Commuter Racing Official Rules

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andyfromotley

New Member
oh you poor misguided boy..wherever did you get that idea?
 
When going uphill, don't pass them until you're halfway up it.

You get extra points if your opponent is a longterm cycling "friend" who has been ragging you about your weight for 3 years.

Doing the above on a fixie automatically elevates you to the eternal pantheon of commuter race winners.
 

4F

Active member of Helmets Are Sh*t Lobby
Location
Suffolk.
Build up speed peddling like frantic and overtake whilst freewheeling :blush:

Also once you have overtaken never ever under any circumstances look over your shoulder to check the gap as this looks like you are trying ;)
 

swee'pea99

Legendary Member
Bollo said:
Slightly OT but I think that, if I were organising a sportif or similar, I would pay the local BMX urchins to hang about around the last mile and race participants to the line. The sight of cramp-riddled weekend road-warriors being overtaken by spotty yoofs pulling wheelies is both pitiful and hillarious.

I speak from bitter, bitter experience.;)

Even further OT, this reminds me of when a friend and I were on the tailend of a hard day's dragging up & down Portuguese hills and, coming into the outskirts of a failry large town, gradually realised there were a few more people than usual on the pavements...then a few more...then a few more...until after another half mile or so, we were the only things on a wide main road, lined with barriers, behind which were literally thousands of people, cheering and laughing and applauding us for the next five or ten minutes as we rode through town (there was no way to get off, even if we'd wanted to). After the initial embarrassment had worn off, we began milking it for all it was worth, waving at 'our fans' like the Queen, as we went by. Ten minutes later a serious 200 bike cycle-race streamed into town...
 
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spindrift

New Member
[quote name='swee'pea99']Even further OT, this reminds me of when a friend and I were on the tailend of a hard day's dragging up & down Portuguese hills and, coming into the outskirts of a failry large town, gradually realised there were a few more people than usual on the pavements...then a few more...then a few more...until after another half mile or so, we were the only things on a wide main road, lined with barriers, behind which were literally thousands of people, cheering and laughing and applauding us for the next five or ten minutes as we rode through town (there was no way to get off, even if we'd wanted to). After the initial embarrassment had worn off, we began milking it for all it was worth, waving at 'our fans' like the Queen, as we went by. Ten minutes later a serious 200 bike cycle-race streamed into town...[/quote]



You can cycle Le Tour route and early spectators will give you a rousing "Allez!" as you pass, most encouraging on a long ascent.
 

Maz

Guru
Had a good'un on the way back today...a fakenger, another roadie-type and me stopped at some lights, me right at the back. Said 'hello', but not a peep out of either of them (I was on a lowly hybrid, in my MTB shoes and a footie shirt, after all!).

Lights went green and we all set off up the hill.

They were waaaaay too slow for me and I overtook em easy. Half a mile up the road a fella in a Zafira shouts out to me "Watch out, they're catching up on ya!".

I shouts back "no chance, mate" and gives him the thumbs up.
 

Tynan

Veteran
Location
e4
fakenger=fessenger?

grr, hate them, what's the deal with that, who could be that deluded

I see lots of fixies and most of them are slow, most of them seem to be riding it because it's cool rather then anything else

I think tearing past someone is always the best win, I'm usually relarively slow away from the lights so moving smoothly through the pack is always pleasing, and the pack is getting bigger every day at the moment

I did pull up at the lights last month next to someone on a Condor and looked at the bike and then him and gave me a toothy grin, which he clearly took as some sort of challenge as he tore away from the lights like someone demented

I get annoyed by people racing when they can only stay in it by jumping the light
 

pinkkaz

Veteran
Location
London
Tynan said:
I get annoyed by people racing when they can only stay in it by jumping the light

That is annoying, although it's quite funny as well. I quite enjoy overtaking people who have a 30s headstart by jumping red lights. Makes them look a bit stupid (to me anyway - maybe they are oblivious!)
 

Tynan

Veteran
Location
e4
but you're not racing someone that slow surely? pinkkaz

there's a fella that's quicker than me than I see on my route than I can keep up with and even pass with effort only he jumps lights, I might catch him once or twice but the advantage it gives him is too great

I freely admit he might not know I'm racing him and he might just be ambling along at 25mph+

that sounds rather heroic Crock, charge of the light brigade even at one point, that'll be my commute in a few weeks time I think so watch out
 

small fish

Well-Known Member
Location
Manchester
My usual rule of thumb is that I'll go for it if i'm sure i can win!

Key indicators to guage whether I think i can can win are - MTB knobly tyres, underinflated tyres, old bikes, overdressed riders, rusty chains.

Last night though - guy wearing jeans and a jacket comes tearing past at 25mph+ on an old cheap MTB, drafting a white van literally about a metre off the back bumper. Never seen such a fast cadence as his, must have been about 200rpm!

He looked ridiculous with his legs going 19 to the dozen so I sped up a bit, ready to reel him in when he got tired but he didn't! I was doing 22/23 mph on my speedo and after about 1/2 a mile I lost sight of them. I caught up with the van at some lights another mile or so down the road but never saw the cyclist again.
I know using the van was cheating but I've cycled the same route for 12 years and i've never seen anyone as fast as that guy - even more amazing when allowing for fat tyres and ridiculously low gear.
 

xroads

New Member
I love shootin off at the lights on my fixed, never been overtaken yet (74" gear ratio). Traffic permitting, I always treat roadies to a hands free reach and glug from my water bottle, after passing them. Another fave of mine is I'm on a long empty straight cycle path, and roadie is on the road giving chase, I then go hands free to spice up the envy. MTB'ers are only fare game when going up hill.
 

pinkkaz

Veteran
Location
London
Tynan said:
but you're not racing someone that slow surely? pinkkaz
Ha! I guess I wouldn't get many points for them! I just can't help racing anyone I see - if there's someone in front of me I have to catch them up. It's true that if I see someone on a road bike then I feel strangely guilty overtaking them on my hybrid. It's like I'm rubbing their faces in it or something....
 
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