Tales from today's commute....

[hennbell]

1: Yesterdays evening commute. Freezing cold rain. WTF is that about? Luckily it wasn't really heavy and only lasted for about 15 minutes, but hell's teeth I felt frozen for a while. An hour later by the time I had got home sun appeared and I was sweating one out
2: This mornings commute. Lovely sunny blue skies. But that bloody chilly north wind. Twas mighty cold and made for hard going.

Grrrrr.. its nearly May for gawds sake. This time last year whilst on furlough, we were sitting in the garden sipping on Pink Gin and topping up our tan lines.

It snowed here yesterday morning, snow did not stay for long.
It is not unusual to get a quick dusting of snow in the morning and a sunny 15C in the afternoon, even into late May.

 

[skudupnorth]

Another extended commute away from the roads and gridlock. Rode down my usual route along the NCN55 ( Roe Green Loop line) through Worsley woods and stopped to admire the Delph. Then on to the Bridgewater canal back home to Astley. It was bitterly cold but well worth it

 

[tinywheels]

nippy in the morning, but warmer on the return. Close call with a dog off lead,it leapt out of some woods.The brompton nearly went sideways as I applied brakes. It's owner was oblivious as usual.

 

[cyberknight]

New shift pattern and now commuting to work in the early afternoon, is it me or is the standard of driving really bad that time of day ? i now get 3-4 close passes most days now compared to when i used to ride in on my old shift when it was so few and far between i couldnt even remember the last time one happened.

 

[palinurus]

Well, the Follet Drive bicycle has been decorated again. Was hoping to see it covered in depictions of noble workers but being as it's Abbots Langley they done a may pole.

 

[palinurus]

Four people, two Beryl (e-)bikes. Nice going,

 

[palinurus]

🌬

 

[hennbell]

I nearly got taken out by a 10 year old child on an electric moped. Was more a child's toy than an actual moped. Dam thing was silent, very small only 3 feet tall, and zoomed out from 2 parked cars. Fortunately I was aware and swerved to miss her.

 

[Andy in Germany]

On the way to work yesterday morning:

 

[skudupnorth]

Even after being pebble dashed with hail and rain I still carried on past my short cut turning point on the evening commute to extend the ride along the Bridgewater canal. Really helps me to wind down after a full on day at work

 

[Arjimlad]

A mixed bag riding home yesterday. A driver got way too close to me overtaking on a roundabout, and I rapped my knuckles on the rear pillar to stop him side-swiping me (that's how close he got).

He stopped up the road & my hopes for a civilised exchange were thwarted by his angry aggressive behaviour. Duly reported for careless driving and threatening behaviour. Man has issues...

The perfect antidote a couple of miles further on my ride home, though...

I stopped to let four cars come through a narrow road, they all waved thanks (which is rare) but it was especially lovely to have a wave from a Dad and his little girl smiling and waving like mad in the front seat !

Update on this angry driver who had his trial today on a public order offence of threatening behaviour.

He was found guilty of using threatening behaviour and fined a lot of money and costs. I'd had to fend off his car which was closing in on me, and he took great exception to that, and then wouldn't engage civilly without threatening violence.

He or his lawyer said that I should've been no more than 50cm from the kerb, he knows this as he's a cyclist himself. His actions afterwards were reasonable remonstration for my rapping on his car, what right did I have to do that, and at no point did he intend me to think he was going to hit me. His fist, for example was not a fist but was his hand merely pointing at me and not clenched, despite the video showing otherwise. The prosecutor asked him about holding back until it was safe to overtake with more space, but he couldn't understand that idea at all.

If he'd started out with less aggression I would've been happy to apologise for touching his car and explain why I had felt it necessary to do so, especially as he stated in court that he didn't hear my horn. If he'd admitted the offence in police interview it would've ended with a caution. Instead he faces a criminal record and financial penalties of over £1300 on top of his legal costs.

It's a sad case demonstrating the need for people to realise that cycling on the road is legal and that we need to give proper space to cyclists. The highway code is going to be updated to spell out that this means 1.5 metres and that if you can't give that space safely, you need to wait until you can. And threatening to thump people may have condign legal consequences. It is nice when I can get to & from work without this sort of driving !



