Commuter Cup Racing

[Mugglechops]

I had a win yesterday. I left work at the same time as another guy who was riding a Cell roadie. I was in front on the flat but then he took me on the downhill. I caught him again and the first uphill I flew past him and he never caught me.

I was pretty happy beating a roadie on my setup

[find_bruce]

Bonus points for you, off to the room of mirrors for the roadie to have a good hard look at himself.

I have a good chuckle on my commute when people pass me on the way up the Anzac Bridge, take the shortest way to the city over the Pyrmont Bridge & then look very puzzled as to how I have got in front of them on King St - they don't realise I have taken the long way that adds about 1km to the trip, but avoids not only the abomination that is Pyrmont Bridge but also 6 sets of bicycle lights (6 seconds of green every 2 minutes) & so is significantly quicker.

[queequeg]

CCR!....forgot this existed. Commuting on an R5 cervelo means never getting any ccr points......but I got some the other day by passing a couple of Conti team blokes out cruising That counts yeah?

I commuted on my S5 the week before last, the first time I have done that. Set some ridiculous number of PRs going both ways, so now I'll most likely not see many cups on Strava for a very long time. I get taunted by a friend who regularly commutes on his S5 and averages something like 43km/h (motorway shoulder bike lane all the way!). I make sure I'm on the front when commuting with him so he can't ride away

[tez001]

Bonus points for you, off to the room of mirrors for the roadie to have a good hard look at himself.

I have a good chuckle on my commute when people pass me on the way up the Anzac Bridge, take the shortest way to the city over the Pyrmont Bridge & then look very puzzled as to how I have got in front of them on King St - they don't realise I have taken the long way that adds about 1km to the trip, but avoids not only the abomination that is Pyrmont Bridge but also 6 sets of bicycle lights (6 seconds of green every 2 minutes) & so is significantly quicker.

Still a bit iffy and havent accustomed to using the Western Duistributor. First and only time I tried it, the pinch point along there didnt leave a good feeling with me.

[Chris249]

I've been getting over a respiratory infection so took the slow bike (CX with panniers and slicks) and a back road for the third day running. Cruising gently along, I am suddenly bounced and passed by a young guy on an old Dutch-style bike with blown wheel bearings, furiously pedalling.

Sorry, chest, I know I'm supposed to be resting but sometimes you just can't let someone pass you in a blaze of (apparent) smugness. So I increased the pace, sat behind him (but too far back to draft) whistling nonchalantly for a couple of blocks, waited for his big effort to hit him, and then kicked up the pace a bit to whistle past at about 75% effort and 10-15 kmh extra pace.

He had turned off by the next lights so I resumed my gentle sick old man pace. On arriving home, I met my wife who had met the same guy on her route home (very close to mine) apparently looking very pissed off but playing the same trick of sprinting past people and then blowing up.

Yep, I know I shouldn't have risen to the bait, but rules are rules...... if you are going to charge past someone, you have to be able to hold on that pace until one of you reaches their normal route home and turns off.

Hopefully next week the chest will be clear and I can get back to CCR racing on the TT bike, now track season is over. On the TT bike you can't actually earn any CCR points, but the speed is bliss. Or do the CCR rules include an age-weighted handicap system to allow those of us who are going to be (young) grandparents soon a chance to compete against the kids?

[warthog1]

Not much ccr action for me lately.
However I came across a contender on the rocky descent from one tree hill.
I caught him on the straight section of the descent thinking I'd be right on his tail through the twisting bit of single track ahead.
No dice.
He absolutely nailed thosd bends.
The traction he had was amazing.
Left me so far behind I didn't even see which way he went.
The only trace was a flicking branch as I came out of the bends.
Gone!

https://photos.smugmug.com/Animals/Mars ... 2621-L.jpg

[g-boaf]

There was nobody else riding at 4:50am in the morning.

In any case, I don't go quickly on the commutes unless I'm running late - I ride fast enough not to be slow, but not so fast that I'll get overheated and sweaty. So that means around 27-29km/h average speed.

I was lazy this morning though, commuted to the station and jumped on the train with the bike and slept for about 45 minutes, then did 45 minutes of sprint intervals - 238w average and 273w NP.

[warthog1]

There was nobody else riding at 4:50am in the morning. .

