Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 19:12:52 GMT

[quote user="Ian Mostyn"]PS not going to join in the Pandora's box discussion other than to say most road users could afford to be more considerate of everyone else.[/quote] Spoilsport.

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Ian Mostyn — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 18:03:30 GMT

[quote user="Simon Neuhoff"]Ian I am unfortunately a very poor runner - for me it is going to be a case of slowly slogging up the hills with the bike over the shoulder! I should make up some tyime in the downhill bits as I am fairly competent on the mtb and should hold my own on the rideable uphill and road sections but I suspect it is going to be a very long and very hard day. I got roped into this one by a friend who is an accomplished fell runner - probably in revenge for roping HIM into the Etape![/quote]

It just worried me when it said 6 - 8km is unrideable! Why would you do this???? As a road cyclist I don't quite understand why you would want to carry your bike up a hill. I wish you the best of luck and a sturdy shoulder. I shall have a small wry smile when I cycle down the route, sticking to the nice tarmac.

Ian

PS not going to join in the Pandora's box discussion other than to say most road users could afford to be more considerate of everyone else.

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Simon Neuhoff — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 17:52:17 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"]

[quote user="Simon Neuhoff"]Cyclists fall under the Highway Code just like all other road users. There is no requirement to pull over but they "should not" rider more than two abreast, should ride in single file on narrow roads and should be considerate to other road users.[/quote] As I understand it there is no rule that cyclists must ride single file on a narrow road only that it may polite to do so if they holding up traffic. Anyway Plantagenet is complaining about solo cyclists as well hence most of my indignation.

[/quote]

Martin the Highway code has "must"s that are a legal requirements and "should"s that are recommendations. the single file bit is a should. As a driver as well as a cyclist I am well aware of the frustration that being stuck behind slow traffic can cause - we are all human! (How we react to that frustration is the important bit!) As such I tend to move over to the left when it is safe for me to do so to let drivers through. Sometimes I will even pull over to the side to let people through if it seems like the best option.

I am not an angel, or a cycling apologist. I can be very asserive about my road position when it is in my best interest to do so - like when approaching pinch points etc. Generlaly though I just want to enjoy my ride and I prefer not to have an irritated driver on my tail. I also find that by and large when I behave with consideration most people respond well to that.

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:55:44 GMT

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Simon Neuhoff — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 15:35:34 GMT

[quote user="plantagenet"]

As the post Olympic/Tour de France bike hysteria mounts (ha ha) my way mostly home from work, but sometimes to, is increasingly hampered by single or packs of cyclists - going irritatingly slow (compared with a car going too and from work) along roads just narrow enough not to be able to pass safely but fast enough to allow cars to travel reasonably fast. They rather smugly ignore the queues of traffic behind while hay wagons and tractors pull over obligingly to allow cars to pass - as indicated in the highway code. Is there a cycling code of conduct.

[/quote]

I am not aware of any requirement or "indication" for tractors or hay wagons to pull over in the Highway Code - can you expand on this?

Cyclists fall under the Highway Code just like all other road users. There is no requirement to pull over but they "should not" rider more than two abreast, should ride in single file on narrow roads and should be considerate to other road users.

As a rule cyclists do tend to pick narrower roads - the traffic is usually lighter and slower than busier A roads etc. This does make overtaking a bit more awkward of course but is probably safer for all concerned. I say probbaly because sometimes I think straighter, wider A roads that afford more room and visibility might be safer in spite of the higher traffic speeds - counter intuitive perhaps and I tend to avoid these in any case as they are unpleasant to ride on.

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 15:25:42 GMT

[quote user="plantagenet"] Is there a cycling code of conduct.[/quote]

Rather sadly you, (as a motorist) are bottom of the pecking list as far as road usage which goes: pedestrian> horses>bicycles>motorised vehicles - you clearly have a different highway code to the rest of us! How about getting off your arse and onto a bike and see what it is like to have impatient motorists behind you who can't be bothered waiting a few seconds and you may change your tune. You are the smug one thinking you have priority over other road users and for the record, as a cyclist (you may never have guessed) I get more annoyed by drivers who are not skilled enough to overtake me so they sit behind for ages when I know I could have overtaken 10 times, perhaps you ought to look at your own driving skills first.

PS if you reply please don't play the 'I pay road tax' card because next time you may just be stuck behind a Toyota Prius and road tax was abolished by Winston Churchill!

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

plantagenet — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 15:10:05 GMT

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Simon Neuhoff — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 14:18:13 GMT

[quote user="Ian Mostyn"]

You will have to let me know what it is like. I am doing the Helwith Bridge Duathlon later in October and the cycle route is largely the on-road bit you will be doing so it will be interesting to hear what it is like. It sounds like you might be doing as much running as me though but at least I don't have to lump my bike around! Hope you have a good time.

Ian

[/quote]

Ian I am unfortunately a very poor runner - for me it is going to be a case of slowly slogging up the hills with the bike over the shoulder! I should make up some tyime in the downhill bits as I am fairly competent on the mtb and should hold my own on the rideable uphill and road sections but I suspect it is going to be a very long and very hard day. I got roped into this one by a friend who is an accomplished fell runner - probably in revenge for roping HIM into the Etape!

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Ian Mostyn — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 09:07:25 GMT

[quote user="Mark Holmes"]Felt Z6, it's been in the living room all week so I can stroke it.[/quote]

I hope everyone who has come to the house has had the guided tour. I have to leave mine in the garage but it is not quite as nice as yours. Have you tried it out properly yet?

