Silly commuting racing

ketsbaia

maddernj wrote:

ketsbaia wrote:

Different route back tonight as I'm going to have a crack at the College Road challenge.

What route & time will you be leaving ? may see you on the way back through...

I'll be heading down Walworth Road, over Denmark Hill, left down Red Post Hill and straight through Dulwich Village.

No idea what time I'll get out of here, though.

maddernj

I'll keep an eye out....Imagine i'll be out about 5:30ish

Bassjunkieuk

ketsbaia wrote:

maddernj wrote:

ketsbaia wrote:

Different route back tonight as I'm going to have a crack at the College Road challenge.

What route & time will you be leaving ? may see you on the way back through...

I'll be heading down Walworth Road, over Denmark Hill, left down Red Post Hill and straight through Dulwich Village.

No idea what time I'll get out of here, though.

If you cut down Sunray Avenue (the one before Red Post Hill) you can avoid the traffic lights and get a better line on that mini-r/b :-)

@Kelsen - Thanks for the tip, I can already feel my stomach rumbling! May head out for a walk to take my mind off things....

@rjsterry - I did spot a Willier this AM passing Balham Waitrose, think it was black tho. I know there where quite a few roadies around but I was more concerned with the Chinese chap I had following me!

@DDD - I would say MTFU but doing those distances each way it sounds a little worthless! You're putting in a sterling effort :-)

attica

DonDaddyD wrote:

"Schleck" (my new hero)

Fancy popping out for a beer? (Just don't tell Barney) :twisted:

rjsterry

DonDaddyD wrote:

My route is starting to take its toll on my ankles, shins, calf, knees, thighs, butt, wrists and shoulders.

I'm needing more and more rest days.

I have a permanent headache.

Plus everyone else annoys me.... here's why:

7-10miles is nothing. Everyone rides like the clappers. Because its a short distance it's a straight up race from Colliers Wood/Balham until London Bridge. I can't let them win so I give chase, catch and destroy. Then I go over the bridge and onto Aldgate and anything from 10 to 30 riders have peeled off to their nice warm offices leaving me, having exerted more energy than I should have done, to ride another 10miles to Ilford on my own. Not fair.

They don't realise that I just destroyed them on their commute and still have the same distance to go for mine, 'Unappreciated Awesome' is what it is.

Still, riding fast is one thing, I'm afraid to contest sprints as I need to pace myself, so its a solid grind of cadence and discipline. If you listen carefully you can hear the words "Schleck" (my new hero) with each breath.

(RJTerry the guys you saw was it Giant Defy 1 - was this around 8.30am)

Could well have been. Was that you I spotted the other day in Balham? I gave you (or some other guy) an INR.

As for being knackered, like everyone said when you started, it's a big jump up from 10 to 20 miles each way, so it will take more than a month or so for you to adapt. It's normal - if a bit frustrating. Some days you just let 'em go, knowing that you could scalp them if you wanted to, but are choosing not to.

bigmat

ketsbaia wrote:

maddernj wrote:

ketsbaia wrote:

Different route back tonight as I'm going to have a crack at the College Road challenge.

What route & time will you be leaving ? may see you on the way back through...

I'll be heading down Walworth Road, over Denmark Hill, left down Red Post Hill and straight through Dulwich Village.

No idea what time I'll get out of here, though.

That's my current route (but with the Sunray Avenue diversion BJUK mentions), over the top then down Crystal Palace Park Road (lovely descent that one) through Penge and into Beckenham.

I'll probably be there some time after 7 tonight.

Aidy

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

@DDD - I would say MTFU but doing those distances each way it sounds a little worthless! You're putting in a sterling effort :-)

I'd still say it.

prj45

I tells you, I was Rampant on the Embankment this morning!

25 to 35 mph from Cheyne Walk right through to the City.

I was passing hoards of cyclists, outdoing scooters and overtaking cars.

This is the noise that was going on in my head as my SCR score racked up:

http://www.sounddogs.com/sound-effects/ ... GS__ca.mp3

.

cjcp

prj45 wrote:

I tells you, I was Rampant on the Embankment this morning!

