I ride a racer to work these days. I basically potter along at a comfortable pace and that’s me. Sometimes I accidentally overtake another cyclist which seems to be a prompt for them to go hell for leather to over take me and start some kind of race. I must admit I feel the blood rising and can’t help dropping down a gear, usually knackering myself quickly only to watch a pair of sponsored buttocks disappear into the distance. Is this a roadie thing no-one told me about?

Silly Commuter Racing innit.

Commuting is the biggest race on earth.

You think them lads in the tour are working hard? That’s nothing to what a commuter is doing. Plus, I notice the boys riding round france don’t carry their clothes and butties in their bag, don’t have lights and rarely have to contend with cars.

EVERYONE commuting is up for a race. From the little old lady on her shopper to the cat 2 on his way to work. You can pass some old guy rolling along on a £50 full suss beater, continue on your way and then when you stop at the next set of lights, the old guy will still be there, on your wheel, smoking a fag.

Obviously not everyone will be able to keep up if you’re fast but they can cheat by jumping lights, riding on the pavement and taking shortcuts, and that’s fine, because commuting is the biggest race on earth and anything goes.

It is SO a race. 😉

Plus, I notice the boys riding round france don’t carry their clothes and butties in their bag, don’t have lights and rarely have to contend with cars.

I am walking a little taller and prouder today thanks to that comment. Cheers

Bicycle + Bicycle = Bicycle Race.

It’s not a race

Got showers at work? If not, you must stink! 😛

So it’s a thing is it? I’ve been riding off road over 20 years and never raced once it’s just not the same kind of cycling. Seems that every day I’m into something, I’m a terrible cheat though especially up Kensington High Street.

And yeah we have showers, I’m going to hate getting the tube again in the worst of winter.

1. Why will you have to stop commuting by bike in bad weather, if you have showers? 😕

2. I absolutely love riding to work and back – little races make it that bit better, nothing like it for a bit of impromptu interval training.

You think them lads in the tour are working hard? That’s nothing to what a commuter is doing.

And the pros don’t have to act all nonchalant and relaxed when overtaking either. It’s bloody hard trying to overtake someone at 25mph whilst making it look like you’re pootling to work without a care in the world.

I like it when you get someone fast, and you’re all ‘Alright fella’ at the lights like your best mates or something and then the lights change and YOU WOULD EAT HIS CHILDERN IF IT SLOWED HIM DOWN BY 1MPH SO YOU COULD BLAST PAST HIM AND LEAVE HIM STOOD. And then you both stop at the next set of lights and you’re like, ‘yeah, that wind is quite strong isn’t it?’. And then the lights change again and YOU WILL CRUSH HIS BONES AND USE THEM FOR TALCUM POWDER.

dazh – Member

It’s bloody hard trying to overtake someone at 25mph whilst making it look like you’re pootling to work without a care in the world

So true! I was struggling to perform this very illusion last night when passing a carbon lightning bolt on my steel, panniered hack bike. 🙂

Not the bad weather more the dark, they can’t see me in broad bloody daylight. Also at the moment a t shirt and shorts rolls up quite well into my backpack, not so sure winter clothes will fit. I’m also working hard on using a nonchalant whistle to cover up my panting as I try to keep up with whoever I’m trying to get past. I reckon someone whistling chitty chitty bang bang as they go past has got to hurt.

Is a nodder the same as a pigeon – Someone who does that strange nodding action as the pedal too slowly in too hard a gear?

It can be pretty hard to resist.

I batter myself when I ride to and from the station, because I dont’ do it every day and it makes good training. I’m sure some people would like to race me, but I’ve hardly met anyone with the legs to do so 😉

I’ve got to go now, I’m preparing for the Paddington-City classic one day road race. And I’ve brought my Garmin so I can record it on Strava 🙂

I intended to have a nice relaxing pootle in this morning, but then a hybrid rider decided to overtake and stop in front of me at the lights…

I changed to riding a cruiser type bike for a while.

