This Sunday Olympic 2012 Road Race Test Run.
Discussion
Youre chance to see Mark Cavendish, it says!
Some info here:
http://www.gosurrey.info/cycling/
They will be lapping Box Hill twice.See you there.
Too fekin! right, I knew nothing about it and I live just South of the river. Went to work around 6am this morning and weirdly enough I was going to cycle but decided to drive as I fancied listening to some music.
So while I am at work they have basically cut West and South West London in half all the way to Richmond, so I and many others can't get South of the river.
To top it all, the herberts manning the closed roads have no information on where to tell the drivers to go and the one idiot I listened to told me to head for Battersea bridge, my usual route home.
Turns out that all the bridges were closed all the way out to Chiswick, 6 miles away.
He should have told me to head for the West End.
Took me an hour and a half to cover the 2 miles to Fulham, where I gave up, dumped the car, downed a pint in an empty pub and went to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes in Fulham Broadway.
Even after a long film the roads were still closed so I sat in my car for a further half hour when they finally let me cross the Fulham road.
So the 6 mile trip back from work, that normally takes half hour, took 5 hours in the end.
Funnily I was supposed to meet a girl that I had met on a dating site for a cycle ride round Richmond Park, D'oh!
Wouldn't mind but as a Londoner, they could at least have stuck a leaflet through the door for such a major closure of so many roads plus I saw no signs on the way into work apart from a lot of crash barriers, which I presumed were something to do with the football or rioting.
So while I am at work they have basically cut West and South West London in half all the way to Richmond, so I and many others can't get South of the river.
To top it all, the herberts manning the closed roads have no information on where to tell the drivers to go and the one idiot I listened to told me to head for Battersea bridge, my usual route home.
Turns out that all the bridges were closed all the way out to Chiswick, 6 miles away.
He should have told me to head for the West End.
Took me an hour and a half to cover the 2 miles to Fulham, where I gave up, dumped the car, downed a pint in an empty pub and went to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes in Fulham Broadway.
Even after a long film the roads were still closed so I sat in my car for a further half hour when they finally let me cross the Fulham road.
So the 6 mile trip back from work, that normally takes half hour, took 5 hours in the end.
Funnily I was supposed to meet a girl that I had met on a dating site for a cycle ride round Richmond Park, D'oh!
Wouldn't mind but as a Londoner, they could at least have stuck a leaflet through the door for such a major closure of so many roads plus I saw no signs on the way into work apart from a lot of crash barriers, which I presumed were something to do with the football or rioting.
I got a few pics from Headley this morning.
London-Surrey Cycle Classic - Middle of the peloton by jcross70, on Flickr
London-Surrey Cycle Classic - Someone caught a bad smell by jcross70, on Flickr
London-Surrey Cycle Classic - Bill Murray takes a breather by jcross70, on Flickr
London-Surrey Cycle Classic - Focus by jcross70, on Flickr
London-Surrey Cycle Classic - Determination by jcross70, on Flickr
London-Surrey Cycle Classic - Mark Cavendish (The eventual winner, in the green helmet) by jcross70, on Flickr
London-Surrey Cycle Classic - Middle of the peloton by jcross70, on Flickr
London-Surrey Cycle Classic - Someone caught a bad smell by jcross70, on Flickr
London-Surrey Cycle Classic - Bill Murray takes a breather by jcross70, on Flickr
London-Surrey Cycle Classic - Focus by jcross70, on Flickr
London-Surrey Cycle Classic - Determination by jcross70, on Flickr
London-Surrey Cycle Classic - Mark Cavendish (The eventual winner, in the green helmet) by jcross70, on Flickr
Motorbiked down to Boxhill. Knew I wouldn't get to see them ride up the hill as you needed passes there. So tried to get as near the top of the hill as poss'. Plenty of places to view, fairly quite really. So many roads closed, parked about two and a half miles away and walked. Will be good on the day for atmosphere though.
Few more Pic's here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23318875@N02/
Few more Pic's here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23318875@N02/
Apologies for shabbyness of pictures - combination of point and shoot and phone camera. Didn't get any of the race passing as was videoing. Watched from Hyde Park Corner, looking down Constitution Hill from Wellington Arch.
Mooched up there around 10am for coffee on the Brompton Road. Really quiet and commented to mate that it looked like it wouldn't be that popular. The only crowds around were those queung for Harrods.
At the 2k mark just before the Knightsbridge Tube
A view you don't normally get - Harrods on the right
And a couple of the stragglers coming in after the crash in the Peloton
Team Canada arsing about
Mooched up there around 10am for coffee on the Brompton Road. Really quiet and commented to mate that it looked like it wouldn't be that popular. The only crowds around were those queung for Harrods.
At the 2k mark just before the Knightsbridge Tube
A view you don't normally get - Harrods on the right
And a couple of the stragglers coming in after the crash in the Peloton
Team Canada arsing about
It was a shame that the traffic management was such a shambles. The roads were still closed hours after the bikes went through & still closed an hour after the advertised closure time in the part if London I was going to a wedding to. Not the best way to gain support for cycle racing or the Olympics & that is from someone who is a fan!!
