Author Topic: On the commute today  (Read 2462495 times)

tonycollinet

  • No Longer a western province of Númenor
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20350 on: 22 May, 2018, 10:49:24 pm »
Got my annual squeaky bum moment this evening when a small articulated with an additional trailer passed me - then forgot about his trailer.

That got a "FUCK!"

Hopefully that's it for another year.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20351 on: 23 May, 2018, 01:30:35 am »
Only the 3rd time this year because 14.15 start (and, therefore, 22.15 finish although I was on my way at 21.30).
It was sunny on the way in and slightly cool on the way home.
I tried counting the traffic lights and pelicans. If I've done it correctly; 38 on the way there, 41 on the return plus a temporary set which I've discounted.
There aren't as many on the way in because I cut a corner in Cheadle and miss 2 pelicans and 1 traffic light. Corner cutting in ChorltonCH in both directions also eliminates 2 pelicans and a traffic light.
It's 17km each way.
I may have passed peak bike commute since I'm moving to a different shift pattern next month. That'll mean either very early starts or very late finishes. I'll not be getting up at 03.00 instead of 04.00 for the am shifts and I'm not going to relish getting home at 01.00 for pm shifts.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20352 on: 23 May, 2018, 08:13:13 am »
Since it was so nice I took the scenic route up the canal last night and then went for a tailwind blast across Irlam Moss, which very nearly went wrong on the first speed bump on Twelve Yards road after I forgot the pannier was fairly full and didn't put enough oomph into the bunny hop  :facepalm:

Steady cruise into a bit of a draggy wind this morning

Guy

  • Retired
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20353 on: 24 May, 2018, 08:21:48 am »
I tested my NEW! SHINY! Mountain Whor Warehouse cycling jacket this morning.

Poxy rain.
"The Opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject"  Marcus Aurelius

TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20354 on: 24 May, 2018, 07:59:16 pm »
Well.  That was jammy.  Expecting to get soaked today. Didn't.  Rain more or less stopped by 05:30 and bone dry for the ride home instead of the wall to wall wet that was forecast.  Hah! for your utterly rubbish met. reports weather boffins.

Had a pleasant game of Periodic Table bingo (1st two letters new* style car number plates - any 5 elements to "win" no repeats allowed) on the way to work.  Got gold, copper and sodium this morning.  Have never yet got 5.

No rabbits whatsoever. Very, very unusual for this time of year. Normally I would expect to see one or two every few hundred yards for most of the leg to Poulton  Wondering if the RHD2 virus has reached the local population.


*Yes, yes I do know the format is knocking on towards 20 years old now but if we can describe a 900 odd year old wood as the "New" Forest then I'm going to call them "new" number plates.
Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20355 on: 25 May, 2018, 08:11:06 am »
Last night was glorious in Manc-land so before the rains came I decided to use the NCN/tracks out of Chorlton Water Park to Urmston and was rewarded with Parakeets.

Managed to get in before the rain this morning too, which was good since it was ruddy hard work with empty legs and a nagging headwind.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20356 on: 25 May, 2018, 06:04:57 pm »
*Yes, yes I do know the format is knocking on towards 20 years old now but if we can describe a 900 odd year old wood as the "New" Forest then I'm going to call them "new" number plates.

I still haven't got the hang of it.

mcshroom

  • Mushroom
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20357 on: 25 May, 2018, 06:18:17 pm »
Well the dry, hot commuting week failed at the final hurdle, and I'd only taken my Featherlite smock. Of course the rain started as I was unlocking my bike and stopped 15 mins after I got home. ::-)
Climbs like a sprinter, sprints like a climber!

benborp

  • benbravoorpapa
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20358 on: 25 May, 2018, 09:39:32 pm »
I got very bedraggled here in France. Warm and pleasant rain though. One motorist took pity on me as I rolled up the ramp to the roundabout at the top of town and stopped to let me go ahead - unfortunately I had slowed to pass behind them and instead came to a stop as they did. Pedals at six o'clock, fixed, heavy panniers and a steep uphill start meant I must have looked particularly ungainly as well as ungrateful.
A world of bedlam trapped inside a small cyclist.

Steph

  • Fast. Fast and bulbous. But fluffy.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20359 on: 02 June, 2018, 02:51:38 pm »
I rode into work on my day off today, as my extra jobs in diversity eat up my time off. As I was only going to stay a couple of hours and work at one office by the South Terminal, I didn't bother riding down to the other end, locking the bike in the pod, walking back, etc, and instead locked the bike to one of the Sheffield stands in the bike parking area.

