Silly commuting racing

choirboy

itboffin wrote:

I'm in the basement I have no idea if it hot / cold - day or night

rjsterry

Lovely day indeed, although not looking forward to First Capital Connect this evening, even if I am cycling the first and last bits on the folder. I'm really not up for doing 13 miles on a bike that flexes that much and spinning out on non-studded flat pedals is just asking for trouble. Was idly wondering how cheaply I could get a proper bike to stand in until I can get my Giant up from Bristol.

UndercoverElephant

Gah! Whose leg do you have to hump to get a race 'round here?

Nothing, not a sniff of anyone giving any resistance for what seems like an age. It's so frustrating!

Tonight, on my way home I'm heading along the coast road and I spy in the distance ahead of me two decent looking roadies. Nice speed, nice bikes, hell one of them's wearing full Team Sky kit. Excellent, I thought, we must be on!

I up my pace and I catch them over the next mile, they're both on carbon bikes from the looks. Nice. Going through Prestonpans the road becomes silky smooth (relatively) and I pass them at a reasonably assailable 25 mph - a couple more than they're going, enough to encourage them before I slay them.

"Evening, fellas", I goad as I pass and nothing. Nothing at all, they just let me pass them and carry on as though they hadn't just lost their scalps, their dignity and the respect of their loved ones. What is wrong with these people?

Next time I'll tap one on the shoulder and shout, "Tig! You're it!" as I pass.

Bassjunkieuk

I think the extra miles earlier this week+no "easy" day and a not so good carb-laden diet for the past 24 hours could have contributed to how awful I felt on the last hill today.......I think it was topped off with not drinking a lot as well. It was a proper effort this evening and I still have Friday to contend with :?

Had a VERY close call with a motorbike today. I was chasing a chap who'd taken a tighter line around Aldwych then me and got a bit of a lead. He was heading my way over WB so I gunned it down the left, as I was coming up alongside some traffic a motorbike swung across towards me and instead of braking to try and avoid him I carried on going thinking I'd make the gap. I did just about but I'm sure I brushed him :shock:

lost_in_thought

choirboy wrote:

itboffin wrote:

I'm in the basement I have no idea if it hot / cold - day or night

God I love that show...

cjcp

Not a sausage this evening. On the roads late for the second night in a row. Knackered legs again tomorrow morning, I suspect.

Saw the drafting, RLJing, zebra-hopping fairy on the Giant this morning. He genuinely races you.

Zachariah

I overtook one of those motorised lawnmower thingies yesterday.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Now *that* was a nice ride in.

Nothing frantic, just got a good run of lights and the sun was warm. Ahhhhh....

WesternWay

I am full of cold so trying my best to just pootle, bloody hard though.

but my FCN has gone up by one, I have ditched the winter tights and base layers so am in non-cycling gear...

cjcp

Greg66 wrote:

Now *that* was a nice ride in.

Nothing frantic, just got a good run of lights and the sun was warm. Ahhhhh....

So it's your fault I had a pants ride in!

To ensure that the balance of the universe wasn't disturbed, I had the absolute opposite of your experience. I was also sweating last night's curry out. My clothes are going to be boggin' when I put them on for the ride home.

MonkeyMonster

park was lovely last night bar the the bug brigade trying to force themselves into my face. took a few roadie scalps too - bet they weren't happy
I do absolutely love the right handed downhill going anti-clock before stag lodge stables. Deliberately gave space to a big roadie as I didn't want to be anywhere near him but still caught up the slow bugger. With a hill like that no need to pedal but still went faster

Lovin it.

greg66_tri_v2.0

cjcp wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Now *that* was a nice ride in.

Nothing frantic, just got a good run of lights and the sun was warm. Ahhhhh....

So it's your fault I had a pants ride in!

To ensure that the balance of the universe wasn't disturbed, I had the absolute opposite of your experience. I was also sweating last night's curry out. My clothes are going to be boggin' when I put them on for the ride home.

Citizen Smith

Only a virtual commute today as I'm working from home but managed to get out to RP this morning to have a crack at the 3LC. Managed a respectable 65 minuter on the ol' hybrid. Not bad starter for ten in the glorious sunshine!

