[Closed] Competitive commuting?

[url= http://www.itsnotarace.org/ ]Silly Commuter Racing[/url] innit.

Commuting is the biggest race on earth.

You think them lads in the tour are working hard? That's nothing to what a commuter is doing. Plus, I notice the boys riding round france don't carry their clothes and butties in their bag, don't have lights and rarely have to contend with cars.

EVERYONE commuting is up for a race. From the little old lady on her shopper to the cat 2 on his way to work. You can pass some old guy rolling along on a £50 full suss beater, continue on your way and then when you stop at the next set of lights, the old guy will still be there, on your wheel, smoking a fag.

Obviously not everyone will be able to keep up if you're fast but they can cheat by jumping lights, riding on the pavement and taking shortcuts, and that's fine, because commuting is the biggest race on earth and anything goes.

It is SO a race. 😉

Plus, I notice the boys riding round france don't carry their clothes and butties in their bag, don't have lights and rarely have to contend with cars.

I am walking a little taller and prouder today thanks to that comment. Cheers

Bicycle + Bicycle = Bicycle Race.

[url= http://www.itsnotarace.org/ ]It's not a race[/url]

Got showers at work? If not, you must stink! 😛

So it's a thing is it? I've been riding off road over 20 years and never raced once it's just not the same kind of cycling. Seems that every day I'm into something, I'm a terrible cheat though especially up Kensington High Street.

And yeah we have showers, I'm going to hate getting the tube again in the worst of winter.

1. Why will you have to stop commuting by bike in bad weather, if you have showers? 😕

2. I absolutely love riding to work and back - little races make it that bit better, nothing like it for a bit of impromptu interval training.

You think them lads in the tour are working hard? That's nothing to what a commuter is doing.

And the pros don't have to act all nonchalant and relaxed when overtaking either. It's bloody hard trying to overtake someone at 25mph whilst making it look like you're pootling to work without a care in the world.

I like it when you get someone fast, and you're all 'Alright fella' at the lights like your best mates or something and then the lights change and YOU WOULD EAT HIS CHILDERN IF IT SLOWED HIM DOWN BY 1MPH SO YOU COULD BLAST PAST HIM AND LEAVE HIM STOOD. And then you both stop at the next set of lights and you're like, 'yeah, that wind is quite strong isn't it?'. And then the lights change again and YOU WILL CRUSH HIS BONES AND USE THEM FOR TALCUM POWDER.

dazh - Member

It's bloody hard trying to overtake someone at 25mph whilst making it look like you're pootling to work without a care in the world

So true! I was struggling to perform this very illusion last night when passing a carbon lightning bolt on my steel, panniered hack bike. 🙂

Not the bad weather more the dark, they can't see me in broad bloody daylight. Also at the moment a t shirt and shorts rolls up quite well into my backpack, not so sure winter clothes will fit. I'm also working hard on using a nonchalant whistle to cover up my panting as I try to keep up with whoever I'm trying to get past. I reckon someone whistling chitty chitty bang bang as they go past has got to hurt.

Is a nodder the same as a pigeon - Someone who does that strange nodding action as the pedal too slowly in too hard a gear?

It can be pretty hard to resist.

I batter myself when I ride to and from the station, because I dont' do it every day and it makes good training. I'm sure some people would like to race me, but I've hardly met anyone with the legs to do so 😉

I've got to go now, I'm preparing for the Paddington-City classic one day road race. And I've brought my Garmin so I can record it on Strava 🙂

I intended to have a nice relaxing pootle in this morning, but then a hybrid rider decided to overtake and stop in front of me at the lights...

[img] [/img]

I changed to riding a cruiser type bike for a while.

You can't really race if you want, you just drift along and let the world flow past. Man.

I'm sure some people would like to race me, but I've hardly met anyone with the legs to do so

Try the A34 into Manchester city centre at about 8.30am. It's ridiculous at the minute. Every morning there's a race on. Last week I was in one with about 5 other roadies. I sadly failed to drop a wheelsucker this morning on account of carrying a heavy laptop.

There should be blood samples taken at major intersections.

Sadly my new commute to work, despite being 35 miles each way, is usually devoid of other riders. My old one was all hell for leather racing every night.

it is a race but I'm pretty chilled out nowadays tho, save me legs for evening/weekend riding but I will speed up and tuck in for a draft if someone decides to pass me after I've just overtaken them.

