Silly commuting racing

redvee

rjsterry wrote:

Now, I have a meeting in Wick (small village between Bristol and Bath) at 11am tomorrow, so do I cycle up to Paddingtpn, bike on the train down to Bath, then up over the top of Lansdowne Hill? Are a shed full of sheet metal workers ready for full lycra I wonder? :twisted: or :oops: - can't decide which. Also, the weather doesn't look too great, so it might be soggy dirt-splattered lycra.

Another option but slightly further is to hit the cyclepath out of Bath till Bitton station then come off just after Bitton on Poplar Road and pick up the A4175 then A420. Approx 10 miles but flatter and do Lansdowne on the way back.

cjcp

MonkeyMonster wrote:

Okay so what happened there... Didn't get caught by smarty pants but also never saw CJ coming the other way! As it were.

Good ride though - some rather tasty bikes in the park.

Didn't leave 'til 5.50, but got to RP by 6.30 and did my extra lap, with an additional stretch to Richmond Gate and back from Kingston Gate. Gave it some stick. Now shattered. Didn't spot you, either. Can only think that our respective views were obscured by cars - that's the usual reason.

cjcp

Stevehall00 wrote:

Hi all

Havent posted in ages but waiting for a boardman cx as I have moved into the sticks and wanted to share a scalp from legend.

Moved into sticks, cr@p roads so sold road bike and am currently 'in between bikes' which is like going downstairs in a morning to find a child missing. So I have borrowed a big heavy MTB on slicks. Took the iron horse out the other day on a bike path to work and sighted a hybrid between hull and beverley. I tell you, reeling him in from 100 yards took 2 miles on that beast and I went by him with so much inner triumph I might have taken off like ET.

Made it stick, took the scalp and loved being part of the game after being at FCN4 for ages and getting hammered by everyone.

Was the snot streaming from the nose when you went past him?

jonginge

notsoblue wrote:

Btw, is the really tall, bald chap with Cervelo kit on a blue and white road bike (trek?) on here?

Sounds like King Donut, he was wearing CTT shorts this morning.

Quite a few SCR sightings today it seems. I believe I bumped into Mr RJSTerry on my way home...

MonkeyMonster

Booo on the car front - I was trying to be extra careful with that too... Blu I was going anti clockwise so unlikely me... Smarty pants is that bald giant with two steam engines for legs.

cjcp

Yup, sounds like the Big Man.

MonkeyMonster

Thing is, I've seen only 2 red masks so far... and I think neither were RJS. So peeps if you see a bloke with one - shout bikeradar, you've a 50:50 chance of being perhaps right

cjcp

MonkeyMonster wrote:

Thing is, I've seen only 2 red masks so far... and I think neither - shout bikeradar, you've a 50:50 chance of being perhaps right

Yes, that's exactly what I'll do to a complete stranger

blu3cat

Well after offering my scalp out earlier like a dirty "scalp tart" :oops: , I'm kinda disappointed I missed you all. Legs complained for about 5 mins and then wooooosh.

Managed to get an entire Peleton in Wandsworth** (just after the junction going from Ram St to Garrett lane, 2 hybrids, 3 roadies and a pootler on a dutch bik type thing). well OK only the roadies count.

** 5 bikes counts as a full Peleton on my route.

MonkeyMonster

cjcp wrote:

MonkeyMonster wrote:

Thing is, I've seen only 2 red masks so far... and I think neither - shout bikeradar, you've a 50:50 chance of being perhaps right

Yes, that's exactly what I'll do to a complete stranger

I've seen you stand on tables and offer things to GregT - shouting oi oi bikeradar at a stranger is surely safer...

ketsbaia

Brilliant TT home this evening. No hampering headwind to contend with, so I managed a highly respectable 18.8mph average for the journey. Ride time of 7 minutes for just under four miles. Absolutely no competition to speak of, but I was nearly broadsided by a Post Office Transit van on Long Lane. I'm guessing he'll look where he's going in future after my friendly advice.

asprilla

Chapeau to the chap on the Trek in the 2010 CTT kit who gave me a target tonight. Met up exiting Kingston but he drafted a bus and was off like a shot. Caught him at HCB and briefly led but he was soon back in front and kept a gap if at least 10m. Far quicker than me but kept me honest.

cjcp

For the second time today...

