Tales from today's commute....

[dhd.evans]

Got involved in a tiny bit of SCR last night. Chap joined me on a slight uphill and I was outpacing him (not by much but enough to go on the drops and get a sweat on!). He passed me at a RAB when i joined the queue and he sailed through the centre of traffic catching a lucky break and being able to join the RAB at ~20mph without stopping.

Ended up chasing him down over the next 1.5mi on the drops and then cruising past him. It was silly, yes, it was competitive, yes, but we both chuckled as i passed him the last time and quipped "Jesus man, you're making me really work for it!". All in all an awesome ride home.

 

[Arjimlad]

.....and I saw him again on this evening's commute. The bloke wearing a night vision jacket...it's mid 30's temps out there. It was blisteringly hot. At least he wasn't wearing the overtrousers but still had the overshoes on. Madness.

Perhaps he is on some sort of rapid weight loss thing - but dehydrating is not a healthy way to do that !

 

[lazybloke]

The ride home is normally a great way to relax and ease the stress.
Not today. 3 punctures (all rear) PLUS a faulty presta valve.

What did I do wrong to upset the fairy?

 

[fossyant]

Even though I no longer cycle commute due to my accident, I still have a drawer full of spares. Just given two old tubes to a colleague that has a puncture but no spare tubes.

 

[dhd.evans]

Another day another taxi...

 

[fossyant]

Another day another taxi...

?

 

[dhd.evans]

?

I was hoping to go straight on. The taxi driver had other ideas.

 

[fossyant]

I was hoping to go straight on. The taxi driver had other ideas.

You were undertaking at a junction. Opens you up to left hooks from drivers without indicators. I'd have backed off when the bus also started to indicate

 

[ianrauk]

Agreed. I wouldn't have undertaken there if I was going straight on. With the traffic or overtake.

 

[dhd.evans]

Oh, i'm not complaining - it's a facet of this particular junction. I've learned to expect it from taxis on this road. As i came in through the bike lane i actually thought he might be going straight ahead but kept my head on a swivel slowing up slightly to give enough room should the taxi peel left.

 

[RoubaixCube]

Not a clipless moment as I stopped at a set of lights. I was already unclipped but I miscalculated the positioning of my unclipped foot, missed the curb and ended up smacking my left ribs into some iron railings as i flailed like a muppet to keep myself balanced. I partially winded myself but still managed to pull away and pick up speed like a boss.

Still bloody hurts though

 

[I like Skol]

Great ride to work tonight and I had a smile on my face for most of the trip. The reason for this was that there were lots of cyclists about, mostly kids and mostly in small groups of 3 or 4 and riding along on the roads. It made me feel good about the world to see them out and about, going to each other’s houses, setting off on adventures, enjoying the freedom of cycling without a care in the world. Small moments like this give me hope for the future

Apart from this, it did seem to be business as usual from the black BMW drivers! 3 stupid, dodgy, impatient close passes from the drivers of black BMWs. Shame they have to try so hard to conform to the stereotypes when most other drivers seem to be able to drive in a reasonable manner most of the time….

New XT rear mech arrived today while I was in bed. The existing, original DEORE unit on my hybrid commuter has done over 6yrs and 16-17k miles in all weathers with minimal maintenance but is starting to show its age with some less than optimal gear changes. It has all gone a bit floppy & worn so hopefully the new mech, a fresh cable and a chain/cassette replacement will have it all performing like new again.

 

[atalanta]

Passed an older gent today, sort of a Captain Birdseye type, on North Carriage Drive shared cycle/ped path. He was wearing a helmet, but instead of passing the strap under his jaw he'd somehow fastened it between his lower lip and his chin. Like a Palace Guard's bearskin hat, only much less tall and made of styrofoam. I wonder what he thought the purpose of the helmet actually was...

 

[TheJDog]

Double puncture on the way in. Both flat 1/2 a mile from the house. Walked back and got the fancy bike, which means I have to do a few laps of the park on the way home which is obviously awful.

 

[tallliman]

A fake commute for me today as whilst I've a day off, I'm too busy to ride for long! So just an easy 20miles or so.