Silly commuting racing

itsbruce

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

Bounce Armstrong has gone over my head too, I'm thinking the smartar$e balls up the nickname and meant "Stretch Armstrong"?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stretch_Armstrong

This is going to be Lance Armstrong, not Stretch. It seems that redvee's colleagues think he fancies himself as Lance Armstrong but isn't quite so impressive in Lycra. Shouldn't have to draw a diagram to explain "Bounce", then.

gert_lush

Overtook a ye olde steam roller towing a trailer down some backroad somewhere near oxford, it must have been going slow coz I was in touring mode

also had a couple on a tandem towing a trailer, proper silly touring racing! (although to be fair did ride chatting for to them for quite a time)

MonkeyMonster

Scalped a few roadies while tootling to RP and in the park itself - but lovely little ride all in all. Hello to the nice chap from the exeter racing team who I bantered with a little and used as a rabbit to go chase.
Its good to be on two wheels

UndercoverElephant

Did something unpleasant to my hamstring yesterday whilst bouncing on the trampoline with the kids. Was in, "gentle pootle" mode this morning to avoid aggravating it further. I have a sportive on Saturday, so need my legs working.

Managed to stay out of trouble all the way into work, but it was a close thing. Got to the final left-turn before work, slowed down with a nice, large hand-signal, went round the corner and swish, a roadie goes past on the road I just left going pretty quick. He must have been cursing me! I didn't know he was anywhere near.

The ride home beckons, legs feeling almost better but I suspect I'll have to take it dead easy again.

MonkeyMonster

Ahh of course - not a bank holiday up there is it... you get yours in a week or so

UndercoverElephant

Two weeks ago, the kids don't get a half-term up here either. Weird, no? To be honest, since I moved up here I'm yet to find a company that does Bank Holidays right. They all seem to just add the days onto your holiday allowance for you to take when you want, which, of course means I forget to take them until the end of the year.

Just hope I'm able to keep my scalp tonight. I'm only using about 70% at most and I hate being overtaken.

Paul E

I work half of them, get paid triple time though hehe

redvee

Went out to the top of Box Hill today at an average of 16mph, stopped when the altitude sickness kicked in at 380ft. The only downside to the ride apart from the tarmac was the idiot in the old shape passat estate who tried to get past me whilst I rode beside a traffic island on the approach to Box village. Heard the engine and from the sound thought she was going to go the wrong side of the road, no she hit the brakes and prevented my back wheel from hitting her bumper by inches. As she pulled away the sticker on the back read Guide Dogs for the Blind, somewhat ironic I think.

Clever Pun

I was nearly very shamed by a bird on a Airmail this morning.. I was pootling along near Eden Park about 22mph and she went past with a cheery hello I was gutted, then I saw the bike and a little bit of me died inside.. Oh so that's what it feels like. I manned up and gave chase I dropped her a little later with a 'ride safe' and a wave and stepped it up to 27ish to leave her behind... She was gone after a while...phew.

Had an ultra competitive SS'er on the Jamaica raceway who nipped past me any time I slowed down for traffic, lights etc but eventually crushed him at the light dash section

ketsbaia

Stepped up to the dizzying heights of FCN 2 this morning as I was taking 'the flyer' in for a service.

Sorely tempted to stay with it in future as nothing, literally nothing, could stay with me along the OKR. Not even light itself could touch me as I tore along GDS wondering where the day had gone and how I was going to negotiate the wormhole that spanned the junction with BHS.

Bassjunkieuk

Beat the rain in this morning (either that or yet again the BBC got the weather wrong......)
Got a nice surprise on the way through Camberwell as I blasted away from the lights, having taken the opportunity of the last 2 long light changes to get the windproof coat off!

I cleared the main gaggle of cyclist and had a chap on a white Dolan SS in my sights.....dropped him fairly comfortably and held it around the 25/26 mark which is normally enough to hold off all but the most competitive people on that stretch. Imagine my horror when a chap on a white Spec Sirius went past!!!! I wound it up to match him and was doing 28 but he then took a right at the next lights. Spotted him again a bit later as he re-appeared from Burgess Park, crossed Albany Road and RLJ'd :evil:

Paul E

I had a bit of a race now and again this morning, mostly with idiots who RLJ'd but I would then catch very quickly

MonkeyMonster

Wheeeeeee...
For some reason I have an avg of 20 mph till I hit the last stretch of racetrack and then it went downhill or rather up...

Did a rather rascally fake scalp before nipping up blackfriars (not long enough to count) but scared the crap outta the roadie and even though he followed like a klingon he never went past.

More than a few newbies out there weaving somewhat erratically but some with good handsigns and at least making drivers aware they were changing lanes.

Here's a question. If there is no ASL and its two lanes and you're in between a bus (so he can stop safely a few metres on) and a car and another cyclist behind you in the gap asks you to move out of the way so they can get past. What would you do.

Bassjunkieuk

Took the extended route in today as I'm off the bike next week :-( A 9:30 start meant I hit Embankment around 8:50ish and I seem to have missed EVERYONE!!