Paging King Donut. King Donut to the thread, please

KD - you're putting yourself about a bit today, fella.

rjsterry

JonGinge wrote:

notsoblue wrote:

Btw, is the really tall, bald chap with Cervelo kit on a blue and white road bike (trek?) on here?

Sounds like King Donut, he was wearing CTT shorts this morning.

Quite a few SCR sightings today it seems. I believe I bumped into Mr RJSTerry on my way home...

Certainly did; evening JG! Nice of you to let me think I was holding a lead for a few seconds before breezing past on the run up to P. Square . I could almost kid myself I was holding on until we went past that coach. The two people stood beside it started milling around a bit, and the HGV was right next to me, so I held back a bit.

Gave it

to try and catch up but got caught the wrong side of the lights at the top of the rise. Probably for the best - don't want to be nursing ruined legs for the rest of the week.

A chap on a white Condor Pista kept the pace up along North Street and down to Balham, then a bit of motor pacing down the bus lane between Tooting and Mitcham. .

rjsterry

MonkeyMonster wrote:

Thing is, I've seen only 2 red masks so far... and I think neither were RJS. So peeps if you see a bloke with one - shout bikeradar, you've a 50:50 chance of being perhaps right

My mask is black, generally worn with orange glasses, and a white Spesh Propero lid.

dcurzon

took some scalps on the way out of city yesterday. Couple of hairy roadies and SS'ers, and a boris. I was on a boris, in baggy shorts and bright yellow top. i was laughing all the way to Whitechapel

Bassjunkieuk

I found when I was on the BB last week that I really had to pay attention to seat height, at first I had it set to low and it was properly hard work! I even had to adjust it at one set of lights as it was just so damn annoying!

Still need to find my number for the seat height so I can get full power and start chasing down other riders......

Butterd2

What FCN does a bus get?

I had to take a detour via Sydenham this morning to pick up a wheel for my fixed project and then rode in up Dog Kennel Hill. Set off at the bottom at a moderate level of effort in the bus lane then noticed a bus had pulled up along side me with it engine screaming to try and get past. After a little while it became clear to the bus that he could not get past me and that he was holding up the traffic so he pulled in behind me and tried to take a tow. Now I'm not keen on wheel suckers (especially 30 ton ones) so I gave it the beans and rode him off my wheel. It was a full double decker so I reckon 60-80 scalps?

On s separate note Camberwell Rd/Walworth Rd is RLJ central! Had one nobber on an SS jump 4 or 5 in a row each time to be scalped before the next. Prick nearly hit a kid on a Ped crossing, given his age he really should have known better. He got the glare when I past him after that one but clearly there was something very interesting going on in front of us 'cos he just looked straight ahead as if he hadn't noticed me - very curious?

mudcovered

rjsterry wrote:

(You have ridden Lansdowne, have you? about 130m height gain in 1 mile with some tight bends on one side, or 190m in 1.6miles on the other side, straight but finishes in central Bath with lots of traffic.)

Its a challenging hill. I did the city side ascent/descent when I test rode my Jake. I figured if the bike handled all right climbing and descending that hill then I wouldn't have any problems with it. Before that ride I was worried about the lack of low ratio gears (coming from an MTB triple). Now I'm thinking about removing the granny ring on the MTB.

Mike

Stelvio_W

Dark coloured Pinarello, Powertap hub, deep carbon on the back, white assos jersey and a messenger style backpack. Anyone on here? Met him on the New Kings Road and entered into a fierce battle the whole way to Lower Thames Street. We were matched all the way, however in the tunnel he started to get away and put ten metres on me. I was pooped.

He turned off at the lights after the tunnel, allowing me to warm down before arriving at work at Tower Hill.

I would say as you had the powertap / carbon rims etc that your FCN should be lower so honours even?

asprilla

cjcp wrote:

For the second time today...

Paging King Donut. King Donut to the thread, please

KD - you're putting yourself about a bit today, fella.

