Tales from today's commute....

[wafter]

Warm but damp air this morning made it feel pretty chilly; not a lot of people about, potentially as a result. Largely uneventful. Special mention to epic vintage trenchcoat man; sighted for a second time on the tow path

Post-pub ride home was OK; mild and pleasant-enough conditions but I felt pretty meh throughout. Feel better for it though, now I'm safely in bed. Rain tomorrow, apparently..

 

[GeekDadZoid]

Been uneventful the last month or so, been very busy so jot actually been to the office as much as I would like in terms of riding.

However yesterday's commute was eventful.

The ride in was lovely and warm, back to shorts and just a jersey and gillet, however I forgot to the check the return weather, so had a very wet ride home. That reminded me I need to fit mudguards on the Boardman.

Anyway at a set of traffic lights which holds the traffic for a good few minutes I proceeded past the queue to the ASL, there was a car in it, so I positioned my self Infront of that just on the white line.

A car came racing down the right hand turn lane, right into the ASL box and started to aggressively ask me why I had done that. I pointed out that is what they are for, he said"I know, but why don't you stick to the left hand side, and why do you go through all the lights on red".

Just a reminder this was whilst I was sat waiting at a red light. He then told me he has just seen 4 bikes go through red lights, I questioned him if one of them was me, he spluttered something about license plates and then the lights changed and he sped off cutting Infront of all the traffic to go straight on, probably doing at least 40 on a 30mph road.

I'm not a confrontational rider I tend to ride defensively so stuff like this catches me off guard. I am also pretty happy to argue back, but it's just not acceptable the way people are so aggressive.

 

[fossyant]

Wet again this morning, fairly grim, but still better than the car, or even, walking (given a colleagues reaction from walking from the station. Decided on the full "boil in bag" rain trousers this morning.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

On the damp side of moist today...

 

[ianrauk]

Yep, a horrid yucky, wet ride in this morning. Cold too. Oh yes, lets throw in some blustery winds for good measure.
Its going to rain all day by the looks of things so looking like a wet commute home too.

Rainy commute #8 for the year
Same period last year 8 rainy commutes
Level pegging.

 

[cyberknight]

Absolutely soaked ,at least it's not cold or too windy...yet

 

[wafter]

Apocalyptically bleak this morning; both inside and outside my head.

Wet weather gear on from the off; seemed that my respite from muppets over the past few days was because the week was saving them all up for today. The chosen medium for this tw*ttery was largely "failure to give way to the right at roundabouts" and "failure to control your dog" - the latter nearly resulting in some fairly pricey looking, if evidently particularly thick shaggy whippet looking thing nearly getting run over on the tow path despite my slowing down, shouting and use of the bell.

Thanks to my especially low tolerance for all the less-than-pleasant factors at play the ride quickly degenerated into an angry thrash into the driving rain and stout headwind. I'd finally chilled out a little by the time I got to the butchers for the usual breakfast and had a fairly sedate rest of ride up the river; the rain thankfully easing towards the end of the ride but plenty of it remaining spilling onto the tow path.

The Brompton did well although I think contamination in the rear shifter mech has caused it to become temperemental, so I'll have to sort that at some point. The bike is currently performing a useful task as a drying rack for my convicingly damp outer clothing.

Boiled in the bag a little but the waterproofs kept the worst of the wet off. Not a particularly pleasant ride but I'm grateful for the positive outlet provided by the bike for my rage; and I doubtless feel a lot better now than I would have done had I driven all the way.

A few photos from the past few days' rides..

Monday's sunset:

Yesterday in the covered market, with entertainingly defaced signage:

This morning's flooding on the river:

Hoping for a dry ride home; forecast is currently non-committal..

 

[Andy in Germany]

Apocalyptically bleak this morning; both inside and outside my head.

Wet weather gear on from the off; seemed that my respite from muppets over the past few days was because the week was saving them all up for today. The chosen medium for this tw*ttery was largely "failure to give way to the right at roundabouts" and "failure to control your dog" - the latter nearly resulting in some fairly pricey looking, if evidently particularly thick shaggy whippet looking thing nearly getting run over on the tow path despite my slowing down, shouting and use of the bell.