You can’t really race if you want, you just drift along and let the world flow past. Man.

I’m sure some people would like to race me, but I’ve hardly met anyone with the legs to do so

Try the A34 into Manchester city centre at about 8.30am. It’s ridiculous at the minute. Every morning there’s a race on. Last week I was in one with about 5 other roadies. I sadly failed to drop a wheelsucker this morning on account of carrying a heavy laptop.

There should be blood samples taken at major intersections.

Sadly my new commute to work, despite being 35 miles each way, is usually devoid of other riders. My old one was all hell for leather racing every night.

it is a race but I’m pretty chilled out nowadays tho, save me legs for evening/weekend riding but I will speed up and tuck in for a draft if someone decides to pass me after I’ve just overtaken them.

Try the A34 into Manchester city centre at about 8.30am

yeah why is it half of south manchester ride to work whereas all the lardarses to the north all drive in?

What are peoples views on red lights? If I’m honest I’m ambivalent. I tend to stop at major ones but have drifted through a few, especially the Ken high Street, less so in the evenings as more peds about. I am sure I heard tutting today and may have even been on the receiving end of a hard stare or two.

I always stop. It really harms my times, but it’s the commuting equivalent of riding clean.

I feel I should stop but then don’t. I never do it if people are crossing but I suppose that’s no defence.
No helmet either.

Yeah why is it half of south manchester ride to work whereas all the lardarses to the north all drive in?

I’ve noticed this too. I’m in Northern Manchester and hardly see anyone on my commute, but when riding my extended route via South Manchester there are loads more riders. I’m from Withington originally so maybe it there’s something in it.

What are peoples views on red lights?

I stop at them (most of the time). If I don’t then I wouldn’t be able to impress the other commuters with my amazing track-standing skillz 🙂

I jumped a few last night (at midnight between wakey and leeds) still feel guilty about it now. On the other hand, yesterdays ride in was epic, police motorcycle training, three bikes blocking every junction and roundabout & letting me sail through before racing on to block the next one. Shame it only lasted 2 miles, felt very “le tour”!

As for racing, a fat man on a brompton used to demolish me everytime I tried to ride up to headingley. I hated that guy! There’s not many competitive riders on my route now. I meet a roadie from time to time who drafts then drops me on the climbs and I demolished a colleague on the bypass last month. ITs all very serious (I don’t know him, but I recognised his bike from teh sheds, making it more important that I dropped him, got locked up and into the shower before him).

yeah why is it half of south manchester ride to work whereas all the lardarses to the north all drive in?

Cos it’s impossible to get through Salford, Broughton or Cheetham Hill without having your bike nicked?

I set a KOM last week on a popular section of my commute. I was panniered up, into a headwind and I was carrying a new iron on the rack. It’s possibly the highlight of my sporting career.

not many on my route (Guildford to Farnham), and most are going the other way. I did pass someone from the council depot a few weeks back up the hill past Badshot Lea garden centre (it’s our version of AdH) and felt very proud, but then by the time I got to farnham he was back in front cos he’d cut through the industrial estate footpath instead of staying on the road. Fortunately he turned into the depot before I pwned him for a second time.

Best part for me is the A331 roundabout. Always a queue of cars i can filter past, then soft pedal looking for a gap, and then I’m launched like Sir Chris over the roundabout, to gasps of amazement and admiration. And then through farnham itself around the one way – I race cars up downing street and then down west street and see how long I can stay with them Ensures i arrive at our (showerless office) with a right sweat on.

I always stop. It really harms my times, but it’s the commuting equivalent of riding clean.

I’m going to use that one in the future Molly!

any racing tends to happen on the way home and on the way up hills – I have a 2 mile drag which gradually ramps up and is nice and straight so is good for a challenge. I often struggle to keep up with some of the faster riders on the flat bit as I only have one gear, but once the incline kicks in and they shift down I start to reel them in. if I time it perfectly I will catch them on the last 1/2 mile stretch where it ramps up and burn past them for the summit finish.
it’s like a tour stage every day, chasing down the breakaway.
I would be gutted if I couldn’t commute by bike.

