Can you do Vehicular Cycling without Sweating?

In "]news:[email hidden], AndyMorris <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

The obvious follow on is that if you can't what are the consequences for the VC vs.
Facilities debate?

The problems with facilities do not change. The experience averaged across all types of cyclists
(of which assertive riders are in the minority and less likely to use facilities) is that
facilities are much more dangerous. They still don't cover all the journeys so you still have to
learn to ride with traffic to go most places and using them reduces your and motorists conditioning
to each others presence.

Tony

"AndyMorris" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I certainly find it difficult to assert myself on the roads with out the occasional sprint and
subsequent glow, but then I am a bit of a fat git.

The obvious follow on is that if you can't what are the consequences for

the

Quoted message said:

VC vs. Facilities debate?

No, but then I'm a sweaty geezer.

However, I /can/ do circular breathing without breaking into a sweat...

Thomas.

Andy Morris says:

Quoted message said:

I certainly find it difficult to assert myself on the roads with out the occasional sprint and
subsequent glow, but then I am a bit of a fat git.

The obvious follow on is that if you can't what are the consequences for the VC vs.
Facilities debate?

I'm 62 years old, and a couple of years ago something went wrong with my diaphragm, so I can't
breathe properly any more - I didn't really understand what breathing from one's diaphragm meant
until I couldn't do
it. The resulting lack of excercise hasn't helped my weight, either.

I'm slow, trundling round at 12 mph, or less. VC still works perfectly well at that speed, and ought
to, even if going even more slowly.

Of course, below about 6 mph, one starts to wobble enough so as to concentrate less on one's
surroundings, but that's usually only a problem with little children just learning to ride.

I think that if you are sprinting, you are being driven by your inner demons, not by any traffic
realities. If you are trying to get into a gap that is too small, you didn't start looking for
suitable gaps soon enough.

Jeremy Parker

Jeremy Parker said:

I think that if you are sprinting, you are being driven by your inner demons, not by any traffic
realities. If you are trying to get into a gap that is too small, you didn't start looking for
suitable gaps soon enough.

Probably very true, I do get a real buzz out of riding in traffic, I should probably try to calm
down a bit.

--
Andy Morris

AndyAtJinkasDotFreeserve.Co.UK

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Tony Raven said:

In "]news:[email hidden], AndyMorris <[email hidden]> typed:

Quoted message said:

The obvious follow on is that if you can't what are the consequences for the VC vs. Facilities
debate?

The problems with facilities do not change. The experience averaged across all types of cyclists
(of which assertive riders are in the minority and less likely to use facilities) is that
facilities are much more dangerous. They still don't cover all the journeys so you still have to
learn to ride with traffic to go most places and using them reduces your and motorists
conditioning to each others presence.

I'm not made keen on 'facilities' either. Most on road ones are a real mess, a lot of off road ones
aren't suitable for transport as the surface is [censored] (and consequently slow and hard work) and don't
go anywhere.

I do worry about the way cycling is changing from a means of transport into a leisure pursuit.

Sometimes facilities make this worse, I've seen people drive to the Spen Valley Greenway, near where
I live, and get bikes off the back to go for a ride. On the other hand I know people who use it as
part of their commute and as a way around the horrendous chainbar roundabout, which scares the hell
out of me and a lot of club cyclist avoid.

--
Andy Morris

AndyAtJinkasDotFreeserve.Co.UK

Love this: Put an end to Outlook Express's messy quotes
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Quoted message said:

I'm not made keen on 'facilities' either. Most on road ones are a real mess, a lot of off road
ones aren't suitable for transport as the surface is [censored] (and consequently slow and hard work)
and don't go anywhere.

I do worry about the way cycling is changing from a means of transport into a leisure pursuit.

im north birmingham based and the odd time i come across cycle paths i usually just avoid them like
the plague ... theres a couple ive just had to stop and think about where they were going just to
make sense of them at all - they're crazy ... and usually find lamposts and street signs in the
centre of them too or they lead to dead ends and just finish

it'd make more sense to send street cleaners around all the roads and clean up the section of road
on the kerb side from all the stones, debris and glass that seem to accumulate

AndyMorris said:

I certainly find it difficult to assert myself on the roads with out the occasional sprint and
subsequent glow, but then I am a bit of a fat git.

Solution; keep cycling :-)

Quoted message said:

The obvious follow on is that if you can't what are the consequences for the VC vs.
Facilities debate?

Not sure what you mean. Vehicular cycling is about the destination, not the route. Obviously a
vehiculr cyclist is more likely to be on the roads, because cycle routes tend to serve leisure
destinations (or no destination at all) but the average vehicular cyclist will not pass up a cycle
route that provides a short cut or bypasses a difficult junction, just because it is not a road.

And what does this have to do with sweating? Sweating is a matter of how briskly you ride. You
can ride at a very stately pace on the roads in safety as long as you follow the advice of
Guru Franklin.

Guy
===
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"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Not sure what you mean. Vehicular cycling is about the destination, not the route.

I understand 'vehicular cycling' to mean cycling as if you are a proper vehicle -- i.e. taking up
your rightful place on the road -- assertive cycling. Its all about the route (well the positioning
on the road) and little about destination.

But maybe your irony generator has just overloaded!!

T

Just zis Guy, you know? <[email hidden]> wrote:

: And what does this have to do with sweating? Sweating is a matter of how briskly you ride. You can
: ride at a very stately pace on the roads in safety as long as you follow the advice of Guru
: Franklin.

I'm not sure. There's one particular roundabout in York (Grimston Bar for those that know York).
It's about 1/2 mile round, has a mix of traffic lights and slip roads and is very, very busy.

I find the safest way to tackle it is at 30mph. This resutls in my sweating 🙂

It's actually not an issue for me personally since I only cross the roundabout if I'm out for a ride
rather than commuting, but I don't think I'd fancy doing the roundabout at a pace that would let me
not sweat.

Arthur