Tales from today's commute....

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ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
Up until recently really good, the coldest day was -16C.
Yesterday was -26C so no bike yesterday Today it is -16C .
The cycling has been hindered more by warm temperatures rather than cold. The snow was very loose over an ice layer, was like riding in oatmeal no grip slow going.

But I am taking a couple days off the bicycle due sore knee from a "chainsaw incident", how very Canadian

A friend was cutting a fallen tree into firewood. Without warning he changed the direction he was cutting, and sent a large branch shooting at me. I was 15 feet away and it hit me just below the knee. I was lucky it just a cut and bruised up. Tomorrow the low is -12C so back to the bicycle tomorrow.


And we moan at zero temps :laugh::notworthy:
Hope the knee heals up quick, sounds painful
 
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Tom B

Guru
Location
Lancashire
After a couple of uneventful trips I went to work via a dentist's appointment yesterday. I thought it was for a quick session of disparaging looks and disapproval from the queen of clean. But it turned out it was an 70mins of awkward filling. Then carried on to work with a numb even more asymmetric head!

This morning was battling the wind and rain along one of the estate roads, noticed a woman stood in the middle of the road as if halfway crossing. Just as I got to her point she decided to run back to my side how we didn't hit at about 20-25mph I have no idea, felt her breath on me ear!
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
So here's a commuting tale for you.
On this mornings commute, I caught up with another commuting roadie. He looked over to me and asked how long I had been doing the A21 commute. About 15 years I told him. He said that for the last 10 years he had been driving to work along the A21 and had seen me quite regular over the years, along with a few other regular cycle commuters, come rain or shine, every month, overtaking the backed up traffic, including him.
In the summer, partly due to the pandemic and wanting to get fitter, he bought a bike. He was hoping that he'd see me, but hadn't until today.
Nice chap, nice conversation.
 

palinurus

Velo, boulot, dodo
Location
Watford
Sunset.png


Today is a notable day on my commute calendar- earliest sunset; from today the sunset starts to get later (the days continue to get shorter, but all the action is at the start of the day)

Next notable day is 21st Jan for that 16:30 sunset- means I can get home in the light if I leave at 16:00 on Friday.

Looks like a soggy ride home later.

meh.png
 

skudupnorth

Cycling Skoda lover
I've tapped out last few days, been taking the car :surrender:
To be honest I’ve done the same just because I have had enough of dangerous manoeuvres from a lot of motorists and one tipper truck this past few weeks 😡
It got to the point of me actually dreading/ hating the cycle commute which is unusual for me.
The break will do me good because I am sure I will equally hate being trapped in my tin box and will WANT to ride again.
Stay safe everyone
 
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palinurus

Velo, boulot, dodo
Location
Watford
Soggy. It still appeared totally dark at 8:15.

There's almost no-one on site today and we have a lab area permanently heated to 25C so good chance of getting stuff dry.
 
Very muddy on the way home at 14:30
(as you can guess, I didn't go that way, at 04:45)

I'd ridden along the road, as far as 'Stanley Ferry'
If you look at the OS map, under the Geograph picture, the first was taken roughly at the point where the 'disused railway line' starts below the 'T' of 'Stanley Ferry
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/509903
Road-Trip. 103.jpg


Barring the stop for the photograph, I cleaned (bad work for this mud) the entire stretch, & partway up a 1-in-10 section by the stableblock

The clogged pic, was taken by the crossroad of paths to the east of the blue circle
Rubbing & noisy, but still rotating

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/190194
Road-Trip. 104.jpg


EDIT @ 19:57

It's not an every-day diversion, due to the mud (at this time of year)
In summer I may go that way more often, as it's hard-packed

When I was running, I'd go that way a lot, as it was less boring than the road
 
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