Try the A34 into Manchester city centre at about 8.30am

What are peoples views on red lights? If I'm honest I'm ambivalent. I tend to stop at major ones but have drifted through a few, especially the Ken high Street, less so in the evenings as more peds about. I am sure I heard tutting today and may have even been on the receiving end of a hard stare or two.

I always stop. It really harms my times, but it's the commuting equivalent of riding clean.

I feel I should stop but then don't. I never do it if people are crossing but I suppose that's no defence.
No helmet either.

Yeah why is it half of south manchester ride to work whereas all the lardarses to the north all drive in?

I've noticed this too. I'm in Northern Manchester and hardly see anyone on my commute, but when riding my extended route via South Manchester there are loads more riders. I'm from Withington originally so maybe it there's something in it.

What are peoples views on red lights?

I stop at them (most of the time). If I don't then I wouldn't be able to impress the other commuters with my amazing track-standing skillz 🙂

I jumped a few last night (at midnight between wakey and leeds) still feel guilty about it now. On the other hand, yesterdays ride in was epic, police motorcycle training, three bikes blocking every junction and roundabout & letting me sail through before racing on to block the next one. Shame it only lasted 2 miles, felt very "le tour"!

As for racing, a fat man on a brompton used to demolish me everytime I tried to ride up to headingley. I hated that guy! There's not many competitive riders on my route now. I meet a roadie from time to time who drafts then drops me on the climbs and I demolished a colleague on the bypass last month. ITs all very serious (I don't know him, but I recognised his bike from teh sheds, making it more important that I dropped him, got locked up and into the shower before him).

yeah why is it half of south manchester ride to work whereas all the lardarses to the north all drive in?

Cos it's impossible to get through Salford, Broughton or Cheetham Hill without having your bike nicked?

I set a KOM last week on a popular section of my commute. I was panniered up, into a headwind and I was carrying a new iron on the rack. It's possibly the highlight of my sporting career.

not many on my route (Guildford to Farnham), and most are going the other way. I did pass someone from the council depot a few weeks back up the hill past Badshot Lea garden centre (it's our version of AdH) and felt very proud, but then by the time I got to farnham he was back in front cos he'd cut through the industrial estate footpath instead of staying on the road. Fortunately he turned into the depot before I pwned him for a second time.

Best part for me is the A331 roundabout. Always a queue of cars i can filter past, then soft pedal looking for a gap, and then I'm launched like Sir Chris over the roundabout, to gasps of amazement and admiration. And then through farnham itself around the one way - I race cars up downing street and then down west street and see how long I can stay with them Ensures i arrive at our (showerless office) with a right sweat on.

I always stop. It really harms my times, but it's the commuting equivalent of riding clean.

I'm going to use that one in the future Molly!

any racing tends to happen on the way home and on the way up hills - I have a 2 mile drag which gradually ramps up and is nice and straight so is good for a challenge. I often struggle to keep up with some of the faster riders on the flat bit as I only have one gear, but once the incline kicks in and they shift down I start to reel them in. if I time it perfectly I will catch them on the last 1/2 mile stretch where it ramps up and burn past them for the summit finish.
it's like a tour stage every day, chasing down the breakaway.
I would be gutted if I couldn't commute by bike.

What are peoples views on red lights?

Always stop. The naive optimist in me thinks that if I stop then someone might see me and start stopping at reds too, and then an exponential increase in cyclists who stop at red lights will begin, and drivers might not get so angry at cyclists for running reds all the time, and one day, just one day, everyone might get along.

Some dude worked very hard to pass me on the flat bit today, then coasted down the big descent, held me up as there was no safe passing and he ended up blowing a load of energy but not really going very fast. Slightly odd tbh. Strava segment...

Racing on commutes makes no sense though, I'll take just about anyone on the hillclimb home but then my commute is short and my house is at the top of the hill- everyone else is already tired and has further to go. Daft to take pride in that, it's like riding one lap of an XC race right at the end and being smug that you passed someone.

I stop at lights and crossing. Peds and cars aren't involved in the [s]race[/s] display of riding awschumness used to show who really [i]is[/i] fastest. After Lolgrips that is.

