Forum Topic

Strava and the Tour de Richmond Park

I was reading the comments on an article on Nextdoor regarding a grey squirrel being run over by a cyclist. Two comments really surprised me.  The first one gave the following link which relates to the Tour de Richmond Park....https://www.strava.com/segments/610040And the next entry by a poster from Mortlake:"And as I've pointed out before,  this is the exception not the rule.  The people in this list are averaging above the speed limit,  but they're all pro or semi pro athletes and some of those bests have been in place for years which implies they are top end and hard to beat.  It's an average of 30mph.  Yes it's breaking the speed limit but people seem to think these speeds are possible for the average cyclists and use words like "all the cyclists" are speeding.  It's just not true,  and frankly annoying in the same way dog walkers are judged by the few who do break the rules (an average of 6 deer killed a year are killed by dogs) and people are weirdly silent about the vehicles breaking the rules.  Please stop judging the rest of us by the small percentage who break the rules." Strava seems to have offices worldwide with vacancies in San Francisco, Dublin, Bristol....  It was established in 2009....I cannot find information on the website as to whether these are organized events but it seems to me that it is up to individual "athletes" to post their timings on completing the circuit. 

Ivonne Holliday ● 1820d17 Comments

I received a response from Richmond Park today following an email I sent regarding Strava and the Tour de Richmond Park. I am paraphrasing below their response:The reply stated that they are very aware of Strava and how it is being used by cyclists. It indicated further that individuals who are speeding or riding in an inconsiderate manner are at fault.  But it is not only Strava, other websites, social media and closed networking groups all assist in encouraging this culture.  Some traffic measures introduced, with limited funds, may help counteract this.  But there is reason to be optimistic as the proposal to introduce car parking charges will generate revenue that could help fund more traffic calming measures in the future.

Ivonne Holliday ● 1815d

Other clubs have said that, notably this one:https://road.cc/content/news/145371-london-dynamo-rider-fined-41mph-richmond-park-resigns-clubMaybe the vast majority of members of clubs such as these stick to the speed limit but it’s pretty clear from the Tour de Richmond segment on Strava that there are a great number of cyclists riding in the park who are not and are pretty much treating it as a velodrome.

Oliver Sampson ● 1818d

I'd not come across Richmond Park Velo before, but looking at their detailed rules for rides (https://richmondparkvelo.com/club-ride-rules/), you may (I hope) have misjudged them. In particular, Rule 11 states this: "Highway Code: You must at all times comply with the Highway Code." That seems pretty unequivocal.

Richard Carter ● 1818d

I got a mountain bike at the start of the lockdown last year so I've cycled around the park fairly often and have been quite shocked at the speeds I've seen from some cyclists (picture someone already going pretty fast, then grimacing and actually trying to push even harder on a flat piece of road) and the many other questionable pieces of conduct; I once stopped to let some people on foot cross the road, they then started to cross but had to stop as another rider passed by the side of me as he was clearly not risking his Strava time being any slower than it should be...Naturally, I've seen many aggressive cyclists in London breaking the speed limit and the highway code while commuting on busy London roads before but I've always felt like the risk is more to themselves than anything but in the park it's all a bit embarrassing. Lastly, I believe there is a club called the 'Richmond Park Velo' which I think says it all.

Oliver Sampson ● 1818d

Sean I have cable disc brakes and chunky tires which help stopping.However disc brakes are considered to heavy for a lot of the bikes racing around Richmond Park, most of which have very thin tyres. There are some excellent video on bike tyres and stopping distances.I guess those that are whizzing around Richmond Park the fastest probably have the least braking ability. Add the head down position...

Ed Robinson ● 1819d

I have hydraulic disk brakes. These have awesome stopping power, even in the wet. They have saved me from injury a few times when someone has leapt out in front of me without looking or a car has failed to see me. I'd never go back to rubber blocks squeezing the wheel rims

Sean Hodges ● 1819d

I would recommend cyclist to watch a few youtube videos on braking. There are some very informative videos that show the differences in braking distance depending upon not just speed but tyres and the type of brakes.Road Bikes just like motorcycles, cars etc are sold on their speed not their ability to stop. Braking technology for bikes has improved considerably over the years. But if a bike is built for speed - braking is often overlooked.

Ed Robinson ● 1819d

The speed limit is not an average one, it’s a maximum, to include the slower uphill sections. I would have thought a 15mph average would be about the maximum achievable to stay within the speed limit. Personally I tend to stop pedalling on the downhills and hit c. 21-22mph which is about the same speed as the motor traffic.

Stephen Walker ● 1819d

I used to guage whether I was 'race fit' by whether I could do 3 laps in less than an hour.  That used to be a benchmark of a fairly fit, but not professional racer. That's 21mph average for those who don't know the lap distance.  And it used to be fully legal: the speed limit used to be 30mph so there was no overtaking cars unless they were crawling along looking at three deer.  The park was quieter, but even then it would only be achievable at quiet times of the day and on the understanding that a herd of deer, the group that used to land-ski on the road, or traffic could mean a hold-up. I'm not that quick these days, and the park is far too busy most of the time to even think it would be reasonable to try.  Unfortunately some people are too selfish and reckless to ease up when it isn't safe.  That applies to car drivers too though. A recent code of conduct had been published that looks sensible to me:https://www.richmondparkcyclists.org/codeofconduct

Alan Sherman ● 1820d

I did read that the Royal Parks had agreed a cycling protocol with one of the cycling clubs, for guidance in Richmond Park - including reminders not to cycle in large peletons and to keep to the speed limit.  That they are engaging with cycle clubs is good given the number and variety of users of the Park, especially nowadays.My average cycling speed is probably about 6 mph just like Richard's.  It's an age thing!  I have been lapped more than once in the Park but at my speed I get to see more, unless of course I have to take avoiding action when some inattentive driver decides to overtake far too close to me.A lot of drivers have no idea how vulnerable it sometimes feels on two wheels.

Jonathan Callaway ● 1820d

Like Richard, I use Strava to log bike rides,hikes and walks. The App provides various analyses of your efforts, including how you compare with other people over the same segments of a route - should you be interested. Strava applies jokey titles to the segments such as Col de Marc Bolan and Spankers Final Kick. Tour de Richmond Park is just another jokey Strava term.

Phil Woodward ● 1820d

Actually, because of the lockdown, I really only started riding out again towards the end of February.

Richard Carter ● 1820d

Hello Richard,Thank you for your reply.  What really surprised me was the Tour de Richmond Park bit.  Perhaps it is an incorrect title, do not know.The other aspect that surprised me was the second posting which confirms some athletes do attain 30mph but they are athletes (so I must understand it is OK to break the speed limit in Richmond Park).I did try to subscribe to Strava to get more information but it asked for my credit card details and an annual payment of USD59.  I closed the screen but I have received a welcome email from them!  :-) :-) :-)Well done for the mileage you have recorded so far.

Ivonne Holliday ● 1820d

Ivonne, I don't know anything about the Tour de Richmond Park, but I do use Strava (the free version: https://www.strava.com/) as it's a useful way of recording the rides I do. It shows me for example, that this year so far, I've ridden 361 miles at an average speed of 6.1 mph. I don't think I'll be breaking many speed limits in Richmond Park (or anywhere else).

Richard Carter ● 1820d

Sorry for the double post, I corrected a typo and didnt realise it has posted. There's a typo on Railwiy too but I'll save you from a third.

Freddie Francis ● 1820d

There are times set (and to be bettered of course) by other riders on particular sections of roads, for instance, on the short stretch from the A3 to just the other side of the railwiy bridge at Gypsy Lane. Riders try to get as high up the ranking as they can. There may be several thousand in that ranking but getting into the top one or two hundred is seen as an achievement. It's the modern equivelent of getting your name in the top score list in Space Invaders.

Freddie Francis ● 1820d

There are times set (and to be bettered of course) by other riders on particular sections of roads, for instance, on the short stretch from the A3 to just the other side of the railwiy bridge at Gypsy Lane. Riders try to get as high up the ranking as they can. There may be several thousand in that ranking but gettibgf into the top one or two hundred is seen as an achievement. It's the modern equivelent of getting your name in the top score list in Space Invaders.

Freddie Francis ● 1820d