Thursday Night - Hour of Power

sounds fun...wish i was closer.

It's no place for chaingangs, period; let alone in the rush hour. You're never going to be able to apply the usual group ride protocol and make it stick week in week out.

Inevitably, accidents have increased due to rider density (deliberate ambiguity there) as soon as Eastway was cast aside in preparation for the Olympics. Competitive inner city riders have ended up having to use the place far more than they'd like to to get a few tempo miles done.

Regents Park has its place as a training 'venue', but chaingangs during the rush hour are just courting disaster.

It's all being resolved very amicably, so would appreciate no further mention of it on the thread to keep it private/discreet and so on. No need to start a debate over what happened, it just did, and it's getting sorted.

Other than that i'm ok, reckon i'll have a corker of a bruise where my coxix took the impact through the nose of the saddle. Ouch.

ok so no chaingangs. what is the format then? group ride at fast pace? why would anyone want to lead that for an hour? (whilst others enjoy less drag, that is)

^silly comment? maybe. But I just can't see a disorganised group of speed-addicts being safer than a group with a system

Everyone knows winners train alone.

So do losers but just shutup alright!

Chaingangs, big groups, whatever. People who are desperate to 'stay on' ride as if with diminished responsibility at junctions, lights, and pinch-points around that place when better judgement - *any *judgement - would suggest they shouldn't.

The whole scenario would be an accident waiting to happen, were it not for the fact that all the accidents do happen; with increasing regularity. There's a reason why the longstanding group rides that use the place have always been scheduled before the morning rush hour, or after the evening one. That reason is common sense.

3pm is usually a good time to go round. Even lunch time on the weekends seem to be better than at 6:30 on work days.

Today was actually quieter than usual in terms of motorised traffic, I felt.

with increasing regularity

what are the cyclist but also non-cyclist related reasons? just more inexperienced people showing up and more traffic?

surely common sense > need4speed

A lot of people, whatever mode of transport they happen to be using, put their brains into stasis during the rush hour. It's a form of mass hysteria. There's a lot of unpredictability, and throwing yourself past the same high risk spots in a short space of time is doing nothing for your odds. The recentish change in road design hasn't helped (more pinch-points), the number of cyclists has increased, the number of cyclists who are inexperienced at group-riding / pseudo-racing / the handling characteristics of racing bicycles has also increased. Congestion's on the rise again, and a lot of impatient and disgruntled cagers use it as an occasional rat-run when things get fucked on the Marylebone Rd. It's tourist central. It's international student central. Visibility is poor on the SE corner. Footpaths spew people across the road at random spots, again with poor visibility as they suddenly appear from behind a hedge and step straight across relatively narrow pavements. There are a lot of private hire taxis in the area. Strava. Etc.

Strava.
I stopped logging urban miles after RH2BE for this exact reason.

Bringmemyfix I am not trying to call you out but you are making a lot of unsubstantiated claims, some evidence of what you are saying would be good otherwise this just the same as any old internat rant.

Well, the road layout has changed (I don't have photos of pre-pinchpoint days), there are shitloads more cyclists using it for training at any given time, but especially during the rush hour (my phone could't record video in the 90s and early 2000s, mainly because it was plugged into a wall at home), and I've seen ambulances in attendance, and people either writhing or static on the ground at least once a month during high season for the past few years, plus read more reports of similar incidents. Also loads more dick moves.

Call it a rant if you want. Best of luck with your dangerous and ineffectual rush-hour training.

Have to agree that it's not a great place to train in a group. That said, it's not a great place to train on your own either in rush hour (or anywhere near it).

I use it a lot for my midweek rides as it's a 10 minute spin from my house, but I do try to make sure I'm there pre 5 o'clock, post 7, or early in the morning. There are so many people there who haven't got a fucking clue what they're doing I end up riding much harder than I plan to often - just to get myself out of 'the mix'... problem is that some chumps view that as a challenge, hanging onto your back wheel, without a clue what hand signals mean and nearly riding into the back of me because I actually stop for red lights (club kit..) and they're too busy chewing the bartape to notice.

I'm not blowing my own trumpet, I'm very well aware that there are many people on here and out there a great deal faster than me, but people trying to ride at a pace above which they are comfortable in rush hour is a recipe for disaster. Strava doesn't help either - people jumping out on the zoo sprint and all that other bollocks is a nightmare.. at least I know it might be coming, drivers don't have a clue - nor should they.

Fwiw - I wouldn't bother questioning what bmmf is saying, it makes perfect sense if you think about it. Besides, he is almost always right and has been riding harder/longer/faster for longer than 99.9% of the people on this forum.

On an unrelated note, the great eagle was bombing round on a tandem last night with the biggest smile on his face.

. Best of luck with your dangerous and ineffectual rush-hour training.

HoP is a positive thing it's an opportunity to get together and ride rather than bitch and tear people down from the comfort of a keyboard.

I don't go to this enough, but when I have been I've only seen good things from the people who ride and organise this.

I agree that there is a degree of risk training around the park, but I think if everyone followed the rules set out above by 6pt the risk should be sufficiently mitigated. The trouble is all the other whoppers around the park, which is why I don't ride there that often.

Tandem sounds awesome. Who was the stoker?

that's always the problem with cycling though - it's never about what YOU'RE doing, it's the other people involved (drivers, peds other cyclists) that are the variables and therefore the danger. Anyway.. said my bit.. carry on :)

HoP is a positive thing it's an opportunity to get together and ride rather than bitch and tear people down from the comfort of a keyboard.

If only I had the inner strength to actually get out and ride, rather than sitting next to this keyboard; or even organize rides for other people. At least dreaming is free…

Well, the road layout has changed (I don't have photos of pre-pinchpoint days), there are shitloads more cyclists using it for training at any given time, but especially during the rush hour (my camera could't record video in the 90s and early 2000s, mainly because it was plugged into a wall at home), and I've seen ambulances in attendance, and people either writhing or static on the ground at least once a month during high season for the past few years, plus read more reports of similar incidents. Also loads more dick moves.

Call it a rant if you want. Best of luck with your dangerous and ineffectual rush-hour training.

I am sorry if I am the only one who thinks this is vague and anecdotal evidence and I am sure we all appreciate the warning but you really haven't convinced me that what we are doing is a bad idea.

I'd rather be anecdotal than delusional.

nice.

I don't understand why you need to compare statistics to understand why fast paced training in a group at rush hour in central london is a bad idea..

I want some evidence that BringMeMyFix is in any way in the position to make claims about safety. I have been doing laps of RP for a while I have never had an accident now someone tells me its dangerous, I am not necessarily saying he is wrong just that so far I have been presented with nothing that is convincing.

A good example is the continuous use of the phrase rush hour. from 6 45 - 7 45, when we usually ride, traffic volume is pretty low. Does this mean its ok by your standards to ride at this time?