Once I've been passed, I just sit at a safe distance off the back wheel. Except for when Grips passes me. On those occassions all I hear is a loud Swooshing noise as he blasts by. He's so quick, I'm not even sure which way he went.
In all other cases, when it takes my fancy, I stay far enough back not to receive a tow and also just incase the rider in front is a muppet.
😉

The message is then received whenever the rider in front looks back.
[i] I'm here, its been easy and I can stay with it[/i]

Yep. it's a race. Love it here in Bristol as i ride out on the Bristol - bath cycle track and there's no traffic lights or traffic (plus most of the commuters are going into town whereas I'm going the other way)

It all depends on the type of bike and what the commuter is wearing. Cus it's summer i'm on my road bike and full lycra so it would be a shamefull to get dropped by anyone in baggies/non road bike

A few months ago this geezer on a road bike goes past me just before a climb.. I then proceeded to chase him down for 6 miles on the cycle track absolutely nailing it. I got to within 20 metres of him.

once i uploaded the ride to strava it told me who i was riding with and we had a bit of banter about it

Much loling at the tiny incline past Badshot Lee Garden centre compared to AdH 😆

I cycle to work pretty much every day here in Hyderabad, India ([url=

for amusement[/url]) I often start off taking it easy, but inevitably within 5 minutes some ignorant moron cuts me up and the red mist comes down. From that point it's a major interval session/obstacle course/hazard avoidance ride 😳

Frequently involves significant contact with vehicles, the ground and loss of skin/broken bones, but probably good for overall fitness 😀

Cheers, Rich

drivers might not get so angry at cyclists for running reds all the time

I spent quite a few years commuting by road daily, stopping at red lights, I got pretty good at trackstands as a result, it did not bring about world peace or road harmony. Stopping at reds is obviously still a good idea but I tend not to get my gusset bunched about it.

Meh maybe I should stop at a few more or avoid Ken High Street altogether.

I properly got my arse handed to me by an old guy on a, very in need of some tlc, road bike the other day. he shot past me as the lights changed to green and I just couldn't catch him. He had jeans tucked into his socks and I'm sure his saddle had a plastic bag taped to it!

I am suffering from hay fever though and am struggling to breath through one nostril................... 🙄

Racing on commutes makes no sense though

It's good training.

From that point it's a major interval session/obstacle course/hazard avoidance ride

There are some (a small minority, plural of anecdote is not data, etc) cyclists who hate being passed by any motorbike. I don't like getting involved in such competition cos their drop barred bike road has appalling handling, hopeless brakes, obviously no mirrors and the harder the rider tries the more they're looking down at the floor!! I did have a rider shoot past me on the left and only just not smack into the bus 8 feet in front of me!

I delightedly clocked a brompton at 37mph shimmying like crazy on rubbish tarmac at about 30 degrees lean angle on a hilly bit. Briefcase held on the rack with blue nylon rope, fluro bicycle clips, tie flapping over the shoulder, grey old gent with glasses like bottle bottoms. Legend.

Drop barred bikes should not handle badly. Mine's superb.

I can still picture the guy in a hybrid faces when I can past him panniers on oh and my 10 month old son in a trailer behind 😆

I just had to look over my shoulder at that point to double check my son was still asleep, which he was 8)

I tend to subconsciously [try to] reel in any cyclist I can see in front of me.

I stop at all lights on junctions, and roll through some ped ones if there's no-one even looking like crossing.

I WON the climb onto Westminster Bridge yesterday morning. These things MATTER...
I'm not sure anyone else was actually trying to race, but a win is a win, surely? 🙂

[i]Drop barred bikes should not handle badly. Mine's superb[/i]
Bu, bu, but Shirley, its just the rider !
😉

[i]and am struggling to breath through one nostril...[/i]
Try using both.
HTH 🙂

[i]but a win is a win, surely?[/i]
Calm down. You'd be surprized how quickly you become accustomed to [i]winning[/i] In the end, its not news. Its just business as usual.
😆

With the point system, do you get extra points for wheelying past someone?

Sometimes I accidentally overtake another cyclist which seems to be a prompt for them to go hell for leather to over take me and start some kind of race.

You sure they're not just offering you a wheel? After you pass them, they sit on your wheel for a bit, then come past to take their turn and expect you to do the same?

