The Richmond Park 3-Lap Challenge

I hit "interval" on my 'puter.

Have you loaded the course profile of RP into your vrturbo yet?

Nein, I sold it

And don't any of you lot just have a watch?

Some do

And don't any of you lot just have a watch?

Says the man with the garmin watch.

Yes. Well. It also tells the time.

Badly.

There's a good write up here.

However, nowhere is a bicycle defined as a vehicle for the purposes of many of these Acts, other than in the RTA.

It's an open point as to whether any tickets for speeding bicycles are valid or not.

Indeed, since the 2010 Amendment to the Royal Parks Regulations it's a bit tricky.

This thread on the CTC forum has more info:-

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=57207&sid=cf5407f0617e575bb2e056e5ae16c9b0

Simply put, if you think "“vehicle” means a mechanically propelled vehicle intended or adapted for use on a road." applies to a bicycle (as Europe does) then the 20mph limit applies to cyclists. If you think "mechanically propelled" applies just to motor vehicles then it doesn't.

Prior to 2010 the original law simply stated "vehicle" which would have, unambiguously, covered bicycles too. But it was only in 2004 when the speed limit, for all "vehicles" was reduced to 20mph in RP that it really became a problem for cyclists (30mph is easy downhill but fast people average 20mph+ for an entire lap).

The fact that cyclists are being done for 20mph+ speeding in RP means that the plod do believe that the existing regulations also apply to cycles.

You're welcome to have a conflicting opinion of the wording or meaning of the law, but that isn't going to stop you getting pulled and ticketed if the plod are there with a speed camera.

If you do get pulled for 20mph+ in RP and get ticketed, and you truly believe the law doesn't apply to cycles, then feel free to challenge it by taking it to court and get a ruling and, ideally, create a precedent.

As "blondwig" says in the comments of the page you linked to:

"
So it seems that the point is an open one. It would be possible to challenge a speeding fine given to a cyclist in one of the parks on this ground, but I don’t think it’s possible to say with any confidence that the challenge would succeed – i.e. that a bicycle isn’t a vehicle under the RPR (so that the speed limits *don’t *apply).
"

"driven or ridden" in the regulations is a key phrase; in most other legislation a motorbike is still "driven" so the "ridden" must be there to mean something.

"Good luck..."

Sod the lawyers tying themselves in knots to misunderstand the meaning of words. I'm sure at the right times and with sufficient care it can be done with reasonable safety, but between the pedestrians, the deer, the slower cyclists, the roller-skiers and the 20 limited cars, Richmond Park is not somewhere we should expect to be able to go faster than 20. If you're consistently exceeding 20 it's time you moved on to proper TTs. Pass the three lap challenge and then move on.

If you're consistently exceeding 20 it's time you moved on to proper TTs. Pass the three lap challenge and then move on.

Yes - fast people can fuck off

If you're constantly under 20 it's high time you got your 3 lap stats up on the scoreboard to make me look a little less tardy!

Anti-Clockwise___________

• 6pt - 53:20 (F - 84")
  
• 6pt - 53:30 (G)
  
• Brain-Stew - 54.17 (G)
  
• Bouncy - 56:21 (G)
  
• Jacobjd - 57:02 (F - 90"
  
• Erik Jonsson - 58:11 (G)
  
• IAmNotARobot - 58.13 (G)
  
• Bainbridge - 58:58 (G)
  
• joe smiff - 59:21 (G)
  
• FixedCheese - 59:24 (G)
  
• chris0 - 59.26 (G)
  
• T-V - 59.30 (G)
  
• adoubletap - 59.30 (G)
  
• Damo - 59:39 (G)
  
• Commie - 59:40 (G)
  
• FixedCheese - 59:42 (F - 74")
  
• Pharoahsanders - 1:00.15 (G)
  
• dancing james - 1:00:34 (G)
  
• Hovis - 1:00:43 (G)
  
• Bouncy - 1:00:54 (F - 72")
  
• william1984 - 1:00:59 (G)
  
• Olly398 - 1:01:00 (G)
  
• toby.d - 1:02:45 (G)
  
• vunugu - 1:02:50 (F - 79.6")
  
• Rod Munch - 1:03:32 (G)
  
• edscoble - 1:03:45 (G)
  
• Wrongcog - 1:03:54 (G)
  
• willski - 1:04:30 (F - 76")
  
• edscoble - 1:04:50 (SS)
  
• Doutzki - 1:04:59 (F - 75.5")
  
• Sandy_l - 1:05:28 (G)
  
• smiff - 1:06:15 (F - 67")
  
