Jaysus cycling! (12 Viewers)

[Space]

In practical terms, wearing gloves is more important for H&S than wearing a helmet.
And on that note, allow me to show off what just arrived in the post for me:

They're a little small, but I kinda like it that way.

Snazzy, I need new gloves.

 

[classic seanc]

Well they're 15 sterlings on CRC.
My last pair were 4 eurons from Aldi, still decent a year later, but they're fingerless and a bit cold.

 

[oglog]

This is in the post for me as we speak, sorry Moose.

There's an element of risk compensation with helmets I guess. I'd still rather wear it, whether or not I take risks I wouldn't otherwise take.

I don't like the sentiment here at all though:
Basically you're saying: act like a mentalist and you'll be safer because people think you're a mentalist. I've said this somewhere before but, if you jog backwards down the M50 people won't run over for the same reasons you just cited. I don't want people thinking I'm a mentalist, that's mental.
Also, you're assuming that the motorists *wants* to run you over, which isn't the case 99.9999% of the time.

I wouldn't force anyone else to wear a helmet, but I will.

Have you never been clipped by a driver? So close that
if you sneezed they would hit you, some drivers in this
city come too close to cyclists, I have been a courier
in the past so I know the behaviour of drivers.

If you need space (and I'm not suggesting being a mentalist) moving the bike from side to side will
give you that space. If you cycle in a straight line drivers
will tend to drive closer to you. That is a fact.

I once nearly got hit by a van driver who was reversing
with out looking. He started shouting that 'he could have hit me and how it would affect his insurance' no concern
whatsoever for my wellbeing.

No i dont think motorists want to run me over but i
find assuming they 'can' is safer.

That is defensive cycling.

 

[flashback]

I agree with oglog on this one though.
There is a way to ride to generate 2nd thoughts and doubt in cars, and the first reaction is generally for them to slow down.
In racing sometimes you'd throw a dummy pass, you would make it look like you were about to swerve out of the back of the back and put a break in. The bike in reality wouldnt move a lot, for you it would be more of a shoulder flick but it would look like you are about jump.
I do this on the road all the time, I will dummy something, look over my shoulder and watch the reaction. Its like a dance almost, you just do a wriggle and flick your head around to see who's watching, if they are then you have their attention. I'll do this particularly in retarded traffic places like NYC, where bikes are traveling faster than cars normally.

 

[classic seanc]

Hmmm, hmmm, hmm

I get what you’re saying but I dunno…that’s not what I would call cycling defensively, but I shan’t get into semantics.

I prefer do to what I can to get the primary position when I need it, so as to avoid potential clipping. And constant looking over the shoulder, hand signals. Hand signals are important; you’re telling someone unequivocally what you’re going to do.

But whatever works for you must obviously work for you. I wouldn’t expect everyone to cycle as I do, it wouldn’t work for everyone all the time.

I guess I don’t like the idea of being intentionally unpredictable when there are so many cyclists that are genuinely unpredictable out of ignorance/stupidity/whatever. It doesn’t represent cyclists well to the rest of the road users.

Imo.

 

[flashback]

Its not that I am wobbling about all over the shop all the time, its more that if I am about to do something that could involve me getting leveled by some cunt in a car, slightly before I take a look over my shoulder, dummy, and test the reactions.

 

[Space]

Its not that I am wobbling about all over the shop all the time, its more that if I am about to do something that could involve me getting leveled by some cunt in a car, slightly before I take a look over my shoulder, dummy, and test the reactions.

Nearly every time I look over my shoulder I tend to dummy. Although not quite intentionally.

 

[flashback]

Nearly every time I look over my shoulder I tend to dummy. Although not quite intentionally.

A lot of the lads in the club would drift when they were looking back, its generally considered polite to put a hand on someone's shoulder when you were looking back.
Its a bit disconcerting the first few times, because there is a lot of pushing and elbowing in the bunch, and when you feel contact you tend to lean onto it, but then there is no resistance, and.. yeah.

I have heard of lads riding into ditches during races because they were looking back so much.

