On the commute today

[fimm]

Set off from home in the haar. Climbed out of it, enjoyed a sunny ride along the Lang Wang, and then descended back into it again on the way to the office.

[Ashaman42]

Flipped between bright sunshine and misty/foggy patches on the way in today. Fascinating how abrupt the transition can be.

Saw two deer, or the same deer twice, which was nice.

[fd3]

In the Commuter Pursuit race this am I made the catch and we ended up with three single speed riders on the same stretch of road (one coming the other way) - which was notable of itself.

Later I spot a brompton up ahead, another good motivator to shave time off the commute ... they were giving it some though ... and seemed to be pedalling at a sedate rate (must be one hellofa gear they're in) ... oh, they have a motor.

[Cudzoziemiec]

On that note, I outsprant* an e-bike off from the lights and all the way round the Bearpit roundabout yesterday. This is 99% certain evidence he'd turned the e-assistance off!

*sprint, sprant, sprunt – no? 

[Kim]

I definitely had a sprunt finish at the silly bike races last weekend.

[fd3]

Was in town for dentist

(click to show/hide)

Two teeth pulled - very numb

so cycled back along the canal.  A bit woozy but I did not imagine the bakfiets with dog in it coming the other way.  A bit courageous on a canal path I would have thought.

[sg37409]

Coming along Maryhill Rd on my way home, some utter prick in a blue audi s3 cutting in and out of the bus lane, flooring it and letting the exhaust bang obscenely loudly for ages.  I passed him and I'd even got caught at some lights.  A prick in a suit, not as expected.
But then later on the canal, a small street band playing on a canal boat as part of a local festival.  A really nice wee break on my way home.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Hadn't had the opportunity to commute in for a few weeks, so decided to come in today despite DOMS from the Brimstone at the weekend.  All very pleasant except for Old Woking, where there were three or four unnecessary close passes in succession.  The legs feel better for the 55 mile ride in - the best cure for sore legs from cycling is to do more cycling.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

On the ride back yesterday, decided to explore taking the A307 through Esher and then the A245 to pick up my outbound route.   The road was closed at the rail bridge just before the Scilly Isles Roundabout, as a truck had wedged itself under the bridge at a 30-degree angle off normal.  Hold on, I thought, that's the mainline.  So I was probably quicker back by bike that having to sit on a train whilst they checked the bridge and the track.   The Enigma machine definitely needs new transmission, but I will probably wear the current set into the ground as its all going to get replaced.  Tidy 112 miles for the day, which I was chuffed with, having done the Brimstone at the weekend.

[fd3]

Road works nr Nothfield station means that the roads are completely shut to traffic - but open to residents so a very pleasant bike ride.

On the ride home yesterday the fucking huge queueues in all directions in Northfield!  I think 90% of them need to swap their cars for a bike, E or otherwise.

[Kim]

Meanwhile, up in Silly Oak, we've had the traditional BloodyStudent-moving-out-day gridlock.  With a bonus standoff on the Raddlebarn Road between WVM and taxi driver, both of whom you'd think would know better than to move forward just because there's a space big enough for their vehicle.  I picked the wrong day to take a trailer full of WEEE^[1] and stickamore sticks to the tip at Lifford Lane, as that precludes mounting the pavement and nonchalantly wheeling past the chaos.

Someone appears to have got an off-schedule bin lorry through at some point though.  Probably at audax o'clock, when the BloodyStudents were still in bed.   


_{[1] I'd nabbed an abandoned toaster^[2] before it got rained on, de-crumbed it, check the earthing and only then discovered that the bread sproinger wouldn't latch.  Which meant I was duty-bound to dispose of it responsibly, along with the bag of expired electronicals that's been lurking behind the door for about a year.
[2] Previous experience means that 'free' is the most I'm willing to spend on a toaster.}

[SteveC]

As I came through the centre of the village this morning, I waved at colleague who was just walking to his car. As I arrived at work, he was just getting out of his car and walking across the carpark.
I wonder if he will work out the logic there?

[Sergeant Pluck]

Meanwhile, up in Silly Oak, we've had the traditional BloodyStudent-moving-out-day gridlock. 

Here’s Belfast at student moving-out time. Every year.

https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/residents-wits-end-over-mountains-24385562

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/belfasts-holyland-row-as-residents-call-for-action-over-students-dumping-rubbish-along-alleyways-39515591.html

I used to live in the Holyland. HMOs and slum landlords have changed it beyond recognition.

[Kim]

The thing that pisses me off most is that half the waste is low-value but serviceable household items that landlords don't provide, but none of the students want to take responsibility for when they move out.  (To be clear, I'm not really blaming the students.  Who wants to cram a kitchen bin that cost all of about a fiver into their mum's Micra when it's already overflowing with duvets and things?  They can't even clean it and leave it for the next occupants of the house, as doing so risks their deposit.)  A couple of months later, the students return and locust Big Sainsbury's, Wilkos and The Little Hardware Shop On The High Street for new cheesy plastic clothes airers and draining racks, and the cycle continues.

At least the fridges can be made into a calendar...

[ian]

Back when we were students, places were furnished (an optimistic definition of furnished). Admittedly, we had a sofa that looked like it had been used in a porn film and then had the cast murdered on it and a TV that weighed more than the Titanic and a took a week to warm up (as a plus, far too heavy for the weekly burglary to deprive us of its company). You know your stuff is shit when the burglars dump it in the garden.