Wallace1492

Was climbing Dumgoyne last night (by foot) and was wanting a nice easy ride up Maryhill Road.... had just passed a guy on a MTB when i felt warm breath on the back of my neck... a guy on a hybrid (I think) was chasing tried to drop him on the dual carraigeway section, but to no avail. I went through the lights at Canniesburn on amber, thinking he would stop - not a bit of it, he charged through too. Right behind me all the way into Milngavie, but he never attacked, just kept behind me, hopefully knowing his place....

Left me knackered for the climb, but enjoyed the ride home....

cjcp

Greg66 wrote:

cjcp wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Now *that* was a nice ride in.

Nothing frantic, just got a good run of lights and the sun was warm. Ahhhhh....

So it's your fault I had a pants ride in!

To ensure that the balance of the universe wasn't disturbed, I had the absolute opposite of your experience. I was also sweating last night's curry out. My clothes are going to be boggin' when I put them on for the ride home.

Right. I've just had spicy paella and a chilli meatball sub for lunch. Atm, my breath could knock a buzzard off a sh!t-truck, so, if I see you tonight, I'm going to breathe on you. :P

commuterconvert

almost had an experience better than a scalp yesterday...

I was just entering haymarket from picadilly circus and there was this guy on an mtb jumped the lights across the front of me, then stood up on the pedals, gave it a bit of a frantic pedal to get past, a few weaves and moves, king of the road type. You know what i mean.

I was just thinking ok, he's so irritating I'm just going to have to go past him on the stretch even though I was planning on taking it easy then....

he was coming up fast behind a stationary lorry at a light but there was a taxi on his inside, he decided to do a "stylish twist and duck in front of the taxi squeeze through the gap" move but with pure comedy managed to time his turn just too late and caught his shoulder and arm full tilt on the back of the lorry.

To his credit he managed to keep upright but it must have really hurt. Desperate to save face he acted like it was nothing and proceeded to fire through the red light in front of him. Never saw him again, decided it was so poetic there was no need to bother chasing him down any more.

Made my commute.

Paul E

lost_in_thought wrote:

choirboy wrote:

itboffin wrote:

I'm in the basement I have no idea if it hot / cold - day or night

God I love that show...

:-)

cjcp

That was a bit quicker than normal, but didn't feel anything like it. Was carrying food, a laptop, half a ream of paper and some clothes, and still made it home in 50 mins. Broomfield was a bit slow, mind...

Had a bit of fun with a rapid Pearson rider (easily a racing snake) on a converted SS Trek all the way to Priory Lane and a few others along the way.

Dripping with sweat when I got home...

redvee

Friday night rush hour in Bristol. Hundreds are sat in there cars sweating buckets going nowhere fast. Me, I'm out in the warm spring air going somewhere fast chilled in the 20mph breeze rushing past me

Bassjunkieuk

A visit from ITB's GF on the way in saw me having to stop for a 10 minutes "breather" in Camberwell. It did then seem to allow a bit more competition to find me and I had a bit of a scuffle with a fast old guy towards E&C.
I then got scalped proper by a courier with a yellow/black Ortileb bag. I went after him but he wasn't to keen on stopping for RL's so I could only reign him in so far before I had to keep stopping.
I managed to catch up with him on the north side of WB after dropping everything else on 2 wheels and had a nice little race off the lights around Aldwych until a taxi pulled out of the centre rank straight across the road to a fare on the opposite side!! USE YOUR FECKING MIRRORS EH?

I anticipated the ride home being a bit of a slog but decided I'd MTFU and use the hillier route. Thankfully the other 2 roadies I found through in Camberwell that also went through Dulwich either didn't want to ride up towards Crystal Palace or where in a worse state then me. I got a scalp on one roadie up College Road and then to finish the week in style I got round not one but two cars on the final hill descent! It's times llike that when I remember just why I love cycling and if that's how my little SCR3.0 can accelerate then I'd love to see what a nicer bike behaves like :-D

Bassjunkieuk

redvee wrote:

Friday night rush hour in Bristol. Hundreds are sat in there cars sweating buckets going nowhere fast. Me, I'm out in the warm spring air going somewhere fast chilled in the 20mph breeze rushing past me

Until you hit a hill and it's a world of pain and sweat! Nothing like that warm glow you get when you have to stop for RLs ;-)

redvee

No hills on the commute thankfully though I should start to include some climbs TBH.

