The Richmond Park 3-Lap Challenge

I don't mind the envy, I worry about them crashing into me if I have to evade a deer.

I might be a bit of a blouse, but I find it disquieting when someone I don't know is 2" from my rear wheel- even when they are not naked

Agreed, but flipping out isn't worth that.

^ I agree, but I'd pull away if I could or slow down until they overtook me before I'd tell them to fuck off!

If a sucker does touch your wheel after following 2" behind, they will have more problems than you.

If they follow 2ft behind and you slow quickly, you both have problems.

I like having people sitting on my wheel, whether I know them or not. It keeps me going at the times I might ease up a bit. Regents is a dream for this sort of behaviour. Weirdly though, I wouldnt personally sit behind a stranger. What I guess im saying is, I dont mind being sucked, but I wont do the sucking.

It was more like two feet then two inches. It was also uphill, so there was little chance of an accident due to the pace.

I couldn't give a shit, until the next hill. I can't help it if other riders are compelled to stare at the magnificent behind of an alpha male.

ftfy

If someone sits on my tail, I either drop them or if I'm being a good boy and following my plan slow down until they pass.

It's fucking annoying, especially in winter when I'm constantly firing snot rockets, which they will no doubt get upset about should one hit them.

I don't get it. Is that hippy's behind?

True. Needs more research... http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=1006031801451

I dont mind being sucked, but I wont do the sucking.

It's ok as long as you don't push back.

SOMEONE somewhere somehow PLEASE explain to me what the flying fuck is going on here-

http://app.strava.com/segments/657389

Am I missing something? or is this the kind of cheating one-up-manship that spoils all the results for everyone, that I can expect from Strava in general?..

74.1mph!? No idea what that's about, also 3 laps have always been 20.1 miles previously.

I don't understand, what's wrong, these are times for three laps and the journeys there, right? Click on the distance and it shows what they've really done.

74.1mph!?

That's what I'm talking about. It's impossible to get that speed up on a Superbike round RP let alone a road bike. Just ridiculous that EVERYONE in the top 100 or so places has the same sort of result.

Wonder what the hell it could mean? Is it even possible to 'cheat' the Strava system?...

GPS error? Regent's Park has people doing 200kph+ over some segments :)

Give it an hour or so, it goes wrong fairly often and comes up with crazy speeds- it'll reset itself.

Average was most probably 74.1mph / 3 = 24.7mph

But so many people? I did a 15mile circuit today around London, the GPS signal was lost for a good 15minutes but when it reconnected it just slightly lowered my actual ave. speed because of the straight line it mapped between disconnection > reconnection.

74mph is just wildly off the chart.

I suspect doping.

Meh.. I give up. 1st place isn't/shouldn't be nearly as slow as 20:07, 74 is impossible, and 24.8 is wrong(?).

I am confuse

I think Dammit's probably right, it's obviously just donald ducked at the moment and should get sorted out soon.

It even says I can do the challenge in 34:57.

Actually, should probably take advantage of this and post my new time, can't argue with cold hard stats. Now where did we put that list?

Haha

I'm waiting till the end of Feb (and the end of not drinking) until I'm brave enough to try to beat my previous time. Until then it's going to be 4 lap 2hr jobbies as many times per week as possible

I have just come back from two laps squeezed into my lunch hour. It was a bit windy out there and I was only running at 20:10 per lap.

I was involved in an unpleasant and unsettling incident as I was starting my laps. After I started I passed a guy in blue and black kit* on what I think was a Pinarello (though I can't recall exactly so that could be wrong). He was doing about 25kmh and I was doing about 30kmh, as I usually set off a little over exuberantly. As we came up to the first roundabout a car almost pulled out on me from the left and I shouted at the driver, but I am not sure he heard.

After I crossed the roundabout I think my pace may have dropped a little as the gradient goes up and I started to feel the headwind. In any case, the guy on the Pinarello came past me and took a ten metre lead then slowed down. I'm not sure if he had been drafting me since I passed him, but the thought crossed my mind that he was the type of guy that didn't like to be passed and he had upped his pace to come round me again.

As he slowed down on the section where the gradient increases about two thirds of the way along Sawyer's Hill I came up to his back wheel. He was out of the saddle, and I was seated at first then also out of the saddle. I followed his wheel for about 15 metres, but I did not overlap it. I could have gone past him, but I thought I would like a bit of a prat going past him again after he had just gone past me so I sat behind him.

As we got to the top of the hill, the guy turned around and aggressively shouted 'get off my arse'. I was taken aback, and said 'what', and he repeated himself. I have a short fuse and said 'fuck off, you cunt'. He swore back at me and I asked him if he wanted to continue the conversation off the bike.

We both stopped briefly and then cycled on during the course of which we had an aggressive exchange where he told me that I was ignorant, that if I wanted to suck his wheel I should have asked him, and he questioned my cycling experience and ability. I certainly swore at him again, repeating what I had said initially.

Then I realised this was all a bit ridiculous, said 'we must have got our wires crossed' and asked if he was happy for me to ride alongside him. I was trying to defuse the situation, but that may not have come across. He remained very angry and told me 'I was the same as all the other London twats'. At that, I rode away from him and I think he turned off at the roundabout at the Richmond Gate.

I have tried not to gloss this account in my own favour. I don't know if the guy is on here or reads the forum, but I would like to sincerely apologise for the language and the aggression that I showed, both of which were unacceptable. At the same time, I would hope that the guy recognises that if he has a problem with how others are riding he can put that point across in a less aggressive and more constructive manner in future. Cyclists have got enough issues with using the roads, never mind them being highly discourteous to one another.

• For the avoidance of doubt, it wasn't CS Grupetto kit. In fact it wasn't club kit at all.
  
  

Sounds like the same bloke I had an almost identical encounter with (though I managed to bite my tongue). He overtook at foot of Broomfield, slowed dramatically. Discretion made me sit a few feet behind going up, but it was getting ludicrously slow. Then at top he stopped to come back down again, giving me a volley of abuse as I went past for wheel-sucking.

I expect he over-estimates his abilities. Who knows what he would do/say if one had the temerity to overtake him. Sad sack.

When were you out? It must be the same guy. Well done for keeping your cool.

What Sam said. In the segment listing, Strava adds the speeds of laps together. I'm not paying for it, so I don't care. It's just a fancy training diary.