• Sam - 1:07:06 (G) - pootle, chatting for 90% of it
  
• Damo - 1:07:06 (F) - pootle, chatting for 90% of it
  
• dst - 1:10:17 (G)
  
• Sparky - 1:10:23 (G)
  
• Sparky - 1:12:05 (F - 48:18)
  
• amey - 1:16:44 (G)
  
  
  

Clockwise________________

• Bainbridge 00.57.58 (G) (http://app.strava.com/rides/5978358 Laps 2-4)
  
• HÏnáta - 00:59:21 (G)
  
• muleboy - 1:00:57
  
• Señor Bear - 1:01:48
  (G)
  
• jimmyjazz - 1:03:00
  
• webof - 1:13:15
  <- Trispok of Regret award for inappropriate wheel choice
  <- the FixedCheese Babybel of Speed award for fastest fixed rider
  <- the EdScoble Brompton of Insanity award for fastest time on a foldable bike
  

Why thank you!

I'm more of a....um.....sprinter......

Yeah.... me too.

If you're constantly under 20 it's high time you got your 3 lap stats up on the scoreboard to make me look a little less tardy!

Trying to find the time! Just finished my penultimate assignment for OU Maths degree; needs to be posted off today. So one more assingment (mid-September) and one exam (mid-October) and I get back quite a few hours of my week. If I am going to do the 24h TT next year I need to put some decent miles in.

I got down to ~63min the last few years (67" fixed) but never broke the hour, but this is the pace that I can maintain for hours for long distance stuff. Pacing easier on the geared bike with a PowerTap hub but where's the fun in that? Will hopefully get some time Saturday to bulk up the bottom of the table with a ~72m or so effort.

Trying to find the time! Just finished my penultimate assignment for OU Maths degree; needs to be posted off today. So one more assingment (mid-September) and one exam (mid-October) and I get back quite a few hours of my week. If I am going to do the 24h TT next year I need to put some decent miles in.

I got down to ~63min the last few years (67" fixed) but never broke the hour, but this is the pace that I can maintain for hours for long distance stuff. Pacing easier on the geared bike with a PowerTap hub but where's the fun in that? Will hopefully get some time Saturday to bulk up the bottom of the table with a ~72m or so effort.
67" is too low for me. I only managed 66 or something on that, although that was with risers :) I reckon I could do it on low 70s... Maybe 48x18 or 17. 17 might be a bit harsh on some sections.

67" (46x18) is my usual gear for long or hilly rides: Paris-Brest-Paris 1200km Audax (10000m climbing), London-Edinburgh-London 1400km (10000m climbing), Elenith 300km Audax (4800m climbing), Bryan Chapman 600km Audax (8200m climbing).

I just can't be arsed to change it for commuting (12km, pan flat) or blatting around the park and so I'm stuck with it.

I should probably move to 72" (46x17) as that's what I plan on using on the 24h TT next year.

or get gears......

bike radar >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> :)

or get gears......

Where's the fun in that?

Ironically my fastest descent of Bastard Hill is 63.4kph (196rpm on 67") and only 62kph on the geared Wilier (even with 50x12 at my disposal), but then I descend like Thora Hird on a Stannah Stair Lift.

Hypothetically of course, as that's way beyond the 20mph speed limit in the park...

I always descend that hill like I am towing Mrs Daisy in a trailor behind me.

I have The Fear that someone in a silver 4X4 will come howling round the bend on the wrong side of the road, and I'll be going too fast to take evasive action.

I always descend that hill like I am towing Mrs Daisy in a trailor behind me.

I have The Fear that someone in a silver 4X4 will come howling round the bend on the wrong side of the road, and I'll be going too fast to take evasive action.

This, coupled with the Strava climbing challenge, is why I just had to buy £30 of brake blocks. Grumble.

I have The Fear that someone in a silver 4X4 will come howling round the bend on the wrong side of the road, and I'll be going too fast to take evasive action.

Not even that, I was doing some night-time laps (so no cars to worry about) with a friend and a badger ran out across the road just in front of us as we were doing 30mph+ down the hill. Could have been painful...

Not even that, I was doing some night-time laps (so no cars to worry about) with a friend and a badger ran out across the road just in front of us as we were doing 30mph+ down the hill. Could have been painful...

Is it easy to get in at night? Pedestrian gates open but car gates closed?

Is it easy to get in at night? Pedestrian gates open but car gates closed?

Yep, exactly that, the pedestrian gates at the side are always open.

Note that there are two 6-week periods (Oct and Feb I think) where they have a deer cull and the park is closed to everyone (including pedestrians and cyclists) after 8pm until the morning.