Biggin Hill resident rails against ‘lycra louts’

The irony of people in that area complaining about signage is that on a Sunday half of Surrey is gridlocked by people driving to and from Sunday pub lunches.

I recently did the Ride of the Falling Leaves through there - a small sportive, about 600 riders, organised by local club Dulwich Paragon.

Due to a series of mechanicals I was much later than I wanted to be and at one point going through the village of Downe it was total chaos. A long single lane road out of the village with about 50 cars and trucks trying to go in opposite directions. They might still be there for all I know.

However there was plenty of space for bicycles. A red-faced Mercedes lout started yelling at me about how I should stop because "We're all just trying to get through here".

I told him I was going through, no problem. Certainly not my problem anyway.

Come to think of it, all those pubs have signs too.

A female friend of mine admits she detests cyclist and uses no 'road tax' and other various reasons for her dislike. What it actually boils down to is that she doesn't like to be delayed by cyclists and feels nervous around them (whilst clad in steel). There is an element of jealousy that cyclist can filter pass slow or stationary traffic.

Idiotic tiny minded car drivers! You are not welcome here, blocking roads paid for by cycling taxpayers and polluting the air with exhaust fumes causing global warming and the end of life on earth!

South London Cycling Clubs. What a nuisance. It's not like they've been going for the last 130 years or anything.

Whilst the idea cyclists 'block roads' is clearly wrong, I agree with the sentiment that hundreds of day-glow signs along a route is visual pollution. Organisers should be putting them out on the morning, and removing the same day. If they aren't, local councils should remove and send the organiser a bill.

Particularly in popular areas - I have seen some major intersections with two, three or more arrows from previous events stapled or zip-tied to street furniture.

I managed to do this for my charity sportive earlier this year - three routes of 20, 40 and 60-miles, putting them out by myself on the day (4:30am start!) and 3 others helping get them back in. An hour after the last finisher crossed the line, all ***400*** course arrows were back in. Given the majority of sportives are commercial ventures they should 100% be out and in on the same day. Councils should be stipulating this for events, and not re-issuing permits if the organisers don't comply.

Simples.

Also, sportive entrants should be pressuring organisers to clean up after themselves on the day. I see no difference between a discarded pile of gel/bar wrappers and a swathe of neon arrows.

when the signs go up or down is a red herring. They're almost certainly not actually worried about the visual impact of the signs. They're against what the signs bring.

Though of course they're (unsurprisingly) ignorant about who puts up signs, as generally cycling clubs don't....

just do an audax

re the comment from an organiser above.
Signs should not go up Friday/Saturday.
The former is too early and is visual pollution. Coming down on Monday is wrong. Your course closing team should strip them.
Arrows, PR notices the lot.
Yes I know it is a pain but life is a pain and local residents have an equal if not greater right to have a say.
Thing is if everyone did it properly there would be no problem.
It would give the irrational, grumpy and down right miserable no where to go. As the sportive scene has become more self indulgent and excessive it has created the rod to beat the back of all cyclists.

The minority of 'lycra louts' spoil the goodwill for the majority. You know who you are.

92/8.
Great work.

Whole family voted 91% now

This is near where obnoxious Youtube and Twitter troll Cycling Mikey lives. Anyone think that it is him putting the signs up to get a rise out of people, and to create an argument that would not otherwise be there?

Local sign for local people i suppose...

What's the smallest possibly circuit on which a 100mile Sportive with a couple thousand people could be run that passes that house? couple thousand riders passing every 1/2 hour for the whole day should work nicely.

Incognito on the Chrome browser and get voting on the Chronicle web site fellow bicyclists.

I have a sympathy with the arrows if, as is round here they are left up. They should be removed by the vehicle that closes the course ie just behind the last rider and most definitely with , say an hour. An organisation that cannot do that should be made to do so. Equally they should only go up the day before.
Who ever runs Wiggles events is especially bad at that.
I still feel that its just plain selfish to run several events in an area when vast parts of the UK never see one. Oh yes, the organisers care little for the locals.
I would assume that someone just doesn't like arrows and bikes. Its a free country.

http://www.sevenoakschronicle.co.uk/Health-wellbeing-week-aid-Sevenoaks-...
Let's get healthy, just don't go cycling...

A brain surgeon by the name of Lynns posted "The roads in Biggin Hill are not suited to bikes as they are very narrow and have no bike lanes." But surely that just means the roads aren't suitable for cars!

Poor misguided LynnS, she seems to think the the article is making refernce to either her or their roads. I wonder if she'll be so enthusiastic to take ownership when it comes to filling in the pot holes and general road maintenance....
86/14

Our club organises the Hell of the Ashdown starting & finishing in Biggin Hill, I can assure you all the signs go up Fri/Sat and come down Sun/Mon, signs in the Biggin Hill/Knockholt area are always last up and first down due to the number of stolen and turned signs in the area, approx £150 worth of signs have gone missing in the area over the last five years.
Also tin tacks in the road and a cows carcass that may or may not have been accidentally left in the road that had a rider off his bike, I know of many road rage incidents in the area, but often even a reg number is not enough due to the number of unregistered cars in the area, our own Vice President had his £2000 trek written off as a driver drove over it whilst going for him, the Police Officer said he wished he could put a big wall around Biggin Hill and call it a jail.

Cycling clubs aren't the problem, sportives are, charging people to ride a mass participation club run, Hundreds of riders thinking they're racing, with no marshalling, no lead cars etc.