Me, not so much.

I spluttered and pootled my way to work.

This evening was a little better, but my scalp is up for grabs this week.

Bassjunkieuk

Where the hell did that wind come from! By god it was blowing along Embankment this evening. Left work with a stinking headache which I realized as I waited by the lights at Parliament Square was literally throbbing with my heartbeat :-( Oddly tho it was only if I was standing still - once moving it seemed to go away (or at least was replaced by burning legs/lungs......)

Seemed to confuse one rider when I did pretty much an emergency stop for a red light on Whitehall. Having just gone round him I was doing a fair lick but saw the lights go amber. Grabbed a handful of brake lever and locked up the rear wheel, skidding to a stop about 2 yards over the stop line but before the crossing. He slowed as well but then went right round me commenting "It's clear!".......fecking tw4t.

Asides from one fast looking Dynamo (going by his shorts.....) rider through DSC my main opposition with the wind. I'd like to think I provided a nice wind break for him as he certainly wasn't providing one for me ;-)

rjsterry

Must be the lack of nutrition today BJUK I didn't find the wind too bad apart from the usual Millbank Tower downdraught, but it was a bit later (about 19.10) and I was late, so I had to keep it lit all the way home. Collected one scooter scalp and one TT scalp on DSC

Met a more worthy foe coming down into Balham - tall chap on a very shiny black carbon Spesh with posh Mavic wheels and blue tyres. He could draft for a bit then steam past, but didn't seem to be able to pull away and we kept rejoining at each set of lights until I turned off in Tooting.

The extra incentive to keep the pace high was just what was needed and I was home in about 1hr04 - not a PB, but not bad for a slight headwind.

Wrath Rob

Back on SCR duty after a week r'n'r, although 30 miles cross country on Saturday did take its toll on my legs yesterday.

Got scalped this morning by a hybrid coming past Imperial Wharf. I'd already taken him easily but I got baulked by a taxi and couldn't accelerate up the hill where as he had a good run. He went straight on at the next RB where as I go right so no chance to recover. Bah.

Had a fun ride home with 2 roadies on Embankment after leaving late, right up until a mini cab decided to turn from the right hand lane, across the left and into the Shell garage. The guy in front of me was blase, I gave the twunt the finger but the guy behind me let fly with his swearing weapon

He must had had an adrenalin rush as he came past me and the other roadie, I jumped past the other guy onto his wheel and hung on all the way to Battersea where I filtered down the centre of the road, lucked out at the lights and didn't see him again.

Its good to be back in the race!

cjcp

Wrath Rob wrote:

Had a fun ride home with 2 roadies on Embankment after leaving late, right up until a mini cab decided to turn from the right hand lane, across the left and into the Shell garage. The guy in front of me was blase, I gave the twunt the finger but the guy behind me let fly with his swearing weapon

Uh oh. I was a bit loud, wasn't I? Sorry about that :oops: .

I was about 20 yards back and it was such a dangerous manoeuvre by the mini cab, cutting across you both, that I just had visions of you both riding straight into the side of the cab. Having witnessed the respect French drivers gave us all weekend, it made me absolutely livid :evil: .

I got stuck filtering. I made it through BB lights, but you turned ofdf Lots Road about 100 yards ahead. Didn't twig it was you - didn't spot the "Boardman" for some reason; must have been becaiuse it was dark. The other chap you mention came past me off VB lights with an out-of the saddle sprint to catch up with you!

itboffin

Got to love rest days

jds_1981

Bit of a head wind this morning....

El Capitano

jds_1981 wrote:

Bit of a head wind this morning....

I may have to contend with that on the ride home... :shock:

Managed to scalp a couple of guys last night, both fully clad roadies, one with a KOM jersey. TBH, they weren't much of a challenge.

Couple of passes this morning, but TBH, with the conditions, I wasn't paying too much attention to FCN's...

MonkeyMonster

Wind could be nasty later indeed... Still - you know that feeling when you first get on the steed and it seems twitchy and full of beans, ready to leap off down the road at high speed.

Love it. Might have drafted a few vehicles for a storming ride in overall.

pitchshifter

Anyone see the bloke with two delsey suitcases on his pannier rack this morning just before putney bridge?

Amusing!

rjsterry

Fairly lacking in potential scalps this morning until I got to Parliament Square, where I met up with a small group of roadies, only to get well and truly snarled up in the traffic trying to get onto the Embankment. The traffic was chokka all the way down to Blackfriars, including a particularly obnoxious twunt on a scooter who swerved into the Horseguards mandatory cycle lane then sailed off through a red light.

asprilla

First time I've cone in early for a while, exiting RP at 7.15, and despite setting a new course record I was scalped good and proper. Firstly a chap on a red fgss with red jacket entered from Ham gate and breezed past like I was standing still most disheartening. Then on Priory Lane a couple of chaps came past me but I filtered ahead at the lights and had a good run down LRR with one of them (tall, red and white Trek, grey vest and a tiny red rucksack). Eventually he past me on the bridge. Chapeau.

dhope

Tired already. Legs at gym yesterday and I know from experience today will be passable and tomorrow they'll hurt.

Scalped in Deptford on the route in. Didn't see the bike but full lycra and florescent overshoes, plus filtering significant better than my tired legs and brain could manage this morning. Poor lights and poor legs kept me leading or following a middle aged chap on a Dawes with drops, a single pannier, in a billowing shirt and lycra shorts who was giving it some away from every set of lights only to seemingly top out and get passed repeatedly.

HamishD

Brutal wind on the embankment this morning - could barely keep it above 20. That combined with every single red light between Peckham and VB made for a most frustrating morning. No SCR action worthy of the name, plus ca change.

Still, should be fun this evening. :P

DonDaddyD

rjsterry wrote:

Could well have been. Was that you I spotted the other day in Balham? I gave you (or some other guy) an INR.

As for being knackered, like everyone said when you started, it's a big jump up from 10 to 20 miles each way, so it will take more than a month or so for you to adapt. It's normal - if a bit frustrating. Some days you just let 'em go, knowing that you could scalp them if you wanted to, but are choosing not to.

Don't think it was me in Balham, those guys dropped me in Colliers Wood during a bout of filtering (so it doesn't count).

On being knackered.
Gotta keep pushing myselt, if it doesn't hurt then I'm not riding hard enough, plus I can use the ride into London from work as a 'recovery ride'.

You're right about letting them go, now I find other targets, like maintaining cadence and speed through East London to Essex is a greater achievement.

Nutrition helps, I take a bottle of electrolyte water into work, drink on the way and during the morning. Then at noon have another 750ml of water (maybe a coke for lunch as my something naughty) until the end of work and then fill the bottle up again for the ride home so that's 2.25litres of fluid I'm taking on. Food wise, Ms DDD handles the nutrition... there's seeds in my bread and she made a cake with no butter so it must be healthy.

Still the odd scalp here and there is fun though, isn't it guy on a Trek in flats! :twisted:

Bassjunkieuk

@rjsterry - Unfortunately I can't blame the ride home on lack of nutrition as I actually found some change in my bag so managed to snag a rather cheap but quite satisfying lunch yesterday of tinned spaghetti :-) One of the saving graces of working in a fairly new office is that the kitchen is rather well equipped with bowls, cutlery and microwave!

Another excellent ride in this morning with rather favorable wind on Embankment :-) Plenty of roadies out and I was really having to keep my eye on people starting from QTR! Had a nice tussle with a couple of people I'm sure I've met before away from the crossroads, a chap on a Scott with Aksiums and one aboard an older Trek. Scott guy uses a VERY spinny gear to start and went off like a washing machine on the super spin setting down the hill! I just eased into my usual rhythm and passed him at the speed table ped crossing then had a wonderful run on traffic and lights to scythe a quick line round the QTR chicane, over the r/b and onto CB.

The Scott guy pussied out and used the shared bike path and I caught up with him and the Trek guy on the north end but they carried on going straight towards Sloane Sq.

