I do a lot of miles each year on the Continent…it seems to me that European riders are more considerate , more observant and , in many cases , more skilled on the road than we are…
Does this indicate that the majority of us (riding in London for practical reasons only) are poorer riders due to passing tests etc in cities - then getting it all wrong when the roads open up??
I ,too , am quicker than anyone else I’ve ever met and hard as nails along with it:) but it makes me think…
Bit in most European countries, OK maybe wuth the exception of Spain and Italy, the cagers are more considerate , more observant and , in many cases , more skilled on the road than we are…
Riders…Agree about Spain though( I live there)
Sort of didn’t word that to well.
What I meant was maybe the riders are better because the cagers are better and have far more respect for bikes than in the uk.
I’ve recently come back from a trip to Spain and agree, drivers are way more tolerant over there, which I find for most European Cities (apart from Andorra where I almost got thrown off and stupidly over taken not just once but three times). I also find it very nice of them to warn you when the police are waiting round the corner, have not noticed that over here so much.
Not to mention the roads, they are so fantastically smooth - at least there you know what you pay tax for 
Most London riders that I know tend to get out of London to ride regularly so are perfectly fine out of the city. I’d love to see some of the country riders managing a commute through central london with suicidal pedestrians, couriers, u-turning black cabs, scooter commuters with no formal training and the rest of the obsticles that make riding in London what it is :w00t: You need to ride and drive differently in London in order to make any progress.
+1 anyone can ride fast on open roads it takes real skill to ride fast through a city:cool:
And a lot of luck to do it on a regular basis London is no more difficult to ride through than and other major city,try Naples for a bit of action:D
Or any other Italian City.
Only places I’ve ever been where you have toi look both ways stepping out of a shop as the pavements are considered scooter routes
Mmmm there are many riders who have vastly improved their out of town riding skills going on proper rideouts with LB and the like. Also there are those square tyred folk who chuck 'em selves straight into a ditch trying to corner and manouvre at speeds outside their comfort zone on said rides :pinch:
Good well rounded riders should be able to do all and safely IMO 
Paris (Arc de Triomphe) and Rome are great fun :w00t:
agree with grim + if you’re a local and familiar with the roads it makes a difference. Having said that, we had a good tag-along with a group of uk platers in swiss alps earlier in year; they had either been before or were club racers getting some practise in 
road conditions play a good part also … nice european roads make riding easier … unless you’re going through Milan 
Totaly agree. Get well rounded with a rideout to the stone circles, you may find it interesting, no leaf mush or conkers in Central London!
Whistler… where abouts???
Whistler… where abouts???[/quote]
About 1 hour NW of Benidorm…inland Spain is brilliant… Had never been to Spain until a couple of months ago (saw the telly programs about “holidaymakers” and it just put me off) but , having come here to work, I love it and would happily stay for good..:). Benidorm is Benidorm (went there once) if not what I expected - seen from the motorway it looks more like Rio than a Spanish resort !
I noticed that when I was there in the summer, smooth roads in fantastic condition with some lovely twisties, remember thinking to myself how great it would be to put a bike on those roads!
Lovely pissing competition this. If you haven’t had an accident on London streets you either don’t get out much or you’re lucky. Give it time. In fact I’d say, if you haven’t chucked it up the road in London you probably don’t even ride a bike. Badge of honour and all that.
You can’t make good progress in London, it’s all about how much collateral damage you cause on the way.
