole week.

ride a shopper in grannies clothes..safe as houses

waddlie

A rare clear run down The Haymarket and Rupert Street from St James Barton this morning saw me scalp my first scooter. On a mountain bike. Kickass.

Bassjunkieuk

Just a quick heads-up and enquiry really.
I have just found out I'll be required to cover a site down in Thames Ditton (off Portsmouth Road, about 1 mile down south from pub where the Kingston Wheelers meet I think) and will need to ride to the south side of London Bridge!

I doubt I'll be in any state to ride properly by the time I hit the main race-tracks so someone is welcome to have a pop but does anyone have a nice route suggestion?

At present I was planning on following my usual route back towards Morden/Raynes Park area then just use the A24 but could in theory head up Portsmouth Road towards RP then find my way in from there.......

Got a couple of weeks to plan as it's on the 12th May and we have a buffet, which I intend to pillage!

asprilla

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

I doubt I'll be in any state to ride properly by the time I hit the main race-tracks so someone is welcome to have a pop but does anyone have a nice route suggestion?

Where are you going to?

I go to Kingston, up though the Park, Priory Lane, Queens Ride, Lower Richmond Road and then over Putney Bridge. From there, the world is your Oyster.

Bassjunkieuk

Asprilla wrote:

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

I doubt I'll be in any state to ride properly by the time I hit the main race-tracks so someone is welcome to have a pop but does anyone have a nice route suggestion?

Where are you going to?

I go to Kingston, up though the Park, Priory Lane, Queens Ride, Lower Richmond Road and then over Putney Bridge. From there, the world is your Oyster.

Horniman at the Hayes, just on the south side of London Bridge overlooking the Thames.

Gonna have a nice long stare at all the TFL cycle maps that I sellotaped together and stuck on the wall in the hallway upstairs later......I knew it would come in useful for something at some point :-)

itboffin

SCR called off tonight due to two unscheduled deflations and a young lady in blue very see through 3/4 unpadded tights :-)

good show! Pun intended :-)

cjcp

Bit lively tonight. Chainset worked its way loose, though, which made for a jumping chain and seated bursts.

Wrath Rob

Public transport for me today. I've got to look after myself, after 6 beers my scalp could be anyones!

Back on the single speed tomorrow. Heads up for a sky blue old steel SS bike with a guy in a red helmet and carrying a dayglo covered rucksack. Now there's a target for you! I must be slightly sozzled...

cjcp

WTH was up with the traffic today? :?

Millbank was a blast, right up until some bloke in a white Integral Maintainence van sped in front of me and some scooters, only to brake hard, turn left just before Millbank Tower and then give us the magic-the-beans hand signal. God, there are some berks alive.

The Running Man

Friggin' wind - that's all ... :oops:

nich

Another beautiful commute in for me - until I hit a few diversions around Bank, and then got in a muddle and a bit lost )

will3

The Running Man wrote:

Friggin' wind - that's all ... :oops:

Lay off the malt loaf

Finally a scalp
Swaffham Heath Road.
White road bike vs CX with panniers, mudguards and a very flat front tyre.

amnezia

The bike is fixed, the cold is going away and once again the awesome is back. 8)

rjsterry

Despite legs being very achy last night, this morning seemed surprisingly easy for a Friday. Have a nasty feeling it was a tailwind and the homeward leg will be much harder. 38 miles by the end of today as I have a meeting in Muswell Hill to go to. There may well be a scalp going free this evening.

Oh, yes, saw a Herman's safety wing today as well coming over Blackfriars Bridge

cjcp

rjsterry wrote:

Have a nasty feeling it was a tailwind and the homeward leg will be much harder.

+1. Eyes open for the drafting fairies, chaps :twisted:

Bassjunkieuk

cjcp wrote:

WTH was up with the traffic today? :?

Millbank was a blast, right up until some bloke in a white Integral Maintainence van sped in front of me and some scooters, only to brake hard, turn left just before Millbank Tower and then give us the magic-the-beans hand signal. God, there are some berks alive.

I think it must have just been the morning for a$$hat drivers, we had about 2 or 3 seemingly jump the lights opposite Stockwell tube, only to pull up in the bus lane as everyone was crossing the road they wanted to go into!! Top that off with it being chocka with nodders and a taxi that pulled up to let someone out it caused a bit of a backup!

Excellent ride in tho traffic aside, spotted Gaz in Streatham again but think I must have managed to sneak through a gap in the traffic he missed as I lost him about 100 yards down the road when it got a bit busy, sorry for that mate it wasn't intentional!

A few roadies down The Drag Strip, including one rather nice looking lady on a rather fat tyred drop barred bike who was putting in a great effort on the rise towards Clapham South. I casually came past on the tops after spotting a chap on a white Scott roadie and deciding I just couldn't hang back and "enjoy the view" ;-) The gent on the white Scott seemed to be in a bit of a rush as he muttered about traffic and kept staring at his watch - my suggestion would be ride faster as I left your ar$e for dead once the traffic cleared :evil:

The crowning glory tho was a scooter on the run towards Stockwell. Had been yo-yoing with some hybrids and then got a good run of lights. The scooter came past but didn't put much space between us so I applied a bit more power and came past at a fairly comfortable 32mph :-) LOVE IT! Bring on the summer proper as it was first time I'd ridden into London with a SS jersey on this year :-)

Wrath Rob

well, after beer induced boasting last night I survived relatively intact on the SS. I did get overtaken a couple of times, once by a guy on a red Specialized with the most horrendous neon mis-matching socks. I got my scalp back later before being delayed by a bus and then our ways parting. Someone took a tow away from P'Square and then came past when we were coasting to some lights without the courtesy to say thanks and then turned off.

