Tales from today's commute....

[Arjimlad]

The council's starting some road widening on the A38 just north of j16 M5, which is part of my daily commute. It is scheduled to begin on 13th October and last until 1st May 2015!!

It'll make for some extremely long traffic queues on my rides to and from work as they are closing a lane. Winter misery for motorists and increased congestion on the road for cyclists to negotiate..

 

[Arjimlad]

I'll survive, thanks guys. The injuries are minor, and the good news is I have (a) a witness' name and number, (b) front and rear videos, and (c) the car's registration. Now I just hope the police will at least take me seriously enough to have a little chat with the driver.

How nasty. I hope you feel better soon and that he gets his just desserts.

 

[152l2]

I was cycling home Tuesday night looked down and thought WHAT THE DICKENS WAS THAT !?!?!? it looked like a RED sweet corn cob. Then another BLUE one. It was definitely a blue dyed sweet corn cob????? I am now getting closer to a squirrel and can see he is munching on a GREEN sweetcorn cob. He left it quite late and then darted off into the bushes. As I rounded a bend I saw what looked like a dead squirrel. I was going slow as its quite a tight bend. It wasn’t a squirrel, it was the lopped off head of a sika deer (I took pics of it). The weird thing is, (if that wasn’t weird enough) it was right on the centre / apex of the bend and you could see that someone had dug a hole, stood the head upright and filled in the gaps.

I broke some strava PRs after that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
last night it had gone.

 

[MisterStan]

I was cycling home Tuesday night looked down and thought WHAT THE DICKENS WAS THAT !?!?!? it looked like a RED sweet corn cob. Then another BLUE one. It was definitely a blue dyed sweet corn cob????? I am now getting closer to a squirrel and can see he is munching on a GREEN sweetcorn cob. He left it quite late and then darted off into the bushes. As I rounded a bend I saw what looked like a dead squirrel. I was going slow as its quite a tight bend. It wasn’t a squirrel, it was the lopped off head of a sika deer (I took pics of it). The weird thing is, (if that wasn’t weird enough) it was right on the centre / apex of the bend and you could see that someone had dug a hole, stood the head upright and filled in the gaps.

I broke some strava PRs after that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
last night it had gone.

Odd!

 

[MisterStan]

Nice run home last night, parcels from Ribble (new wheels for commuter) and PlanetX (woolly stuff for the winter) waiting when i got in.

Solo run in this morning, a bit grey but cool enough to push a bit and not turn into a total sweaty mess! Traffic well behaved too, which makes a pleasant change.

 

[jongooligan]

One thing is, I won't be risking the fixed on the Loop on frosty mornings, it's not gritted and loads of places for ice to form.

All the old gits (well, older than me) in our club talk of how they used to switch to fixed in winter, partly because they're easier to control on ice. I'm not convinced enough to give it a try though.

 

[Ganymede]

I was cycling home Tuesday night looked down and thought WHAT THE DICKENS WAS THAT !?!?!? it looked like a RED sweet corn cob. Then another BLUE one. It was definitely a blue dyed sweet corn cob????? I am now getting closer to a squirrel and can see he is munching on a GREEN sweetcorn cob. He left it quite late and then darted off into the bushes. As I rounded a bend I saw what looked like a dead squirrel. I was going slow as its quite a tight bend. It wasn’t a squirrel, it was the lopped off head of a sika deer (I took pics of it). The weird thing is, (if that wasn’t weird enough) it was right on the centre / apex of the bend and you could see that someone had dug a hole, stood the head upright and filled in the gaps.

I broke some strava PRs after that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
last night it had gone.

Do you live in Twin Peaks?

 

[Ganymede]

Amazing multifarious commute yesterday -

To the station - train to Folkestone for a meeting

Along the seafront (via the Lower Lees cyclepath) to Sandgate for lunch and another meeting

Up the hill behind Saga to Folkestone West - train to Canterbury for a Big Do at the University

Up the hill (oh god, that hill) to the Uni - drinks, fireworks, Happy Birthday University of Kent

Down the hill to the station WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Back to home station, cycle home.

COLLAPSE. A bit too much as I don't think I'd recovered enough from the flu and you forget that cycling uphill under time pressure to catch a train is not an unalloyed joy. Also cycling last thing at night after a train ride during which you've really blobbed is a Bad Thing.

However, the really nice thing about visiting a university on a recumbent is you get a massive amount of unaffected appreciation from the students as you ride by. "Cool bike!", "Wow did you see that?", "That bike is so laid-back!" etc which was really sweet. Terrific party atmosphere and great fireworks, amazing warm dry weather with all the students and locals sitting on the grass. So in spite of the knackering, it was a great day, and I had lots of chats with strangers on the train and good meetings.

 

[fossyant]

Out on the fixed today. Ribs held up on the two stiff climbs over to the Fallowfield Loop. It was noticeably colder by a few degrees once I'd dropped on to the old rail line. The fixed was tricky to get through a couple of the styles but it was like taking a 'muted' rocket ship down there compared to the MTB.

 

[confusedcyclist]

Cooler but beautiful morning ride in today. Didn't turn up hideously sweaty for the first time, think I may have hit the nail on the head with layers today and/or I am much fitter than when I started cycling in June

 

[152l2]

Do you live in Twin Peaks?

Worse..............................................................Dorchester.

 

[summerdays]

The council's starting some road widening on the A38 just north of j16 M5, which is part of my daily commute. It is scheduled to begin on 13th October and last until 1st May 2015!!

It'll make for some extremely long traffic queues on my rides to and from work as they are closing a lane. Winter misery for motorists and increased congestion on the road for cyclists to negotiate..

Where exactly? It's wide by the police and up to the Almondsbury turn off and even after that, or is in the going into Bristol side they are widening? Somehow with all the other road works going on I've managed to miss that one!

I'm still waiting for them to put back the lines at the traffic lights by the Sports centre further in which they resurfaced in early or mid August! It feels very weird waiting without the lines marked in.

 

[Arjimlad]

It's on the northern side of the motorway, just. It is already pretty wide so I'm not sure what they'll be doing. Doubt whether there will be any better provision for cycling.

 

[Hacienda71]

Commute in this morning was ridden like a proper Stravasshole, pushing myself to the limit for three miles . Ride back home at lunch was a much more measured tempo affair. Took a detour acroos the Cheshire Lanes, saw lots of people out on bikes. What a difference the sunshine makes Not looking forward to next weeks predicted precipitation. Will just have to mtfu.

 

[clid61]

Belting ride home this morning after nightshift ( ive been up hours by the way , no one goes to bed on the last one ...lol )Clear skies crisp and only wearing base layer and short sleeve and bib shorts , conceded to full finger gloves, however light weight though!