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Cycling log - random events in the day of a cyclist

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This is a bit of video from last Sunday's Gran Fondo, I don't know the guy, and he's clearly not an experienced rider and is running fairly well back in the field, but the point is to look at the people beside the road,

https://www.facebook.com/Bdizzle84/videos/10155612198760212/

(Video is sped up...)

Thousands of people came from all over the country, many from Europe and further afield, to participate and thousands of residents cheered them on. There were some moans on Facebook and elsewhere about not being able to drive to the shops on Sunday afternoon, but I saw one post where a woman wrote that while she wasn't interested in cycle racing she'd spent the afternoon with her kids at the side of the road outside their house and they'd loved every minute of it.

Paul
 
Why on earth would anyone come from mainland Europe and further afield to ride in Cambridgeshire? I can't quite understand it, personally.
 
Back to the cycling blog, some pics of a ride i did a few days ago

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Hope to do some more passes in the coming weeks.
 
NeilR said:
Why on earth would anyone come from mainland Europe and further afield to ride in Cambridgeshire? I can't quite understand it, personally.
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Because it is a race.

And while climbing a mountain is an achievement, and descending it just reward, riding in very close company across an entire road at 30+mph has its own attraction. And it's a rare opportunity for amateurs.

Paul
 
It makes people feel fast Neil. It's flat and people are sitting in pelotons - very easy to get a good average speed up.

There's nowhere to hide in the terrain you and I tend to seek out. Just different. ;)
 
Paul R said:
Because it is a race.

And while climbing a mountain is an achievement, and descending it just reward, riding in very close company across an entire road at 30+mph has its own attraction. And it's a rare opportunity for amateurs.

Paul
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I think my reasons for riding are at the opposite end of the spectrum to yours. Racing is not really my thing. i ride primarily to explore the beauty of different landscapes and also for mental wellbeing.

Racing around in a big group of sweaty, smelly riders, not being able to appreciate the beauty of the countryside holds no appeal to me.
 
Well I think there is room for everything. But it would be an error to believe that riding in (say) the Fens is somehow 'easy', or in fact not excellent training for the mountains.

I don't know where you get the sweaty and smelly stuff from though, that surely is a characteristic of the alpine tourist.

Paul
 
avole said:
Nope. Yet again a cycling thread has been hijacked by the pfm anti-cyclist mafia so it didn't seem worth continuing - sadly there's no fighting pig ignorance.
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(Also by Avole) Thought I'd start this, given the current interest in cycling in PFM, for self and others to record the daily incidents that make cycling both interesting - and dangerous.
Click to expand...

Mull
 
merlin said:
Mull,

I tend to agree that the "nouveau cycliste" in the UK is generally an ignorant twunt - but personally I think that's indicative of the society in general rather than the fact that they have bikes. Look at the behavior of 4x4 drivers for instance, or even pedestrians in many places.

Sadly the whole nation needs lessons in having manners and consideration for others IMHO.
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Well yes... You have a point. The other day I pulled into a very busy petrol station in Liverpool. People were queuing to get to any of several rows of pumps. Once I got to a pump, a woman pulled into the next row along. Front pump. She was on her phone as she pulled in. She proceeded to sit there, still on her phone for the entire time I was filling up. She was stil sitting, yapping on her phone and occupying a pump but not 'filling up', after I had payed in the kiosk and was driving away.

On Sunday I had a right rant at a female cyclist riding the wrong way up a one way street. I would also have a go at idiots riding in pelotons ignoring the rules ( simple shouts of "oil" have been used by clubs for decades to assume narrow profiles and allow traffic to pass unhindered.).
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Absolutely. In Brittany some years ago, tootling along in my massive, road-hogging FIAT Uno, I was passed by what was clearly an escort car for some sort of cycling event. They urged me to pull over, which I did. Another came along and urged me to pull over. I stopped. Another came along... You probably get the picture. By now my car wheels were only a couple of inches from sliding into a roadside ditch and I was 'damned' if I was pulling over any further. A few minutes later something like a few dozen riders passed us. That was it. Lot of fuss....

I'd like to see all road users educated in manners and decorum. Sadly I doubt the Tories will initiate such a campaign unless they can privatise the service and offer a contract to a training operation whose directors are party members.
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Surely such cynicism ins my domain? ;)

As for footpaths. Cyclists should not be on them and it is punishable by a fixed penalty notice. They are however allowed on bridleways, many permissable bridleways, some towpaths and various shared off road routes. It's possibly down to pedestrians to learn the rules here and to anticipate where they might reasonably expect to find bike riders. If they prefer to avoid them then stick to the footpaths.
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Just so we're clear, I mean 'Public Footpaths', as opposed to 'pavements/sidewalks', which are another equally contentious issue.

