Your Anti-Rants here

notsoblue

First cycle commute in two weeks. Still can't put the foot in a road shoe, but managed fine today on the hybrid. Gorgeous weather, lovely pootle in civvies. Glad to be off PT

jonny_trousers

Mr Sworld wrote:

Women in tight shorts on a bike.

Mmmmmm..... :twisted:

Yep, my first anti-rant is that I was forced to follow behind a girl in tight, velour shorts yesterday. I would have overtaken quicker, honest, had I not suddenly found it rather awkward to pedal.

The second is me finally getting out and following the Dulwich Paragon Saturday route yesterday. Fan-bloody-tastic! I can't remember the name of the road, but the one sweeping down just after Downe had me laughing it was so fun.

Kieran_Burns

I've cycled every day this week on the Madone. My legs are killing me. I'm knackered and we're doing the canal path run (up along the Trent from Sawley) tomorrow, both ways - 18 miles.

I'm LOVING it!

(of course, we're stopping off at one of the Canal / Riverside pubs on the way home tomorrow....)

veronese68

Loving the weather too. Went for a pub wobble last night. Slightly shorter route than the usual so 5 pubs in 9 miles almost entirely off road. Richmond Riverside was rather busy and the Roebuck had lots of interesting beers on.
Slightly foggy head this morning, but well worth it.

rick_chasey

Beers @ Canary Wharf before lunch, in the sun. Good job, need to work on my forehead tan.

A little wasted as result. This afternoon should be entertaining...

Applespider

Great defensive driving by a Texaco HGV driver tonight. He passed me on the South Circular giving me oodles of room and then 100m up the road when he got to the junction, he stopped with his wheels almost touching the kerb. Not even the most idiotic of nodders would have attempted going up the side; I thought it was a really good bit of defensive driving. It's a pity that the Conroy dumper that came up behind me just afterwards couldn't have learned something from him.

Initialised

The CycleStreets android app may be slow to load maps and be a bit clunkly and unreliable when you're out in the 3G less wilds but it give you routes you might not know existed!

SimonAH

Cactus Jack Marguerita in a 70Cl bottle at 10% and £4.09 from ASDA.

Cuervo Gold and fresh juices it aint.

Marinated in the freezer for a coupla hours and poured into a lowball glass with a salt crusted rim and a freshly squozen lime slice on an evening like this?

That'll do pig, that'll do.

One clink in the recycling bin, second one due any time soon :-D

SimonAH

Clink.

That ish all

rick_chasey

Lovely commute in. No SCR. Civies. No rucksack. No helmet. Bliss. S'like it was when I was growing up.

reformedfatty

Just generally a cracking week of putting in great rides and runs including a new PB whilst managing to not pig out too much.

That said, I must have been pigging out because I don't think I can pass for 12.5 stone anymore, its definately closer to 13. Mirror check says no difference so it must be extra muscle. maybe.

Kieran_Burns

18 ride in this morning along the canal path to Nottingham and loop back South to work - that in itself is worthy of an anti-rant as it was glorious, just perfect.

However, just to add silliness to the sublime - my cycling mate decided to loop through the BMX track in the local park before getting to work.

So now I have video footage of two fat middle-aged blokes tearing round a BMX track on CX bikes

There's definitely something to be said for just not caring

SimonAH

Sitting in the garden in the sun with dead bottles of Biere des Flandres building up (2.8% so the human body is incapable of consuming enough to get pished before requiring racehorse grade, er, pishing) and I notice that a family of what my birdwatching friend would call LBJs are nesting in my eaves.

This apparently stands for Little Brown Jobs in the birding community, but I have named it (or them, no idea if I'm watching more than one bird going in and out) Lyndon :-D

And there is a large joint of Silverside slow roasting on a bed of shallots in the oven.

Today is nice. And my diary is full for the whole of next week so I will not be going into the office but rather having pleasant and short meetings with nice people and wafting between them with the windows down and good chunes on the stereo.

SimonAH

Talking of good chunage by the way, Absolute Radio 60s on the digital radio is fanbloodytastic - the perfect soundtrack to a sunny afternoon. Even though it's a commercial station the only commercials seem to be for Absolute radio - and not many of those either.

suzyb

Did a longer route tonight but still somehow had an average speed similar to my usual short route. Think it's the first time I've done >10 miles over 12mph average

There were times it really didn't feel like it mind you

optimisticbiker

After my fettling efforts this weekend, its so nice to ride a bike that doesn't rattle or go 'clonk' on every pothole... and has brakes really must do it more often

unclejimbo1983

I had a tyre emergency yesterday evening (see rants!) which required the purchase of a new tyre.

