Silly commuting racing

nich

FrankieH wrote:

Where is everyone on the A21 recently?

Yikes, seen lots of people in this route over the past few days.

Had 3 chaps on road bikes bomb past me the other night in a mini peloton.

I eventually caught up with them 8)

frankieh

I've had all week of no one to race with in or out

King Donut

I got groped last night. Burd on the back of a scooter gave my upper thigh a definite brushing as she pulled off from lights through DSC. I feel used.

MonkeyMonster

King Donut wrote:

I got groped last night. Burd on the back of a scooter gave my upper thigh a definite brushing as she pulled off from lights through DSC. I feel used.

Bet you loved it really - how did you not notice her reaching up that high though?

nich

FrankieH wrote:

I've had all week of no one to race with in or out

I'm usually heading through Lewisham at 7am. Those on bikes I see at that time seem to head up towards New Cross though, where as I go straight up to Depford.

Heading back out of London around 5:10 I see a quite few roadies. There's 3 or 4 fast ones that seem regular.

frankieh

nich wrote:

FrankieH wrote:

I've had all week of no one to race with in or out

I'm usually heading through Lewisham at 7am. Those on bikes I see at that time seem to head up towards New Cross though, where as I go straight up to Depford.

Heading back out of London around 5:10 I see a quite few roadies. There's 3 or 4 fast ones that seem regular.

Maybe I've been working too hard and missing everyone fast. I got stuck at work until it was getting dark earlier on this week and had to find someone going the same way as me and ride really close to them until Bromley.

I hope I get some action tonight :twisted:

CXXC

I hope I get some action tonight :twisted:

keep your filth to yourself young man

cjcp

King Donut wrote:

I got groped last night. Burd on the back of a scooter gave my upper thigh a definite brushing as she pulled off from lights through DSC. I feel used.

Don't feel down, KD. She's only human, mere flesh and blood. What can she do?

Bassjunkieuk

Tried a small route variation this mornig and wondered if anyone else (asides from possibly JG) has tried this one: Kingsway Tunnel - I used to go through it in the dark days when I was a mobile field engineer and I had to DRIVE around London when heading up to Camden. I'd never tried it on the bike before as I swear I'd seen signs saying no bikes but as I haven't seen any recently and spotted what looked like a bike lane as I was veering round a bus today I though "What the hell"

Hot. Damn.

It sure as hell beats the usual mess at the north end of Waterloo Bridge, what with all the nodders, Boris Bikes and impatient taxis and buses round Aldwych cutting the cyclists up!
I dived in hiting the fun side of 30 on the entrance ramp, kept it in mid 20's through the tunnel before re-appearing part way up Kingsway (after a small climb.....)

Scalp wise it was quite fun this morning, had a nice long battle with a chap on a Condor from Crystal Palace until E&C, caught him along the Parade and promptly left him on the descent down Fountain Drive/College Road. Managed to stay ahead of most of Dulwich and Camberwell except for the times he RLJ or rode on the pavement! He got a very good line round E&C then disappeared up towards Borough....
We both picked off various SS's along the way and I was trying a slightly spinnier approach as I actually changed gears a few times today - felt much fresher spinning a gear or 2 lower so I think I'll have to stop being so pig-headed and give the other tiny sprockets a turn more often :-)

Zachariah

I'm so happy. My first legitimate scalp!

I saw a roadie in full gear turn on to the road ahead of me while I was waiting at the other side for the lights. Game on, I thought, but the lights on my side decided to stay red for another minute, so I gave up hope. But no! After getting over the crossroad and doing a mini-time trial up the long straight, I catch sight of him ahead and, joy of joys, he turns right on the same street I'm heading to.

It's a long, straight road with a slight uphill gradient, nothing major but not one you can sprint up. I catch up about a quarter of the way down, drafting him for a second to let a car pass. His calves are massive.

I pass solidly, with a nochalant "Afternoon!" He says hello and I carry on, leaving him with a good view of my single-speeding pin-striped behind.

I felt so chuffed, I went all the other way down my training hill and back up again just for the hell of it. Sadly missed the chance to scalp a very serious looking roadie who was going up it while I was on the way down.