What are peoples views on red lights?

Always stop. The naive optimist in me thinks that if I stop then someone might see me and start stopping at reds too, and then an exponential increase in cyclists who stop at red lights will begin, and drivers might not get so angry at cyclists for running reds all the time, and one day, just one day, everyone might get along.

Some dude worked very hard to pass me on the flat bit today, then coasted down the big descent, held me up as there was no safe passing and he ended up blowing a load of energy but not really going very fast. Slightly odd tbh. Strava segment…

Racing on commutes makes no sense though, I’ll take just about anyone on the hillclimb home but then my commute is short and my house is at the top of the hill- everyone else is already tired and has further to go. Daft to take pride in that, it’s like riding one lap of an XC race right at the end and being smug that you passed someone.

I stop at lights and crossing. Peds and cars aren’t involved in the race display of riding awschumness used to show who really is fastest. After Lolgrips that is.

Once I’ve been passed, I just sit at a safe distance off the back wheel. Except for when Grips passes me. On those occassions all I hear is a loud Swooshing noise as he blasts by. He’s so quick, I’m not even sure which way he went.
In all other cases, when it takes my fancy, I stay far enough back not to receive a tow and also just incase the rider in front is a muppet.
😉

The message is then received whenever the rider in front looks back.
I’m here, its been easy and I can stay with it

Yep. it’s a race. Love it here in Bristol as i ride out on the Bristol – bath cycle track and there’s no traffic lights or traffic (plus most of the commuters are going into town whereas I’m going the other way)

It all depends on the type of bike and what the commuter is wearing. Cus it’s summer i’m on my road bike and full lycra so it would be a shamefull to get dropped by anyone in baggies/non road bike

A few months ago this geezer on a road bike goes past me just before a climb.. I then proceeded to chase him down for 6 miles on the cycle track absolutely nailing it. I got to within 20 metres of him.

once i uploaded the ride to strava it told me who i was riding with and we had a bit of banter about it

Much loling at the tiny incline past Badshot Lee Garden centre compared to AdH 😆

I cycle to work pretty much every day here in Hyderabad, India (video for amusement) I often start off taking it easy, but inevitably within 5 minutes some ignorant moron cuts me up and the red mist comes down. From that point it’s a major interval session/obstacle course/hazard avoidance ride 😳

Frequently involves significant contact with vehicles, the ground and loss of skin/broken bones, but probably good for overall fitness 😀

Cheers, Rich

drivers might not get so angry at cyclists for running reds all the time

first road commute for a while on monday approaching some lights they flicked to amber (would be red by time I got to them) I sat up then heard car behind me rev up to blast through, so I thought “sod it” and went through at same time (fast section, I was at similar speed to the car) Same thing – different car/driver – happened again a few miles later. I’d like to think anyone seeing it thought “what a couple of idiot road users” but the realist in me says they only thought “bloody light jumping cyclist!”

I spent quite a few years commuting by road daily, stopping at red lights, I got pretty good at trackstands as a result, it did not bring about world peace or road harmony. Stopping at reds is obviously still a good idea but I tend not to get my gusset bunched about it.

Meh maybe I should stop at a few more or avoid Ken High Street altogether.

I properly got my arse handed to me by an old guy on a, very in need of some tlc, road bike the other day. he shot past me as the lights changed to green and I just couldn’t catch him. He had jeans tucked into his socks and I’m sure his saddle had a plastic bag taped to it!

I am suffering from hay fever though and am struggling to breath through one nostril………………. 🙄

Racing on commutes makes no sense though

It’s good training.

From that point it’s a major interval session/obstacle course/hazard avoidance ride

Fair play, that looks like one hell of a commute!!