……exiting Guildford north on the A3 this morning. You ***ing idiot, it is a triple carriage motorway in all but name and colour.

Just because you can ride on it, doesn’t mean you should ride on it.

Its bad enough a grown man wearing lycra, and at that lycra that is festooned with sponsorship that they pay someone to wear, but you actually pay them to wear, without also publically displaying your lack of self-preservation genes.

You were wearing a helmet though. Not that it’ll be any help much against lorry wheels.

Sure it wasn’t someone from the Sri Lankan cycling team?

it is a triple carriage motorway in all but name and colour.

so it isn’t a motorway then?

Its bad enough a grown man wearing lycra, and at that lycra that is festooned with sponsorship that they pay someone to wear, but you actually pay them to wear

lycra makes it worse?

you can ride on it

Just because you can ride on it, doesn’t mean you should ride on it.

I’m going to pretend that this is the only thing you wrote and ignore the rest of it. It’s for the best.

Did a cyclist actually dare to ride in a space where you were in your car in clothes you did not like.

WHAT A BASTARD

So he was riding his bike on a road he is allowed to ride his bike on? He as wearing cycling specific clothes and a helmet?

Am I missing something?

I find myself torn. I agree with the sentiment of that one sentence about riding on that road, but the OP is such a nobber I almost want to ride on it myself just to piss him off.

There is a reasonable cycle late along the north bound A3 – you’d have to be nuts to ride along actual A3 unless you are lost. Plus there are loads of reasonable roads that run parallel to the A3 (including the old road).

He was allowed to ride there. Please don’t forget that road use is supposed to be a non contact activity. His biggest threat is the incompetence of other road users but they get everywhere I’m afraid. How is this particular road any different?

I’ve seen him a couple of times when on the way to work. It’s probably safer piling down the hard shoulder, as he was when I spotted him, than riding down many busy A roads but it can’t be a nice ride with all the traffic flying past.

Can the OP tell me what he was supposed to be wearing?

I would hate to make such a horrendous mistake.

OP you think drivers’ have a right to drive dangerously that trumps the cyclists’ right to be on the roads?

A great future for cyclists I foresee…NOT.

triple carriage motorway

It goes in three directions? Cool!

I’d never go on there as would scare me silly.

Interestingly(ish…) there are some locals who are concerned about people riding on the A24 between Dorking and Leatherhead (Esso roundabout). I never have as it’s nasty road and there’s a good cycle path there plus other options to avoid it; anyone else ridden on it?

I never have as it’s nasty road and there’s a good cycle path there plus other options to avoid it; anyone else ridden on it?

Several times. The cycle lane is, like all cycle lanes, a bit of a mess in places unless they’ve improved it.

I’m trying to decide whether I prefer the hue manitee or the hindenberg huge manitee.

Out of interest why do roadies ride down the main roads such as the A25/A24 etc? It can’t be that pleasant with all the traffic squeezing past and there are plenty of alternative routes. Genuine question as I’ve just started venturing out onto roads myself and thoroughly enjoy the quieter side roads but due to a recent navigational error I ended up on a main road which wasn’t particularly enjoyable.

Love the rainbow whale thingy, the purple man/spider thing is weird (and will end up starring in my next nightmare no doubt)

I only do it when the detour is either too long or an arse-ache for another reason. For example there’s a busy section cutting through a forest on my commute about 2km long. It’s not “fun” but the drivers give me space. The alternative is to either ride through the city or add 10k and about 200m climbing to the ride.

Out of interest why do roadies ride down the main roads such as the A25/A24 etc?

Some times it’s unavoidable, sometimes the detour would add on a considerable distance, sometimes we get lost.

It can’t be that pleasant with all the traffic squeezing past and there are plenty of alternative routes

Busy roads aren’t usually to pleasant but you get used to the traffic. Most of us doing just to prove a point about road use though. We love being self righteous and annoying people driving their killer pollution machines 😉

^^^ that I can understand but a lot of people seem to use the A25 as part of their ride on a weekend which confuddles me.

Out of interest why do roadies ride down the main roads such as the A25/A24 etc?

Don’t know those roads but I used to ride down here on my commute because it was short, quick and taking the lane on there was probably less dangerous than riding down the alternative rat run (narrow 30mph street with plenty of speeding cars squeezing passed me and traffic islands) I did get a lot of dickheads shouting at me for being there, you know, on a road I’m allowed to ride on, presumably people like the OP.

