Regents Park time trial!

[Harleyboy]

I was overnight in London yesterday staying near Regents Park. Went for an early run and was surprised to see absolutely loads of cyclists riding around the mostly circular road around the park. It took me a while but then figured out they were doing loops, mostly in large groups.

Must have been a couple of hundred on (mostly) pretty high end bikes.

Anyone here take part? Would love to know if it’s organised or just a quiet safe place to get some loops in

[outnumbered]

CheesecakeRunner said:

Chaingangs from a number of clubs, both formal and informal, meet there. Plus randoms. But mostly, it’s…

Harleyboy said:

just a quiet safe place to get some loops in

…when it gets light early in the summer, as there’s a couple of hours before the gates to the park outer ring road open to traffic, so virtually car free. Going anti-clockwise it’s roughly a three mile loop with no real junctions, just one set of lights that gets roundly ignored if the park gates are shut.

Or if you read today's Daily Telegraph it's a haven for gangs of "lycra louts" who have the sole aim of breaking the speed limit and killing pedestrians, all egged on by competition on Strava.

FFS. As if this were the biggest problem that needs tackling on the roads....

[Harleyboy]

Thanks chaps, must admit I was quite envious of them!

Wouldn’t have said it looked dangerous and everyone was riding sensibly. Pretty fast but not recklessly

Lycra louts 😂

[z4RRSchris]

Tuesdays is the main day, Friday also pretty busy.

from 5.45am till about 7.30am. On a decent day in the summer gets pretty busy and sometimes pretty sketchy.

[pissonheads]

One of the best memories of lockdown was looping regents park in the sun - Criterium de Regents Parc. Full aero bars on my fixed gear crit bike, no cars, minimal pedestrians. Little more antisocial now unfortunately.

[okgo]

z4RRSchris said:

Tuesdays is the main day, Friday also pretty busy.

from 5.45am till about 7.30am. On a decent day in the summer gets pretty busy and sometimes pretty sketchy.

The lack of any hills certainly means people without any actual cycling ability are travelling at huge speeds in groups. Some horrendous crashes I’ve heard about in there.

Suspect Richmond Park terrain and more susceptible to wind makes it a lot safer!

[z4RRSchris]

you don't need much cycling ability to cycle in a 4.4km loop with no corners. kom is just under 55kph.

your richmond park KOM segment has been hidden by strava now too.

[okgo]

z4RRSchris said:

you don't need much cycling ability to cycle in a 4.4km loop with no corners. kom is just under 55kph.

your richmond park KOM segment has been hidden by strava now too.

Oh for sure, my point was that riding in a paceline at 50kph if you're 10th wheel is not difficult on flat terrain, these folks probably not as skilled as they maybe need to be and are being towed beyond their ability levels. In Richmond, either of the hills quickly weeds out weaker riders in a group.

Haha yes, I noticed that too!

[Giantt]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Lap segment comparison becomes flawed, outside your control? As all open road riding is,that's part of the problem on the outer circle, trying to ride it as if it's closed,three years ago good Friday I had the misfortune to come across someone,rode head down into the back window of a Fiat 500,only car in the parking spaces,not the first, probably won't be the last,get a proper workout up to Whitestone pond,forget the Strava