 

[classic seanc]

Changing the subject, but exactly how violent are these cycling races? I don't really watch them, but you and other people often mention elbow's flying around and stuff. Are people really throwing proper digs in the bunch? What do the rules say?

 

[flashback]

Changing the subject, but exactly how violent are these cycling races? I don't really watch them, but you and other people often mention elbow's flying around and stuff. Are people really throwing proper digs in the bunch? What do the rules say?

There are lads who's job it is to keep an eye on things in the bunch.
I actually did this when I was driving outrider in US races. Or actually I didn't. I was told to, but realistically I never looked into the pack, I just made sure the way was clear of old ladies and dogs.

You do hear of people getting reported, but it (was) fairly rare. But yeah, there would be digs thrown, at the worst. Well, I have heard stories of pumps beeing pulled off bikes and stuck in wheels, but I never saw that.
There is always pushing. Always, even in club races there is fierce hard pushing, particularly on the little runty climbery types who look pushable. Ahem.
Digs, yeah, but usually not, I almost got a dig off someone, but he realised I actually was bollixed, and I wasn't just being lazy. Its more verbal usually, all sorts of threats and name calling.
One lad used to fire off snot rockets into lads who he thought were being lazy and sitting on his wheel too much.
Flicking, or Flichen or however you spell it, is another one, where you force them out into traffic or a ditch so they have to hit the brakes.
The classic though was to wait, and reach down to the shifters push them into the wrong chain ring at the start of a climb or sprint. You cant really do that with the new STI type shifters though.

Its mainly psychology, verbal and pushing. There was one lad who would be throwing digs all the time, I forget his name, O'Gorman (?) or something. He was a right prick to a few of the lads, he worked for the Irish Army Rangers but I worked with him in a bike shop and he would never touch me.
But yeah, in reality not that much, its more talk.
The leaning takes a bit of getting used to it has to be said though.


Edit... ALTHOUGH, alright, I wasn't a sprinter, so I never got involved in that shit, but, jaysus, there would be some robust encounters up front, even in the gallop into the sprint. Heads down, elbows out, getting down to fucking business. But, people are watching the lead in and the sprint, so you have to watch yourself to an extent.
This was not my thing though. I would be one of the lads (hopefully) rolling over the line a couple of minutes down the road keeping an eye out for any lads I knew.

 

[oglog]

I got chased the other day by a driver, you know that one driver
who is out of line with the rest of the traffic and sitting on
your corridor? I knocked on his car like 'knock knock' with my hand,
he went mental and chased me for a few streets, i just decided 'fuck
this' got off the bike and stood waiting for him, when he saw me waiting
he slowed then drove by me and then sped off, realising the chase was over.

I think inside a car is a seperate universe for people, once he realised
he'd have to get out of his cocoon he took off!

 

[minka]

If you happen to be heading over to visit a certain architect in amsterdam check out this http://www.kitschkitchen.nl/product/product_uk08.php?pageNum=90&detail=1&totalRows=120&cat_nr=1

in kitsch kitchen, however it does look supremely rob-able but love-able. comes in different wonderful oilcloth patterns.

oh, that's cute! i suspect it would be robbed within seconds if not nailed to the bike, mind.

 

[rettucs]

yeah, that was one of the maddest things I've ever seen. They just came away in his hand. Who was it doing commentary that spotted it straight off (the baldie English lad that used to be with Discovery Channel)? The rest of us had to wait for the replay. Poor old George got a nice broken collarbone out of that one.

another year he was cycling along, came to a complete stop, and fell sideways into a ditch, almost inexplicably. Who knows what to expect out of him

ah this was a bit dull in the end (Paris-Roubaix). Eurosport only showed the last 20km so I think all the interesting stuff had come and gone by then.

With that group of 3, and when Cancellara failed to shake Boonen on the 17th (I think) last section of cobbles, the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Cancellara and Ballan should really have tried to work together to shake off Boonen (though Ballan was really struggling to stay in there).

It was a serious pace over that terrain. Unreal stuff. 298km in 6 hours. Amazing really, when you think about it.

