..every single day, without fail.
He's on a nice bike (Storck), has all the gear and is an absolute machine - sometimes I can hear the shhhhusshh shhhhushh shhhhush as he grinds the tyres into the ground, in huge gears , past my window.
And then a few minutes later, again. And again. And again.
For hours.
Every day. Rain, wind or 30 degree heat.
I'm in admiration of the guy as he's obviously very good at what he does (he's bloody fast and not deterred by anything), but all he does is ride around in small circles. For hours. Every morning. Surely if he's training / keeping up fitness, he'd vary things up a bit?
Yours, confused but mildly aroused by monotonous-Storck-man-machine of West Yorkshire.
Have you tried stalking him down on Strava?
Maybe set up a segment to capture his activities?
Glitch in the matrix.
Well I have only noticed it since the arrival of our Covid-19 situation, but then I've not been sat in my living room every morning before either.
I shall disappear off to Strava to see if I can find anything.
Just seems a bit odd.
Is he riding in a circle with a 5 mile radius?
They just go round, and round, and round...
Not quite the same but I know a guy who rides the same 100 mile route every Saturday without fail 52 weeks of the year. Never deviates at all. I can kind of see the appeal in a weird way but my other mates think he's bonkers.
Pretty sure all of us have wee rituals that we do every day and are very comforting. You know, like always using the same kind of mug for your tea or always waving at the same person on your commute.
Perhaps this is his.
Training?
I have friends who pretty much exclusively use the turbo outside of racing. It is efficient and easily controllable to follow a training program and get the results you want.
Some people like familiarity, it gives them comfort so ride the same routes. It also allows comparisons over time.
When training normally I have a standard 100km loop I will ride several times per week. Sometimes I ride it in the opposite direction. Standard routes allow judgment about how you are going. It’s a roadie thing. I also have quite a few shorter loops that I will ride multiple times (say 10-12) with garmin lapping. Again standard measurement.
Some of the loops are on designated road race circuits, hence it adds to the familiarity come race time as well. Chobham Common is my stalking ground if anyone is interested.
Always nicer than the turbo.
I’ve heard that some people ride the same loop at Swinley multiple times too 😉
Pretty sure all of us have wee rituals that we do every day and are very comforting. You know, like always using the same kind of mug for your tea or always waving at the same person on your commute.
Perhaps this is his.
Could be, and I'm not criticising him, but someone that's clearly so fit (more signs of man-love) and dedicated - wouldn't he do something a bit more varied? How does he block out the boredom of doing the same tiny loop, day-in day-out?! And why? I know we're not quite up to Northern Powerhouse promise yet, but we're not short on tarmac.
He's also becoming kind of my routine. Get up, make coffee, watch man cycle past. Watch man cycle past again. Go out to car, miserable man obviously don't say hello because he's a roadie. Get shopping. Come home. Put shopping away. Watch man cycle past.
Maybe do what Remi does?
Can you start putting out random signs for him?
Go on, Storck Man!
You again?!
We should stop meeting like this!
Other roads are available...
Or what might be quite amusing is to find him on Strava then set a faster time on "his" loop. 😂
Maybe it’s a ghost.
He’s probably just married to a total ratbag.
Stop storcking him!
You should definitely put up signs. A few words on each one as he comes by, so it takes lots of laps to read the whole message. Or invite him in for a cuppa, via sign. He might need it.
I have a few local loops, one of which I ride very frequently. Sometimes I look forward to it because I don't have to think about it at all, just ride. Having said that it is a great loop packed with features - challenging climbs, singletrack, and it finishes on a glorious descent. The people in the farm on the top must see me come by three times a week.
I think I know the moor you're referring to and if so, the local road club are running weekly Strava segment challenges and there's a few of them spending a load of time chasing the top spot so that could be the reason.
I think I know the guy on the Storck (used to ride in the club with him) and you're right, he's a pretty strong rider so he'll be trying to get bragging rights for getting his virtual trophy
I’ve heard that some people ride the same loop at Swinley multiple times too
Yes, for a while I commuted through Swinley. A short section of blue on the way out, and the rest of blue and red on the way home. I absolutely loved it. Because I was doing it every day I got faster and faster and honed the lines on everything tighter and tighter. It was brilliant. But again, none of that applies to road really.
Maybe he's an on-call firefighter.
Interval training ?
Just guessing, but if the loop takes him up a hill and round to do it again, then maybe.....
