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The Cycling Chat Thread

This thread seemed appropriate as any… cycle racing in Bev this evening :cool:

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Did my first ton since 2013 yesterday (after stomach surgery last year), nice run through the Dales apart from Park Rash which is a bastard. On the top steep part I unclipped as I felt I was stopping, lost momentum in the process, but clipped back in with my left foot accidentally and then toppled over sideways into the verge. No harm other than to my dignity, haven't done the falling over sideways thing with cleats ever before.

I had a few problems on the ride with sudden steep inclines (including the bottom of Park Rash which is about 1:4) partly because I'm riding with standard rather than compact rings on the front and something like a 25 or 27 on the back, not really a climbing set up! But I think the main thing is I've not ridden my new bike in such conditions before and haven't got used to changing down ten gears quickly, on my old bikes you could go from a high gear to the lowest in one flick of a lever, which allowed me to usually deal with sharp inclines by taking a run up and getting a few rotations in a high gear before slamming it into an easy gear, with my new bike it's many clicks so you have to start changing much earlier (and there isn't an easy gear!). If you don't start planning earlier you never recover it in time, I had to walk a couple!
 
Ah yes. I had my first unclipped on the wrong side topple for a whole yesterday. Right in front of my cycle club buds. Who them had to disentangle me from the bike. Ahem.

You are now a member of an elite club of thousands!
A least you escaped unscathed apart from the embarrassment.
 
Yeah, doing that was one of the worst injuries I've had cycling (touch wood), gashed all my leg falling over, blood everywhere!
 
I had some Look pedals that came in a bag of spares with my 'new' bike, how are they for clicking in and out of? I'm thinking of getting some proper road shoes. I've got standard SPDs cleats at the moment which can be a bit difficult at times.
 
My bike is doing my head in. I went to buy a chin ring nut remover tool and some new chainrings and no tool nor any chainrings. Apparently it's the done thing to buy a new chainset these days. I can't find anything for a 7 speed (21spd) set up that doesn't look like it belongs on a budget bike from halfords. Honestly... All I want is some new chainrings :-(
 
Did Ride London today. Averaged 18.9mph over 111 miles which I'm pleased with. Lots of hold ups due to crashes. Carnage out there! That's what you get when you unleash 25k cyclists of varying degrees of group riding experience, I suppose.

Did you get stuck on Leith hill?
I was there for an hour as someone had a heart attack. Put me off chasing a time so I took it easy after that.
Lots of ropey bike handling skills on show.
 
Did Ride London today. Averaged 18.9mph over 111 miles which I'm pleased with. Lots of hold ups due to crashes. Carnage out there! That's what you get when you unleash 25k cyclists of varying degrees of group riding experience, I suppose.

I can hardly imagine how crowded the roads must have been.

In 2 weeks time I'll be riding PBP where there will "only" be about 6,500 riders, and at 750 miles, we have a bit more road to fill then you guys did. But I've still witnessed plenty of near misses. Given the Pashley only has drum brakes I tend to keep plenty of distance between me and anyone in front!
 
Did you get stuck on Leith hill?
I was there for an hour as someone had a heart attack. Put me off chasing a time so I took it easy after that.
Lots of ropey bike handling skills on show.

Yeah. Lovely climb after an hour of cramp setting in!

I did the same. Was cycling with club mates at silly speeds to that point. After that it was too messy to keep up with them and got cut off. No bad thing, don't think my legs would have held out at their pace.

And, yeah, terrible bike handling. Cornering was a particular challenge with people failing to hold their line every time.
 
Did Ride London today. Averaged 18.9mph over 111 miles which I'm pleased with. Lots of hold ups due to crashes. Carnage out there! That's what you get when you unleash 25k cyclists of varying degrees of group riding experience, I suppose.

I entered the ballot again this year but no joy - sounds like perhaps that was no bad thing as I'm not keen on cycling in a crowd. Good work though - pretty bloody quick!
 
I spotted the riders crossing over the top of Farringdon as I was riding south early in the morning, we had a few club members down for it but I guess the chance of spotting them would have been slim. The crowds for the main race were pretty poor compared to the Tour de Yorkshire, even though the sun was out! 18.9mph sounds really good ChrisFilter

I also noticed that the local BBC news bulletin spent about two-thirds of their coverage interviewing frustrated drivers complaining about traffic jams, because it suits their tedious 'War on the Roads' narrative. Could you imagine them doing the same with the Marathon, or Pride, or the carnival or the Lord Mayor's parade? Twats.
 
I got a load of abuse from one taxi driver for no reason other than I was taking part. Wound down the window and laid into me "Do you know how much trouble you c*nts are causing?"
 
I got a load of abuse from one taxi driver for no reason other than I was taking part. Wound down the window and laid into me "Do you know how much trouble you c*nts are causing?"

It is a shame you didn't get his plate number and pop it on Twitter and Facebook. People are too busy and up their own arses to allow anyone else to have a day's enjoyment.
As Dogsauce says would the same folk be moaning if it was the queen, Lord Mayor or something they enjoyed doing that caused a few minutes delay in another person's day. I know from some of the arseholes I work with how much anti cyclist venom there is.
A plague on their houses!
 
I did the Ride London too (5 hours tide time). Agree some dodgy riding - but also from people who prob consider themselves expert. Shouting 'on your right!' When there's no gap and they want you to move- except there's no room on the left... You're trying to overtake too... They don't see why they should have to slow down like you did!

V sad about the death. Someone from my club had a nasty crash resulting in fractured cheekbone and a couple of others hit a stray water bottle(saw LOADS of them) in the first 10k and managed to get around despite the pain...
Actually getting home was worse. Marshals not getting people across roads often enough and then Brixton Splash to contend with/ drunks and broken glass everywhere (& more closed roads!).

Feel wrecked today- thought cycling was healthy?!
 
I got a load of abuse from one taxi driver for no reason other than I was taking part. Wound down the window and laid into me "Do you know how much trouble you c*nts are causing?"

I sort of sympathise a little because it's over a whole weekend. Could they have the 100, Classic and FreeCycle over one day?

It's a great Olympic legacy though.
 
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