I know I'm going to get flamed but....

[Sheffield_Tiger]

Well, on my commuting bike this morning sat in the centre of the ASL, me being fat bloke on a bike, a skinny lithe sort on a shiny machine went past me on the right, stopped a few metres forward of the ASL line but sill on the right, on the line that the white lane markings would be, then got in my bloody way as I was trying to turn right, he wanted to go straight ahead and he set of sooooo sllllooooooowwwwwlllllyyyyyy.

Bloody racing bikes and their slow starts getting in the way of us POBs who have places to get to and are late!

 

[potsy]

Only time it bothers me is when you've already overtaken someone leading up to the lights and they still do it,despite knowing they are slower than you,why bother?
But I agree with others,there are much worse things happening to get wound up about,this is just a minor annoyance.

 

[gouldina]

And as such it stands out in sharp contrast to all the other behaviour that one encounters on the road which is all politeness and consideration.

Two wrongs don't make a right dondare...

 

[eldudino]

I don't get this. If I ever see someone else on a bike going my way I normally slow down and have a chat with them. It's such a novelty seeing another cyclist!

I understand how it could infuriate you, though you have to think are these the same kind of people that jump to the front of the queue when a new checkout opens at the supermarket despite the fact they were at the back of the queue previously.

 

[martint235]

I don't get this. If I ever see someone else on a bike going my way I normally slow down and have a chat with them. It's such a novelty seeing another cyclist!

I understand how it could infuriate you, though you have to think are these the same kind of people that jump to the front of the queue when a new checkout opens at the supermarket despite the fact they were at the back of the queue previously.

Ah you see I live in two different worlds. On a weekend I turn right out of my house and out into Kent via Bromley and Biggin Hill and it's all sweetness and light out that way: "Good Morning, how are you?", "Great weather " etc. During the week, I turn left into London and then it all goes so horribly wrong!

 

[potsy]

Ah you see I live in two different worlds. On a weekend I turn right out of my house and out into Kent via Bromley and Biggin Hill and it's all sweetness and light out that way: "Good Morning, how are you?", "Great weather " etc. During the week, I turn left into London and then it all goes so horribly wrong!

Exactly right martin,who in the right mind would want to speak to a londoner

 

[Defy78]

I'm not so sure it is bad manners as such as wanting to be in the best position to set off at the lights. I mean you can't tell everyone it's ok to filter to the front past all the cars (who are by design faster) to sit at the front and set of more slowly than them and expect everyone / thing slower than you to stay behind you out of good manners. Don't get me wrong it can be annoying but you've got to be patient let it go, otherwise you end up like the motorists who take offence everytime a bike pass them in a cue.

 

[yello]

Aside: it was worth reading this thread just to get this link...

read this note

A nice read and this particularly made me smile...

I don't really engage in competition when I race, either--there's nothing particularly competitive about clinging tenuously to the back of the pack.

As you were.

sorry. Had to add a postscript! You have to read the guy's latest blog entry on Vinokourov winning the L-B-L. It's pure genius!

The winner, Alexandre Vinokourov, finished six seconds ahead of his breakaway companion Alexandr Kolobnev, who rode well but ultimately lacked the "e" at the end of his name that might have allowed him to match his almost-namesake's formidable power output.

 

[goo_mason]

Just be thankful they stopped at the lights - now that the weather has picked up the fair-weather lot are coming out of the woodwork and they seem to have forgotten that red lights apply to them. Tearing through peds crossing on the green man does not endear cyclists to the public!

 

[martint235]

Just be thankful they stopped at the lights - now that the weather has picked up the fair-weather lot are coming out of the woodwork and they seem to have forgotten that red lights apply to them. Tearing through peds crossing on the green man does not endear cyclists to the public!

Oh god yeah. I noticed those yesterday. I was away last week so don't know if it started then but yesterday all of a sudden there were flipping hundreds (oh ok tens) more bikes on my route to work. Can't shift for people doing stupid things on a bike, don't think they've figured out they are no longer in their winter steel box!!!

 

[Tinuts]

Britain's roads don't need *more* angry people on them.

Neither do they need more clueless cyclists or dangerous drivers but it ain't going to happen!

I know exactly how the OP feels.

 

[Tynan]

only five times?

it's almost the law on my ride to have someone in jeans on a clunker do that, thankfuly the drivers seem ti get it better than the pobs (yes, I know) and leave me the space to pul round them early doors, the drivers have been really quite decent this last week

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I see it like this: the faster cyclist will naturally end up getting there first, so if you're faster than the guy who filtered in front of you, then that guy now has a learning experience ahead of him

Slightly off-topic; I've noticed myself that those without cleats tend to accelerate faster at the lights, but also tend to be slower on average. I'm a non-cleat person myself (my only steed is a touring bike; the Vivente World Randonneur - beautiful piece of machinery, but don't get me started...), and I enjoy testing myself against those with faster & lighter bikes .

I've never filtered directly in front of another cyclist, however I have no compunctions about filtering in front of motorists; it's that or breathe the wonderful "aroma" of CO.

Regards,

--- Victor.

 

[Defy78]

I see it like this: the faster cyclist motorist will naturally end up getting there first, so if you're faster than the guy who filtered in front of you, then that guy now has a learning experience ahead of him

Is it only justified dealing out the "teaching" experience to a slower road user if you're on a bike or are motorists justified when cyclists filter infront of them aswell?

Just food for thought

 

[arallsopp]

Ah you see I live in two different worlds. On a weekend I turn right out of my house and out into Kent via Bromley and Biggin Hill and it's all sweetness and light out that way: "Good Morning, how are you?", "Great weather " etc. During the week, I turn left into London and then it all goes so horribly wrong!

Ah. You're local! Why not come play with the Sunday London Ride one day? We are Bromley boys, turn left, but are otherwise quite lovely.*

*Got to admit, on occasions I have arrived at the ASL behind another bike, and stopped in front. But this is only when filtering on the right to find a previously undetected motorbike wedged into the ASL diagonally on my side, leaving me a choice of:

A: Give up on the ASL, remain stranded on the outside, and hope nobody kills me when the lights change.
B: Enter the ASL by angling steeply through the space between the motorbike and leading car. Wait. Assume car will realise I'm pointing at the kerb and will need a few seconds to straighten up when the lights change.
C: Enter the ASL as above, unclip, and drift on dying momentum until parallel to the kerb. Often this'll put me beside the cyclist. Sometimes I end up at the very front of the ASL.

I'm getting better at spotting the above, and recently have even been known to be in the correct gear when the stop comes