A guy in a World Champion top was a much more serious challenge, heading past me to the front of the lights at VB and then leading all the way to P'square, where I filtered past him (no scalps so far). I stayed ahead all the way to Blackfriars where I stopped for the lights and he timed them very well, flying past me as they changed to green. Not to be deterred I took chase, the "flank speed" signal was sent to the legs, and I dispatch the other 2 riders in my way and set my sights firmly on a World Champion's scalp.

I'm getting on top of the gearing now, passing 23, 24, 25....26.....27......27.5, the legs are complaining, a fire has ignited in my chest, I only need to push this hard to Southwark Bridge, I can do that. But something's wrong, he's pulling away! My legs are a blur as I nudge 28mph, I'm making heavy inroads into bolstering the national oxygen debt its no use. The gap grows and the battle is lost. I ease back to 24 and try to get my breathing back under control just in case we meet at the lights. They change well before I arrive and I turn off. Where were the gears when I needed them?

MonkeyMonster

Wooooo, what a superb ride in this morning. Tail wind I suspect assisted to a nice comfy avg of 19 mph which I am more than happy with. Some good stretches of just overtaking everything. Got ss'd near blackfriars as I was literally *just* too slow of the lights and he hadn't stopped and I knew I hadn't the distance to legally remove his scalp so desisted. Looking forward to home time must say.

MonkeyMonster

cjcp wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Have a nasty feeling it was a tailwind and the homeward leg will be much harder.

+1. Eyes open for the drafting fairies, chaps :twisted:

Its called chasing when you can scalp them unexpectedly too
Burrito in the tank at lunchtime and I hope to make myself a scalp cloak later

will3

The Running Man wrote:

Friggin' wind - that's all ... :oops:

Forgot to say:

Don't worry it'll have quietened down by home time. :roll:

rjsterry

Well Archway Road was a bit of a grind on the way up, but good fun on the way back to the office. Had an opportunity to race a Ferrari down the hill, but the traffic was a bit heavy. Legs feel even more sore now though - nearly 170miles this week by the time I get home. Of course, despite the tired legs, I'll still and up chasing someone down the Embankment like some demented terrier.

nich

I had a relaxing ride home, practising my filtering which will surely become a daily occurrence on the grid locked roads of London.

Then i reached Catford and took in the sights of some scuffle between a group of thugs, with a police van just arriving, followed by a couple more later on. Not nice!

the other me

:shock: :shock: :shock:

where did those gusts of wind along millbank come from??
a couple of them instantly knocked at least (or what felt like) 5 - 6mph off my speed

still, did at least allow me to lose my drafter

Wrath Rob

Today's Wrath Rob maths lesson:

wind + single speed = pain

On a more positive note I had singly the most entertaining hat trick of scalps. Heading west from P'Square I cruised past a lycra roadie with earphones in. No scalp as a quick FCN calculation had his lycra coutured clothes and geared road bike offsetting my SS and baggies. VB lights he filters to the front so I cruise past again. CB lights, he pulls up next to me, at which point I notice that he's running tri-bars! FCN adjuster of -1 so that's 2 scalps! Lights change and he pulls out a short lead and then drops onto the tri-bars. I pause to enjoy the moment and then cruise past for the 3rd time and I can't help myself, I laugh out loud as I go past and cruise (well, struggle) into the distance. Another drafting fairy roadie got on my tail all the way to Lotts Road and even managed to give me a gentle nudge while stationary at AB lights. Thanks, no really, thank you. Wuss

cjcp

Rode from Blackfriars to Parsons Green with a 1st Cat. He looked distinctly unmoved by the headwind and had no trouble speaking. Not so much me...

rjsterry

the other me wrote:

:shock: :shock: :shock:

where did those gusts of wind along millbank come from??
a couple of them instantly knocked at least (or what felt like) 5 - 6mph off my speed

still, did at least allow me to lose my drafter

Downdraft from the tower. You get the same effect around the Barbican towers and various other tall buildings in London. Nowadays, people put quite a lot of effort into trying to prevent these downdrafts (they can make make using doors at ground level difficult if not impossible). I was doing 27mph before I got hit by a gust, which slowed me to 19mph in a second or two. Pretty effective braking.

Started off quite well this evening, and almost had a roadie (a red and blue L/S jersey and white Giro helmet, red framed bike, grey courier bag - seen him before), but he RLJ'd at the lights by the petrol station on DSC. Poor show. Started to slow by Clapham Common and faded badly after that, ending up taking an extra 10 minutes to get home.

iain_j

Excuse my absence from the roads from the last week...

My office finally relocated this week, to another place 2 miles down the road, we were told last July "you're going, and it's in six weeks". Nearly a year later we've gone.

The old place had secure bike parking, showers, changing rooms, and cloakroom. The new place has a shower, and they've found somewhere safe I can stash my bike (a spare office with a keypad-lock door). Will have to improvise where I hang my cycling stuff. And I may have to change my attire, I have to walk right through the office (a long office with lots of high-ranking peoples) to get the key to the shower, and I don't fancy doing that in my lycra shorts so it may be baggies from now on.

Anyone recommend some decent baggy shorts? Not too expensive, they're only for the ride to work, and hopefully water-resistant so they'll dry out after a wet commute. Hopefully un-padded too, I'd wear my padded shorts underneath if I needed to.