Dunno if this guy was bald, and I think the bike was all white. KD got white framed glasses? Anyway, i've seen this guy a few times and he heads on though Walton when I turn off. Last night it was about 5.50-6.00 when we left Kingston.

cjcp

Asprilla wrote:

cjcp wrote:

For the second time today...

Paging King Donut. King Donut to the thread, please

KD - you're putting yourself about a bit today, fella.

Dunno if this guy was bald, and I think the bike was all white. KD got white framed glasses? Anyway, i've seen this guy a few times and he heads on though Walton when I turn off. Last night it was about 5.50-6.00 when we left Kingston.

Ah, not KD.

I was thinking, too, that to be where you were, he would have (a) had to have left work early, and (b) been riding the Bat Bike with green lights all the way.

Legs felt good this morning. Must be the tailwind! Had a nice run along Embankment to VB lights and then spun up to 33 on Millbank with surprising ease. No more fun after that though - got gnarled up in traffic after Parlt Square.

bigmat

Good fun racing home last night, traded places with a guy on a black Pinarello before dropping him through Camberwell towards Denmark Hill, by which point we'd been joined by a guy on a nice steel Condor in Rapha colours, overtook him before the crest of Denmark Hill but he then dropped me on the downhill into Dulwich, I caught him up and College Road climb became a major battle! Another old guy in a hi-viz top then joined us and it was a battle royal up there, I did an Andy Schleck early on but got the chain back on and managed to catch the others, I hit the front and controlled it from there - dropped Condor man but hi-viz fella was surprisingly durable, I managed to kick at the steep top bit though to take a glorious mountain top victory!

CXXC

cjcp wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

cjcp wrote:

then spun up to 33 on Millbank with surprising ease

:shock:

pls define "surprising ease", i.e. no snot stream?

DonDaddyD

I managed to fit my whole suit and shoes in my bag today.

Got to Tooting Broadway for another slight climb and attack, this time against a Red 'Dale Capo and a few other bikes. Make it onto the junction and then on the super highway and the P-fairy takes me out.

I tried to swap the tubes, fit the tyre and be back on the road in 7mins but it took me 15mins (I really need to get some practice with this). Rode until Cyclopolis to pick up another tube and get my bike up to pressure.

What happened next was special. 23mph along Clapham Common I picked up and dropped a guy in a London Dynamo jersey on a Tri and Run bike. He did hang on. 25mph down to Clapham North tube. 26mph to Ovall where I picked up a dude on a Dawes and dropped him.

Then on Kennington Road there was a guy on a hybrid, thick nobbly tyres, in trainers, D-lock hanging from his top tube he looked like he was giving this cycling malarky a go. he held me up to 26mph it took 27 - 28mph for me just to put distance and time into him.

At the lights I felt like getting off the bike and shaking his hand.

cjcp

CXXC wrote:

cjcp wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

cjcp wrote:

then spun up to 33 on Millbank with surprising ease

:shock:

pls define "surprising ease", i.e. no snot stream?

There was a corking tailwind. The road also slopes away slightly as you ride away from VB lights, which helps enormously.

ketsbaia

No tailwind along the OKR as per ruddy usual. Straight into the fizzog.

Managed to average 17.6mph on the TT, though. Again, not a single bit of SCR action to report.

amnezia

Nippy guy on pale yellowish brompton with a yellow jacket?? Saw him today and yesterday along the embankment. Anyone want to put their hand up??

gaz545

Had a good run in with a guy on a green fixie that works in the same building as me. i meet him at the start of vauxhall bridge, where he tries to give it the beans. Unlucky son, thats my bridge! and a blast past him. he keeps catching me up at the lights and i pass him soon after. We get to victoria and i like my trackstanding skills do the talking.
Then all the way up to marble arch i was in front with him just itching behind me. We take two slightly different routes from there to the office, and just as my lights are about to go green with only a few hundred meters to go, he pops from around the corner and goes for it. no chance of catching him from a standing start. good fun

itboffin

I used a boris bike for the commute this morning, can't see much racing happening on those things but still beats the choob every time.