Thanks to my especially low tolerance for all the less-than-pleasant factors at play the ride quickly degenerated into an angry thrash into the driving rain and stout headwind. I'd finally chilled out a little by the time I got to the butchers for the usual breakfast and had a fairly sedate rest of ride up the river; the rain thankfully easing towards the end of the ride but plenty of it remaining spilling onto the tow path.

The Brompton did well, although I think contamination in the rear shifter mech has caused it to become temperemental, so I'll have to sort that at some point. The bike is currently performing a useful task as a drying rack for my convicingly damp outer clothing.

Boiled in the bag a little, but the waterproofs kept the worst of the wet off. Not a particularly pleasant ride but I'm grateful for the positive outlet provided by the bike for my rage; and I doubtless feel a lot better now than I would have done had I driven all the way.

A few photos from the past few days' rides..

Monday's sunset:

View attachment 722226


Yesterday in the covered market, with entertainingly defaced signage:

View attachment 722227

View attachment 722228


This morning's flooding on the river:

View attachment 722229


Hoping for a dry ride home; forecast is currently non-committal..

Is the last picture a pontoon bridge Wafter?

 

[wafter]

Is the last picture a pontoon bridge Wafter?

Just a pontoon; that presumably fulfils some purpose for the rowers that I don't understand..

 

[Andy in Germany]

Poo. this means of course that in a few days it'll be gerpischerning it down here.

 

[Alex321]

Poo. this means of course that in a few days it'll be gerpischerning it down here.

Not sure there'll be any water left in the sky by the time it gets to you, it's all falling out here

 

[Andy in Germany]

Not sure there'll be any water left in the sky by the time it gets to you, it's all falling out here

That's all right then.

 

[Jenkins]

I'm somewhat glad/smug that I changed my non-working days this week having to do other things today rather than commute in this miserable, wet weather.

 

[cyberknight]

Apocalyptically bleak this morning; both inside and outside my head.

Wet weather gear on from the off; seemed that my respite from muppets over the past few days was because the week was saving them all up for today. The chosen medium for this tw*ttery was largely "failure to give way to the right at roundabouts" and "failure to control your dog" - the latter nearly resulting in some fairly pricey looking, if evidently particularly thick shaggy whippet looking thing nearly getting run over on the tow path despite my slowing down, shouting and use of the bell.

Thanks to my especially low tolerance for all the less-than-pleasant factors at play the ride quickly degenerated into an angry thrash into the driving rain and stout headwind. I'd finally chilled out a little by the time I got to the butchers for the usual breakfast and had a fairly sedate rest of ride up the river; the rain thankfully easing towards the end of the ride but plenty of it remaining spilling onto the tow path.

The Brompton did well although I think contamination in the rear shifter mech has caused it to become temperemental, so I'll have to sort that at some point. The bike is currently performing a useful task as a drying rack for my convicingly damp outer clothing.

Boiled in the bag a little but the waterproofs kept the worst of the wet off. Not a particularly pleasant ride but I'm grateful for the positive outlet provided by the bike for my rage; and I doubtless feel a lot better now than I would have done had I driven all the way.

A few photos from the past few days' rides..

Monday's sunset:

View attachment 722226


Yesterday in the covered market, with entertainingly defaced signage:

View attachment 722227

View attachment 722228


This morning's flooding on the river:

View attachment 722229


Hoping for a dry ride home; forecast is currently non-committal..

at least your riding in daylight , at least one way on my commute is proper dark even in summer time .

 

[wafter]

at least your riding in daylight , at least one way on my commute is proper dark even in summer time .

Yeah, that must suck

Mornings are now a toss-up between on-bike lights and not, depending on the conditions. I've had a few rides home recently with just the on-bike lights to maintain visibility; sometimes I still need the head torch to see where I'm going, while it serves an auxiliary purpose when I get home and have to rummage in a dark boot to liberate the bike and bag.


The journey home today was mercifully dry, if littered with perhaps more dickheads than the journey in

Very happy to now be alone in a quiet, darkened house with no obligatory human interactions planned for the forseeable. Very much looking forward to a hot bath and bed.