As for my cycling blog, I went out on the 17th for a ride, came home nine days later, and am now selling lots of very expensive bikes and accessories. :)
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As for mine. The last time I rode a bike I thought I had severe indigestion. I came home a week later with a diagnosis of Myocardial Infarction and a large bag of assorted pills. :eek:

Mull
 
Paul R said:
Well I think there is room for everything. But it would be an error to believe that riding in (say) the Fens is somehow 'easy', or in fact not excellent training for the mountains.

I don't know where you get the sweaty and smelly stuff from though, that surely is a characteristic of the alpine tourist.

Paul
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No, I certainly don't believe that, Paul. Riding at sustained high pace on the flat is hard.

My albeit limited experience of riding in larger groups is that there is always someone who is a bit stinky. must be those continental Europeans.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by avole View Post
Nope. Yet again a cycling thread has been hijacked by the pfm anti-cyclist mafia so it didn't seem worth continuing - sadly there's no fighting pig ignorance.

Quote:
Thought I'd start this, given the current interest in cycling in PFM, for self and others to record the daily incidents that make cycling both interesting - and dangerous.
Mull



Thanks for keeping that, I wasn't happy about the censorship. Oh, and you did understand it was the danger to cyclists? Of course you did!
 
NeilR said:
No, I certainly don't believe that, Paul. Riding at sustained high pace on the flat is hard.
Click to expand...

IME though it's definitely different in that you can take micro breaks if you like without losing momentum whereas you cannot on an alpine col. I've seen people riding in peletons at 35-36kph averaging no more than 175 watts which is nothing very special really. The only real metric is power :)

In all honesty, the number of highly proficient British cyclists I've seen role up at a famous col and put in a performance far below what one might expect is remarkably high. I doubt I could get anywhere near some of them on some short climbs in the UK but there's not that many of them that would worry experienced climbers in Europe IME. I'd love to put my finger on the difference but IME the best training for mountains is high resistance efforts with no breaks. I've simply found that difficult to achieve on flatlands in Britain.
 
I posted this in another thread that disappeared. Thought it might fit better here....

Cycling log, latest entry:

I've never been banned from anything or anywhere until last Friday when I went to my local pub with a couple of friends. We locked our bikes in the same place we've been locking them for the last 15 years or so. New manager has a right go at us about blocking fire exits, I resist for while but the guy is irrational and aggressive. I agree to move the bikes, go out to do so, then my mates come out and say don't bother he's not going to serve me anyway. Apparently I was only banned for one evening unless I grovelled. I popped back in to advise him that my ban would last until he moved on.

I didn't even mention fart holes or transient response :D
 
merlin said:
Mull,

I tend to agree that the "nouveau cycliste" in the UK is generally an ignorant twunt - but personally I think that's indicative of the society in general rather than the fact that they have bikes. Look at the behavior of 4x4 drivers for instance, or even pedestrians in many places.

Sadly the whole nation needs lessons in having manners and consideration for others IMHO.

On Sunday I had a right rant at a female cyclist riding the wrong way up a one way street. I would also have a go at idiots riding in pelotons ignoring the rules ( simple shouts of "oil" have been used by clubs for decades to assume narrow profiles and allow traffic to pass unhindered.).

I'd like to see all road users educated in manners and decorum. Sadly I doubt the Tories will initiate such a campaign unless they can privatise the service and offer a contract to a training operation whose directors are party members.

As for footpaths. Cyclists should not be on them and it is punishable by a fixed penalty notice. They are however allowed on bridleways, many permissable bridleways, some towpaths and various shared off road routes. It's possibly down to pedestrians to learn the rules here and to anticipate where they might reasonably expect to find bike riders. If they prefer to avoid them then stick to the footpaths.

As for my cycling blog, I went out on the 17th for a ride, came home nine days later, and am now selling lots of very expensive bikes and accessories. :)
Click to expand...

'Twunt' is officially accepted into my daily vocabulary. :)

I really like the term 'f*&knut', but the need for '*&' is a problem with it. Twunt will fix this issue.
 
S-Man said:
I posted this in another thread that disappeared. Thought it might fit better here....

Cycling log, latest entry:

I've never been banned from anything or anywhere until last Friday when I went to my local pub with a couple of friends. We locked our bikes in the same place we've been locking them for the last 15 years or so. New manager has a right go at us about blocking fire exits, I resist for while but the guy is irrational and aggressive. I agree to move the bikes, go out to do so, then my mates come out and say don't bother he's not going to serve me anyway. Apparently I was only banned for one evening unless I grovelled. I popped back in to advise him that my ban would last until he moved on.

I didn't even mention fart holes or transient response :D
Click to expand...

By the sound of things I don't think you'll have long to wait.
 
Steven Toy said:
By the sound of things I don't think you'll have long to wait.
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I suspect you are right.

When I texted all my other cycling pals I was surprised how strong their reaction was, they were all for a full-on social media attack on the place. I have asked them not to do anything until I get a reply to my complaint from the company that owns the pub.

I certainly don't want the place going out of business, just Jobsworth to go elsewhere.
 
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