[quote user="Simon Neuhoff"]Enough drivel frm me though - it is a beautiful day, I have the weekend off and I am off on my current favourite bike - my new cyclocrosser. Training for the 3 Peaks in just 3 weeks time![/quote]

[quote user="Simon Neuhoff"]

For the OP - worth noting that life does not begin and end at the Tour, or even the Grand Tours. There are lots of week long stage races too and for many the greatest races are the one day Classics at the beginning of the year.

[/quote]

There are plenty of races / rides that you can do yourself. Around here there are the Great Manchester Cycle, Cycle with Bradley Sportive, 3 peaks Cyclocross and a 1001 other time trials, sportives, hill climbs etc. I find it adds the extra incentive to training if you have a race planned in the future. The Tour of Britain starts tomorrow as well.

Ian

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Simon Neuhoff — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 08:34:49 GMT

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Simon Neuhoff — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 08:32:44 GMT

[quote user="Ian Mostyn"]

You went to the wrong stage. Either watch it live on TV, follow it on the internet (Le Tour has a much better website than La Vuelta with the Giro somewhere in the middle - would help if I spoke more Italian) or watch a time trial. I managed 2 hours in Chartres watching the time-trial with a cyclist every 2 minutes or so but it was the whole crowd, policeman, the helicopters, motorbikes, team cars. it was an experience in its whole and I got some good photos.

The buzz comes though from getting to the top of a steep hill before your lungs explode, hitting 40mph + on a decent descent, the great view in the countryside but also the buzz of feeling truly alive. Then we get to racing .... beating a personal best, beating someone on a (much) more expensive bike and the roar of the crowd. It is a fantastic high having someone at the side of the road cheering you on whether it is a marshal or a loved one. Definitely worth a few seconds at the end with a sprint finish.

Get on your bike, get fitter & healthier and get that buzz.

Ian

PS I still need to work on Gillian before attempting an Etape. One year........

[/quote]

Iam we watched the Olympic TT in Kingston which had the best atmosphere of any live event I've ever been to. The prologue of the Tour in London in 2007 was nearly as good.

That said though I think the best places to watch the Tour are on the high mountains where the real drama takes place. We were on Ventoux in 2009 where Wiggins rode so bravely so save his fourth place and on the Tourmalet this year. An estimatd 700 000 people went up Ventoux in 2009 to watch and the carnival atmosphere was great. It was a bit absurd from one point of view - a long buildup for what was 12 minutes of action on the day but we thought it well worth it. What other sport is there where you can watch the pros come past literally a metre away?

Enough drivel frm me though - it is a beautiful day, I have the weekend off and I am off on my current favourite bike - my new cyclocrosser. Training for the 3 Peaks in just 3 weeks time!

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Mark Holmes — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 06:48:26 GMT

Felt Z6, it's been in the living room all week so I can stroke it. The wife has offered to move out if the bedroom should I need some quiet time with it! I managed to extend the budget. (By crawling like a beaten dog at her feet with a begging bowl) there really is no limit to how pathetic I am prepared to look if I want something. I found it really difficult to find a 61cm frame, which it turns out I need.

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Rob Reid — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 23:31:41 GMT

Not been to see Le Tour in the flesh but I can see the appeal. Have enjoyed following it on Eurosport and Channel 4/ITV for a about 15 years now, brings back good memories of holidays spent there as a child, will definitely be a trip I will make at some stage.

Not into road cycling myself, I need a dirt track, some thicker tyres, suspension and a few obstacles personally but I can see why people do it - similar buzz from what Ian says. Mind you, having just had a nasty crash yesterday writing off a bike and being fortunate to escape with just some pedal cuts the sport does have its downs as well (as a fellow forum member has of course sadly found out.) It's well worth it for the highs though.

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Ian Mostyn — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 23:19:30 GMT

What bike did you get in the end?

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Mark Holmes — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 23:00:06 GMT

My bike arrived, looks fabulous mat carbon colour and the visable weave looks fantastic. I have had a couple of short trips out this week, feels incredible. I am however totally paranoid about coming off and scrapping the frame. I understand carbon is less forgiving when it comes to tarmac than metal, and I daren't clamp it to my bike carrier. These things I didn't appreciate when going for the carbon model. Hey ho

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Roger Meacock — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 22:59:49 GMT

I think the fascination for me with watching Le Tour or any cycling is the appreciation of the skill/fitness involved having nearly reached those dizzy heights of fitness that I'd love to return to but never quite find the time to!! Having experienced the thrill of descending the mountains in the Alps and the pain of long climbs it never ceases to impress me how much better the professional cyclists are than I ever was.

My problem when getting back on my bike now is that I expect to average 18mph as a minimum and can't understand why I can no longer average 22mph + for a 20 mile ride as I used to when training every day!! I'm also conscious that my bike that was state of the art when I bought it has been surpassed on all fronts by modern bikes and my frequency of riding doesn't justify the expense in buying a new one although I'd love to give one a go and feel how much better they are ... or are they?!

Roger

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Ian Mostyn — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 22:15:30 GMT

Get on your bike, get fitter & healthier and get that buzz.

Ian

PS I still need to work on Gillian before attempting an Etape. One year........

Re: Researching Vets and Pushbikes

Simon Neuhoff — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 20:49:55 GMT

Greatest show on earth man ;-)

Now if the bug REALLY bites you could buy yourself a pushbike and try to emulate these incredible people (for one day anyway) by taking part in the Etape du Tour. All you need to do is propel said push bike over the Alps or Pyrenees (depends on the route which changes from year to year). If you're any good it will take you around 9 hours. It takes me longer than that of course.