Silly commuting racing

redvee

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

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

Only stayed the morning, was working there not staying.

lost_in_thought

What a fun commute! It was like playing Road Rash on the gameboy or something... My god, the carnage, especially around Shepherd's Bush.

Alas, the fairy picked today to visit me, so I had a fair half hour walk to get it repaired, and was still late! Curses!

jonginge

It was a fun commute. Really enjoyed the lovely start to the day. Was in a happy place all the way in, despite the traffic chaos

The PF has been busy it seems. I helped a young lady with a rear wheel flat on the DSC. Hi, Jenny!

Edit: a restocking of that tube is just the excuse I need to go to the bike shop at lunchtime

Bassjunkieuk

lost_in_thought wrote:

What a fun commute! It was like playing Road Rash on the gameboy or something... My god, the carnage, especially around Shepherd's Bush.

Surely you would have played Road Rash on the Game Gear? Anyhow yes it was fun this morning however I had my fun dampered by some horrendous traffic along Millbank. I was lined up and ready to have a nice battle as I was surrounded by road bike bling, including a rather nice fully carbon Giant with tri-bars!!

I led across the the junction and past the 'peth but once we got to the traffic lights by Millbank Tower the traffic started and didn't let up until Parly Sq! Some great low speed filtering practice and managed to avoid being taken out by the nonce on a Boris.

Had already had a bit of a twitchy bum moment heading down towards Balham when I was riding down the right and someone had got bored of waiting in the queue. They sling the right indicator on and then promptly turn straight across me! Got on the brakes pronto and yelled at them but it certainly got the adrenaline going :evil:

buy_my_cookies

just started to cycle into work its about 14miles done it 4 times in the last few weeks so far, with an aim to get to 3 days a week. So far i am really enjoying it.

im on this http://www.raleigh.co.uk/b_details.aspx?brand=8&id=22&pt=10

with these http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/TYCOSC/conti-sport-contact-tyre

i have been reading this thread and it looks like so much fun only proplem is im in norfolk country side and dont often see anouther bike let unknown any body that would want to play.

well this morning i left a bit earlier then i normally do and about 3miles into ride a roddie in lycra palled into the road about 10 yards infront of me, i throught this is my chance. I span as fast as i could in top gear (these defo need changing not fast enough) and to my amassment i started to catch him i got to within 2yards of him and he looked round smiled and put his muscles to work, i tried in vain to keep up but the 2 yard gap slowly become 10 yards and when i had to turn of the road it was a good 15yards. still the best and most fun 1.5 miles ive had on my bike so far!

mark my words one day i will see him again and destroy his soul with my speed....his days are numbered!

sportypal link for the ride (love this app) incase anyone wana see my poor attempt at SCR lol. The best 2000yards was where i meet the roddie.
http://sportypal.com/Workouts/Details/619555?key=0a9940144d0b10135af98c060e773ab8a5159a77&ms=1

MonkeyMonster

JonGinge wrote:

a restocking of that tube is just the excuse I need to go to the bike shop at lunchtime

Like you need an excuse... surely some handwipes to clean the new steed are required too? Perhaps a nice cloth to dry it with too.

ketsbaia

Carnage along the OKR this morning. Weirdly, most of the RLJers were vans and cars. Although to be fair to them, the traffic light scheduling at the top of Besson Street needs sorting out because the main crossroad lights go green but the pedestrian lights just the other side of the junction stay red for at least another 30 seconds. Obviously, the more impatient plough straight through them.

Nothing particularly noteworthy in the scalp department this morning, apart from a bloke in lycra on a Condor who I left for dead at the bottom of GDS. I'd stopped, found my keys and opened the office door before he eventually came past and that after a good five minutes' wait at some daft lights on Union Street.

El Capitano

Good run in this morning. Was expencting rain, but had damp roads and sunshine. Chased down a lycra clad roadie for a couple of miles, only for him to turn off when I got within striking distance. Hopefully the rain will stay away this afternoon, but I'm not holding my breath...

itboffin

lost_in_thought wrote:

What a fun commute! It was like playing Road Rash on the gameboy or something... My god, the carnage, especially around Shepherd's Bush.

Alas, the fairy picked today to visit me, so I had a fair half hour walk to get it repaired, and was still late! Curses!

Does not compute !?!