Was hoping to use DSC as a cool down before Millbank but that all went out the window when I saw green lights at VB and had visions of a flying start......thwarted by them (typically) changing to red as I got within 10m or so :-( Had one bit of bother near LBR when a chap on a rather tasty Trek with deep section carbon wheels (Mavic Cosmic Carbones I think) can alongside. I suspect he may have been racing later as those wheels seem a little OTT for a commute bike :-D

ketsbaia

Yeah, who ordered that large slice of headwind along the OKR? Fairly sedentary 16.3 ave on this morning's time trial as a result. No competition as such, but two of the guys I blasted away on OKR still made it to Union Street/GSS lights before me, so I suspect my route isn't the fastest.

dhope

ketsbaia wrote:

Fairly sedentary 16.3 ave

This an average while moving or over the entire commute? That'd be 22 minutes for my 6 mile commute and with the number of traffic lights I see I'd be pleased with that.

ketsbaia

dhope wrote:

ketsbaia wrote:

Fairly sedentary 16.3 ave

This an average while moving or over the entire commute? That'd be 22 minutes for my 6 mile commute and with the number of traffic lights I see I'd be pleased with that.

Over the entire commute. And I see plenty of lights too.

But my commute's only 3.5 miles, so I can afford to put the hammer down.

Pufftmw

ketsbaia wrote:

Yeah, who ordered that large slice of headwind along the OKR? Fairly sedentary 16.3 ave on this morning's time trial as a result. No competition as such, but two of the guys I blasted away on OKR still made it to Union Street/GSS lights before me, so I suspect my route isn't the fastest.

Yes, it was bad wasn't it :? Woke up to hear the trees swaying & knew it would be a bad one. However, it wasn't really that bad and I had some competition to keep up with in the form of your doppelganger who joined at the new New Cross junction and proceeded to mainly RLJ up the rest of the OKR. I kept pulling him in (+ an old boy on a roadie who was spinning away) but come the lights I would stop and they would continue away. Managed to get a draught from the #53 for a while which was a godsend

I lucked out on the tailwind home last night as I went from Bow direct to Lewisham through the foot tunnel - fortunately both lifts are now working

cjcp

Asprilla wrote:

had a good run down LRR with one of them (tall, red and white Trek, grey vest and a tiny red rucksack). Eventually he past me on the bridge. Chapeau.

Sounds suspiciously like King Donut...

rjsterry

DonDaddyD wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Could well have been. Was that you I spotted the other day in Balham? I gave you (or some other guy) an INR.

As for being knackered, like everyone said when you started, it's a big jump up from 10 to 20 miles each way, so it will take more than a month or so for you to adapt. It's normal - if a bit frustrating. Some days you just let 'em go, knowing that you could scalp them if you wanted to, but are choosing not to.

Don't think it was me in Balham, those guys dropped me in Colliers Wood during a bout of filtering (so it doesn't count).

On being knackered.
Gotta keep pushing myselt, if it doesn't hurt then I'm not riding hard enough, plus I can use the ride into London from work as a 'recovery ride'.

You're right about letting them go, now I find other targets, like maintaining cadence and speed through East London to Essex is a greater achievement.

Nutrition helps, I take a bottle of electrolyte water into work, drink on the way and during the morning. Then at noon have another 750ml of water (maybe a coke for lunch as my something naughty) until the end of work and then fill the bottle up again for the ride home so that's 2.25litres of fluid I'm taking on. Food wise, Ms DDD handles the nutrition... there's seeds in my bread and she made a cake with no butter so it must be healthy.

Still the odd scalp here and there is fun though, isn't it guy on a Trek in flats! :twisted:

I was starting to think you were avoiding me: every time I asked, the SCR thread dropped to the bottom of the page like a stone. It seems you have a stunt double. I have to admit to being a bit of a masochist myself, but I seem to be learning the trick of spreading the hurtiness out so that I don't end up crawling home on Friday. I still tend to overdo Mondays though :twisted: :roll: