I am DONE with going fast down hills!

[Andrew_Culture]

Glad you survived intact. Even though I've slowed down considerably over the years on my motorbike, I've had so many 'oh-this-looks-like-this-is-it' moments that I suspect I've built up a kind of mental immunity and gleefully hurtle down as many of the steep bits of Suffolk I can find on my cycles. (I did 38 down a certain hill in Ipswich yesterday, followed by a 41 down Wherstead Hill - this summer I aim to increase on these.) I am fully aware that at my age, broken bodily bits and pieces take far longer to heal than for young ones, but that thrill of driving down a hill on a cycle as fast as I can is part of my personality which I hope will never dim.

Reminds me of something someone once told me about that dangers of falling off motorbikes, namely that it's not the falling off that hurts, it's all the other motorists who go over you afterwards :x

 

[asterix]

And even then, it can go badly wrong. Wouter Weylandt crashed on a descent in the Giro d'Italia, and was declared dead on the scene. I accidentallly saw a shot of him after the crash, and that's enough to make me carefully control my speed.

A few years ago I descended the Col de Portet d'Aspet. It's quite a vicious, gloomy descent overhung by trees and has several sharp turns. As I went down it I had in mind the memorial to Fabio Casartelli who died on it in 1995 and I was especially careful. Just after I rounded a bend well before the memorial, I saw crossing in front of me a mini digger being used to maintain the road and it was full on with the brakes. I managed to stop in time and can still remember the look on the digger driver's face! There were no warning signs earlier on.

Good video by someone else here:

 

[Matthames]

Done nearly 50mph on a few different bikes over the years, and it's a bit scary.
42mph on a Brompton was a bit

I did 43mph on a Brompton today, could have gone a bit faster had it not been for the car in front getting in the way. I reckon at a push I could get 48 mph before I start spinning out.

 

[TheDoctor]

That's a cadence of roughly 145-ish, assuming you have one of the BWR brommies on standard gearing. I'd maybe spin it up to there, but TBH I usually start free-wheeling long before then.

 

[Cameronmu917772]

46.8mph then I ran out of road!!! Very quickly. I do need new front brake pads now. I have to admit I wanted to go faster and it dosnt bother me going quick. What dose bother me is other people coming in the other direction. I don't know what it is. Maybe guy martin (best northan lad ever) had an impression on me when he did 112mph on his bike

 

[asterix]

I did 43mph on a Brompton today, could have gone a bit faster had it not been for the car in front getting in the way. I reckon at a push I could get 48 mph before I start spinning out.

Down Holme Moss I reached 51mph on my Brommie. We'd a bit of a following wind and the bumpy road made it rather scary. What made it for me was overtaking this guy on a Pinarello. I only found out it was a Pinarello when we had to stop at the bottom for the marshall but I don't think the other guy could believe his eyes even then!

 

[nickyboy]

Down Holme Moss I reached 51mph on my Brommie. We'd a bit of a following wind and the bumpy road made it rather scary. What made it for me was overtaking this guy on a Pinarello. I only found out it was a Pinarello when we had to stop at the bottom for the marshall but I don't think the other guy could believe his eyes even then!

I presume that you're talking about the S descent (away from Holmefirth)? You're right, the road has ridges and bumps in it near the top which I don't like at all. The really fast bit where you drop through the trees is much better. The N descent is safer (and faster) although you have to remember the 3 hairpins at the bottom of the straight!

 

[4F]

My Columbus steel does not flex However I have also experienced a front blow out downhill at the relative slow speed of 26 mph and yes it hurt and borked my saddle, front wheel and right hand shifter.

 

[FeistySquirrel]

Going down about 25mph with a 4x4 up my arse... Had to let go with one hand and indicate that I needed to move lanes (he bullied me into staying in the outside.. Gr).... As the wobbles kicked in, I'd never concentrated so hard on missing pot holes.

I survived!

 

[NorvernRob]

Had the opposite at the weekend. We were going uphill, a car overtook us where it shouldn't have (approaching a bend on the wrong side of the road) then another cyclist came flying around the corner, all is heard was a WHOOOAAA as he shat himself at the sight of the oncoming car. He was ok though and didn't fall off!

There's nothing but hills around here and you just can't help but let the bike go on a lot of sections. I think there's only one 20 mile loop where I don't hit 40mph+.

 

[Hip Priest]

I'm a right wimp when descending. I'm getting better though. I think I'm up to 38mph now!

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Scariest moment was on the cycling trip where I touched 60+ down Blue Bank (North Yorks, Whitby road) overtaking a Wallace Arnold coach...but that wasn't the scariest

Going down to Grosmont from the Fylingdales Road, flying down the 1 in 3 and shaving speed off before the corner, the girl I was cycling with overtook me...now here's the thing, I'd taken her Raleigh Candice 6-speed and turned it into an 18-speed pseudo-tourer for this camping trip - but it still had long-drop single-pivot sidepull brakes on steel rims. So it was fine for tackling the hills UP - but as she passed me and scuffed the grass verge on the opposite side of the road taking the corner left here http://goo.gl/maps/vADqx - I had visions of me ringing her mum and saying "sorry, I've just killed your daughter"

No idea how she stayed on, and luckily no car coming uphill on the left

 

[maltloaf]

The roads around here aren't good enough for much over 30. There are pot holes, ruts and strips of missing tarmac everywhere.

 

[Herzog]

80kph on a 10km descent yesterday, can't beat the feeling!

 

[Stonechat]

I'm a right wimp when descending. I'm getting better though. I think I'm up to 38mph now!

No I have barely hit 30 nwhere near 38