Clever Pun

Even though I was still feeling a little ill; scalpfest was like clubbing baby seals... I just felt bad after a while it was so easy

asprilla

Until PB it was a good run in, particularly cruising from RP to LRR with a chap on a condor fixed and a geared Bob Jackson (seeing a few of these around at the moment).

Going home last might was slow, until an order chap posting a fine moustach kept me honest; flw past me on Priory Lane, but I reeled him back in though the park and didn't see him again after the hill.

EArmstrong

Oh hell, did I get scapled yesterday.
And on my last legitimate commute. (End of current Contract)

3 Miles in, I see some one all lycra'd up ahead, spinning like a dervish. Catch em up, just as we enter a downhill section, so I hold off, cuz overtaking downhill is a waste of energy. The downhill levels out, but suddenly theres a heap of traffic everywhere and the road is just about to bottleneck. Hang back, drop the gear, prepare to add spin.

Ok, traffics thinned... SHZAM some bloody slicked up MTB goes past me doing 25mph, so hell, I had to commit now, fire away! Anyway, the bastard did 25 mph for the next 4 miles. I just couldn't pass him. Even when we both pulled out of the way for an ambulance at traffic lights and we had a racing start.

Shows one thing though, you shouldn't load your panniers up with things you've kept leaving at work for a year..

mrc1

I had a prolonged chat with a bloke on a Giant MTB with loud brakes last night along Holloway road re him buying a Bianchi. Anybody on here?

gaz545

Was that DDD I saw this morning going up CS7 towards london around tooting area?
Giant bike, lake shoes?

jonginge

gaz545 wrote:

Was that DDD I saw this morning going up CS7 towards london around tooting area?
Giant bike, lake shoes?

That conjured up a wonderful image. Thank you.

SimonAH

On the way back to the office and spied a couple of recumbent trikes ahead abouit half a mile, laid down the power and caught them just before the roundabout that I need to turn off to get to my office. Breezed past with a cheery 'nice rigs you've got there' and did a double take.

They were hand-bikes! :shock:

No idea if the pilots were disabled or not (both had a set of pretty muscular looking legs out in front of them) but bloody hell, I passed them in the high twenties - those things can shift! Really low to the ground with big toe-ins on the back wheels.

WesternWay

mrc1 wrote:

I had a prolonged chat with a bloke on a Giant MTB with loud brakes last night along Holloway road re him buying a Bianchi. Anybody on here?

Nope, but I do go up and down the Holloway Road each day. I had a little lie down on it last week after a clipless moment.

Pufftmw

Just lobbed most of my daily commute today up in the video section but other than a bit of increased traffic and some more scalps, there was no real dramas and it only took about the same time it does sometimes. Still no challenges on the OKR or anywhere else and motorbikes getting in the way are a pain. I had more fun last night when I hit TB behind 3 road racers which I proceeded to reel in and overtake as I went over the crest. I was hoping for a bit of a challenge down TBR but I never saw any of them again - bah humbug.

lost_in_thought

Hey wheel buddy on the Uxbridge Road! Nice wheels...

Mine are faster though.

Why?

'Cause they're on a bike that I'm riding.

:twisted:

asprilla

Crap run home tonight: stiff neck, headache, empty legs and slight nausea. Highlight was coming past White Lodge when a very very pretty blond lass with an Mdot tat on her right calf went past. I can accept being scalped like that.

Was overtaken by a chap on a Giant coming out of Kingston who built up a healthy lead but I caught him over HCB. Quick glance over his shoulder and he was sprinting off again but I reeled him back on the way out of Molsey. Road is busy 40mph so didn't fancy a prolonged overtake and stayed behind. We've done this a few times and one day I want to be the one giving the tow.

He turned off about 2km before mine and I instantly blew-up I dropped from 37kph to 20 and dragged my sorry arse home for pasta and cake.

Oh, there is still cake left.

/Wanders off to kitchen

Bassjunkieuk

Rather nice ride home this evening, may have been scalped a few times but it still meant I was pushing fairly nicely!

It started pretty much as soon as I came off Whitehall and across towards LBR when I found a chap aboard a Willier, looked more like a climber with his slimmer legs but ad a good turn of speed. We both got caught out by some goof on a roadie after slowing a ped crossing before the r/b and then chased him towards VB. Was joined by a Dynamo on a white Scott and those lights and then managed to hold a brief lead from him and Willer rider before the 2 of them blew past me just by the coach bay on DSC. I was left trying to chase them until I turned off at Chelsea Bridge.

