Richmond Park Etiquette

roger_merriman

yeah it's rolling than hilly only 350ft per lap, still a lovely if busy place to spin the wheels though.

cjcp

roger merriman wrote:

yeah it's rolling than hilly only 350ft per lap, still a lovely if busy place to spin the wheels though.

That, the wind resistance, and the fact that it's traffic-free so you can keep up a decent intensity much of the time, means that it's a great training resource and that it's often better than heading out on the open road or into the Surrey Hills.

georgee

spasypaddy wrote:

Having now been to the park twice i still dont know the rules of the park.
Is drafting allowed?
Should i be giving signals to riders that are behind me?
Overtaking cars, is it advisable?
Can i jump on the back of trains (as long as they aren't london dynamo trains)?

First three laps done though now 1.09, average of 17.4mph

Drafting, yes, though if they try and drop you it's a sign to get off or do your turn.

Signals, yes, this is good etiquete in group riding, you should be doing it anyway.

Over taking cars, your call, if safe to do so, as said there are a lot of Sunday/Numpty drivers in the park so be careful.

Trains, no, unless they are obviously a missmash of people.

Dynamo trains, yes, though do not offer to work, they consistantly behave like cnuts, so you should do similar to them.

rjsterry

Dynamo trains, yes, though do not offer to work, they consistantly behave like cnuts

This is one of the reasons why I rarely venture over to RP these days. Plus, I have the lanes around Woodmansterne, Banstead and Kingswood on my doorstep,

Like this:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=kingswood,+surrey&sll=51.193559,-0.11188&sspn=0.009575,0.019205&g=outwood+lane,+surrey&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Kingswood,+Tadworth,+Surrey,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.298798,-0.175695&spn=0.03821,0.076818&z=14&layer=c&cbll=51.299225,-0.176901&panoid=aMwWlWX2FJ2KMnLV2MHtZw&cbp=12,218.56,,0,-7.37

spasypaddy

georgee wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

Dynamo trains, yes, though do not offer to work, they consistantly behave like cnuts, so you should do similar to them.

funnily enough on my first ever visit to the park i went in with a dynamo rider who id been chatting to on the way down. he then offered to show me around the park (which he did until i ran out of steam) and invited me to the club run the following week. i even mentioned to him i was surprised at how friendly he was due to the bad rep his club get.

then the following week i saw a train of about 10 dynamo riders literally blasting around the park, how i wish the police would have stopped them...

cjcp

It's about going at the right times, so I avoid the Dynamo-train times, or just go the other way. Tbh, I find the volume of cars disrupts my ride more than the Dynamo rides. But I accept this isn't necessarily possible for folk who live further away - it's 0.59 miles from my front door.

Stuey01

spasypaddy wrote:

then the following week i saw a train of about 10 dynamo riders literally blasting around the park, how i wish the police would have stopped them...

Why?

spasypaddy

cjcp wrote:

It's about going at the right times, so I avoid the Dynamo-train times, or just go the other way. Tbh, I find the volume of cars disrupts my ride more than the Dynamo rides. But I accept this isn't necessarily possible for folk who live further away - it's 0.59 miles from my front door.

its 20 miles from my door, i get there when i get there

Stuey01 wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

then the following week i saw a train of about 10 dynamo riders literally blasting around the park, how i wish the police would have stopped them...

Why?

well ive heard they stop other cyclists for speeding so maybe if they stopped the dynamo lot regularly they wouldnt use the park as a race track. they were in a massive group which can be quite intimidating to an unsuspecting rider/driver. i think groups should be kept down to 4 maximum

rjsterry

Only bumped into a couple of Dynamo trains (I used to visit regularly when I lived in Putney Heath), but both times, I nearly got run into the verge. When it was that close, it was just the job for a quick lap when you only had an hour to spare. The road surface is a lot better than the scale model of the moon on my country lanes too.

bigmat

To be fair to London Dynamo I've heard that they do a fair bit of liaising with the police and park authorities on behalf of all cyclists. And if the trains are annoying, I've found the best answer is to overtake them! :P

london-red

I'm not sure where all this animosity towards LD comes from. I've been cycling in RP for years and haven't had any cause to think they're cnuts. They chaingang at speed, but that's after negotiation with the park authorities and, to be honest, I think it's brilliant to see this type of organised activity going on. It reclaims the park's roads for cycling.

I'm not a member of LD, but know a couple and have latched onto the back of a group on a couple of occasions and had a rather pleasant chat. And was invited to come back and join in properly.

I guess it's the luck of the draw, but so far I've had no problems. Good on them.

jonginge

TBH I've not had any problems with LD while in the park. In fact I had a good ride/chat with an LDer for a couple of laps on sunday.

Out of the park they're very visible, due to always wearing club kit, so any traffic transgressions get noticed by all and sundry.

roger_merriman

All of the LD I've met have been nice as pie. But also their chain gangs do make a hash of overtaking cleanly. Don't box people in, really doesn't make people love you.

rjsterry

roger merriman wrote:

All of the LD I've met have been nice as pie. But also their chain gangs do make a hash of overtaking cleanly. Don't box people in, really doesn't make people love you.

I think this fits pretty well with my experience as well. The LD chap I sometimes bump into around Clapham Common is one of the nicest people I've chatted with on the commute.

cjcp

MatHammond wrote:

To be fair to London Dynamo I've heard that they do a fair bit of liaising with the police and park authorities on behalf of all cyclists.

They do. They're on the Park Users Cttee (or a similar name), I think. Chapeau to them for organising the TTs, too.

biondino

LD people, if slowing down is the best option, then SLOW DOWN ffs. This counts double if anyone else's safety is being compromised.

edit: let me clarify that. Not just the safety of other park users, but the comfort of park users who expect a certain amount of courtesy. Don't surprise or worry them, don't assume they will behave with the same regimented accuracy on which you pride yourselves. Don't make them have to be concerned about you, regardless of how you feel about them.

Gussio

LD are a massive club and are going to have a mix of characters. Like other posters, I have met and ridden with some great LD folk in RP and beyond. Have also been blanked by the odd to$$er, and once or twice seen some RLJing, which is a shame because it lets down the rest of the club.

+1 chapeau for the work that they do with the local rozzers.

fatgrimpeur

LD do a massive amount of work in regards to relations for ALL cyclists in the park, right down to getting the pathetic attempt at re-surfacing rejected (they will now be resurfacing later in the year using a far more expensive and, hopefully, more successful technique).

The park rides introduce countless members and non-members alike to group and competitive riding. The club puts on both closed circuit and open races, TT's in the park, oh and occasionally they go to the pub. As Gussio says, they are a very big club which will include some people not of somebody's liking. Even so it is a very impressive achievement to create something that big on the back of nothing but unpaid volunteers who love cycling.

So stop knocking it, they are visible in the park, open to all and contributing to the greater picture of cycling. If you have a problem go and speak to them rather than faceless whining on the internet.


And no, I'm not a member. I belong to a rival.

biondino

fatgrimpeur wrote:

If you have a problem go and speak to them rather than faceless whining on the internet.

Faceless whining on the internet is what I'm best at. I even put it on my CV, and use it to impress girls.

But in this case, I did indeed speak to a LD member about his behaviour and what an entitled, grade-A c*** he turned out to be. I hope they're not all like him.