Middle of the bloody night, that is why

I hate getting out of bed. You won't see me on a bike at that time either

[g-boaf]

There was nobody else riding at 4:50am in the morning. .

Middle of the bloody night, that is why

I hate getting out of bed. You won't see me on a bike at that time either

Heh, it's what happens when you live quite a distance away from where you work. You spend a lot of the day commuting to and from work.

[warthog1]

I'm not surprised in an expensive city like Sydney.
Good k's and much more pleasant than sitting inside your car gridlocked.

[eldavo]

The closest I've come to a scalp, saw later on video review rider I passed seemed to swing out and spin up for the draught. Road bike with backpack, versus 29x3 road trail.




Earlier in the year shortly after getting the 29 plus bike, I found this area is the golden spot for long straight flat coastal path with tail wind to punch above your weight. I hit 40kph yesterday on my fat bike No scalp claimed in this one although, just caught up and sat out testing the new bike at that stage.

[mikesbytes]

Ahhh so the overtaken rider took maximum advantage of the short lived slipstream before hiding defeat by turning off

[cancan64]

I took the 29er to work the other week and was passed by a carbon road bike at a set of lights so I thought I would take full advantage and sit behind him... when he noticed he picked the pace up which I matched... he then shook his head and upped the pace which I also matched... another shake of the head and the paced increased again which I matched... then once he didnt shake me at 40km/hr he backed off so I passed him ...thankfully he passed me as I stopped at another set of lights as I was stuffed

[mikesbytes]

On cooks river I couldn't resist the temptation to overtake two roadies I was riding a BSO with flat pedals, a child seat and a child

Hopefully they didn't notice that my quads were bigger than their quads combined

[Ant_S]

Just found this topic, I don't run into many people going my way and riding fairly seriously on my commute but I do see the odd few. I actually thought I was in the minority feeling competitive over it haha

Not sure where I sit in the 'points system' - I wear lycra (find it comfier, easier drying etc) & have SPD-SLs (found my feet were flexing/getting sore with clips) however I ride a steel frame single speed on 28c's which is built for reliability over weight, & carry all my clothing to/from work. Most people I tend to dice with are on carbon with nice wheels & I know from riding my TCR it does help when you really get pushing!

I had my first couple of 'proper' CCR dices late last year, the best was with 2 other guys and all of us were taking it pretty seriously. We were all spread out then all closed up and basically chopped and changed for ~10km on a clear cycle path in ~26deg weather & slight headwinds. Set a bunch of PBs but it was taxing, I got to my turn and they kept on.

Unfortunately I got a bad cold for a week, then an ear infection with bad sinuses then Christmas so I missed about 2.5weeks of riding. Got back into it over Christmas break but got dropped off by a couple of guys on my usual ride route gotta build back up!

[Shpox]

Just a quick question for you guys. How do you deal with dangerous riders?

I commute 15km each way as I don't often get moments to train during the week. Early mornings and afternoons to and from work.

I go pretty hard on my ride and stay in Zone 4 and Zone 5 most of the way through. I'm on bikepaths and there usually isn't anyone around, so this is pretty easy. Even so, the aim is to get to work safe and sound and some sections are just not possible to do quickly safely, which is fine.

Everyone now and then, a train will form, but I often get worried about guys overlapping my rear wheel. I'll do all manner of hand signalling, especially when overtaking, to make things safer, but sometimes the suck is strong. Usually don't have a problem with sitting on, but there was this one guy who I caught pretty much overlapping every time I looked over my shoulder and really don't want to get taken out. I countered this by just hammering a few watt bombs till he popped off, but I can't always see what's going on behind me.

[jasonc]

I countered this by just hammering a few watt bombs till he popped off, but I can't always see what's going on behind me.

3 options:
Speed up
Slow down
Tell them

I don't have too many issues on my commute thankfully

[chriso_29er]

Had a couple of interesting CCR challenges recently as been riding my old 90's MTB with knoby tyres for my 35km each way commute.

