Ok, it's a race. Australian guy on a Kona behind me on the Labyrinth section of Swinley red this evening,you know who you are. The skidding noises, the occasional oath and the breathing told me you were giving it the beans, but you still couldn't catch me.. And you burned yourself out in the process.. I win! Stranger victory!
The whippet guy in the blue top with matching Blue Giant.. Well let's not talk about him or his whippet mates...
Thanks for making it interesting 🙂
Well, granted, seagulling fail (assuming you've checked your shirt)The skidding noises, the occasional oath and the breathing told me you were [s]giving it the beans[/s] masturbating furiously while riding one-handed, but you still couldn't catch me.. And you burned yourself out in the process.. I win! Stranger victory!
I thought this was going to be about sportives.
you won a race no one else knew they were in
you won a race no one else knew they were in
Every trip down the labrynth is a race, if the guy behind catches up you've lost.
And if he doesn't get you, the wherewolves will.
😆wherewolves
Oh, he knew. Well, the kona guy did. That's the point.. It developed into a race because of how hard he was trying to catch me 🙂 all good fun.
Kona guy be like "wow! That's molgrips! I ain't never gonna be half the rider that man is, but if I can just keep him in sight on Labyrinth that'll make my day".
😉
If you could hear him breathing I'm pretty sure you caught you
What legend says. Surely they were gasps and swear of frustration about being held up.
Kona guy desperately hoping he's not going to be stuck behind Molgrip's car on the way home. And if he's bought the caravan.....
I normally just pull over and let them past if they're faster than me. Easy.
If you could hear him breathing, you needed to get out of the way
😆
was this trail open to the public at the time of your impromptu race?
Kona guy "STRAAAAAAVVVVVVAAA.....oh #%€% who is this slow guy holding me up?
🙂
Yep - hear somebody breathing behind you on the trail is a pretty obvious sign of 'get out the way'.
Sorry. But you lost your own private race ...
He caught me, then I sped up, because competitiveness 🙂
ut that's not the point.. Just celebrating impromptu competition that makes for a bit of amusement.. And also trolling a little for those who think competitiveness is negative.
For the know it alls, the trail double backs a lot so you can hear and see riders from way back.
[i]you can hear and see riders from way back[/i]
molgrips ghostly pursuer?
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jamesoz - Member
For the know it alls, the trail double backs a lot so you can hear and see riders from way back.
POSTED 8 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST
Must be hella tight turn if you can hear them breathe on the way past!
presume that was sarcasm, but yes, they are, its something daft like 2km of trails in an area smaller than a football pitch, hence its name.Must be hella tight turn if you can hear them breathe on the way past!
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Crest hill prior to Labyrinth at HR Zone 6 breathing through arse. See group of guys sitting on 140mm FS bikes at start of Labyrinth. Ride past looking hardcore Jeyboy thinking how fit/skilled you are on your carbon HT with bottles. Start Labyrinth getting HR down and trying to hold speed. Hear noise behind you and realise AM types have taken the metaphorical gauntlet. Ha you'll rinse them on the ups.
They really are quite close. Shit I can't drop them.... panics.... smoothness gone, effort up, speed drops, **** up root on the tight right and have to dab. Reason utterly gone, mad thrutching gasping styleless mania ensues until - the shame of it - you have to concede defeat. All subsequent efforts go into recovery to appear as if you weren't trying. At this point you get faster and can almost forget the nightmare that just happened until you read this thread.
Went round Swinley with a very old bike yesterday, it even had a Hammax child seat bracket on it and mudguards.
If nothing else, this thread has just prompted me to email all the lads for a jaunt to Swinley, possibly tonight 🙂
trolling a little for those who think [s]competitiveness[/s] stroking your cock over being able to "have" someone on a section of the uber-gnar of Swinley is negative.
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Stranger racing is the best!
I reckon we can all sense when the other rider is 'up for it' that sudden turn of speed, the couple of clicks on the shifter - RACE ON!
