Tales from today's commute....

[hoppym27]

My first commute to work in the rain..I said I wouldnt when I started this!....anyway, its just like anything outdoors..no such thing as bad weather..just the wrong clothing...and I check the forecast anyway so prepared yesterday with making sure I had wet wipes and a towel at work....it was no hassle at all!

 

[ManiaMuse]

Wet. And looks like we have got another week of this going by the forecast.

Yay...at least the leaves haven't started falling properly so the roads aren't covered in leaf slime yet.

 

[HarryTheDog]

Seemed a lot darker this morning so ensured I had 2 rear lights in action. 10 miles into my commute another roadie struggled past into the headwind, I faintly recognised him and jumped on his wheel. We wordlessly shared the load into the headwind for the next 3 miles swapping places, then chatted at the next set of red lights. We did know each other, just he now had a beard and last time we met we were battering each other on MTB's. We contiuned to drag each other along at a pace until I spied the fastest guy on my commute ahead ( several pages of KOM's races etc) who was going unusually slowly. Turned out his BB was making nasty noises and he did not want to push it as had visions of it siezing.
They also knew each other and had chatting to catch up on so pushed the last 2 miles on my todd. It was nice to get a hand for around 10 miles and made good time into the headwind.

 

[Heigue'r]

Had the headwind into london this morning on roughly same route as harrythedog above..I usually work until five but had an appointment that I had to be back in essex for around 3.First lunchtime commute and it looked like I was going to have a tailwind home..excellent I thought but sure enough once I got out of London and onto the cs3 the wind done a complete 180 degree turn for the remainder of the ride finished off with yet another puncture on 400mile old gp4000s..this time only a boot would do given the slit in the tyre....the time has come to call quits on the gp4000s for commuting

 

[lutonloony]

Conker attack today. Has a bit of a wobble this morning when I hit some shells? This evening a car went over some and pinged a confer straight at the old bonce. Almost certainly, maybe, possibly saved from death only due to my safety helmet seriously though glad it didn't hit face

 

[Slick]

Just another normal commute this morning, nearly made my now 14 mile route into work perfectly dry but there was a smattering of the wet stuff about 2 miles out but other than that, it was a beautiful morning here. Due to a road closure on Friday , I discovered a 2 mile shortcut but it's through Glasgow airport and the centre of paisley. I considered giving it a go as I left work a little later than usual, but in the end decided against it mainly due to the changes round the airport. I was enjoying the cycle, sun was shining, wind was mostly on my tail, and due to more road works I was cycling past lots of stationary traffic filtering up to the lights with no problems. I got to one particular road, where I've always felt, if I was ever going to get into bother, it would be here. There was the usual mixture of passes, some good and some not so good. One in particular came very close and felt very much like a punishment pass as you could see his very small vehicle actually move back out as he passed me. I tried to ignore it, and as I got to the top of the road I began filtering to the front. I didn't notice the same small car and as I passed him, it looked like he was about to take a stroke as his face contorted desperately revving his tiny engine and trying to block my path. I may well have upset him earlier on my commute without realising it, but I wish some people would get over the fact that sometimes it's just easier to get through heavy traffic with a bike.

 

[Simontm]

Drizzly ride in but fast for no apparent reason. Guess lights were kind. London's well and truly back at work if the jams were anything to go by.
Way back was kinda dry. A bit spitting Sandra then the sun came out for the last five miles.
Appears someone hit a ped on the South cycle lane at Hyde Park. I heard some swearing and a squeal of brakes so I looked round to see a cyclist and some woman in difficulty back down near the barracks, hope everyone's ok.
An amusing chat with a cyclist I was about to overtake before the Barnes mini-roundabout.
Me: which way you going?
Him:What?
Me: which way you going?
Him: what?
Me: You going straight on or left?
Himh right. Going left.
I didn't want to overtake at the risk of cutting him up.
By that time we were nearly on the roundabout so I slotted in behind him then overtook after only for a fat car to pull out then have to wait to get past a parked car...all that work
Numpty count: 0

 

[HarryTheDog]

Commute home got off to a bad start, tyre flat before I started. Rather a large hole in the inner tube, no big piece of glass or flint in the tyre. Then 6 miles into the comute another puncture, a big one, tyre let go instantly. I made for a bus stop to keep out of the drizzle. Whilst fixing it another roadie stopped to offer a inner tube. Luckily I carry 2 so did not need it.
Then a local young oik wombled over and seemed to take too much interest in my bike and bag, I ensured everything was within reach, he then started to bleat on about it being a bus stop not a workshop, I pointed out there was room for him, I did it in a non nice way to warn him that I was not going to stand for any shite. He proceeded to move around nearly sticking his nose in my bag, then he walked off, so not waiting for a bus and as I suspected looking to maybe nick something.

Then as I was going through Dagenham I spotted a very big roadie ( tall not wide) ahead so I chased him down for fun and went straight past, he put up a bit of a fight but a passing van gave me a nice draft vehicle. When I got home I checked on fly-by he was a guy I have wanted to meet for ages, I have been steadily nicking his age group KOM's since I turned 55 this year, 2 very different riders with very similar times, him around 6ft 5 and me 5ft 5.

 

[HarryTheDog]

Had the headwind into london this morning on roughly same route as harrythedog above..I usually work until five but had an appointment that I had to be back in essex for around 3.First lunchtime commute and it looked like I was going to have a tailwind home..excellent I thought but sure enough once I got out of London and onto the cs3 the wind done a complete 180 degree turn for the remainder of the ride finished off with yet another puncture on 400mile old gp4000s..this time only a boot would do given the slit in the tyre....the time has come to call quits on the gp4000s for commuting

gp4000s for commuting! they are a bit fragile, I had 2 punctures today but the michelin pr04' endurances have only let me down once before in 3000 miles. You commute in from upminster? we may know people in common, are you on Strava?

 

[Heigue'r]

gp4000s for commuting! they are a bit fragile, I had 2 punctures today but the michelin pr04' endurances have only let me down once before in 3000 miles. You commute in from upminster? we may know people in common, are you on Strava?

More than a bit fragile for sure,Ive just fitted some pro 4 endurance this evening based on some guidance you gave re tyres on a recent thread.Ive met a few of the regulars on the commute allready...some fast fellas travelling that route for sure including yourself.Im travelling from south ockendon but leave earlier than most in the morning.I dont think ive met you on the route yet...yes Im on strava.just keeping an eye on distance...and how close/far im off everyone elses time for the route

 

[HarryTheDog]

@Heigue'r that commute route is getting busier every year and the people are getting faster as well, it has taken me 2 years to bump into the guy I mentioned so our paths may not cross for years. I have been doing that route for 12 years, strava for the last 2-3, It just makes it a bit less boring to have a pop at a section once in a while. I have only come across a handful of un-friendly guys in the whole 12 years, most will chat and the strange thing is the fastest guys tend to be the friendliest. ( you might have to batter them a bit in a friendly bout of SCR first though)

 

[Simontm]

Bolt flew off this morning so back on the big cog again good speed as a result mind
Had to work late so quieter roads till Barnes. Good run over Richmond Park to find Kingston gate shut- dusk at 7:35 already. Sheesh.
Numpty count: 0

 

[dhd.evans]

Met a numpty this morning on a corner i sometimes have bother with:



Oh, and yesterday's twotwoffle who explained to me that because i wasn't in the cycle lane i was 'aggravating' her so her close punishment pass was not only expected but deserved. The chat we had was... frustrating. Hope the P* fairy visits her souped up fud-mobile every day for the rest of the week:

 

[Arjimlad]

Met a numpty this morning on a corner i sometimes have bother with:



Oh, and yesterday's twotwoffle who explained to me that because i wasn't in the cycle lane i was 'aggravating' her so her close punishment pass was not only expected but deserved. The chat we had was... frustrating. Hope the P* fairy visits her souped up fud-mobile every day for the rest of the week:

"I didn't like your road positioning so I tried to scare you by putting your life in danger this morning."

Bonkers.

 

[dhd.evans]

"I didn't like your road positioning so I tried to scare you by putting your life in danger this morning."

Bonkers.

I know, right? Normally i post vids without stating reg numbers but this one deserves noting because of the sheer idiocy of her argument as to why she came in close. Dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb.