UK roads - how much slower?

Mad Roadie

just back from some hot weather training on flat billiard smooth roads - where we were averaging around 38/39 kph over 2-3 hours and maxing 50-55 kph on the flat without wind effects.

there is no way I could do this in the UK, so how much slower do the UK roaads make you for the same effort?

jgsi

Quite a bit I dare say.
The Belgians seem to do alright and their road infrastructure isnt that renowned either.
Answer? more jollies to Majorca or get yourself on Turbo Street... super smooth then

rjh299

They mentioned that during the Tour of Britain I think

Omar Little

Is there a reason why our road surfaces are different?

I dont mean in terms of potholes not being filled in properly or that awful surface dressing that is used but the properly tarmaced stuff - even the best, newly laid roads never seem to be quite as smooth in comparision to what you get on a good road in Spain or France.

jibberjim

Omar Little wrote:

I dont mean in terms of potholes not being filled in properly or that awful surface dressing that is used but the properly tarmaced stuff - even the best, newly laid roads never seem to be quite as smooth in comparision to what you get on a good road in Spain or France.

If you don't have to deal with the continual freeze/thaw cycle, then you can use different grades of tarmac I believe. If it never freezes, or freezes and then stays frozen, it's not so bad.

ut_och_cykla

jibberjim wrote:

Omar Little wrote:

I dont mean in terms of potholes not being filled in properly or that awful surface dressing that is used but the properly tarmaced stuff - even the best, newly laid roads never seem to be quite as smooth in comparision to what you get on a good road in Spain or France.

If you don't have to deal with the continual freeze/thaw cycle, then you can use different grades of tarmac I believe. If it never freezes, or freezes and then stays frozen, it's not so bad.

I'd agree with that but freeze /thaw actually covers a whole lot of France and some parts of Spain... but roads in france and Spain can be beautiful - or totaly rubbish - especially in rural Spain

SBezza

I think it depends on where you are in the UK, some of the roads through the Welsh mountains are lovely and smooth, major roads around big populations are crap generally.

It isn't just the type of tarmac though, heavily trafficed roads will end up being poorer quality unless you want to pay even more taxes to resurface them regularly, so it is a combination of poor maintenance, probably harder wearing tarmac being used, and the factor of traffic doing damage to the roads, as well as enviromental conditions causing potholes, surface breakup and the like

rodgers73

I've no idea why but I've noticed that the surface underneath overhanging trees is worse that on open stretches.

GeorgeShaw

rodgers73 wrote:

I've no idea why but I've noticed that the surface underneath overhanging trees is worse that on open stretches.

I would guess this is down to water. "Open" roads are drier, tree-covered roads are damper and therefore also more likely to suffer ice damage once the surface starts to go.

McBain_v1

It's all about the water damage that we have here, combined with poor resurfacing techniques and shedloads of HGVs mounding the surface near to kerb sides. Most of the roads around where I live are extremely dicey and certainly not one to treat your brand new carbon rims to a ride on