I hope Boonen had a good evening after his win, with his 16-year old girlfriend!

Amstel Gold next week. That was always the race when Lance Armstrong announced his arrival into the new season. I expect the Rabbo boys will be out in force for this. Outside bet - Thomas Dekker. I reckon its a course better suited to Paolo Bettini though.

 

[Hector Grey]

two twits stepped right out in front of me today. one bint was trying to get into a taxi. i braked and my wheel was practically under her nose, as she had he big stupid head stuck in the taxi window, and she still didn't even notice. i should have crashed into her, it's the only way these idiots will learn. lucky for her i was able to clock from her oblivious gait that she was about to put her life on the line before she stepped onto the road, so i was prepared. other twat just walked out onto the cycle lane on o'connell st, step first, look second. he jumped backward and took some abuse. every-fucking-day.

 

[IFF]

ah this was a bit dull in the end (Paris-Roubaix). Eurosport only showed the last 20km so I think all the interesting stuff had come and gone by then.

With that group of 3, and when Cancellara failed to shake Boonen on the 17th (I think) last section of cobbles, the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Cancellara and Ballan should really have tried to work together to shake off Boonen (though Ballan was really struggling to stay in there).

personally i was hoping that ballan would try to make into a real track sprint with the going very slowly and comin g to a ear virtual stop. alas it wasnt to be.

Maaskant rode well in 4th place.

It was a serious pace over that terrain. Unreal stuff. 298km in 6 hours. Amazing really, when you think about it.

I hope Boonen had a good evening after his win, with his 16-year old girlfriend!

i think they broke up. She was too mature for him. Although i do recall him saying they met originally when she was 14 but he thought that was a bit too young!!!!!

Amstel Gold next week. That was always the race when Lance Armstrong announced his arrival into the new season. I expect the Rabbo boys will be out in force for this. Outside bet - Thomas Dekker. I reckon its a course better suited to Paolo Bettini though.

dekker's been doing well lately. what was it? 3rd in Basque Country?

 

[Owen]

A saw some bloke do that "step out first -look second routine" into the cycle lane on Westland Row the other day. A women in the cycle lane clipped him and went down. She was blessed she didn't fall out into any traffic coming up behind her She was livid and rightly so. The guy seemed quite surprised to find that there was someone cycling in the cycle lane. She had a pretty nasty gash on her knee but he didn't seem too concerned. He looked more interested in keeping up a suave demeanour for the benefit of his lady friend.

 

[rettucs]

Mario Cippolini on Candid camera - read the comments below to get the context of whats going on. Hilarious.

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Edit - the comments are on the youtube page. Basically, when they stop with the first punter in the car he tells them that some of their bikes have been robbed by punters in a camper van. Then this van goes by with the bikes on the back. Then see what happens!!

 

[Hector Grey]

A saw some bloke do that "step out first -look second routine" into the cycle lane on Westland Row the other day. A women in the cycle lane clipped him and went down. She was blessed she didn't fall out into any traffic coming up behind her She was livid and rightly so. The guy seemed quite surprised to find that there was someone cycling in the cycle lane. She had a pretty nasty gash on her knee but he didn't seem too concerned. He looked more interested in keeping up a suave demeanour for the benefit of his lady friend.

if i got hurt by one of them jimbos i'd cuff retribution and parity out of them in a flash. cars and motorists aren't the problem out there, no, it's the walkers. knobs.

 

[flashback]

Those boys got off lightly.

Cipo is the sort of lad that would go to work on them with that sledge given half the chance. He used to have a ferocious temper apparently.
A couple of pucks to the head would be the least of your problems. Although I wouldn't fancy getting a kick off him with those cleats.
I dont think he was seeing the funny side when your wan walked out.

 

[flashback]

if i got hurt by one of them jimbos i'd cuff retribution and parity out of them in a flash. cars and motorists aren't the problem out there, no, it's the walkers. knobs.

people have walked out in front of me, and when I have nowhere else to go I will drop the shoulder and lean into them.
That means you use them as a brake, rather than get clipped by them and use sliding along the ground as a brake.