Tales from today's commute....

[KneesUp]

I was on my usual 10-ish commute today, and a little late so going faster than I'd have liked given the heat. However, I got stuck behind a cyclist with a trailer, which slowed me down quite a lot because he couldn't fit through the gaps I would have - fair play though, I love that he was transporting stuff by bike. After half a mile or so the road was suitable so I just nipped around the outside of the lane and went past him and a few cars on the right, and carried on at my previous too-fast-for-the-heat speed. I turned left at the next lights, as I normally do, and who should I see a few hundred yards further on, turning off the road I had just turned on to, but the chap with the trailer. Evidently there is a short cut I don't know of somewhere along the main road. Something to investigate for next time I'm running a little late.

 

[Ciar]

Lovely ride in this morning and no wind!!!!!!

 

[Bazzer]

In five commutes so far this week, I have almost a full house of weather bingo. Cold, warm, head wind, side wind, tail wind, overcast sky, clear sunny sky, fluffy cloud sky, mist, fog and this morning rain for the first 6 miles.

 

[Sixmile]

I woke unusually early this morning so left unusually early after doing some work around the house. Crisp morning but beautiful blue sunny sky and a decent tailwind on my back. Rode to post office, posted an ebay item then onto much lighter traffic'd roads. Into work just after 8am so means I can leave at 4pm!

 

[ianrauk]

I got to work just as it started to rain - rain wasn't on the weather schedule today...

 

[dhd.evans]

Roadie is out of commission whilst i fix the tyre/brake block issue so on the singlespeed roadie this morning. From alu-carbon on aero rims to a steel frame with big chunky steel rims is quite a swap.

Have just been corrected that it wasn't a carbon roadie who tried to wheelsuck but a CX roadie who was close. I outpaced the guy but then snotted without thinking, turns out he was closer than i'd anticipated and he got a face-full of snot. This is SCR at its worst.

 

[clippetydoodah]

The weather this morning was much colder than anticipated, and raining too. Thought I'd try
out my thin rain jacket. Wish I'd brought arm warmers! This was my first commute for a couple
of weeks. The rest of the trip was uneventful, if a bit muddy. Now planning to do the next 2
days for a total of 120 miles for the week.

 

[John_S]

Hi Bazzer,

Thanks for your message and suggestion of the safety goggles and a buff to keep the ingestion of insects down. I do wear sunglasses to that by & large keeps the bugs out of my eyes. I also have a buff but it's fairly thick and for winter use so I think it would cook me at the moment. That got me thinking about alternatives to keep me from swallowing the various flying bug life in the air and I thought about wrapping a pair of tights around my face but ruled that out fairly quickly on account of it would look very odd and probably attract many strange glances and potentially an encounter with the law.

Anyway back to todays commute and it was one of having to dodge some fairly large road kill. Firstly I had to dodge a dead badger followed by a deer, albeit a small one (probably Muntjac), on the way to work.

Then part way through my ride my Garmin battery died which is a bit annoying but it's my fault for forgetting to charge it last night and it's hardly the end of the world because it's still a nice ride out on the fresh air whilst commuting to work and I know that the miles happened.

John

 

[Thorn Sherpa]

Chilly on the hands this morning should've put the gloves on, nice clear and sunny morning though the roads were very quiet. Didn't spot a single cyclist this morning which is strange

 

[rivers]

Slightly nippy ride in today. I had to pull over on the corner of my road and put my leg warmers on. Drivers were mostly okay today, which makes a change from the rest of this week. The legs, however, were not appreciative of today.

 

[ianrauk]

Slightly nippy ride in today. .

Agree
100 yards out of the door and I stopped to put the windcheater on.. bit chilly in just a SS top.
Nice and sunny warmer now though

 

[Sixmile]

It was my 'drop the kids off to school' morning today. After the school bells rang I walked back to my car, bike on roof and decided to park about another 1/2 mile way, outside on the road at my da's house, haven't seen him in months. I didn't tell him I planned to park there so he appears out the door 'what's wrong'. 'Oh nothing, I'm just going to leave the car here and ride onto work'. 'Sure, it's a nice day' as he closes the door and goes back inside. We've always had that loving relationship.

Just as I finish putting the wheel on and putting seasucker in boot, my phone alarm goes off. I'm watching an auction for a 70" decorative penny farthing bike on ebay which is semi-local to me. Last I looked it was £1. With <2mins to go, it was £16 so I went just above £18 but it ended at £19 something. I really should've went to twenty as it would've been a class garden ornament. Ah well, then it was 12 miles onto work into a decent headwind but more importantly, warm sunshine.

 

[Maverick Goose]

Enjoying the sunshine on the commute atm, I've been upping the mileage most days and I've also changed my route in, so I can pass under the A66 at Stainton rather than playing the lottery waiting to cross it just before Redhills ( I might try going through Brougham, Lowther Park and Askham, which is a lovely route). Also spotted a Barn Owl t'other night on the way home, when it flew almost within touching distance...there seem to be quite a few here in the Eden Valley area as I'm always hearing them calling.

 

[straas]

Great to see more people on bikes in the better weather BUT:

If you're going to ride side by side chatting on an old railway path - get a bit closer together. Really no need to take up the entire (2.8m) width then act surprised when someone asks to get past.

 

[Dec66]

So, this morning I went up Crystal Palace Park Road to climb up to Crystal Palace (I like to mix the route a bit and there's a choice of five ways up). I was pootling along on the big ring with a couple of cogs in hand. A bloke in his late 50s or early 60s passed me, cranking away on his little ring. "Chapeau", I thought, and left him to it.

Then, the gradient shifted up by a couple of percent, one of those things which the eyes don't perceive but the legs do. I carried on in the same gear, and noticed the fella was coming back to me. "Ah, he's blown his beans", I thought, a perception enhanced when I noticed him clicking down the brifter. Still maintaining the same gear and cadence, I eased past him and carried on my merry way.

Then, I got baulked by the stationary traffic near the top. As I tried to manoeuvre round, the old stager undertook me, on the pavement. "Cheating arl bugger", I thought, and got going again. It was a matter of honour then, so I dropped down a cog and went past him again, thinking that was that as I got to the first roundabout at the top, easing down on the inside.

Then I noticed the bugger had somehow gone past me again. On the outside. "How the hell has he done that?", I thought.

At this point, my ruminations were rudely disturbed by a nobber in a black Audi leaping out on me from the left as I rounded the second roundabout to Fountain Drive. Two more inches and I'd have been smashed to bits. A bout of screaming f-words followed.

I spent the rest of the commute in a numb state of shock, shaking like the proverbial sh*tt*ng dog. Everyone passed me during that spell.