Our last place featured a bag of cement in the bath, so you could sit on if you were inclined to brave the temperamental temperature of the shower (a fate you risked once, we showered at the Uni from then on). On the plus side, we didn't get burglarized as that was the place where our landlord was the local gangster and the local scrotes didn't want to be on his radar. Any trouble, let me know and the lads will sort it out. Given we'd seen them expel the next-door junkies who'd moved in over the summer through the merry process of baseball bats and extreme prejudice, I can understand why. He had a huge treasure trove of illicit merchandise (booze and cigarettes mostly) in the lock-up downstairs, which probably explained his proprietary interest.

[Kim]

Judging by what I see the *landlords* dumping, the houses are furnished with RJF's^[1] finest blue^[2] mattresses, chipboard desks with a half-life of about 5 months and assorted nasty chairs.  And if the To Let adverts are anything to go by, Fucking Big Televisions™.  And fridges, obviously.  But whatever isn't on the inventory has to be removed at the end of tenancy, to save the landlord the effort of fly-tipping it themselves.

(These days students have utterly reliable^[3] 7.5kW Pissy Electric Showers in their individual en-suite cupboards.  Regular readers will recall Data Logger Dave bemoaning their cumulative effect on the local electricity distribution network.)


_{[1] Local "Specialists in all types of furniture" [for someone else to use]
[2] Apart from the stains
[3] Cold and feeble, whatever the ambient temperature}

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Have to work away next week, so the commuting machine - currently the Enigma - is having a rest to get a new chain, cassette, rear mech (probably) and no doubt a few other bits and pieces.  I think the start-stop from Richmond Park into central London is hard on the transmission.  As is time-trialling the last hour home to make a self-set curfew.

[Tynan2]

Coming home on Friday, down the North side of Stamford Hill on the A10, the seeming sensible rider in front of me crossed both lanes to ride down the centre line for no apparent reason and then made a very unsensible sudden left hand turn across three lanes of rush hour traffic, I am sure I heard his pedal strike the road before the left turn took him somehow into the pedestrian crossing space in the railings, and he rejoined the road to the leftand  carried on his way but jesus wept, bizarre. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IGDa3It6AXXWepfWZLNyhtUEvsfldEO1/view?usp=sharing

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Yesterday evening, I had a dream run along the Embankment and New Kings Road and over Putney Bridge - was leaving later than usual, and there wasn't much traffic and most of the lights were green, so I managed 3 miles more than I usually do in the first hour.  There was also a light tailwind, rather than the prevailing headwind.  I thought I might manage the commute home to Basingstoke in under 3 hours, which is a rare event.  Ended up time-trialling most of the way home and set a PB for the return.  Checking the records it was my 58th London commute and I'm 58.  That appealed to my sense of numbers

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

No discernable difference in traffic today - cyclists or motor vehicles.  I think work-form-home and school-holidays has a bigger impact than train-strike. 

The new route through Esher seems to be working well, but there are signs up about gas works next week so might have to revert to riding through Walton instead.

[Redlight]

My wife has recently taken up cycling to work. Last week she was riding home through Deptford/Greenwich, where there is a long stretch of wide, segregated, beautifully surfaced two-way cycle lane that has been apparently completed for months but has yet to open. So, she was on the road, which has narrow lanes and big signs asking drivers not to overtake cyclists. All the way along she was beeped at and hassled by a black cab driver who pulled alongside her twice, screaming that she should be using the cycle lane.

After he had overtaken her, he had to stop at some lights and as she eased past him he again began shouting, so she very calmly explained that she would love to be using the cycle lane but that it was closed to cyclists. And she pointed to the concert barriers a little further ahead, preventing access.

And guess what - he said he didn't realise that and apologised profusely 

Perhaps a good example of how a polite response to aggression can be more effective than snapping back. 

[hatler]

First one in ages.

I'd forgotten what a mess has been made of CS7.

The trick is to use it out of peak hours, when I guess it must be insufferable.

There's one bit heading south approaching Colliers Wood where the cycle lane goes onto a bypass lane to take you round the back of a bus stop (just as you come down from a railway bridge). There's very slight edge to the stone to get you onto the lane. Unforgivable. I'll be astounded if that doesn't take people out.
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.4218874,-0.1745657,3a,75y,151.81h,85.02t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sZlLPhM_lgFAgR0xlZBhdbA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192


Other than that, lovely to stretch the legs.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Experimented with a new route today.  As it was going to be my 319th century ride I decided I would include all of the A319 (Addlestone - Lightwater) on my route.  It turned out to be a lot nicer than I thought it would be.

[fd3]

Took the catrike to work doday as it is a cpd day and therefore not worried if a bit late.  Quite doable and did get some special treatment from motorists, but some junctions very tricky, especially when cars are parked on pavement/double yellows and you need to be in the road to see if it’s clear.
Also interesting that on the way in I was a couple mph slower, but on the trip back a couple mph faster, including a stint above 20, which is good for me.  Also hills not really a problem on a trike (for Birmingham values of “hill”).

[L CC]

Wet. Very wet.
I had to wash the cycle path off before getting in the pool.
Then I didn't bother towelling off post-swim, my clothes were sodden anyway.

Now at work thankful for the spare knickers and socks that live here. And wearing my safety boots in the hope the shoes dry even a little.