I've had some great ones over the years, really lost on 'The Wall' once though, I was being caught so I 'kicked' and went for it, pulled a decent sized gap until I over-cooked a turn and went straight off the side of the trail, it was on that big slabby bit near the top went it looks like you're going to fall for a thousand miles, thankfully it's not a steep as it looks and I just rolled for a bit - we both had a good laugh about it.
Rob, it's not cock stroking. If it were I'd have omitted the part about being thrashed later on by whippets, wouldn't I?
Someone should invent an online service where strangers can compare how long it takes them to ride certain defined sections of trail.
My last "stranger race" (not sure I like that term) was with a 12year oldish lad, I passed him and, presumably, his dad and younger brother and he decided to chase me so I upped the pace some more and pretty soon realised I could only lose.
I "win": big wow, you beat a 12yo, go you! 🙄
I lose: haha you suck
I crash: haha you dick!
he crashes: look what you did you despicable human being!
Fortunately trail soon forked and we went separate ways.
Someone should invent an online service where strangers can compare how long it takes them to ride certain defined sections of trail.
Nah, it would never catch on
Tiger6791 - Member
Went round Swinley with a very old bike yesterday, it even had a Hammax child seat bracket on it and mudguards.
Where you held up by someone per chance?
Nah it was the 80 year old guy who'd ridden 5 hours with two kids in a tag along that was getting held up by Molgrips 😀
It is pointless and annoying for everyone else but seems like fun at the time. Come on, you've all done it. At least Molgrips didn't sit on the wheel of a roadie- we don't need another of those threads! 😆
annoying for everyone else
How on earth..?
If you could hear him breathing I'm pretty sure you caught you
Oh, that came [i]later[/i]...
The important thing is not to look like youre racing, then fake a mechanical at the end of the section to get your breath back.
If you could hear him breathing I'm pretty sure you caught you
Maybe he just had Asthma?
Rob, it's not cock stroking
I *may* have been
trolling a little
. [b]Australian[/b] guy on a Kona behind me
It was probably the corks hanging off his helmet and the fosters in his camel back whilst singing 'tie my kangaroo down sport' at the top of his voice 'distracting' him.
"Waltzing Matilda" shirley?
Racing molgrips, racing molgrips
You'll come a-racing molgrips with me,
As he huffed and he puffed and he rode his bike off-line,
You'll come a-racing molgrips with me.
it's all racing, have some props
:PROPS:
Did he proclaim to be your father whilst hearing him breath? if so it's Darth Vader going for some cheeky singletrack before returning to destroy the rebel scum once more.
I think he said 'he's a feisty little one' at one point whilst chasing me.
Has anyone tried the new (to me) Strava feature: 'flybys'? It allows you to see almost everyone who was on the same section of trail within a certain timeframe and distance who also was using Strava (on any activity, running, riding etc). Fascinating stuff. It'll get banned though, I can see potential misuse...
Could you then correlate that with yourself, so you could see the person who finished the segment at the same time and find out who they are..
Yes. If your ride is on Strava just click the Fly-by option and if they have up loaded onto Strava you can see who it was.
I often look at it as it is interesting to see the various routes people take, and also how far people have ridden. It was actually useful for me once as I managed to track down someone who had lent me some patches at Swinley (my son had trashed his inner tubes) and I gave them kudos - also offered to send them some new patches, but I am sure the kudos is worth more...
Last night I was horrified to have to cycle behind some bloke whose shorts were a bit low at the back. As I looked at flyby to check who the crowds of people on the hill actually were, I noticed he'd put his ride as a run... So I flagged it!
I find it fascinating to see people's routes and the sheer numbers of Strava users on the hill at any one time. It works all the way back as far as you can go. I did a flyby check of a ride last June at Cannock. I think I almost crashed their server!
Where is this Swinley you talk of ?
Near Bracknell. It's a good place to ride.. at least, it was a brilliant one until they put the trail centre in. Looks like some of the old trails are gone, but some are still there...
Near Bracknell. It's a good place to ride..
Unless you're stuck behind somebody 😆