Closest bike shop was an Evans. Not only did they have the exact tyre I needed in stock, but I was loaned a track pump so I didn't have to struggle with my mini-pump. In actual fact I was one of three people that used the pump during the 15 mins I was there changing the tyre. I'm pretty sure at least one of the three didn't buy anything in the shop either.

Probably nothing most LBS's wouldn't do I'm sure, but chain stores often get a bad rep for a "computer says no" attitude, so it was refreshing to see some humanity on show.

Long_Time_Lurker

I've just had one of those great commuting rides that come around once in a while.
Great night's sleep, so I had a lot more energy than I thought (so did an extra 5 miles), all of the dog-walkers and joggers wished me a hearty 'good morning', and I counted 4 cars that let me across the road when they had the right of way.

CiB

Earlier this year my speeds had fallen off a cliff and I thought that my best days were behind me, and I'd better get used to becoming a nodder with a speed limit of ~8mph. Just noticed that my last 3 commutes in have been avg spd of 19+mph, and going home isn't much worse. Yessss!!!! The legs & lungs are back. Clear the roads. :twisted:

Seriously it's a big relief. I'm officially old this year. I can cope with age, not with being slow.

Rgds
Lance.

Sharkyssurfers

had day off yesterday and did a little 30 miler, taking in apparently the steepest hill in essex north hill, and managed to stay in the big ring all the way up and do it just of 4 and half minutes, which left me in 16th and 26 in two strava segments so was really pleased.

Also this morning a chap in a golf pulls out in front of me at a road junction, i just wave and shout hello so he knows im there next time, overtook him in traffic, for him to catch me up, wind the window down and beep his horn to says sorry, at least thats what i think he did.

roger_merriman

Rick Chasey wrote:

Lovely commute in. No SCR. Civies. No rucksack. No helmet. Bliss. S'like it was when I was growing up.

Thats my commute! quiet roads then Bushy Park.

jedster

I was just about to post something very similar to this:

Earlier this year my speeds had fallen off a cliff and I thought that my best days were behind me, and I'd better get used to becoming a nodder with a speed limit of ~8mph. Just noticed that my last 3 commutes in have been avg spd of 19+mph, and going home isn't much worse. Yessss!!!! The legs & lungs are back. Clear the roads.

Actually managed close to PB times on two legs Monday and today. I've even got a bit of a cold. Just wait til I shake that off.
Think it must be the change in the weather...

optimisticbiker

jedster wrote:

I was just about to post something very similar to this:

Earlier this year my speeds had fallen off a cliff and I thought that my best days were behind me, and I'd better get used to becoming a nodder with a speed limit of ~8mph. Just noticed that my last 3 commutes in have been avg spd of 19+mph, and going home isn't much worse. Yessss!!!! The legs & lungs are back. Clear the roads.

Actually managed close to PB times on two legs Monday and today. I've even got a bit of a cold. Just wait til I shake that off.
Think it must be the change in the weather...

I agree... warm weather helps get muscles awake in the morning. Plus you can over do it too, so a short rest and a few pootles can rejuvenate things.. I've done two PBs this week and my ability to push up hills seems to have been turned up several degrees...

king_jeffers

Replacing bar tape is a really satisfying job

Mr Sworld

King Jeffers wrote:

Replacing bar tape is a really satisfying job

This...

Especially when it matches the saddle colour and blings the bike up!

mudcow007

coming along the cycle track last night homeward bound, i come around a corner an there is about 30 girls (look like they had just finished gcses or something) all dancing around

most of them had their tops unbuttoned!? :shock:

SickAsAParrot

Olympic torch going along some of my commuter route this morning at the same time as my normal commute! Stopped and watched it go past in 4 different places.

notsoblue

Back on the bike after a nasty case of gout, I was worried that it would be permanent damage so its a relief that it looks like I'll be making a full recovery

rick_chasey

notsoblue wrote:

Back on the bike after a nasty case of gout, I was worried that it would be permanent damage so its a relief that it looks like I'll be making a full recovery

Good to hear it.

king_jeffers

mudcow007 wrote:

coming along the cycle track last night homeward bound, i come around a corner an there is about 30 girls (look like they had just finished gcses or something) all dancing around

most of them had their tops unbuttoned!? :shock:

almost choked on my sandwich