View: https://youtu.be/a6XOZ-g7wrY

 

[Lovacott]

I had an interesting ride home this afternoon.

I was dropping down gears up a hill on my lumpy Apollo when I heard a female voice call "good evening" and this vision of beauty glided gently past me on a road bike. I said "you put me to shame" and she replied, "don't worry, it's ten times easier on a road bike".

Within a minute, she had a good hundred yards on me and then began the long descent down the biggest hill on my route.

I'm a bit gung ho on downhills where as she proceeded a bit more cautiously. By the time we got to the bottom of the hill, I was right on her tail.

I stayed pretty much with her, following her line in the road until she pulled away again on another uphill and gained about fifty yards on me by the time we got to the main junction leading into town. All the while, she didn't look behind and had no idea I was there.

She went right towards town, I went straight over, along an alley and down a shortcut which cuts out about 2/10ths of a mile (but the road is as rough as anything and no good for a roadbike).

I got to the end of the cut through and onto the main road where I found myself right behind her again as we went down the last downhill section towards a main roundabout. Again, she braked down the hill, I went hell for leather.

Bottom line is, I caught her at the roundabout, pulled up alongside her and exclaimed "caught you". She looked at me in amazement and said "god!! so you did!!!".

I then said goodbye and we went our separate ways.

If I were 30 years younger........

 

[simongt]

On a not dissimilar note, I was on an audax ride a few years back and cruising along at what I thought was a decent pace when there was a cheery 'Hello' from behind and a lass several years my senior, I was in my mid fifties at the time, glided effortlessly past on a pukka road bike and she was wearing kit with a colour scheme that complemented the bike - !
Huh - !

 

[Andy in Germany]

On a not dissimilar note, I was on an audax ride a few years back and cruising along at what I thought was a decent pace when there was a cheery 'Hello' from behind and a lass several years my senior, I was in my mid fifties at the time, glided effortlessly past on a pukka road bike and she was wearing kit with a colour scheme that complemented the bike - !
Huh - !

I know those moments: It's not just being overtaken, but that they have the energy to say hello as they do it...

I was recently complemented on my ability to ride "like lightening" into the wind on my evening commute. The speaker claimed that I'd left them "in the dust". This would have felt great except that he's seventy and had spent the whole day building pallets...

 

[hennbell]

Update on this angry driver who had his trial today on a public order offence of threatening behaviour.

He was found guilty of using threatening behaviour and fined a lot of money and costs. I'd had to fend off his car which was closing in on me, and he took great exception to that, and then wouldn't engage civilly without threatening violence.

He or his lawyer said that I should've been no more than 50cm from the kerb, he knows this as he's a cyclist himself. His actions afterwards were reasonable remonstration for my rapping on his car, what right did I have to do that, and at no point did he intend me to think he was going to hit me. His fist, for example was not a fist but was his hand merely pointing at me and not clenched, despite the video showing otherwise. The prosecutor asked him about holding back until it was safe to overtake with more space, but he couldn't understand that idea at all.

If he'd started out with less aggression I would've been happy to apologise for touching his car and explain why I had felt it necessary to do so, especially as he stated in court that he didn't hear my horn. If he'd admitted the offence in police interview it would've ended with a caution. Instead he faces a criminal record and financial penalties of over £1300 on top of his legal costs.

It's a sad case demonstrating the need for people to realise that cycling on the road is legal and that we need to give proper space to cyclists. The highway code is going to be updated to spell out that this means 1.5 metres and that if you can't give that space safely, you need to wait until you can. And threatening to thump people may have condign legal consequences. It is nice when I can get to & from work without this sort of driving !



View: https://youtu.be/a6XOZ-g7wrY

So much to take in, a truly special video.

If he had offered to bang me I would have insisted he take me out for a nice meal first.
He looked so small, did he indeed represent the Lollipop guild?

But in all seriousness it is so sad we have to deal with such issues, you did well to keep in control.