The things that slow me down

Peddle Up!

I was out for a ride around a regular circuit yesterday, trying to improve my overall time. Concentrating on the obvious sections helps (e.g. improving my hill climbing technique), but it occurred to me that there are a number of events (serious, and not so serious) that can slow you down.

Care to share some of yours?

The driver or pedestrian who, despite having made eye contact with you, is going to pull out unless you ease off the pace.

Choppy surfaces that set the teeth chattering and the bike shaking. The painted section outside a local school always gets me.

Cars that overtake, jam on the brakes and decide to turn across you.

The well-shaded area in that lovely long hill section – is there a new pothole there, or a drinks can waiting to pincer your front wheel?

The thin strip of gravel that gets washed by the rain into your preferred line on a sharp corner.

Anonymous

Nothing slows me down, cos I have QuadPower(tm)

Bunneh

Wet road markings, terribly dangerous.

Yellow road markings outside schools usually to prevent people parking, they're extremely bumpy! A set near me when I got down the road to the major road at the bottom, I always pull out to avoid them.

Those red speed bumps that are meant to slow you down, but oddly slow none of the drivers screaming past you at double the permitted speed.

A family on their bikes, kids swerving all over the road and the parents doing the same, scary!

HILLS

...and countless others that make my balls shrivel up back into my body!

secretsqizz

Is this training?
If so
You need to change your circuit.

carl_p

secretsqizz wrote:

Is this training?
If so
You need to change your circuit.

Easier said than done surely? I ride where I live so it's door to door routes for me and new roads and circuits don't just pop up over night. Luckily within a mile I'm into open countryside on quietish roads, but you still need to keep your wits about you - a rabbit ran out in front of me yesterday missing my front wheel by inches. Had it got stuck in my spokes, and what with a car following me it would have been good night nurse.

Matt the Tester

cars and lights sooo many traffic lights round my Area!! i have to travel 8 miles to get away from them!

Rich Hcp

Bad road surfaces.

Even where they have resurfaced them, when they chuck gravel down, the bumps remain, with the rough gravel really slow you down.

Ben6899

Sunday MTBers with their seats too low.

careful

Speed limits

mattward1979

The wind.

When its cold and raining the Air is still.. Come the sunshine and its like satan himself is blowing across the land!!

On my commute back from work today, had to take the entire route 3 gears lower than normal. I hate Kent when its sunny =(

Philby

Lack of nice smooth tarmac around Bristol.

KevGuinness

cycle paths- families out as a group that do not realise the speed you are going coming towards them that make no effort to move aside and let you past

roads- cacking myself going too fast downhill when you hit a sharper than expected corner and slam on the anchors too hard (being new this wont be a problem to many of you)

Cleat Eastwood

Thinking

freehub

The only thing that slows you down is pedalling too slow.

KevGuinness

freehub wrote:

The only thing that slows you down is pedalling too slow.

hangovers, headwinds, last nights curry and many other factors prevent you from pedaling faster however

a_n_t

KevGuinness wrote:

last nights curry

I did a 25mile TT PB on saturday after a chicken tikka bhuna the night before!

KevGuinness

ant its obvious, the curry provides you with an excellent gas propulsion system!

s1lko

KevGuinness wrote:

cycle paths- families out as a group that do not realise the speed you are going coming towards them that make no effort to move aside and let you past

+1

And 15-odd stone

night_porter

Living in a university city the main cause for me slowing down is stunning looking girls/women in skimpy outfits!!! :roll: :oops:

idkPhil

Cars slow me down.
Pedestrians that don't know how traffic works. You stick to either the left or the right depending on what country you are in, for some reason a lot of pedestrians around on cycling trails through parks here do the complete opposite.
I hit up cycling trails in the city during the weekday, hit up countrysides on weekend mornings when traffic is much easier.

Mike67

Cows...or more accurately a big chuffin bull

I was going through a cattle gridded bit of single track road yesterday.
I noticed there were lots of cows and calfs...ahhh nice I thought.

Then in the middle of the road I spotted him...a great big bull stood there pretending he'd not seen me.

I went VERY VERY slowly around him....

danowat

Wind, thats the only thing that really slows me down.

Hills aren't as bad, as they tend to end after a while, but if you have a 60mile, oneway, cycle infront of you with a solid headwind, thats a really mind f**k!!!!

a_n_t

KevGuinness wrote:

ant its obvious, the curry provides you with an excellent gas propulsion system!

well it was windy but nowt to do with me! :-)