First one was I came up slowly behind a full road bike in all the getup. We seemed to be riding at a similar pace so was planning on just sitting back (not very ccr lol). But the red mist got to me after a short time so went for the overtake and upped the intensity. He dropped in behind and drafted me for the next 6.5km, before saying "thanks for the tow, its inspired me to try harder" lol. At this point the route goes from flatish to a 3% climb where I promply gave some more inspiration by dropping him and gaining 300m by the time we reached the top

2nd one was on a 10km stretch which has some nice rolling hills.
Road bike came out of knowhere and blew past me up the first incline. (challenge accepted lol)
Upped the intensity and kept the same gap up over the crest and down the other side. As the route flattened he seemed to back right off (blew up?). So I passed and kept a nice steady intensity.
Next hill he did it again! Before passing him yet again over the other side. 3rd and final hill before work it was on, but on the 13kg MTB on knobies couldn't quite get the win . No doubt I would have passed again but he turned off shortly after.

[Baalzamon]

So I've got a mirror on my bike. I'd been looking and no one is near me. Next thing I'm being overtaken . REALLY IT'S ON. I was holding on about 3m behind him, then a lil bump occurred 2-3m rise. He slows down, I power up hold my speed and got a 3rd fastest time on strava for myself for that section. He didn't pass me again

[caneye]

I countered this by just hammering a few watt bombs till he popped off, but I can't always see what's going on behind me.

3 options:
Speed up
Slow down
Tell them

I don't have too many issues on my commute thankfully

am i wrong to think that the guy who's sucking your wheel is more at risk of falling than you are?
(interested to hear thoughts on this)

[silentC]

Road bike came out of knowhere and blew past me up the first incline.

I had the same thing in reverse once. This guy would blow past me every time the road went downhill and I would catch him and overtake on the climbs. As I rode past him for the third time, I said "it's a lot harder going up hill, isn't it?"

[Mulger bill]

am i wrong to think that the guy who's sucking your wheel is more at risk of falling than you are?
(interested to hear thoughts on this)

Nope, takes a decent shove of the rear to destabilise the bike. Almost nothing on the front, a slight flick up front can be all it takes as wheel deflection will snap the weight sideways very quickly

[ironhanglider]

am i wrong to think that the guy who's sucking your wheel is more at risk of falling than you are?
(interested to hear thoughts on this)

Nope, takes a decent shove of the rear to destabilise the bike. Almost nothing on the front, a slight flick up front can be all it takes as wheel deflection will snap the weight sideways very quickly

Whilst the rear rider is more at risk from a touch of wheels, if the front rider needs to brake suddenly the resulting collision is usually
worse for the front rider.

As per jasonc's suggestion, slowing down is the most reliable way of getting rid of a klingon. In extreme cases you can of go
"Phssssssss.... Oh Pooh" and slow down dramatically.

Cheers,

Cameron

[Kev365428]

As I rode past him for the third time, I said "it's a lot harder going up hill, isn't it?"

This happens to me quite often, but I'm the one doing the passing on the downhill and being passed on the uphill.

At 94kg, going slow downhill isn't always an option.

Gravity loves a fat-man.

Kev.

[mikesbytes]

I was the victim of CCR. I had a gym class that finished at 8.30am and a training course that started at 9am. So not a lot of time to get there. Those that know Sydney we are talking Moore Park to CBD (above Hunter connection). Not a huge distance but would take way too long by public transport so the best option was to put the bike on the car and leave the bike at the gym, a perfectly good option except it was bucketing down.

I had taken my BSO an old steel bike with a kiddies seat, flat pedals and 26*1.95 knobbly tyres which hadn't been pumped up lately.

Riding in the pouring rain I was gunning it down Oxford st matching the traffic speed. I overtook a guy on a flat bar commuter with say 28mm road tyres and then next thing the guy has hit the gas gaining say 10kph and gone past.

At the college st lights I'm thinking "lets have some fun" while my bike was way slower than his I knew my legs generated probably twice the power, though they were tired from just doing 2 classes in the gym. I power off the lights leaving him behind, the guy digs deep and catches me about half way to Park st, flys past. there no way that my BSO could go that fast

So the park st lights I gun it again and leave him in my wake of acceleration. This time he hits the acceleration and catches me a little earlier, not far into the uphill bit and rides away from me.

Conclusion, it was some good fun that distracted from bucketing rain.

Finally I'm flying down Hunter st and realisation bounces in... do the brakes work in the wet? how much grip do Kmart style knoblies provide in the wet? I kill the speed. Fortunately the brakes do work and the under inflated tyres provided adequate grip.

Arrived at my destination 5 minutes prior to the class, just enough time to buy breakfast - coffee and croissant (not up to usual standards but better than nothing) and change my clothes