When I visit my siuster in cornwall I see a lot of roadies on the A30, presumably part of the lejog/jogle route, rather them than me, sections of that look bloody awful for cyclists, but they are allowed on there so fair enough.

Anyone that uses the word ‘roadie’ just screams out Virgin to me.

The A25 isn’t too bad and I go on it for breif sections at times, it’s better east of Dorking than west. The A24 section I mentioned is known for having some crazy drivers, with the odd bad accident, and he cycle path is pretty good really – bar the odd narrow point where hard to pass people. Got really flooded in places back in Jan/Feb though.

Out of interest why do roadies ride down the main roads such as the A25/A24 etc?

Same reason as people drive on them. To get somewhere else they want to be. Better than sitting at home and better than trying to drive/ride through the fields on either side of the road 😀

More seriously – you have to spend some time on the main roads to get to the quiet country roads which are your main aim. When we ride from South London to Box Hill we go through Croydon. Not because we like it or because it’s good riding, simply because it’s between where we start riding and where we want to get to…

To the OP: probably best if you give your driving licence back until you’ve grown up

My old club used to ride out along the A316 to Sunbury every Saturday morning, before cycling along the A308 and A30. There are plus and minus points for riding along this kind of road, and actually we got much more “interaction” with motorists on normal roads.

3 lanes, plenty of space for cycling then, loads of room for drivers to overtake safely 🙂
Try the A303 2 lanes, no hard shoulder and I have seen people cycle down it in lycra and a bloke with a guitar strapped to his back on a sit up & beg bike (on way to Solstice at Stonehenge) he was a good way from it. Even had people walking down it & in the dark 😯 Vehicles breaking down is a nightmare. Yet they are all entitled to use it.
If more people learned to SHARE the PUBLIC roads, they would be a more pleasant place to use.
Personally I wouldn’t ride down it though, when I look at routes from my home I try to avoid the main roads, however there are actual times when you need to use a main road to link up to others, even on a MTB. TBH some of the drivers on rural roads are a liability, especially on a confined rural road.

Out of interest why do roadies ride down the main roads such as the A25/A24 etc

I live close to the A25 and I wonder that too, last week this happened 🙁

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/cyclist-seriously-injured-shere-collision-7498146

martib has it spot on:

If more people learned to SHARE the PUBLIC roads, they would be a more pleasant place to use.

This goes for everyone; cyclist, walkers, riders, motorists and foreigners.

from xcgbs link“They must install a flashing sign warning motorists that it is a dangerous junction because the number of accidents here really is appalling.” yep a flashing sign, that’ll fix it. Something along the lines of
“Oi ****tards, stop driving like ****s!”
?

This goes for everyone; cyclist, walkers, riders, motorists and foreigners.

very true. Not sure how foreigners stack up in the KSI stats but it’s overwhelmingly the motorists who are pissing all over the others at the moment so I reckon the “share the road” message should probably be aimed primarily at them until it evens out a bit.

D0NK
Yes the locals have overstated the amount of accidents, speed through the jubction is a major factor flashing light wont change owt, speed camera just might though…….

“TBH some of the drivers on rural roads are a liability, especially on a confined rural road.”

agreed , witnessed a scary number of accidents on our road recently since another main arteries been closed and sat navs direct down our road. people think its acceptable to 60/70 even 80 on a singletrack road full of potholes/blind corners and crests.

then get all pissy with me and other locals when we do 35/40 as we all feel thats a reasonable speed what with cyclists / walkers / neighbours kids all using the road and the fact that you cant see round corners.after much tooting and flashing, they all soon slow down when we reach the dirt track at the end – that doesnt show on the sat nav – in your average car its passible – seen more than one “sports” car come back from where it came…….

Out of interest why do roadies ride down the main roads such as the A25/A24 etc?

Perceived risk as viewed from the comfort of your German saloon. While I realise getting hit on a dual carriageway is pretty much guaranteed to be fatal, I feel much safer than mixing it with town centre traffic.

Interestingly the vast majority of accidents in my club this season have been on shared use cycle paths.

I sometimes ride about 500 meters on the A3 between the ripley roundabout and the exit off to Wisley Gardens. I’m always a bit worried when I do it. The A3 is not suitable for cycling, the OP is right it’s basically a motorway.

Streetview Clicky

I live near to Guildford and yes, you must have a screw loose to want to ride on that part of the A3.