Tales from today's commute....

[dhd.evans]

I give you "Climbuting":

Essence is to take in as many hills as i can to work my legs up for Etape Caledonia.

Actuality is i'm breathing out my arse and sweating like Ian Watkins in a playpark.

 

[Arjimlad]

The traffic in the wastelands of SE London was at a complete standstill this morning. It was horrendous. Not helped by school run mums parking on zig zags, corners and double parking

Also made a moton jump so much. Was on their phone, I shouted as loud as I can 'Off Your Phone'!!" Saw them jump out of their skin

Nice one. I embarrass my family by tooting the car horn if I am driving near one of those weak-willed phone abusers.

 

[icowden]

Nah...

<sings VERY loudly>Look Up, Look Up, You'll always be a slave, Look Up, Look Up, You're standing in your grave....
Mobile user 24601 your time is up, and your life is done, you'll end up as roadkill if you keep looking at your screen...
Hospitalised for what you did, you didn't look round till you heard the skid, because you were busy playing pokemon....
etc.... </sings>

 

[skudupnorth]

Into my first week out of four not cycling or working for that matter
Just had the joy of an operation on my prostate and I am under serious orders from Mrs Skud and the surgeon not to even look at my bikes
Back in a few weeks I hope, be careful out there, you know the sunshine affects those poor, trapped motorists

 

[I like Skol]

Into my first week out of four not cycling or working for that matter
Just had the joy of an operation on my prostate and I am under serious orders from Mrs Skud and the surgeon not to even look at my bikes
Back in a few weeks I hope, be careful out there, you know the sunshine affects those poor, trapped motorists

It won't be long mate.

I know it might seem an odd thing to say, considering the circumstances, but enjoy it while it lasts. You will be back into the daily grind soon enough so make the most of the opportunity to step back from it for a little while.

 

[hennbell]

Minor amounts of snow on the ground here. Not enough to make me change back to snow tyres but enough to put away the road bicycle.

 

[skudupnorth]

It won't be long mate.

I know it might seem an odd thing to say, considering the circumstances, but enjoy it while it lasts. You will be back into the daily grind soon enough so make the most of the opportunity to step back from it for a little while.

Cheers buddy, really is so hard not being able to do anything

 

[BSOh]

At nearly 40, the first commute last friday for me, ever. I'm a pootler and enjoy the occasional leisure ride. At 10 miles each way, i decided to drive the 1st four miles of the commute, and cycle the remaining six miles along mostly cycle path. It was hard, I walked up quite a few lumps, nearly got taken out by two foxes that came crashing out of the hedge onto the path a few feet ahead of me. But I got to work. Result.

The return leg back to the car was much harder. It was muddy, wet and I was knackered after work. There was a runner ahead of me and I never caught him up But I took my time and got back ok. I think my average speed was about 8mph . I was really tired but pleased enough overall to be willing to do it again.

My general fitness is pretty good, after fridays efforts I said to myself that if I stick to it, adding the extra 3 or 4 miles is doable. That's my goal, to be able to do it by the end of the summer. I just need to get the cycling legs warmed up I think.

Events conspired against me, so I haven't been able to commute again until today. The ride in was damp, but I felt ok. Pretty much the same as Friday, perhaps a little quicker. I was reasonably happy.

Really tired after work again so I wasn't looking forward to the return leg as much. I don't know what happened but before I knew it I was back at my car! Much quicker, and physically I felt like I had just been out for a pootle. Struggled on one of the lumps, and got off to walk half way up, but was ok on all others. Don't think I was noticably faster, but it was definitely much easier. And I loved every second of it. Pleasant way to unwind after work.

I think perhaps I may have been a little under the weather last week. I will now be aiming for the full ten miles in a month or so.

Oh and I didn't know if the 1x7 would be enough of a range for me. At the speed I'm going I don't have to worry about that for a while yet

 

[steve keay]

First commute for me in a while.Had a blood pressure scare a few months ago when the doc said "get to A&E now" spent five hrs there. All tests came back good apart from high blood pressure.It's been brought down with medication but now to work on my fitness.
So back on the bike. I had last week off work . Played golf,swam 2 half miles and cycled 40 miles over the week. I've now decided to commute on my bike a few times a week. it's 6miles each way so not to bad apart from its downhill into town then a climb out which ever way I go.
It felt hard this morning but the ride home felt good. Looking forward to the ride tomorrow. Alarm set for 5.

 

[DCBassman]

Into my first week out of four not cycling or working for that matter
Just had the joy of an operation on my prostate and I am under serious orders from Mrs Skud and the surgeon not to even look at my bikes
Back in a few weeks I hope, be careful out there, you know the sunshine affects those poor, trapped motorists

I'm just coming to the end of my purdah, although for shoulder, but it's been easy enough not to want to make that purdah longer by getting back to it too soon. Take it easy, and get well speedily!

 

[dhd.evans]

Climbuting part 2!

 

[C R]

Nice commute today, though a bit grey, nothing like what @littlejojo posted. Only small annoyance was a lady coming out of a drive through the cycle path, looking the wrong way. Luckily I saw her from some distance away and reduced my speed in time.

 

[Sixmile]

It was a lovely bright morning with a tailwind. A lot of the schools are closed today to be used for local election voting so the traffic was much lighter. I was spinning happily into Belfast and I noticed 4 chinese tourists crowded around a map in an area where there wasn't really much to see so I thought they must've been lost. I spun around and went back to them and asked if they were ok. Turns out that they were looking for Belfast Castle which would've been easily an hours walk from where they were if they knew where they were going. I hailed the next bus, explained to the driver what they wanted and he let them on for nought to drop them much closer to where they wanted to be. Around 5 minutes later I pass them with a ting ting of the bell as they stood below the 'Belfast Castle' sign pointing them up the hill.

 

[biking_fox]

Things that make you smile on a wet and cold commute - Small girl in waterproofs and umbrella merrily singing out loud 'Rain rain go away, come again another day'

 

[Arjimlad]

That bum-twitching moment on a roundabout when a driver doesn't wait for you to clear her entry sliproad before surging on towards your back wheel.... had that today - only eye contact & a hand up got her to back off. Afraid I swore.