Wrath Rob

Rollocks. Got scalped by a hybrid on Friday night

Was on Embankment ticking along at about 23 coming past Temple, enjoying the post-pub feeling when he went past. I upped the pace and held the gap but he turned off shortly after, before I had a chance to reclaim my scalp. Bah.

Laid waste to the rest of Embankment and replaced my scalp with a few others but it wasn't the same :evil:

Bassjunkieuk

Was having a lovely run on some of the usual problem lights and felt my Friday was actually picking up after a frustrating day at the office. A few nice scalps and it was shaping up to be a good ride. Then as I crossed the Albany Road junction in Camberwell my back wheel didn't feel "right". A quick look down confirmed it was rather squishy..........ar$e!

5 or 10 minutes later I'm back on the road and looking for other victims! Didn't take long as I spotted a person on a red Litespeed. We had some filtering fun first then a brief bus lane let me reel him in past Edwardes. A bit of RLJing on his part saw him pull out a cheaters lead and I then came back past up Denmark Hill. This obviously got his attention as I got re-taken once it flattened out a bit :-)

We both head down Sunray Avenue and through Dulwich. Traffic saw us trading places again until we hit the clearer approach to College Road. I took the lead and stayed there until I turned off to follow College Road, he sat on my wheel the entire way up! During some of the antics I did spot tri-bars on his steed, nice little FCN modifier which would probably put him higher up the FCN then me :-)

cycling_snapper

Looking forward to my first proper SCR tomorrow, just moved into SE11 and commuting to N1.

The route's only about 5 miles to work, so I guess I'll have to find some way of adding to it for the return leg...

cjcp

Head south to Embankment, turn right (heading west), turn left over Battersea Bridge and then left again in the direction of SE London on the south bank.

Bob's your uncle!

cycling_snapper

cjcp wrote:

Head south to Embankment, turn right (heading west), turn left over Battersea Bridge and then left again in the direction of SE London on the south bank.

Bob's your uncle!

Cheers - shall give that a go!

nich

My first commute on a s/s. I thought I had the gearing sorted, but meh. It actually wasn't bad, but as soon as I got into London where the action is, I found I was spinning like a lunatic and couldn't go any faster. I got done twice by roadies and had no come back :evil:

UndercoverElephant

Bagged me a moped this morning. Coming through Musselburgh I kept seeing this moped, matt black, shark's teeth pained on it (I kid you not), we were hitting he same red lights all the time. Finally, we reach the last set of lights before the road opens up a bit, I've got a good half a mile to the next lights, so it begins.

He sets off, sensing his doom, I clip in and hare off after him. I'm on his tail pretty quickly and see that we're closing fast on a roadie. Moped man cuts up said roadie, passing rather too close and pulling in far to soon and now the road starts to rise. I pass the roadie (much nicer overtake than the moped man) and put the hammer down. I fly past the moped at about 31 mph (good tailwind this morning ) and hold the pace 'til the next red light. He pulls up a bit later and is turning left.

At the lights, the moped rider asked, "How long could you keep that up for?"
"Longer than you can, Matey", I reply.

Roadie man is going the same way as me, and drafts me to the prom. When on the prom, a no-fly zone, we start to pootle together.
"That was awesome!", he told me, "I hate it when they cut you up like that".

asprilla

10 days climing 8-12% hills in Haute Garonne has taken it's toll.

My scalp is ready for collection all week and I have plenty of stock, so please form an orderly queue.

97BlackC5

Do you ever have one of those days when you are cycling into work feeling top of the world, legs grinding the big cog & feeling no pain? Well I did tis morning. Nothing was gonna take me, I was ripping up the road until........Exiting the Greenwich Foot Tunnel (north side) I was stopped in the road letting a bus pass before I turn into East Ferry on my way to Canary Wharf when a fixie slipped past!!! I initally thought ' let him go, I'm just cycling to work enjoying my ride'. Anyway he pulled 25 / 30m on me and then held possition. I then decided that I was not going to have that, if he wasn't gonna properly drop me then I would take his scalp. I wound up the power until I was sitting on his wheel, then with a quick 'morning' I was past & pushing on to drop him properly. A fantastic ride in (no where near as cold as last week) not much compertition, but a scalp none-the-less near the end of my ride, looking forward to the ride home.

