tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714172378409924634.post1636177324189704201..comments2023-06-05T06:21:56.271-07:00Comments on Life on two wheels: Commuter RacingChris Pedderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16064028753094510006noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714172378409924634.post-56107747983609057192012-04-27T05:47:15.688-07:002012-04-27T05:47:15.688-07:00You should try proper racing once, just to see wha...You should try proper racing once, just to see what it's like! <br /><br />After i wrote this blog, i remembered a wonderful quotation from Tim Krabbe's book "The Rider"; "Road racing immitates life, the way it would be without the corrupting influence of civilisation. When you see a competitor lying on the ground, what's your first reaction? To help him to his feet! In road racing, you kick him to death...". <br /><br />It's perhaps a little extreme for my morning commute, but there are people who genuinely treat the importance of overtaking anyone and everyone they come across as a matter of life and death! Like i said at the start of the post, London's a weird town...Chris Pedderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16064028753094510006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4714172378409924634.post-42456696159775005262012-04-27T05:20:52.800-07:002012-04-27T05:20:52.800-07:00Chris - nice capture of something pretty common. H...Chris - nice capture of something pretty common. Here in the Denver area (Colorado in US) we're pretty "bike friendly" for the US. I commute year-round, though not every day. (In the winter I'm lucky if the weather lets me commute 2 days a week.) We don't have nearly the commuter traffic or density that you seem to, and we all "change clothes" when we get to work - nobody rides to work in the clothes they'll work in.<br /><br />I find that the commute is essentially a time trial for me each day. It's about 20 miles each way, and on a really nice day maybe I'll pass 2 or 3 other commuters. There's always the "boost" when you pass someone, but it's always the clock I'm really watching. Folks at work actually ask me sometimes what my time was on the ride in.<br /><br />I agree with you that maybe it would be nice to relax and enjoy the ride, mulling over the upcoming day. If I have a headwind, I do sit back and relax a bit more in most cases. However, if the wind is calm or at my back, the clock is always pushing me just a bit. If I hit some lights lucky, then I find I'm really pushing hard, hoping for that new record time.<br /><br />Helps the training too I think. I don't ride competitively - it's all just about increasing the fitness and endurance for me - so I'm looking for 2 or 3 hard rides a week. If I can get one or two of those in during the weekday, all the better.<br /><br />Thanks for the post - I enjoyed it!<br /><br />Neil<br />http://neilhanson.comNeilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10284193793270023699noreply@blogger.com