Stupid cycle commuter racing

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OP
OP
Linford

Linford

Guest
So just because you are pushing it hard and going fast, you are then not able to concentrate on anything else, especially the road and what's ahead of you?

SCR is just pushing your self as much as you can and seeing if you can drop the 'better' rider.

The guy in front of me didn't bother with a life saver or an indication when he overtook the other cyclist. He could have realistically had anything behind him making a move at the same time. People focus on what is in front of them to the detrement of everything else. See it in a car, but then they have a noce crumple zone around them if it goes wrong.
 

gaz

Cycle Camera TV
Location
South Croydon
The guy in front of me didn't bother with a life saver or an indication when he overtook the other cyclist. He could have realistically had anything behind him making a move at the same time. People focus on what is in front of them to the detrement of everything else. See it in a car, but then they have a noce crumple zone around them if it goes wrong.
Some people are like that, not all. That's like saying all white van drivers honk their horns and stair at women as they drive pass.
SCR can be done perfectly safely and if you follow the rules, then that's the whole point.
 

martint235

Dog on a bike
Location
Welling
Followed a hybrid in this morning on the 'road of death' (as opposed to the nice long way around as I was running a bit late), He wasn't aware I was behind him, but all of a sudden he picked up the pace on a slight uphill gradient.
Me wondering what is going on, and then realised that there was a guy on a MTB chugging along in front which he was looking to do a fast pass (ego W@nk style overtake)
Now I know this MTBer as he has cycle commuted all year around forthe last 7+ years and works in the unit opposite mine, so the hybrid rider must do this on a regular basis.
Anyway, I catch up behind the hybrid about 50 yards in front of the MTB rider as he has backed his pace off, and then lo and behold, 100 yards in front of that, the hybrid filters off into the slip road of a big company, and at that point I came past him and carry on up the hill to my works a couple of miles further up (did let him appreciate that when you try and show others up, that you may be getting shadowed yourself ;) )
Cycle commuting is such a compettitive game. If it were done in cars or on motorcycles, there would be hell to pay for sure.
Why is it? In fact a fast pass is the only kind I tend to do. I'd be much more unhappy if someone crawled past me then dropped in front of me and slowed up.

Don't often play anymore because there aren't many cyclists on my commute but I am currently enjoying passing an rljing roadie on a daily basis on my new singlespeed.
 

James Blackwell

Senior Member
Location
Clevedon
If I pass anyone on my commute I always say Hello - but make sure it's in a "good to see another cyclist on the road" way rather than an "eat my dust" way!

Same here, I always say good morning/afternoon. Like others i get passed, and also pass. It is nice to ride along with another cyclist that is the same or higher pace as it makes me push myself that little bit more. I wouldnt say I race, but I do like to keep a high pace (for me). Some may see it as racing, but it is just me trying to push myself harder.

I use my phone app "endomondo" and one of the settings is "beat yourself". if you do the same route often, which I imagine commuting most of us do, it allows you to challenge your previous times, or a particular time you have set.
 
Its what makes me fitter, trying to catch people up, pass them, and the collapse by the side of the road pretending to sort my shoe out, or pick a thorn from my finger which has just shot up from the road side and caught my hand....:whistle:
 
OP
OP
Linford

Linford

Guest
It's funny how these stories always have the same ending; with the OP pwning the 'fast' guy.

Perhaps there is a lesson in there ;)
 

Andrew_P

In between here and there
I was on a genuine recovery ride on Monday, and was intending doing it all week, slowed even more on a hill to tighten up my helmet, a barsteward of a MTB overtook me. So there it was, recovery vs pride anyway as we topped the hill he slowed up a bit and I was able to fully utilise my better downhill gearing didn't say hello (penny in the box somewhere in the world) just had a massive grin. Think I might get a hi viz rucksack cover with recovery ride in progress written on it and it will cover me when some of the fast Evans warehouse riders blast past me as well.
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
Its what makes me fitter, trying to catch people up, pass them, and the collapse by the side of the road pretending to sort my shoe out, or pick a thorn from my finger which has just shot up from the road side and caught my hand....:whistle:

Today has seen a real sh1t fest on the GBW between Swavesey and St Ives. 'orse sh1t everywhere. Either one had a bad case of diarrhoea or it was seriously spooked.......... But it's gross.

This morning I was bimbling along about 18-19mph into driving rain and a strong SE headwind thinking how sh1t the weather was and how late for work I would be when out of the blue a guy on a fixie crept slowly past me. He had a child seat on the back and quite a big daysack on his back. I let him get ahead about 30-50m then upped my cadence and caught him fairly easily and drafted him for a couple of miles, then passed him at Histon interchange as he was a bit slow crossing, was watching for him in my mirror, but no sign of him, then just before the bridge before Cambridge Regional College I see him behind busting a gut to try to catch me. I have now upped cadence to about 100-102 and doing 23-24mph. Lots of kamikaze school and college kids on the GBW now, so just to prove a point I ease off back down to 20mph and let him come by. Not so much as a flicker of recognition. Get to the lights at CRC, quite busy, pause in the traffic, so I get across safely. He again nowhere to be seen. I ride pretty much to Milton and nearly at the Milton Road interchange, easing off and he catches me, comes past, he must have been Max HR, then pretty much left hooks me as he turns sharply through the gate entrance to an office block before the covered bike rack on the left side just before the end of the GBW. What a d1ckhead. Then actually at the end where the GBW meets Milton road I turned right to ride into the centre of town. Messing with this guy's rythmn passed the time and was quite fun. But it was a sh1t ride in as it rained pretty much the whole way for 30 miles and the strong easterly headwind was a PITA.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
Linford

Linford

Guest
Today has seen a real sh1t fest on the GBW between Swavesey and St Ives. 'orse sh1t everywhere. Either one had a bad case of diarrhoea or it was seriously spooked.......... But it's gross.

This morning I was bimbling along about 18-19mph into driving rain and a strong SE headwind thinking how sh1t the weather was and how late for work I would be when out of the blue a guy on a fixie crept slowly past me. He had a child seat on the back and quite a big daysack on his back. I let him get ahead about 30-50m then upped my cadence and caught him fairly easily and drafted him for a couple of miles, then passed him at Histon interchange as he was a bit slow crossing, was watching for him in my mirror, but no sign of him, then just before the bridge before Cambridge Regional College I see him behind busting a gut to try to catch me. I have now upped cadence to about 100-102 and doing 23-24mph. Lots of kamikaze school and college kids on the GBW now, so just to prove a point I ease off back down to 20mph and let him come by. Not so much as a flicker of recognition. Get to the lights at CRC, quite busy, pause in the traffic, so I get across safely. He again nowhere to be seen. I ride pretty much to Milton and nearly at the Milton Road interchange, easing off and he catches me, comes past, he must have been Max HR, then pretty much left hooks me as he turns sharply through the gate entrance to an office block before the covered bike rack on the left side just before the end of the GBW. What a d1ckhead. Then actually at the end where the GBW meets Milton road I turned right to ride into the centre of town. Messing with this guy's rythmn passed the time and was quite fun. But it was a sh1t ride in as it rained pretty much the whole way for 30 miles and the strong easterly headwind was a PITA.


You are doing a 60 mile commute on a cycle :blink:

Respect :becool:
 
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