Competitive commuters

[Origamist]

Three incidents in 4 miles last night:

1. At Oval pulling away from the lights a tall guy comes along side me, about a foot from my left elbow trying to overtake but can't make it stick as I'm still accelerating. A bus up ahead is pulling-in and the guy to my left is now blocking me so I'm forced to brake in order to let him go past as he didn't have the legs (in my less altruistic days I would have leant on him...) .

2. Just past Stockwell tube a guy on a Giant or Trek undertakes me at speed in the bus lane as I'm braking hard after spotting a car indicating to pull into a side road. I shout "take it easy" as I was half-expecting him to be bonnet surfing at 20mph, but thankfully the driver had seen him. I pass this guy further up the road.

3. At Balham tube another guy tries to jump on my wheel and get a draft. Unfortunatlely, a car pulls a U-turn right in front of us at 25mph - I can only warn the drafter with a panicky shout and swerve hard right and miss the car by a foot. The guy behind, brakes squealing, just avoids the car by a few inches...

 

[Twenty Inch]

Not "competitive" so much as "idiotic". Newbies on fast bikes who haven't yet learnt their limitations or how to read the road.

 

[BentMikey]

All on your brompton Origamist?

(in my less altruistic days I would have leant on him...)

This made me actually laugh out loud for real. Despite being little, I rather like a bit of argy bargy, normally on skates though.

 

[ttcycle]

Just seems stupid and there's a need to hurry somewhere without awareness of other traffic on the road or the conditions. Lack of road sense. I sadly am not sure these guys will learn to ride better for their own safety. See row after row of people on the commute that are just in too much of a hurry or adamant at trying to pass everyone. Sad egotists

 

[Origamist]

All on your brompton Origamist?



This made me actually laugh out loud for real. Despite being little, I rather like a bit of argy bargy, normally on skates though.

On the fixed. When I commuted on my folding bikes I would get raced every night...

It's a real shame you couldn't make it last night as it would have made for a good film!

 

[jimboalee]

No competition where I go.

The only other two 'regular' cyclists out at half past five in the morning are riding on the footpath.

 

[scouserinlondon]

The two sets of lights in quick succession near stockwell tube lead to loads of dickheads doing crazy things. 90% of the time there's a bus out of service just ahead of stockwell tube south on the A3. As a result I always position myself towards the RHS of the bus lane to pass the obstacle.

The number of people who will do crazy overtaking and filtering to get to the front and then go like the clappers only to pull out at the last second to avoid the bus with no observation is astounding. I tend to signal and take secondary in the right hand lane just to avoid a bike pile up.

 

[Twenty Inch]

But scouser people drive like that too. I do a lot of M-way driving - I consistently see people getting right up behind the 60mph-limited truck then swing right into the middle lane with little or no warning or consideration of the speeds involved. Idiots, most of them.

 

[Cab]

Its often a sign of inexperience; you get overtaken and then the guy is clearly pooped, so you give him a moment and sail on past him. Its worse when they try to undertake you, of course, especially when the sudden realisation of why you were in primary happens while they're coming alongside (the car sticking his nose into the main road, a pedestrian you anticipated and he hasn't, etc.)

 

[Origamist]

Small world. I'm pretty sure this is guy No 2 on my list. It's from a chap called "Bassjunkieuk" on the Silly Commuting Racing Thread on BikeRadar. I'm not sure I'm a "man mountain" and no mention of the left turning car, but the bike on his blog is what I saw and I'm pretty sure he turned off at Bedford Hill. I guess it could be a coincidence...

Post by bassjunkieuk:

It seems this leaving a bit earlier malarky is throwing me onto the Drag Strip along with a bunch of other rather quick riders!
Last nights was a man mountain on a single speed and a chap on a Bianchi. It was SS guy that had me first, I managed to hold my own at the first few sets of lights away from Stockwell tube but by the time we got to Clapham Common his slight lead meant he got pulled out a longer lead due to some very nice filtering at one point. I tried to re-catch him but could only manage to keep the gap roughly equal past Clapham Common despite nudging mid-20's

At the set of lights on the other side I realized the guy had huge and rather strong looking legs, which might have explained his rapid acceleration.......

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/vie...rt=16640&sid=0639f10430cb96cbf497d40964cd89f0

 

[ttcycle]

Seriously, you're a man mountain?? That's funny. Plus it was fixed not ss but that's being pedantic.

Seems like he doesn't realise he was cycling in a pathetically stupid way to try and maintain the lead.

 

[theclaud]

Seriously, you're a man mountain?? That's funny. Plus it was fixed not ss but that's being pedantic.

Seems like he doesn't realise he was cycling in a pathetically stupid way to try and maintain the lead.

With "huge and rather strong-looking legs" . Is there a homoerotic element to this ultra-competitive commuting, by any chance?

 

[Origamist]

Seriously, you're a man mountain?? That's funny. Plus it was fixed not ss but that's being pedantic.

Seems like he doesn't realise he was cycling in a pathetically stupid way to try and maintain the lead.

I was wearing "slimming" black too, so I'm offended! I'm going to change my username to Matt Everest (boom, boom).

I guess he might not have seen the car indicating, or just took the risk that the car wouldn't hook him - a risky strategy.

 

[ttcycle]

With "huge and rather strong-looking legs" . Is there a homoerotic element to this ultra-competitive commuting, by any chance?

 

[ttcycle]

Ah Matt!!!

Stopit!! That's just too much - having met you, you're far from bulky - this person you raced sounds like a complete idiot.