Certainly that's how it seems to work on the rural parts of my commute - if you come across someone doing a similar speed you work together. Can really cheers things up when slogging into a head wind.

Drop barred bikes should not handle badly. Mine's superb

Bu, bu, but Shirley, its just the rider !

Road bikes handle dreadfully; reluctant to turn, yet twitchy - a real achievement that as those characteristics are usually considered opposite ends of a spectrum. Might be easy to assume it's ok if you've never ridden a two wheeler with good - or even average - handling! 🙂

(And it's not as though "uncompromising quest for speed" makes sense as an excuse, as the diamond framed bike is an also ran in those stakes. Recumbent streamliners averaging 50mph - now THAT's what you call a "Tour de Wherever"!)

Road bikes handle dreadfully; reluctant to turn, yet twitchy

Seriously, mine is not like that. Check your setup!

pdw - Member

Certainly that's how it seems to work on the rural parts of my commute - if you come across someone doing a similar speed you work together.

That [i]definitely[/i] doesn't happen in this London!

Road bikes handle dreadfully; reluctant to turn, yet twitchy

^^^ CAUTION : TRIATHLETE ^^^

I notice nobody picked up on the rubbish brakes comment, though.

since he cant ride a road bike i doubt he can set up a brake.

Big fan of the Hollow Victory sprint. I passed a guy yesterday for the simple reason my pace was higher, gave him a cheery wave and hello. Half a mile later he comes passed me, inching ahead chewing on his bars, seconds before turning right into a cul de sac.... Well done you, able to finish your 6 mile commute at a higher speed than I'm trying to maintain for 16....

blimey, the stench of second-rate testosterone round here !

😆

Please can some of you start riding from Belper to Nottingham. I only ever meet a few people on the 1km of the a608 that I ride, and very rarely someone coming from Nottingham to Ilkeston or vice versa, and those people always seem to turn off at Ilkeston, just before it gets hilly and when there's still 10 miles to go.

I did once, a couple of years back, get a proper fast guy hop on the back then take turns for the first 8 miles, got back pretty fresh, but at least five minutes early thanks to that. If only that could happen every day.

It's fun, trying to reel in the guy just up the road, especially in Bristol, where there are so many about. Important never to look like you are trying too hard though, nonchalance is all.

And my drop-bar track bike handles brilliantly for commuting too, tyvm* 😉
It does make it awkward trying to drop cheeky wheel suckers when you've only got one gear, though

*I don't run it fixed though, I'm not daft

Racing every other person on my commute is far more entertaining than proper interval training
Just attack every one

Even when I ride my big bike to work I still try and chase all the others

Much loling at the tiny incline past Badshot Lee Garden centre compared to AdH

You lol all you like, I had to climb it twice today, once in each direction. And I was blowing pretty hard second time, I can tell you. Fortunately I found an empty bag of quavers that was discarded, probably from a clapped out Skoda, and managed to get enough fast carbs by licking the inside of the bag. I guess it cost me about 20 seconds, but compared to the amount I'd have lost if I'd blown completely that's a penalty I have to take.

But did you pay the fine too

As in the car I always stop at lights during the day, when someone else is about and waiting doesn't seem utterly ridiculous. Commuter racing- never do it, get out on an evening and weekend for that sort of thing, I try to avoid sweating on the commute.

Anyone who races on their commute is a little sad.

If you've trained and raced properly you see it in a different and fairly sad light.

But we've all done it.

My commute or more accurately the school run used to involve me riding a Genesis Day One Cross SS, with a kid in a bike seat and two kids in the trailer. Used to get a lot of folk wheelsucking that one. They did not like it at all when they were dropped.

Passed a fella on a proper road bike the other day on my fixie, with a cheery hello, then out paced him for half a mile or so till I felt my back tyre going flat.

I'll admit I made sure he could see the pump being pulled out of my jersey pocket as he came back past me, just so he knew that it was merely my bike that had failed and not my body...

Although technically he will have crossed the imaginary line first, so maybe we were both winners... But slightly more Me than him of course.