Picked off a chap on a MTB who I spotted from about 400m back and then dropped a roadie on a red Giant on the approach to DSC but that's about it!! I think the sun may be effecting the drivers as they all seemed a little dozier this morning and most didn't even race off as soon as the lights went amber :-)

rjsterry

Bit of fun on the Dahon this morning with a roadie, a fixie and a hybrid up the rise to Clapham South. The roadie did at least catch me before the lights (actually technically might have been a CX - powder blue OnOne with drops - but the others had to wait until I pulled up. Teehee.

asprilla

Was in a world of my own this morning until I got surprised by an MTB in the park. I actually took a tow from him for a bit since he was going a nice 20mph :shame:

Anyway, that work me up and I owned Priory Lane to Putney Bridge, catching it all perfectly with no red lights and lots of admiring gasps at the amount of awsome I was showing, especially when I crested Bolan Death Bridge at 25mph. I even drew priase from a fine filly at the lights onto PB.

The sun isn't actually shining in London this morning, instead you are all basking in my reflected glory.

WesternWay

rjsterry wrote:

Bit of fun on the Dahon this morning .

I was on my Brompton. Scalps a'plenty but really bloody hard work; I haven't ridden it for at least six months. Last night was a somewhat hurried service of it.

Clever Pun

I saw two roadies ahead of me on the A21 this morning I managed to catch up after a while, a shaved roadie in front with no bag.. that's a scalp right there, the other guy on a bianchi is wearing baggies and has a bag... not really that much to bother with, so as I'm hunting them down the bianchi rider drops the prize oh hello, I think and there's no reaction??? pfft. Myself and bianchi race to make some lights but bagless is gone he's not having any of it. So I spin up and drop the bianchi rider who seems more of a scalp now as he'd done the other guy... odd yet pleasing.

Much more interesting was yet another shaved roadie except this time he had an ironman tattoo in saffa flag colours... I put him away nicely... twice (he'd snuck ahead at the lights I'd stopped for) I can only assume he's trying to file it off now and apply for french citizenship.

Very pleasing morning on the big gear

UndercoverElephant

Nasty headwind this morning, and I managed to pick up the mutha of all drafting fairies. I overtook him, after which he tailed me for miles, In the headwind I was never going to make him pay, until I applied some cunning...

There's a route choice coming into Musselburgh, you can go through the town, or turn off and go over a footbridge. The footbridge way is shorter, and this was the way Mr. Fairy decided to take. I took the longer way. The two routes merge back again about a mile later, and he's 100 m ahead, he sees me but assumes I'm too far back. Ahead of him is a struggling roadie who he goes after.

I wind up the cranks, and am closing fast on both. Mr. Fairy overtakes his prey, making it stick then I swish past the pair of them and leave them both for dead. The look on his face when I did him was utterly priceless, no way he was able to take my wheel that time.

HamishD

MonkeyMonster wrote:

Wheeeeeee...


Here's a question. If there is no ASL and its two lanes and you're in between a bus (so he can stop safely a few metres on) and a car and another cyclist behind you in the gap asks you to move out of the way so they can get past. What would you do.

Are you at the front of the queue at the lights? Tell them in the nicest possible way to get lost. Or, pretend that you didn't hear them , wait till the lights go green and leave them for dead.

Beautiful morning this morning - despite absolutely pootling in there was still no action worthy of the name on the OKR.

ketsbaia

No competition this morning. Zilch. Nada. Bugger all.

Have I scared them all away?

kona_matt

been at this commuting lark properly for a few weeks now and have had zero opportunity to play this silly game.

Citizen Smith

Left late today but had lovely ride in, in the sunshine. Did some interval type sprints as there was little competition. Other than that, skinned a chap in Pearson Kit on Lambeth Bridge Road.

Paul E

I had a later 10:30 start today so did'nt have many people on route bar the usual rlj'rs did drop them when I caught them though, not much left in the legs after yesterday though, will improve after a few weeks as this is only my second week.

itssam

getting royally mullered on my Richmond park anticlockwise detour... where can i buy a Herman’s Safety Wing so I don't stand out as such a target / feel so bad getting taken by all and sundry?

itboffin

Walked several miles along and across the Thames this afternoon, nice 8) I did however make a pit stop at Borough for coffee, curry and a sausage

redvee

Yesterday I got wet from the rain, today it was the fog getting me and my clothing wet. Sunglasses in fog isn't the best of ideas but how was I to know that the Horfield Common was foggy?. Cut the route short by a mile as I'm suffereing with a major case of man flu aka a cold. Must do more for the TFL Challenge.

Kieran_Burns

itssam wrote:

getting royally mullered on my Richmond park anticlockwise detour... where can i buy a Herman’s Safety Wing so I don't stand out as such a target / feel so bad getting taken by all and sundry?

i suggest you buy this t-shirt instead:

Lancslad

Hmm does scalping a JCB count for anything? Theres not much for me to scalp so i'm clutching at straws really

rjsterry

Oh happy day! Oh exquisite joy! My proper bike is back from Bristol! Dahon, much as I have enjoyed the look on all those people's faces as I have breezed past with legs on spin cycle, I must now return to the land of 700C, where stems do not flex wildy when giving it a bit of awesome. Farewell for now my folding friend.


BTW, that detour via Tooting Bec and Franciscan Road was brilliant. hardly any traffic on either road and more importantly, no maniac peds. You were right about the resurfacing though Clarion. They'd stopped work by the time I went through, but it was a little, ahem, offroad. The tarmac just stopped abrupt;y without warning on the fast downhill :shock: