Stupidly Dangerous Challenge | Riding down a Dual Carriageway

[@rancescott]

I’ve ridden on that dual carriageway, it was instant regret. Only good thing is that it makes you ride faster because you want to get off that road asap

[@thewattlife]

Can confirm- we had the same mentality

[@kingluis06]

Mental that this loop is even promoted in the cafe, just seems risk for risks sake. Especially when you look on the map and there is a quiet road that would remove the dual carriageway section

[@thewattlife]

Hopefully going to swap the roads out and do another one with the new route.

[@CycletheNation]

Anyone organising an event that includes that really needs to have a re-think, IMO. I've ridden on a number of dual carriageways over the last few years, and it's never been a pleasant experience.

[@matthewanddenise7095]

I used to race on DC roads for years.... I now say no! the Cycling Time trials organise these all the time... riders now just looking for fast times and organisers are just looking for big revenue! 150 riders on these course.... and just 30 odd on normal courses!

[@krisbowditch827]

@@matthewanddenise7095 I feel safer on dual carriageway than a narrow country roads with blind bends all day long.. loved the v718 absolute buzz tt ing riding at 53kph plus.. by the way county roads are set a national speed limits.. road bikes are designed for roads, if you don’t like it .. let’s all just race on zwift, and get on a mtb for outdoor cycling..

[@jasonmainwaring7420]

Total madness given the high volume of traffic, bad attitude of some drivers resenting cyclists slowing their progress plus dreadful state of the roads and hard shoulders (which are rapidly disappearing).

[@patrickroberts8702]

I do agree with the comments. I moved to Essex a few years ago and rode regularly heading towards Suffolk. Like you I followed GPS and ended up on a dual carriageway in the rain. Horrible and I escaped as quickly as possible. I rode in the stony, rubbish strewn gutter. Never repeated.

[@tobythum6065]

Does your IGPS have live Strava segments? I purchased the latest 800 and its not supported

[@thewattlife]

No- I don’t think they have live strava integration. You just get a notification after the ride about the segment if you have it selected. I’m chatting to them about it at the moment

[@stevedouglas3975]

I have a bar end mirror on my bike (called Italian Bike Mirror), fits into bar end of drop. Anyway, really good and unobtrusive and saves looking over shoulder. I know everyone rates the radar units but I find mirror really useful.

[@stephenbrown590]

Been a game changer for me too, Steve. Cateye BM something or other. Can't happily ride a bike now without one!

[@thewattlife]

As a motorbike rider im just very used to and comfortable with shoulder checks and would also do one when crossing a lane

[@paulfuchs4002]

Only takes one driver checking their phone and you're a statistic..DONT DO IT!

[@WelshMatt]

Been watching your videos for a while - this is a good one. I hate riding on busy roads let alone bypasses

[@thewattlife]

Cheers man- this one was a bit crazy on the dual carriageway. Glad i survived

[@aidan473]

Just curious mate, which spec of sungods are those? Been looking at a pair myself and I’m really digging the look of those with that lens choice

[@thewattlife]

They are the SunGod Vulcans with the Fire lens 🔥

[@davidcarino6500]

Nice report! Wish they do stuff like this in the states instead of turning riders away from an awesome sport.

[@thewattlife]

The UK has a great cycling culture scene

[@frankiefivethousand]

radar rear light is a life changer i love my varia

[@thewattlife]

Everyone that has one says they love them.

[@frankiefivethousand]

@@thewattlife The only downside, is you get really desensitized to riding with on, so if ever you ride without, you have to really remind yourself to shoulder check

[@thewattlife]

I’m going to give mine a go in London on the wkend and see how useful it is- given that it’s just car after car. Might just be data overload

[@AdamLegend27]

…and these are the things required of the “influencer”…an absolutely nuts route just to get the views! …I’ll stick to my WFH 8-4 job! 😂

[@thewattlife]

Risking it all for a discount code on a jersey and a flamboyant Strava title. What has my life come to?

[@stevedouglas3975]

Couple things, dual carriageway speed limit is 70mph not 60mph and let's be honest unless there are speed cameras there then cars etc be doing way more than that! At this time of year(June) it's light before 0500 so earlier the better as should be quieter. However, risk/reward not worth it and if I owned that cafe and displayed that leader board I'd have a massive disclaimer by it about done at own risk etc.

[@thewattlife]

I realised my speed mistake but had already made the video 🤦🏼‍♂️ think I correct it later in the video. Just didn’t feel like something I would do again, there’s an easy fix for this loop

[@Lynxtro]

Seems a bit silly when you can cross straight over the A404 roundabout and take a left at the next roundabout. Youll end up at the same roundabout where those cars cut each other up.

[@thewattlife]

It seems like one of those things where a few mates started it off and it grew, i just wouldnt put it out there to the public with the A404 included!

[@mikehhhhhhh]

Riding in the gutter is insane - all that does is put you at more risk of hitting debris (potentially putting you in the road!) and big vehicles squeezing past. You’re far safer in lane 1 - I generally position myself in such a fashion that I have enough room on the inside to manoeuvre, but leaving enough room outside as an escape for the idiot driver with no forward planning skills.

[@thewattlife]

Ah man- I honestly don’t think riding in the lane was a sensible thing to do. Can you see how fast these cars and lorry’s are passing me? Speed differential is the killer- cars/lorry’s wouldn’t realise how quickly they are closing the gap to a 22mph cyclist when they are going 70+ mph

[@mikehhhhhhh]

@@thewattlife I don’t disagree about closing speeds, but my view is that if you don’t feel safe riding correctly on a road, then the road is best avoided as you suggest. That non-existent hard shoulder definitely isn’t the solution. I’d have taken the lane over that, but completely understand why someone might prefer it.

[@thewattlife]

I was thinking the same thing- but then the orange 4x4 went past me as quick as $h!t and I decided to get straight in the gutter!

[@dazzawest]

Great videos, enjoy watching your videos.

[@thewattlife]

Thank you man other than riding on a dual carriageway they are fun to make

[@zebeddy]

Wow, can't believe they send people down the A404. I drive down this every day and it's a death trap, (as in cyclists have actually been killed on it). I like Velo Life but they definitely need to stop encouraging a route that could kill someone, esp when that back road works far better. Do you know if they have changed the route since this video was released?

[@thewattlife]

I went in the other day and they were re-doing the leader board so all the names have been removed. I asked if they were going to send people down the safer road (over the roundabout and turn left) and they said they didn’t know just yet. Makes no sense encouraging people to cycle down the A404

[@zebeddy]

@@thewattlife How are they not able to know whether you want to send cyclists down a 70mph dual carriageway or a relatively quiet side road that takes you to the same place? It's a very simple solution, (I ride that Burchett's Green road) and it's fine with cars. It's such a simple re-route it should be a no brainer...plus it means they can re-set their TT so it's up to date. They could even advertise it on social media to get some exposure. I really can't see what their uncertainty is about

[@thewattlife]

I agree.

[@GingerWarriorCyclingClub]

Good video. Bonkers that mind ! Didn’t even know it was legal !!!

[@thewattlife]

Crazy that in theory you could cycle in the middle of the right hand lane down a dual carriage way…

[@dazzawest]

Some dual carriageways are perfect, it gives motorists a whole lane spare to overtake you. The A404 is far too busy and fast for us on bikes though. Fair play for giving it a crack, i wouldve given it a go deapite the A404 if i was stillliving over that way.

[@thewattlife]

It’s worth giving it a one and done

[@johnmarkdillon]

As an ex motorcyclist and who currently has a son who races motorcycles with all the incumbent dangers (trying to convey a high tolerance for risk)I would never ride on a dual carriageway with those kind of speed differentials. I live in a rural area and realise the national speed limit is also quite high but it’s about the volume of traffic passing you at those speeds. Just think about the amount of people killed on hard shoulders by inattentive or distracted car and truck drivers. It’s a personal choice but there’s a reason you don’t see it too often.

[@jasonmainwaring7420]

When you consider the dangers of riding on normal roads given the very high volume of traffic, the bad attitude of some drivers and the very poor condition of many roads riding on a dual carriageway like this is total madness and shouldn't be encouraged or condoned. It's a way to get yourself seriously injured or worse.

[@K114LED]

I have done this on a group, dual carriage way with 50 limit... would not recommend at all.

[@werdsmyth]

Used to ride out to Billericay from East London and there was a stretch of the A12 to the M25 junction that turned into 70mph dual carriageway. Only a short section before the slip road could get me back onto regular 30mph roads. Always dreaded that bit but there wasn't much other option, without having to do a long detour. Appreciate the road layout was like that in order to help vehicle traffic get out of London and onto the M25 but there was no consideration for slower modes of transport (would have even been a little concerned on a moped).

[@iainwilson8437]

To play Devil's Advocate, in *some* respects dual is safer than single carriageway, which is why so many UK CTT time trials are run on duals. Speed limit on single main roads is 60mph, but is 70mph on duals. At least duals give other traffic an overtaking lane, and hence the opportunity to give you more space when they're overtaking. From an aesthetic viewpoint, I wouldn't choose to use duals for pleasure though! And yes, that particular piece of dual carriageway is famously full of fast cars and I can't imagine it's very pleasant to cycle on for a social ride...

[@thewattlife]

Yeah I think there might be some dual carriageways where you feel a bit more comfortable riding. This one just isn’t- it’s down hill and right after the M4 so people are used to driving 70+. I see your point, I just don’t want to be the one that tests the vision, attention span and concentration of a lorry driver in the left lane.

[@aaronpower8741]

I'd never ride down that road, but in Australia, 90% of my outdoor riding is on dual carriageway with a 110km/h (70mph?) speed limit. The difference is I have at least 3m of breakdown lane to ride in for the entire ride. Yes the speed difference is still there, but they aren't generally that close - you get the occasional idiot that tries to buzz you. Single carriageways the speeds are lower, but the vehicles are also much closer.

[@milkherd]

That hard shoulder looks fun 😂

[@thewattlife]

It was not

[@nathanmcginty5755]

I was put off time trials for years, my local tt was an out and back on the A1. Glad that course is no longer used.

[@krisbowditch827]

When cycling on dual carriageway its better stay on the outside of the white line , traffic then goes around you rather than staying in there lane and increasing closer passes .. yes it sounds counter intuitive, but I’ve done enough tt’s to prove this theory in real life. Stay safe, and confident 💪💪💪🚴👍

[@thewattlife]

I thought the same thing- until I was going down the on ramp and that orange 4x4 passed me at 75 mph. That changed my mind real quick

[@jonathankillen2827]

Did the others have mates driving behind them for the dual carriageway section? It would make it "safer", at least for the cyclist...

[@thewattlife]

I’m not sure what the others did- I think mostly everyone has to ride it in the gutter. I’ll ask Mr Bridghwood 🤣

[@jonathankillen2827]

Yeah I bet the GCN budget would stretch to a support vehicle 😂

[@tomcoombe4176]

Nice Max, would be great if it was relaunched on the amended route, fresh leaderboard and all.

[@thewattlife]

We can head down and you can let me go first so I’m top of the Leader Board for at least a few minutes 🤣

[@DKOakville]

I use to do duel carriageways every weekend never rode on the hard shoulder make the cars go around you and get the draft

[@thewattlife]

This is a slight incline and a bit of a head wind- so a car moving at 70mph would be closing 100m on me every 5 seconds. Some dual carriage ways are different to others and I just didn’t fancy it on here

[@bernadetteoliver290]

Possibly road might be 70 as has dividing barrier between the two sides of the road. Also joining just after M section of the A404 which means that motorway rules apply to that point so no pedestrians or cyclists permitted so will surprise motorists when come across cyclists after that junction. Increases risk. Possibly there is an old TT course that used to use that route.

[@thewattlife]

Yeah they used to use this section of the A404 on a 10 mile TT

[@bernadetteoliver290]

Totally agree with the proposed fix as much better route and less dangerous. Hopefully they will reset the challenge on this basis. A4 is bad enough but A404 is simply insane. Made mistake once of riding from Marlow up to Handy Cross on. Sunday morning. Only once and never again, that was 25 yers ago and roads even more dangerous now.

[@vfclists]

Due to the seriously dangerous potholed roads we have these days some of the hard shoulders on our carriageways are probably better.

[@thewattlife]

The lesser of two evils perhaps

[@huwrosen]

Actually makes little difference to the route, extra couple hundred meters and like 50m more elevation. I don't mind riding on dual carriageways, but a change would only be for the better 👍👍👍

[@thewattlife]

Lets do a video of the non-dual carriage way route this summer and we can promote it... On a nice non windy day though

[@Gixer750pilot]

If someone were to be killed doing this challenge , can you imagine the fallout for Strava and segments . This segment needs modifying and then this route taking down . Seems silly to risk your life for a time on a cafe white board and a coffee ☕️

[@thewattlife]

I didnt even get the coffee!!!!!

[@GingerWarriorCyclingClub]

I thought motor bikes had to be of a minimum cc ? Maybe that’s the motorway.

[@thewattlife]

Yup that’s motorways. Dual carriageways are just fast ‘A’ roads

[@GingerWarriorCyclingClub]

@@thewattlife well the M4 in West Wales in two lanes, so same same 🤣🤣

[@olivertuite6440]

I only ever use them when absolutely necessary. I know this road and I wouldnt cycle it.

[@thewattlife]

Probably wouldn’t do it again

[@reecedawson6113]

I mean i wouldn't recommend it unless it's a TT at 6am 😅, they're a lot nicer in spain or france

[@thewattlife]

I thought about doing it early morning... BUT i couldnt get out of bed for it

[@Lindon_In_London]

makes no sense to take the risk on a dual carriage way when there are plenty of options for other roads. Not worth the risk to life and limb IMO.

[@thewattlife]

I kinda agree. This dual carriageway is just a ‘fast one’. Hopefully do another vid with a new route soon

[@JohnSmith-pr5wl]

You can’t be giving Ollie from GCN grief when you’re doing it for views on KZbin, typical influencer behaviour, disappointing from you.

[@BPM2001]

My man wearing a mask making coffee in 2024

[@thewattlife]

Haha i actually think thats a combination of GoPro poor light quality and a beard.

[@BPM2001]

@@thewattlife that’s crazy! also add the fact I am doing my Zwift work-out. Awesome video! Looks dangerous too be honest, glad we have great cycling lanes in the Netherlands

[@cyclingnut2122]

I ride on dual carriageway everyday (A9 , 7 miles into Inverness) cyclists need to atop being scared l, its more dangerous on narrow and single track roads

[@thewattlife]

100% happy with people doing what they are comfortable with, this road is super busy with cars going 70+ mph. Just didn’t feel sensible

[@stevedouglas3975]

How busy is the road there? There are dual carriageways and dual carrigeways. I agree even quiet backroads can be dangerous, just depends upon who's on it at time but "generally" backroads quieter/less traffic etc. I live in a quiet rural/coastal area but still get issues with close dangerous passes most rides!

[@cyclingnut2122]

@@stevedouglas3975 very busy road

[@65Lynchy]

80's riding dual carriageway tt's as 14 year old

[@thewattlife]

I can only imagine what the cycling TT scene was like back then... Must have been a hell of a difference to nowadays