Bassjunkieuk

As I wanted to bring laptop in today I took the train and a Boris Bike from near Victoria on a short hop round to Pall Mall East near Trafalgar Square. Assuming they are pretty much bottom rung of the ladder I think everyone I passed down The Mall was fair game :-) Think I've finally nailed saddle height issues but it's still rather spinny at my usual cruising speed..... Had some twunt on a folder who was really pushing through when he should have just hung back and one hopeful cyclist was even looking for a bit of care from a Addison Lee driver - I suspect he may have had better luck extracting blood from a stone.......

Managed to get a free slot, but only as someone else was taking a bike out! Hopefully the return leg will be a bit more fun and I may even get it docked closer to the station otherwise I'll be relying on my Cycle Hire Widget to find me a free slot :-)

rjsterry

How is it that, with a weather front coming in from the West, there was still a headwind most of the way in this morning?

El Capitano

Meh! First commute in a couple of weeks and I get a visit by the PF - first one in nearly 3 years (God bless Conti Gatorskins). Also, as it's been soooo long, the seals had gone on my pump, so had to trek a mile or so home to get the track pump on it, grap a spare portable pump and warp into Cardiff. Took one scalp on the way and a couple of passes. School-run-Mums were out in force this morning and had a couple of near misses. :shock:

I'm expecting rain for the return journey...

MonkeyMonster

11.30 am is a tad different to 8.30
Luckily for me as I was trying to stay cool as I knew I wcouldn't have a shower once I got into work. Homewise though

andy83

Dont usually get much action on my commute, but saw a guy on a road bike and i wanted to take him as i was on my fixed. He wasnt the quickest and i overtook him and then climbed a hill and he was still no where to be seen, then my chain came off.

So im stopped at the side of the road sorting it and had to roll a little as its a country lane. putting chain on and he went past with a cheesy grin and said alright, so i got back on the bike and took him again, was very pleased with myself

jonginge

Twas my first commute in over a week. There was traffic chaos, wet weather and the evenings are drawing in...

I loved every minute of it. Best bit of the day




Oh yes this is the SCR thread: rode a few drafting fairies off my wheel etc etc

redvee

Saw why people need lessons in how to drive their 4x4s properly today. We were driving slowly through Longleat Centerparcs, due to all the holiday makers leaving, in a 7.5t lorry. When the driver of a Volvo XC80 tried to climb one of the 12" wooden stumps beside the road. I think he tried with the front wheel as all that happened was the front end went up in the air by 6" much to his wife's surprise, unfortunately it looked like he got away without damaging the car

rjsterry

Had to chase down a chap on a slicked MTB in a Livestrong helmet. He set off early from the VB lights, and I got boxed in before I could catch him, then nearl got taken out by a Range Rover. Once clear of that nonsense, I managed to catch him at the lights before the railway bridge, then he jumped in front again as I turned off at CB. Kept n his tail despite a couple more RLJs down QTR, then zoomed past on the climb up to C. Common.

Bassjunkieuk

redvee wrote:

Saw why people need lessons in how to drive their 4x4s properly today. We were driving slowly through Longleat Centerparcs, due to all the holiday makers leaving, in a 7.5t lorry.

A 7.5t lorry? How much food and bikes do you need for a week away ;-)

Collected another big bunch of scalps down The Mall yesterday, even picked off a roadie! Was spinning like a crack addict hamster and once again managed to time my arrival at the finishing end wonderfully as I arrived just as someone left :-)

Back on the proper bike today and doing a rather long stint at one site so will be doing the CB>Parly Sq stretch for the next 3 weeks :-D

WesternWay

Last night was scalps galore. There seem to be a a fair few tube strike riders who have lovely bikes tucked away.

MonkeyMonster

WesternWay wrote:

Last night was scalps galore. There seem to be a a fair few tube strike riders who have lovely bikes tucked away.

Indeed

More than a few out this morning too. Bag is stuffed to the rafters with them!

Happy days and glad to see so many people out. Few numpty drivers getting irate at the jams though.