Jimboka said:
It was a shame that the traffic management was such a shambles. The roads were still closed hours after the bikes went through & still closed an hour after the advertised closure time in the part if London I was going to a wedding to. Not the best way to gain support for cycle racing or the Olympics & that is from someone who is a fan!!
The 6am closures also started at 3.30/4am, which meant out 5.30 meeting in middle of London (for a supercar run) was annoyingly affected.As Tony says, they did mess up yesterday and I am in favour of the race overall
We had two or three glossy leaflets posted through our door advising of the 6am road closure, so took that to be the case. Imagine my delight as we left our street at 5.10am (to head to Wilton House) to be met by a road closure.
I did say to the chap that it was advertised as a 6am closure and he just shrugged and said 'we've had this closed since 4am mate'. Hmm, why bother with the big print bill for the glossy leaflets then?
Got to a 6am meeting point in the end, thanks only to quiet streets and a strange ability to follow my nose through London after random turns when we met further closures. It's only one day a year though, so not losing sleep over it.
We had two or three glossy leaflets posted through our door advising of the 6am road closure, so took that to be the case. Imagine my delight as we left our street at 5.10am (to head to Wilton House) to be met by a road closure.
I did say to the chap that it was advertised as a 6am closure and he just shrugged and said 'we've had this closed since 4am mate'. Hmm, why bother with the big print bill for the glossy leaflets then?
Got to a 6am meeting point in the end, thanks only to quiet streets and a strange ability to follow my nose through London after random turns when we met further closures. It's only one day a year though, so not losing sleep over it.
croyde said:
Can't find anything much in the news about the shambles. Maybe the Gubberment have told them to keep quiet.
I think it went off exactly as planned. There was only a problem for people who tried to drive across the route, as the roadblock was harsh and in force for a long time.In my opinion, they could have opened some crossing points and publicised them well, but they didn't. Not a problem for the event... but a problem for anyone who expected to be able to drive across it.
Only thing is, if I had known about it I certainly would not have used my car, but here in SW18, not far off the route, we knew nothing.
I crossed the route going north to work at 6am Sunday morning and I did not see one sign so it was a nightmare getting home (Took 5 hours for my usual 30 mins commute).
The guys manning the road blocks knew nothing and only gave me information that made my trip worse. Some muppet told me to head for Battersea Bridge, so I did and got stuck for hours. We should have been directed back to the West End.
It was only through accessing the net on my phone that I finally worked out what in the hell was going on as I thought it was rioting or a terrorist incident.
I crossed the route going north to work at 6am Sunday morning and I did not see one sign so it was a nightmare getting home (Took 5 hours for my usual 30 mins commute).
The guys manning the road blocks knew nothing and only gave me information that made my trip worse. Some muppet told me to head for Battersea Bridge, so I did and got stuck for hours. We should have been directed back to the West End.
It was only through accessing the net on my phone that I finally worked out what in the hell was going on as I thought it was rioting or a terrorist incident.
Garlick said:
It's only one day a year though, so not losing sleep over it.
Judging by yesterday, London will be a complete waste of time for the duration of the Olympics next year, not just one day. We have just had a very detailed note though the letterbox about the official Olympic priority route which runs down the A4 which is at the bottom of our street. Games lanes only for offcial vehicles, operable from 6am to midnight, barrier closures, no left and right turns, no u turns, bus stops moved or suspended etc. I may take myself elsewhere for a bit!She has cycled about 15/20 times, I even bought her a new bike.
Nervous isn't the word, she has hit three cars in her short career. So nervous is she of cars she has no dominance in her riding, and doesn't hold her own. As such cars take their chances and she is slow to respond on the brakes.
Best she sticks to the train, believe me. For all our sakes.
Nervous isn't the word, she has hit three cars in her short career. So nervous is she of cars she has no dominance in her riding, and doesn't hold her own. As such cars take their chances and she is slow to respond on the brakes.
Best she sticks to the train, believe me. For all our sakes.
Garlick said:
She has cycled about 15/20 times, I even bought her a new bike.
Nervous isn't the word, she has hit three cars in her short career. So nervous is she of cars she has no dominance in her riding, and doesn't hold her own. As such cars take their chances and she is slow to respond on the brakes.
Best she sticks to the train, believe me. For all our sakes.
It's a common fault with that model. I have the same problem getting my other half to ride on the roads, and it's a self-fulfilling prophecy that nervousness breeds bad experiences.Nervous isn't the word, she has hit three cars in her short career. So nervous is she of cars she has no dominance in her riding, and doesn't hold her own. As such cars take their chances and she is slow to respond on the brakes.
Best she sticks to the train, believe me. For all our sakes.
I don't know what to suggest, because you can't tell people who struggle with confidence to "get a grip". It's the easiest way to turn them off the whole concept.
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