Is there a lack of velodrome s locally
Maybe he dosent have a pump or tube and doesnt want a long walk
Maybe he is scared of turning right so takes all the left turnd
Maybe his wife is pregnant very vey pregnant
Maybe he loves you and wants to meet up and by riding past your hpuse he massively increases his chances obvs
As above, could be on call.
Can you start putting out random signs for him?
Go on, Storck Man!
You again?!
We should stop meeting like this!
Other roads are available…Or what might be quite amusing is to find him on Strava then set a faster time on “his” loop.
Heh 🙂
I don't want to upset him, he's doing what he loves- I just find the ridiculously short circuits and frequency really confusing.
I think I know the moor you’re referring to and if so, the local road club are running weekly Strava segment challenges and there’s a few of them spending a load of time chasing the top spot so that could be the reason.
Possibly, but I've never seen another roadie go past more than once. Lot of 'runners' go around in circles, and lots of MTBers cycle across the moor, but only see him just pound past in endless circles around and around.
He doesn't wear the village cycling club jersey either, but that's probably no accurate assessment of anything.
Maybe he loves you and wants to meet up and by riding past your hpuse he massively increases his chances obvs
Don't tease me.
Maybe he loves you and wants to meet up and by riding past your hpuse he massively increases his chances obvs
If he’s called Dave then he’s definitely flirting with you.
The people in the farm on the top must see me come by three times a week.
Do it in reverse, dare you! It will freak them out.
Because I was doing it every day I got faster and faster and honed the lines on everything tighter and tighter. It was brilliant. But again, none of that applies to road really.
Wanna bet?
Wanna bet?
Well, I ride road as well, and I bring the same level of skill to that. But pinning it on road to that extent is simply not safe, so I don't do it and I don't think many other people do. Of course you're only here to say 'yeah roadies go fast too rarr' but whatever, the lines on road are far easier to work out, there's far less detail to consider.
the lines on road are far easier to work out, there’s far less detail to consider.
I'm not convinced that is true. Picking a line to avoid road imperfections when cornering at 70+kph while also trying to avoid ending up piling into a dry stone wall is for me far more taxing than ragging a mtb through a forest.
As above, absolutely signs, changed each time he passes.
If
You're
Finishing
This
You're
Too
Repetitive
Or
I
Have
Cake
And
Espresso
Every lap
So you don't
have too but now I'm hyperactive
That sort of thing.
Go out and cut your grass or trim your hedge or whatever. Everytime he goes past run in the house and get a new outfit on, freak him oot.
Hand him up some bottles
Maybe he’s lost
My sister once did a whole lap of the M25 because she missed her junction
Paint a line on the road and go out there and time his laps, you could stand forward or backward from the line like a track coach and give some encouragement, I am sure it would be appreciated!
Countdown laps to go board, last Lap bell and helper with a chequered flag.
Hide in the bushes then sprint him on the finish with full no handed victory celebration.
He's not one of those tags that tells the police if you leave the area 😁 ?
I think we have to allow for on call for work carer first responder for a relative or friend who could need him at short notice
I’m a roadie, I age a 1.5 mile triangular circuit, two hills, I use it for hill repeats, actually quite a few people do the same, someone even did 500kms on the same segment over solstice.
There’s no houses on my little segment but your man is possibly doing the same as me?
Training for a return to the Track?
Performance art, or trying to hypnotise a buzzard
Picking a line to avoid road imperfections when cornering at 70+kph while also trying to avoid ending up piling into a dry stone wall is for me far more taxing than ragging a mtb through a forest.
Been there. Done that. Got the titanium.
Mess with his head and give random false deltas to his best lap that day on a chalk board. 😆
Because I was doing it every day I got faster and faster and honed the lines on everything tighter and tighter. It was brilliant. But again, none of that applies to road really.
It really does. Optimise your gear changes for the hills, perfect lines for corners, know where to avoid surface irregularities, know when to put the power down, practice where to start the sprint. Then come race day and 18 laps, it’s a definite advantage.
Yep, as @TiRed says, knowing a road race circuit is well worth. Potholes that you wouldn't be able to see in a bunch, the ideal line into / out of corners without going across the white line, places to attack where you can be out of sight around a bend quickly which bits are usually sheltered from wind and where it's good to hide in the bunch. Even knowing that you need to be on the left or right of the bunch at any given point. I made up about 30 places in the final km of a road race once as everyone was jostling for position, some people went to early up the drag to the finish and being on the downwind side and the inside of the slight bend in the road meant I had a wind-free flow up the outside of the bunch as the front end of it faltered and the riders on the left went the long way through the corner.
How short is this circuit? How often is he coming past.
I love some of the suggestions though..... hypnotize a buzzard!