It's all about keeping the Ego intact Normally I'm being passed on the fixie which of course means I am riding my excuse and they will have noticed the lack of sprockets from the rear, making their victory somewhat hollow, and means any passes I make carry double points for me... Yay

I rarely see another bike (or many cars) on my commute, but I've always tended to race the bike computer then the Garmin Virtual Partner and lately Strava. Sadly I seem to be getting slower every ride as I get older. 🙁

Leafy SW London's Richmond park has a 20 mph speed limit which means cars become fair game for both drafting and overtaking. Makes you feel like Jens Voigt.

I built a 23 lb carbon bike, hoping to blast on my commute to work. Then I put 2.4 tires on it and now I am steam rolling instead... But once I get my second set of wheels with slicks on them I will teach those roadie basterds a lesson!

Leafy SW London's Richmond park has a 20 mph speed limit which means cars become fair game for both drafting and overtaking. Makes you feel like Jens Voigt.

Jens doesn't draft cars. They get caught up in his front wash and get pushed along, unable to escape.

Although having watched the tour this week, I suspect even Jens is slightly in awe of Richie Porte.

turboferret - Member
Much loling at the tiny incline past Badshot Lee Garden centre compared to AdH

I cycle to work pretty much every day here in Hyderabad, India (video for amusement) I often start off taking it easy, but inevitably within 5 minutes some ignorant moron cuts me up and the red mist comes down. From that point it's a major interval session/obstacle course/hazard avoidance ride

Frequently involves significant contact with vehicles, the ground and loss of skin/broken bones, but probably good for overall fitness

Cheers, Rich

kinell! 😆

^^^ CAUTION : TRIATHLETE ^^^

Have you not realised by now that in my opinion (and in fact, in fact) road riding and road bikes are the epitome of suckage? Adding the equally tedious tasks of a long run and swim would not elevate the experience.

it's ok mate, not everyone is cut out for road riding!

For proper fast riders, commutes are usually easy recovery rides. Overtaking them is like 'dropping' roadies in january when they're sticking to Z2 and not at all interested in the sweaty mountain biker who just about managed to pass them )

Riding through richmond park on my way in the other day on the singlespeed folder i got passed by a guy on a expensive ish looking road bike who said 'you're going quite a pace given you've got tiny wheels'. Never before have i wanted gears so badly so i could change down a couple and engage in 'the race'.

Could be an urban myth but wasn't it victoria pendleton that used to commute around town on her bike and when other cyclists sat on her back wheel she just gradually upped the pace to eventually break them.

been our of work for 6mths but back commuting for a week now 10 miles each way

I am massively unfit!!! but ill be darned if ! let anyone beat me on the climb up notting hill of a morning

trouble is all that time off has taken its toll- yesterday cycling home i got overtaken by a lady of advanced years on a shopper and I just couldnt catch her

i stop at red ligts 90% of the time-i like the challenge of catching the naughty cyclists who cruise through the reds and take pleasure in dropping them, even if I have to do it agian at after the next set of lights.
Im a trackstand demon, try to never touch the ground on my commute, at the moment im trying to nail it with my other foot leading though so im wobbling all over the place

For proper fast riders, commutes are usually easy recovery rides. Overtaking them is like 'dropping' roadies in january when they're sticking to Z2...

it doesn't matter. it's still a race. and they've still lost.

^ : )

You can't really race in traffic anyway, or you can if you're one of those prats that overtakes as they head towards and then jump a red (but often still gets passed between lights without effort?).
And if I can hear you breathing as you pass, you've lost just like the wheelsucker that can't make it past.. casual commuting is good. Red-faced rush-hour 'racing' is for noobs.

Ah, I love London cycling.. !

this evening I will be riding two bikes home (riding one and pushing the other). I'm looking forward to the challenge and seeing if I can overtake anyone.

Haha .. I don't mind being overtaken on the commute, maybe I should get my testosterone checked. I like to feel its encouraging the mtb/hybrid mob to enjoy cycling and maybe do it more.

Had an altercation with a chap this morning. He rode his bike into mine from behind off the lights as I was turning left, he felt it appropriate to call me a rather salty name. Turns out he didn't want to continue with his bullying ways when I caught up and confronted him about his behaviour and asked him if he would like to pursue the matter off the bikes.

I feel a bit bad now but I won't be bullied.. On the plus side I found out it's quicker and smoother to cross Putney bridge and not Hammersmith, so every cloud.