Tales from today's commute....

[HLaB]

Just when I was feeling like a proper commuter again, I was hit with one of these stupid bugs that have been going around, still not 80%, let alone 100% but I'm desperate to get back out and get in training for Liege Baston Liege :-/

 

[ianrauk]

The wind picked me up, grabbed me, shook me and gave me a damn good thrashing. Then it decided to throw some rain at me. Oh yes, it was cold to. What do they call it? Oh yes, character forming.

As you can guess, the commute home was hard work..not the most enjoyable of commutes.

 

[KneesUp]

Windy on the way home. And wet. And cold. And I forgot my hat. Again.

What is the etiquette here: at one point I joined road 30 feet or so behind other cyclist in strong headwind. I caught up a bit as I got lucky at a junction and had to slow less, so I was then about two to three bike lengths behind, but because of the wind being funnelled down the narrow road we were on there was no way I could get past - it was all I could do to keep pace. He then slowed a lot so I went past and sat half-wheeling me for a bit. He seemed quite cheery about it but I still felt awkward like I broken some unwritten rule?

 

[Gains84]

First commute on the mtb with a headwind, definately a good workout and shows how much better drop bars are to be able to duck out of the wind!!
Back on road bike tomorrow so I'm sure that will seem like I'm flying in comparison!

 

[MontyVeda]

drenched... way beyond the effectiveness of my jacket's waterproofing and that of my 'waterproof' over trousers. . My boots felt half full of water, in fact i'm surprised i couldn't pour it out when i got home... can't see them being dry for tomorrow though. Wasn't that cold though... so not all bad, and that bloody wind was behind me most of the time

 

[fossyant]

Tale of two commutes. Cold this morning and didn't look too icy but I decided on the MTB. Climbing out of Reddish Vale on Vale Road I could feel the rear ice tyre slip if I put any power down. Took it steady. Then on the Fallowfield loop, I passed two regulars who both said 'watch the ice'. Came across another cyclist and I repeated it to him, he said likewise. On rounding the bend I am greeted with a 30 ft long strip of ice across the path. Whoosh, I shoot right through the middle of it. Gotta love ice tyres.

This evening was very wet and windy, so after the 'Loop' I switched to a road route as I knew the farm lane I use from Reddish Vale would be a real mud bog in this rain.

 

[chriswoody]

Nearly knocked off again today, and the really frustrating thing is that it was yet again another cyclist! Both close calls have been from middle aged ladies just not paying attention to whats around them and performing sudden erratic changes of direction!

On the plus side after last weeks sub zero temperatures it's now a tropical 3 degrees in the morning.

 

[Origamist]

First 50 mins of heavy rain and all 110 mins of headwind. I'm not checking the forecast tomorrow...

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Tail wind all the way in!
Which was great as I woke up with a headache and was not enthusiastic about cycling today!

 

[Panter]

That tailwind home was fantastic last night, smashed my PB by about 10%. I made sure I enjoyed every single breath of it

 

[ianrauk]

Well this mornings commute couldn't have been more different then last nights horror. It was still a little bit windy but nowhere near as bad. AND it was a lovely sunshiney day. Traffic was light and a distinct lack of other cycling commuters.

Oh yes, passed my target mileage for the year also. 10,000 miles for the year, (5th year in a row) 6152 of those, commuting miles.

 

[Panter]

Well this mornings commute couldn't have been more different then last nights horror. It was still a little bit windy but nowhere near as bad. AND it was a lovely sunshiney day. Traffic was light and a distinct lack of other cycling commuters.

Oh yes, passed my target mileage for the year also. 10,000 miles for the year, (5th year in a row) 6152 of those, commuting miles.

Congratulations, that's a hell of an annual mileage!

 

[caesar]

A bloke in jeans on a roadish bike jumped the red at London Wall / Moorgate this am. He went through the ped crossing very slowly but there were a lot of people crossing on green so he still nearly hit one girl. It wouldn't have done any damage but I can't see it increasing her level of consideration for cyclists next time she's driving. At the next set of lights he was picking himself and his bike with a horrendously bent front wheel off the floor, having collided with another cyclist. Not sure which one of them had RLJ'd but I know where my money would go.

 

[confusedcyclist]

Epic headwind last night, got home to news stories of a weather bomb. Can't say I noticed any explosions, just a bit of wet and blow.

This morning, calm after the non-storm(?), easy peasy.

 

[Mo1959]

Epic headwind last night, got home to news stories of a weather bomb. Can't say I noticed any explosions, just a bit of wet and blow.

This morning, calm after the non-storm(?), easy peasy.

Up here much worse. Power went off overnight. Bin men had an extra man on this morning putting the bins back in peoples drives to save them blowing all over the roads. It is changing so quickly.....literally minute to minute. Sky suddenly gets dark, wind gets even stronger and the heavens open.