Tales from today's commute....

[donnydave]

Got squeezed to the kerb today, I'm annoyed as I could have prevented it with better planning. I was riding with the wife on defence duty directly behind me.

We approached stationary cars at a red light and just I thought to myself "I should move to primary to stop someone trying to overtake us without enough distance to get back in before the queue" Threw a glance over my shoulder and Mrs is grinding her pedal along the kerb with a moron in a green clio matching her speed (nice tailwind so we were doing 20 but slowing as we approached the queue) and just sat along side, (cars coming the other way) squeezing her off the road. He then increased speed slightly during a brief break in the oncoming traffic to do the same to me just as we came to a stop. Tried to make eye contact with the driver but he was doing the old "stare straight ahead and the problem will go away" routine. The traffic speeds up after these particular lights so we didn't see him again. Numpty.

Only one other thing of minor note on the way in, later on the guided busway two chaps were fixing a puncture. I didnt want to insult their manliness by asking if they needed help so diplomatically went for "Do you have everything you need?" Thankfully they were well prepared but appeared grateful for my inquiry

 

[HLaB]

Met a friend last night for a ride so I went my second shortest route back to the flat and decided I wanted a lie in this morning and went the shortest

Edit: the commutes were incident free except for the headwinds

 

[BSRU]

Had a small right hook incident at lunch time with a learner.
I see a side road coming up on my left, see a learner driver approaching and indicating to turn into the side road, across my path.
Spider sense tingles, cover the brakes, stop pedalling then the learner turns right, no chance of clearing the part of the road I am about to occupy, instructor stamps on the brakes gives the learner a stare. Hopefully later the instructor explains to the learner why they would fail their test if they did the same with an examiner in the car.

 

[EthelF]

Kicking myself today because I witnessed a shocking piece of driving by a skip lorry this morning and tried to memorise the number plate rather than stop and write it down. By the time I got to work it was gone. I know the time, and that it was a Veolia Environment truck, but that's not enough to report it, is it?
Riding the horror show that is the Vauxhall gyratory northbound there was a lady riding at around 12mph in the centre of lane 4 (of 5). At this point lanes 1&2 are for left turning traffic, lane 3 is straight ahead, 4 is ahead and right turning, and 5 is right turning. A skip lorry came thundering up lane 4, hit the brakes hard and late, just behind the cyclist, tailgated her for about 50 metres, then accelerated sharply into a gap in the traffic in lane 5, almost clipping the lady in the process. For what? A traffic jam right ahead. I honestly thought on two occasions that there would be a collision.
I would not attempt to ride that stretch of road at her speed, but I can't fault her road positioning, far too often I see riders hug the lane lines there, and far too often do I then see poor and dangerous passes by drivers not bothering to pull out to pass.
Apart from that, and thumping a Merc which sideswiped me in a cycle lane, and the white van belching out black smoke while using the bus lane to jump a long traffic queue, everything was hunky dory this morning.

 

[glenn forger]

Saw a white hatchback rear-end a TVR at a zebra, the hatchback driver had a large white dog in the back, lucky it wasn't any faster or he'd have had 150 pounds of dog slamming the back of his head. The TVR driver got out and started taking photos so I guessed I wasn't needed as a witness.

 

[BSRU]

Almost some SCR on the way home, but not in the best place and it turned out we were going different ways.
I think my overtake woke them up from their commuter cruising .

 

[donnydave]

Four things of note on my way home.

1) people wearing coats (!?)
2) advert for new gym "Fat and ugly? Just be ugly!"
3) Heading north(ish) in Willingham I always get into mega-primary here: http://goo.gl/maps/YvOa2 as there are almost always cars parked on both sides of the road and there is a blind bend with a junction immediately after it. Cars are coming the other way, a car behind me is holding back from passing but seems pretty keen by their road position. Shoulder check, signal and I move to primary. Car behind beeps at me almost straight away. I look round but don't change my position because I know its for their own good. Sure enough just before we get to the bend someone comes round the corner the other way. Disaster avoided. Well done everyone.

But then.. car behind starts to pass before we have finished the corner. I put my right hand outstretched and flat, firmly, as if to say "no". Sure enough as I could have easily predicted because it happens all the time, someone turns out of the junction immediately after the blind bend, heading towards us. Car behind me swings back in and drops back, way way way back. About a minute later it passes me with enormous clearance almost on the pavement on the other side of the road. Driver is a member of the social order I simply (and probably unfairly, I know) call "fashionable young woman on her way to get her hair done". It would appear though that she may have learned a lesson, I hope it sinks in.

4) Few minutes later caught up with a cycling man maintaining good speed. I used all my remaining beans to catch them so to save me having to sprint off and drop them, or be re-passed, I offered them a tow which they gratefully accepted for the next two miles before our ways parted. Chap said thanks, sounded German. Nice man. There's hope for this Europe thing yet....

 

[donnydave]

Saw a white hatchback rear-end a TVR at a zebra

Was the zebra ok?

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Fairy visit less than a mile into tonights ride home.

 

[BSRU]

Fairy visit less than a mile into tonights ride home.

I thought you used the defender of the tube, Marathon Plus.

 

[MisterStan]

I thought you used the defender of the tube, Marathon Plus.

Nothing is infallible. Not even the Marathon Plus.

 

[BSRU]

Seems the past weeks have seen a change in my heart rate, on the same route with the same cadence and slightly faster my average heart rate has dropped from about 136bpm to 126bpm.
Arrived at work this morning after 48.5km with 510 metres of elevation gain feeling like I had just warmed up, not sweaty or struggling at all with Friday legs .
Must ride harder

 

[ianrauk]

Seems the past weeks have seen a change in my heart rate, on the same route with the same cadence and slightly faster my average heart rate has dropped from about 136bpm to 126bpm.

I had one of those wellman clinic things at my Docs. The nurse who took my blood pressure had to take it twice as she thought she had misread the figures the first time. She was amazed at how low it is for a man of my age.

 

[MisterStan]

I had one of those wellman clinic things at my Docs. The nurse who took my blood pressure had to take it twice as she thought she had misread the figures the first time. She was amazed at how low it is for a man of my age.

It's quite hard guessing your age Ian, due to you looking like Papa Smurf.....

 

[ianrauk]

It's quite hard guessing your age Ian, due to you looking like Papa Smurf.....

Eternally youthfully Blue my friend!