Team BKool CycleChat

[LBHIFI]

Being new here, some of the front runners seem leagues ahead in performance. Are you lot seasoned cyclists, ex pro or what?
AAAC just seems off the scale compared to the 2nd placed chap. I have seen his results scattered around bkool, there are very few riders who have posted quicker times in a variety of terrain

My cycling history is I started at 47

I'm an old commuter myself, but with a built in race gene. I just can't help it, if I spot someone in front of me, I just have to chase them down. It didn't take long before I noticed that getting passed by other riders got to be a very rare event, so I thought I would try a sportive and see how it went.
This was the 1998 "Ritter Classic", which had some big guns participating, Marco Pantani amongst others.
I had a 10 year break from 1999 to 2009 but quickly gained former strength and now I do regular racing. I have developed a passion for time trialling and will give it a shot this year at qualifying for the world amateur championships.

 

[Vertego]

Your obviously special!
Perhaps because one lives in Hampshore one is percieved to be well orf and therefore a very valid customer.
Perhaps one dosen't know of Basinstoke

There's nothing wrong with Hampshire. There's nothing wrong with Basingstoke. Most living there, Basingstoke, (which I don't, not quite) are 'normal'. Just.

Having said that, there was a story a few years ago that reported the 'designer' of the new Basingstoke had said that he would never live there!

Great place for learning how to go round roundabouts.

 

[kipster]

Being new here, some of the front runners seem leagues ahead in performance. Are you lot seasoned cyclists, ex pro or what?
AAAC just seems off the scale compared to the 2nd placed chap. I have seen his results scattered around bkool, there are very few riders who have posted quicker times in a variety of terrain

My cycling history is I started at 47

Only ever cycled for leisure, stopped riding at 20 when I got a car, started again a few years back, soon after joined a social cycling club. I haven't raced which is probably why I have no strategy in the live races other than give my all.

 

[Roleur1]

I have some cycling history. Raced through my early teens as a junior in road races (British Cycling Federation/ BCF) in those days. British Cycling now. I got to 1st category and rode until I was 25 (1995). I have raced a bit in France and Belgium. I also won a national TT series in 1990 called SPOCO or sporting courses. In that period british time trialling was fixed ditances of 10/25/50/100 miles on main roads so the traffic played a big role in your ride with the suction effect styming the results. But spoco was odd distances on hilly courses in the middle of nowhere - real tests similar to the TT in the major stages races.

Then stopped for 18 years while doing the house/family and to be fair got a bit bored with the pain and the chasing about.
I came back to cycling three years ago after losing my dad to bowel cancer which made me think about my own health a bit. I was working out at the gym, mainly upper body and wasnt that fit really. They had some watt bikes and I got addicted pretty quickly. Back in the day I also did some time trialling and did a 51 minute 25m when the outright national record was 48 minutes which was then eclipsed by Chris Boardman when he was riding for GAN and he also set a new hour record and won the TDF prologue.
I ride every day either on the trainer or variously loops around my home turf - mainly about the 2.5 hr mark - 6000 miles last year. I am still a member of my old cycling club from back in the day.
I too am amazed by some of the strongest riders on here - if they had followed my cycling path they would have been the guys finishing in front of me and making me feel a bit inadequate - just like now really! life goes full circle. I am not sure why being that strong has not led the various riders into competition.

 

[Add]

I had a fixed wheel with stabilisers when I was 3, got a BMX when I was 12 and then progressed to a Tomahawk when I was about 15 (with the coolest gear shift in the world, mounted on like a centre console), then waited 27 years before buying a Composite Giant Defy. That pretty much sums up my cycling heritage!

My racing strategy is very much in the same vein as Kipsters, get on, go balls out, get off, (when I am able to do so) collapse on the sofa with a glass of milk, get reprimanded by the wife for not showering straight away, go to bed.

 

[Add]

You did it in 45 mins????? Not an hour and 45 mins??

Did you enter the session from the League tab?

Sorry Alfie, got confused with the leagues, I was for some reason thinking it took me 1 hour 30mins.

 

[Roleur1]

anybody familiar with the terms bit & bit & through and off? Those with some racing or club pedigree will I am sure.

Just thinking about some draughting experiments in the next group ride. The chaingang ride isnt really a chaingang as would be practised in traditional sense..its more a road race. A chaingang is a lot more mutually cooperative...

 

[Soarerv8]

I had a fixed wheel with stabilisers when I was 3, got a BMX when I was 12 and then progressed to a Tomahawk when I was about 15 (with the coolest gear shift in the world, mounted on like a centre console), then waited 27 years before buying a Composite Giant Defy. That pretty much sums up my cycling heritage!

My racing strategy is very much in the same vein as Kipsters, get on, go balls out, get off, (when I am able to do so) collapse on the sofa with a glass of milk, get reprimanded by the wife for not showering straight away, go to bed.

Similar to Adam but went down the route of a Raleigh Grifter due to the super cool hand grip gear change. At about 13 had massive unfulfilled desire for a Raleigh Quasar "racer" and then spent about 25 years without a bike.

Bought a hybrid on the cycle to work scheme largely to do the C2C on and since then have done loads of cycle touring type stuff and accquired a road bike and a cyclocross bike but am designed more for ambling and stopping for cake.

 

[Soarerv8]

Oh, FFS, just seen you are 6 seconds the right side of my time! Well, I know what I'm doing tomorrow! You've also ruined my evening, no more beers for me, gonna need a clear head for this defensive attack on my league position.
This brings back memories of my battles with Bill.

You going to be reclaiming your honour later on today? I might be about to push you for the first 20-30 seconds of you are.

 

[Add]

You going to be reclaiming your honour later on today? I might be about to push you for the first 20-30 seconds of you are.

Oh darn, sorry mate, just finished! It would have been nice to have had company, other than Randy's frustratingly persistent ghost!

 

[bridgy]

Oh darn, sorry mate, just finished! It would have been nice to have had company, other than Randy's frustratingly persistent ghost!

So did you get the position back Adam???

 

[<Tommy>]

I'd really like another crack at the course but at the moment I'm totally committed to sanding down all our skirting / banisters / door frames in the hallway and landings... Well... Apart from the odd skive... Fun times indeed!

Going back to cycling pasts. Ive had a road bike since my late teens. I worked as a cycle courier briefly in my early twenties which was simultaneously the best job and worst paid job I've ever had!

I commuted to work all through my twenties but also drank quite a bit and smoked (amongst other things) so couldn't really claim to be particuly fit. It was only after my mum past away Two years ago, surrounded by people who were concerned I may spiral, I started to cycle just for the sake of it rather than going A to B. So here I am. Putting imaginary targets on people's backs in a virtual world.

Hoping one day to make some of you lunatics eat my dust!!

 

[Add]

So did you get the position back Adam???

Darn right! Took everything I had, but just did it! Still got to work on my flat game, that is glaringly obvious. Luckily managed to establish my advantage on the 'blip' and hold it.

 

[bridgy]

Darn right! Took everything I had, but just did it! Still got to work on my flat game, that is glaringly obvious. Luckily managed to establish my advantage on the 'blip' and hold it.

Well played!

I wonder if there's time for a @Randyberlin fightback!

 

[kipster]

anybody familiar with the terms bit & bit & through and off? Those with some racing or club pedigree will I am sure.

Just thinking about some draughting experiments in the next group ride. The chaingang ride isnt really a chaingang as would be practised in traditional sense..its more a road race. A chaingang is a lot more mutually cooperative...

Yep, use through and off on the club rides, and in the velodrome