Pretty average scalpwise down QTR, around Clapham and on towards home until I got overtaken by a chap on a red Fort (?) definitely looked more like an old school steel frame and he was properly shifting. I managed an overtake when the road cleared a bit but sods law he turned off for the same route as me! A brief interuption by some tw4t in a car who leant on their horn, presumably in protest of the 2 of us taking up too much room for their liking...... I tried to stay ahead but blew up and ended up trying to hold onto his wheel or at least not let him pull out a considerable lead for the remainder of my ride home. I'm happy to report I not only managed to keep in fairly good contact with him (doing a good 4-5mph faster then I usually do that stretch......) and we BOTH beat the impatient pr!ck of a driver :-D

greg66_tri_v2.0

That was (a) crap - too many of everything; (b) dark.

Winter's coming. And it sucks hoop.

Pufftmw

Karate finished, banana finished, Lucozade Sport finished, time to go home and see if I can have some fun on the way

cjcp

It felt like we were playing dodgems tonight. Had better rides.

Clever Pun

On the way to the gym on a bobike I scalped a courier on a mountain bike

ha ha

rjsterry

Left late - 7.20 - and the traffic seemed not too bad, but on reaching Upper Thames Street, the traffic was backed out of the tunnel, so on impulse, I followed the other cyclists over Southwark Bridge. Turned out to be a very good idea: a quiet pootle round the back streets to the far side of E&C roundabout, then straight home through Clapham. Hardly any traffic to speak of, and home in just under an hour. Not sure I could replicate the bit between Southwark Bridge and E&C without the blue paint, but otherwise, couldn't fault it.

ketsbaia

Totally uneventful journey back, save a small incident with a nodder lady on a Pashley-alike creeping round me at a red light and putting herself between me and the open road ahead. She really had to squeeze through the gap between me and the car next to me as well. So I pulled away as the lights flickered green, built up a lead of a yard, then immediately turned left.

Two wrongs, I know, but really.

attica

Brethren
Forgive me it's been many months since I posted here.
That's not to say that the game hasn't been playing me though!

Tonight on my way home I found myself pootling along at a reasonable 22mph when I was overtaken as if I was standing still by a chap on carbon and tri bars. It was when I noticed the number 1 safety pinned to his back that I remembered - Tuesday night is my local club's Time trial.

I spooled up to match pace with this tester - 28 mph, that put me at about 140rpm cadence wise, it wasn't going to last but I gave the chap a nice surprise by commenting on how well he was going from just behind - yep I drafted as best I could.

I dropped off his tail in fairly short order but managed to keep him within about 400 yards by the time I peeled off of the TT course about 3 miles later. No sign of a minute man behind so I consider that a reasonably honourable defeat. He was definitely two or three FCN points above me - what is the adjuster on a race number?

jds_1981

I was properly scalped on my second journey in to London this evening. Someone pulled up next to me on a very nice looking bike. Realised that I might be in trouble as he had massive thighs. Now I'm pretty quick off the light but this guy stood up and gave it everything he had - the bike was flicking from side to side at an impressive rate. He quickly gained a lead and then started to relax. I began to gain but shortly afterwards had to turn right through some still backlogged cars.
My only consolation is that I stay sat away from lights and am pretty quick, but this guy made it look like a bit too much effort.

lotuseater

Tube strike= my first London commute for about 5 years.

Usually I do a countryside commute 3 days a weeks, not bothering to in Town the other 2 days.

Drove Norfolk to my base in Harrow with my trusty 1994 Marin San Rafael hybrid, recently refurbed with new BB and Mavic Askiums, in back of the X5.

Then biked Harrow to Harley st for morning clinic.

Pace fine...scalping was easy on the clear bits of road, but Oh dear....my London Roadcraft was seriously rusty and on the cut and thrust of Kilburn high rd all sorts of pashleyed women and obese men had me banged to rights threading through the strike bolstered traffic and lights and so forth. BLew them all into the weeds once it clears as you head down towards sT johns Wood...phew.


Return leg back to harrow at lunchtime for ward round and clinic there - much less eventful scalp wise, but much more in the way crap selfish driving and hostility from drivers, funnily enough.