Author Topic: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on  (Read 34711 times)

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #100 on: 20 January, 2020, 08:40:58 am »
The a49 between Warrington and church Stretton. Had no maps and a tight timescale. Blind bends, narrow and full of lorries and cars but I survived. Never again  :hand:
the slower you go the more you see

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #101 on: 20 January, 2020, 09:08:37 am »
The road into Vladivostok.

Vladivostok is a city of half a million people at the end of a hilly peninsula. At the time there was only one road in and out (a dual carriageway).

This was shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. All the locals had just bought themselves cheap second-hand cars from Japan.

Russian drive in a similar manner to the Italians but without the same sense of discipline.

So, in English terms, imagine cycling along the A12, relocated to the Cornish coast, and full of crazy and barely-competent drivers. Most things seem tame after that.

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #102 on: 20 January, 2020, 03:35:41 pm »
In modern times the worst road I've ridden on was the B1188 Northbound towards Ruskington. It was on the London-Edinburgh-London route in 2009 and maybe I just hit it at the wrong time (evening rush hour I think) but it was hideous. So many fast and close passes from dense traffic, plus lorries.

Oh, and a section of the three lane A3 between Ripley and the turn off for RHS Wisley: https://goo.gl/maps/kizuWKtNTFJ5dz8a9 in the name of Veloviewer tile grabbing.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #103 on: 20 January, 2020, 03:54:36 pm »
Coming down the Pont de Saint-Nazaire in a full Atlantic crosswind after watching the TTT in the 2000 TdF...  Even though the road was closed to motorised traffic, it was still unbelievably hard to stay upright.

yorkie

  • On top of the Galibier
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #104 on: 20 January, 2020, 03:57:48 pm »
Probably around 1988 when I was based in Seven Kings (East London/Essex borders) and playing in a brass band in Northfleet (Gravesend, Kent) and decided to cycle instead of getting the train. Straight down the A13 (Decades pre-dual carriageway**) from Dagenham to Purfleet on the way to the Tilbury ferry! At teatime!
I planned the route on the only map I then possessed of the area, a 1:250,000 scale Routemaster map.


Approximately every second vehicle was a container truck on the way to Tilbury Docks. I believe they may have diverted from a straight line to overtake me, possibly by as much as 3 or 4 mm.  :sick:


The following day, I went to the local WH Smith and purchased the 1:50,000 scale maps of the area and planned a somewhat longer, but much safer, route to Tilbury via the lanes around Upminster and Ockenden.


By contrast, the time I rode along the A1 from Markham Moor to Gonerby Services and back at night (in the early 90s) was virtually deserted by comparison!  :-D




** This section was built as 3 lanes, one for each direction and a middle lane for overtaking!  :jurek: By the time I went down it, the middle lane had been closed and filled with traffic islands to prevent overtaking. Sadly, that included attempting to prevent the overtaking of bicycles as well as motor vehicles!
Born to ride my bike, forced to work! ;)

British Cycling Regional A Track Commissaire
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Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #105 on: 20 January, 2020, 04:06:56 pm »
A82 again but specifically rannoch moor and Glen Coe.  Last ridden on the daylight audax.  Thankfully we came back down to Connel and Dalmally.   Not ridden since and no plans to

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #106 on: 20 January, 2020, 04:14:13 pm »
A82 again but specifically rannoch moor and Glen Coe.  Last ridden on the daylight audax.  Thankfully we came back down to Connel and Dalmally.   Not ridden since and no plans to

On working out timings for the Twilight I've aimed to
a) Ride it out of tourist season
b) Ride it either before 8am or after 6pm
c) Start at Crianlarich or Tyndrum

Worst I've had on it was heading inland on a scortching Glasgow holiday monday afternoon.
The 3 other times (always in that direction) have been fine...
Once the same weekend the year before in pissing rain, once on a freezing december afternoon with only local traffic and the 3rd time was on the fort bill 1000 around 10pm

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #107 on: 20 January, 2020, 05:01:34 pm »

I've ridden some crazy roads, I've had a police escort from the M20... I've cycled down the A2 dual carriage way, I've done Hidepark corner, on a Brompton, in the rain, at rush hour.

But none of these come close to a simple 3km ride across central Brussels. Ye gods!

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #108 on: 20 January, 2020, 05:09:27 pm »
When we went to Brussels, we chose to wheel our bikes the mile or so from the station to our hotel, and back again on our return. There was sense in this though, irrespective of the drivers. There were 4 of us, none of us knew the way, we were on solo machines and Jan was with us.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #109 on: 20 January, 2020, 05:57:41 pm »
A82 again but specifically rannoch moor and Glen Coe.  Last ridden on the daylight audax.  Thankfully we came back down to Connel and Dalmally.   Not ridden since and no plans to

BTDT! Scary mix of fatigue, hot weather and close-passing Sunday motorists...

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #110 on: 20 January, 2020, 05:59:54 pm »
A82 again but specifically rannoch moor and Glen Coe.  Last ridden on the daylight audax.  Thankfully we came back down to Connel and Dalmally.   Not ridden since and no plans to

Actually, the Glasgow end of the A82 was pretty horrid when I lived nearby, 30 years ago...

Basil

  • Um....err......oh bugger!
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Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #111 on: 20 January, 2020, 06:58:56 pm »
A50.  Only a short distance between Subury and Oaks Green to link the A515.  Might have been the wrong time of day or something.
This was around the time I was riding the Birmingham Wolverhampton  once a week during the rush hour, so it wasn't as if fast heavy traffic normally bothered me that much.
Admission.  I'm actually not that fussed about cake.

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #112 on: 20 January, 2020, 09:18:11 pm »
A section of the A38 north of Derby (Abbey Hill), I misinterpreted the breadcrumb on the Garmin and turned right at the roundabout thinking I was clever instead of using the cycle path. Lots of very close, very fast passes on what was basically a 2 lane motorway.

The A19/M62 roundabout and the following northbound stretch of the A19 that bypasses Eggborough was unpleasant.

Oh yeah and fucking Woodhead Pass, I've only done a few small stretches of not the whole thing but fucking Woodhead Pass.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #113 on: 20 January, 2020, 09:42:17 pm »
Oh yeah and fucking Woodhead Pass, I've only done a few small stretches of not the whole thing but fucking Woodhead Pass.

Having had a couple of interesting moments up there in a car, that's on my list of places to ride iff they close it to motor traffic (for reasons other than foul weather).

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #114 on: 20 January, 2020, 10:34:30 pm »
A friends Dad found himself riding the wrong way along the M62. Once he realised why the 3 lanes of oncoming traffic was flashing him and that he wasn't riding a cycle lane, he retraced his path and clambered back down the bank he had climbed to access it ???

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #115 on: 20 January, 2020, 10:59:55 pm »
I couldn't think of one that regularly caused anxiety - until Woodhead was mentioned.  That was horrible every single time I rode it, which is why I've only used it twice.  It has to be said that the road itself is innocent.  Similarly the idyllic road (on LEL) between Eskdalemuir and Lockerbie is innocent but rendered interesting by the cowboys driving the logging lorries with their cargos bound for the pulping plant near Wrexham.

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #116 on: 20 January, 2020, 11:41:44 pm »
Eskdalemuir and Lockerbie is innocent but rendered interesting by the cowboys driving the logging lorries with their cargos bound for the pulping plant near Wrexham.

Ah the fabled "Timber Lorries"
Everyone talks about them, few truly claim to have seen one....

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #117 on: 21 January, 2020, 07:06:38 am »
Saw one coming in the opposite direction as I descended from part of the Galloway forest a couple of years ago. That wasn't too frightening as there was plenty of room at that point.

The thing that nearly caused a trouser accident was the deer about half a mile back that jumped out of the hedge, skittered along beside me for about a hundred yards and then jumped across in front of me. I'm glad the two didn't coincide.
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
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Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #118 on: 21 January, 2020, 07:22:57 am »
Eskdalemuir and Lockerbie is innocent but rendered interesting by the cowboys driving the logging lorries with their cargos bound for the pulping plant near Wrexham.

Ah the fabled "Timber Lorries"
Everyone talks about them, few truly claim to have seen one....
When Jan and I did LEJoG in 2007 we spent a night at The Porridge Hoose in St john’s Town of Daley. Our host referred to them as “stick lorries” and there were plenty on the A713. We stayed there again in 2012 and we saw hardly any, largely because the conifer forest had disappeared.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #119 on: 21 January, 2020, 10:12:26 am »
The A556 before it was improved recently with a cycle path.

The A487 after missing the turning for Y Felinheli - that one resulted in scrabble down the embankment

The A30 anywhere in Cornwall

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #120 on: 21 January, 2020, 02:45:35 pm »
The A30 anywhere in Cornwall

Betjeman wrote a poem about that...

Meditation on the A30

https://engpoetry.com/john-betjeman/meditation-on-the-a30/

(click to show/hide)

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #121 on: 21 January, 2020, 03:33:40 pm »
The thing that nearly caused a trouser accident was the deer about half a mile back that jumped out of the hedge, skittered along beside me for about a hundred yards and then jumped across in front of me. I'm glad the two didn't coincide.

You did that deliberately didn't you?!


Had an 8 pointer cross our path on the glen Isla road while doing the Snow Roads in December. Thankfully the ones that get to that age tend to have some road sense, it just looked at us and carried on.

I've also had a pointless deer appear next to my front wheel, my history with them is well documented

Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #122 on: 21 January, 2020, 04:07:54 pm »
The A34 from Bicester to Oxford... at 5pm on a weekday.  :facepalm:
The traffic was still flowing at full speed, but dense as it could be.
...

OK, Solocle wins.    ;)

Arguably, via Wendlebury, Weston OTG, Islip->Oxford is 15 mins extra well spent.  :)

Yes. That is grim in a car.

Makes my A40 Witney bypass look soft.
Yes, I'd set Google Maps to take me back to Oxford - it advertised 1/2 mile on the A34 (which I figured would be a cycle path).
But, at every slip road, it recalculated, and I couldn't for the life of me remember how to get back from Weston OTG.

Bonus photo from today's ride:

I'm pretty sure that going down the M40's hard shoulder and following the (other) blue signs back from Wheatley would have been preferable!

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #123 on: 21 January, 2020, 04:09:58 pm »
I remember Ledborough Lane in Beaconsfield, all shiny with ice on the first FNRttS.  That was a buttock-clencher.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

pdm

  • Sheffield hills? Nah... Just potholes.
Re: The most terrifying road you've ever cycled on
« Reply #124 on: 21 January, 2020, 05:01:49 pm »
Oh yeah and fucking Woodhead Pass, I've only done a few small stretches of not the whole thing but fucking Woodhead Pass.

Having had a couple of interesting moments up there in a car, that's on my list of places to ride iff they close it to motor traffic (for reasons other than foul weather).

I concur - Woodhead pass does suck muchly...
Trouble is, you absolutely cannot avoid 1.1km of it if you come down off Holme Moss and want to get to Glossop  :P