Strangely I wonder if the person complaining about the "ride faster" comment could be referring to me, but the events are very different...
I was going along from London Bridge to Bricklayers Arms, (that left turn at Borough, followed by the long stretch without any lights after the crossing) and halfway down there a group of cyclists all come out from a minor road on my right hand side, onto the main road.
They look right, then left, and maybe four or so come to join the road which was (apart from me) clear of traffic (effectively turning right from the minor road). I was in primary and forced into what could effectively be a secondary position, because as I am cycling at a fairly fast pace, I see the group of cyclists from the junction coming into the lane, and needed to not cycle into whoever would cut me up. As I have right of way, it became a bit difficult.
I had to slow quite abruptly because I see a number of other cyclists coming down on me, but at this very point one of them neither slows to come behind me, nor accelerates to be in front. I am left with another rider converging on me, and with only the choice to cycle faster to avoid a potential collision, or slam on my brakes, to the same effect.
Considering an alternative perspective like for @BobbyBriggs I wonder how else it could have worked. That one of the four (it could have been three, it could have been five, it was days ago now) followed the pack but continued to cycle into my path, and at a much slower pace - they were going to cycle into me if I couldn't pass on the inside. They should have entered the road behind me, or at worse beside me like the others. However, their trajectory and speed meant they would cycle and be in front of me at a slower pace, or go into me. I had to swerve and undertake, or slow to nearly a stop, to reposition behind them, then overtake properly.
From my perspective there were four or so cyclists who as a group considered the road clear to enter, but only three were going at a pace and joining in effectively the primary position. In an ideal world they should not have entered the major road until I had passed, but they instead surrounded me as I was merry on my way.
At the point of the one cyclist forcing me to maneuver sharply, and twice making turning motions practically into me, I said quite frustrated, "if you're going to do that, you should at least go a bit faster", where, if they had been a little faster, there was room for them to be in front of me.
I'm sure I was in every way in the wrong for having right of way, and being angry that a cyclist slowly cycled into my side, but it was frustrating enough to remark they should be going faster if they wanted to cut me up like that - at that pace, had I not looked, we would have both gone down.
This is when polo is great, either a) you have the skills to check people off the road when they try to cut you up or b) you ride everywhere on a stupid spiny gear so will never be going fast enough to have that problem.
Strangely I wonder if the person complaining about the "ride faster" comment could be referring to me, but the events are very different...
I was going along from London Bridge to Bricklayers Arms, (that left turn at Borough, followed by the long stretch without any lights after the crossing) and halfway down there a group of cyclists all come out from a minor road on my right hand side, onto the main road.
They look right, then left, and maybe four or so come to join the road which was (apart from me) clear of traffic (effectively turning right from the minor road). I was in primary and forced into what could effectively be a secondary position, because as I am cycling at a fairly fast pace, I see the group of cyclists from the junction coming into the lane, and needed to not cycle into whoever would cut me up. As I have right of way, it became a bit difficult.
I had to slow quite abruptly because I see a number of other cyclists coming down on me, but at this very point one of them neither slows to come behind me, nor accelerates to be in front. I am left with another rider converging on me, and with only the choice to cycle faster to avoid a potential collision, or slam on my brakes, to the same effect.
Considering an alternative perspective like for @BobbyBriggs I wonder how else it could have worked. That one of the four (it could have been three, it could have been five, it was days ago now) followed the pack but continued to cycle into my path, and at a much slower pace - they were going to cycle into me if I couldn't pass on the inside. They should have entered the road behind me, or at worse beside me like the others. However, their trajectory and speed meant they would cycle and be in front of me at a slower pace, or go into me. I had to swerve and undertake, or slow to nearly a stop, to reposition behind them, then overtake properly.
From my perspective there were four or so cyclists who as a group considered the road clear to enter, but only three were going at a pace and joining in effectively the primary position. In an ideal world they should not have entered the major road until I had passed, but they instead surrounded me as I was merry on my way.
At the point of the one cyclist forcing me to maneuver sharply, and twice making turning motions practically into me, I said quite frustrated, "if you're going to do that, you should at least go a bit faster", where, if they had been a little faster, there was room for them to be in front of me.
I'm sure I was in every way in the wrong for having right of way, and being angry that a cyclist slowly cycled into my side, but it was frustrating enough to remark they should be going faster if they wanted to cut me up like that - at that pace, had I not looked, we would have both gone down.