Shamelessly lifted from Telegraph Road by Dire Straits.

"There's six lanes of traffic, three lanes moving slow..."

itboffin

First commute on the CX with CX tyres, not bad I have to say. Those contis roll along pretty nicely and the extra rubber really soaks up the bumps, lets see how they handle London pot holes 8)

flamite

what was going on in parl square today, whole road from west blocked off, with some permanent looking bollards up....

hope that's not here to stay....!

cjcp

A roadie and a hybrid overtook me on DSC while I was building up speed after stopping at the set of lights just before its entrance. The roadie was drafting a scooter. It was a nice feeling overtaking the roadie later on Millbank, whilst he was drafting the same scooter. (Had to work hard for it, mind.)

rjsterry

Proper bike is still marooned (sp?) in Bristol, so set off on the Dahon folder this morning planning to ride up to Tooting or Streatham, then get the train up to Elephant & Castle before completing the journey on the bike. Only it was such a nice day, and I was too busy chasing a lycra'd up roadie, that I forgot to stop at Tooting, and ended up doing the full 13 miles.

Actually not as bad as I thought it would be: still getting used to flat pedals again, and the gearing is a bit low (spent virtually the whole ride on the smallest cog). I've got no computer on the Dahon, so I'm guessing that I was spinning out at just over 20 (and spinning out with flats and no clips is not a good idea). Really should get another pair of SPDs for it. Also the steering at speed is in the twitchy-to-terrifying range. Good fun passing all the lower FCN riders, although no spectacular scalps.

EDIT: Better add the Dahon to the sig then as I'm commuting on it. Go Clown Bikes!

greg66_tri_v2.0

cjcp wrote:

A roadie and a hybrid overtook me on DSC while I was building up speed after stopping at the set of lights just before its entrance. The roadie was drafting a scooter. It was a nice feeling overtaking the roadie later on Millbank, whilst he was drafting the same scooter. (Had to work hard for it, mind.)

Good work. The roadie will be able to use that as a good working definition of utter humiliation.

So, in related news, I have been rising along past the HoP for the last week or so thinking "Hmm. St Margaret's Street will be closed. Wonder which one that is. Can't see a sign."

Well, I found out this morning. Time for a temporary route change, me thinks. :x

stuaff

rjsterry wrote:

Proper bike is still marooned (sp?) in Bristol, so set off on the Dahon folder this morning planning to ride up to Tooting or Streatham, then get the train up to Elephant & Castle before completing the journey on the bike. Only it was such a nice day, and I was too busy chasing a lycra'd up roadie, that I forgot to stop at Tooting, and ended up doing the full 13 miles.

Actually not as bad as I thought it would be: still getting used to flat pedals again, and the gearing is a bit low (spent virtually the whole ride on the smallest cog). I've got no computer on the Dahon, so I'm guessing that I was spinning out at just over 20 (and spinning out with flats and no clips is not a good idea). Really should get another pair of SPDs for it. Also the steering at speed is in the twitchy-to-terrifying range. Good fun passing all the lower FCN riders, although no spectacular scalps.

EDIT: Better add the Dahon to the sig then as I'm commuting on it. Go Clown Bikes!

92" top gear according to the Dahon.com bike archive- I found my Jetstream's top end a bit low as well (fitted a DualDrive to get round that). The frisky handling does take a bit of getting used to, even if I ever rode no hands I wouldn't on one of these, but it's fine even on fast downhills.

itsbruce

Shaved a minute off my fastest time in, on this day of all days.

rjsterry

Oh, forgot to mention: I nearly scalped that loon who wears an American Football helmet this morning, but owing to the slightly snatchy brakes on the Dahon, and my consequent very early braking, I was easily out-filtered in the traffic on Clapham High Street. He was also wearing massive hi-viz winter gloves :shock: )+ he has one of those rear lights with indicators). He is going to be very sticky in there this evening.