I got a very nice surprise: Gatwick have set up a workstand/tools on lengths of security cable/track pump affair, reminiscent of the sort of thing I saw on the Danube route. Wonderful!
Mae angen arnaf i byw, a fe fydda'i

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20360 on: 09 June, 2018, 04:01:30 am »
Off camber gravel corner at the entrance to Daisy Nook Park, trackstanding while fiddling with the GPS, route decided, drive power through right pedal....ooo....Artistic Impression 6, Audience Satisfaction 10, Gore 2.

Bike's fine.

SoreTween

  • Most of me survived the Pennine Bridleway.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20361 on: 11 June, 2018, 11:00:14 am »
First I encountered Moses in Bracknell (driving at this point). He tried to undertake at a set of lights expecting the traffic to part and make room for him to merge back in. I wasn't minded to slow to make a gap for him and couldn't move to the right to create one so he had to abort. Cue overtake and much brake testing until I pointed to the camera.

Next (on the bike now) I'm riding the centre line to keep out of the door zone, parked cars on left round a left bend. XC90 overtakes and finds himself looking at an oncoming car. Drop back? No, just move left leaving me handlebar width + 6"

Finally, something a wee bit smaller than an XC90 totally failed to give way on a roundabout, first skid stop on a Brompton.  Despite my patience wearing thin at the give way 30 yards later I helpfully polished some dirt off his door using the sole of my shoe forgetting I was wearing SPDs.
2023 targets: Survive. Maybe.
There is only one infinite resource in this universe; human stupidity.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20362 on: 11 June, 2018, 12:56:25 pm »
... forgetting I was wearing SPDs.
Don't you just hate it when that happens!?  8)

Despite the cockwomble who deliberately broke the speed limit to ensure they could 'take priority' at a chicane, I had a lovely commute... a smattering of slightly-too-close passes is all. But the sun made up for it.

Paul

  • L'enfer, c'est les autos.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20363 on: 12 June, 2018, 11:21:22 pm »
Overtaking the slow-moving motorised traffic I was almost right hooked by a land-rover turning right into a forecourt. Driver at least indicated (if not checked mirror), giving me an additional second to consider my options. I accelerated clear with inches to spare.

I found it really exciting!
What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?

Guy

  • Retired
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20364 on: 13 June, 2018, 08:44:24 am »
A South-Westerly breeze this morning. The first time in months that I've not had a head-wind up Sodding-Great-Hill-With-Added-Speed-Humps :thumbsup:
"The Opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject"  Marcus Aurelius

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20365 on: 14 June, 2018, 09:17:09 am »
Ruddy Met Office, where's my roaring tailwind?  >:(

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20366 on: 14 June, 2018, 02:42:44 pm »
Ruddy Met Office, where's my roaring tailwind?  >:(

Ruddy Met Office - where did that rain come from this morning? I got soaked running in. Oh, running, I wasn't cycling.  ??? Oh well. I cycled yesterday.  :)

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20367 on: 14 June, 2018, 02:53:45 pm »
Today was taken at quite a modest pace, given that I was off work ill yesterday and still sound pretty grim. I figure that if I'm not well enough to ride in, I'm not well enough to work.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20368 on: 14 June, 2018, 03:26:26 pm »
Today was done at a comfortable pace which then became slower as the person riding ahead of me seemed to think I was trying to chase them.

It was weird.

Sent from my PLK-L01 using Tapatalk


TheLurker

  • Goes well with magnolia.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20369 on: 14 June, 2018, 06:02:55 pm »
Pretty much std conditions here today, bit of headwind with the odd gust workbound and one hour door to door so much as usual.  Of course the leaf cover on the hedgerows at this time of year helps enormously; especially with any sort of side wind.

Odd thing.  There is a half mile stretch that I _cannot_ remember riding this morning.  And I must have ridden it because there is no alternative at that point. Complete and utter blank.  I can remember the rest of the trip, but not that bit.  Don't think I've ever had that happen on the bike before.
Τα πιο όμορφα ταξίδια γίνονται με τις δικές μας δυνάμεις - Φίλοι του Ποδήλατου

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20370 on: 14 June, 2018, 06:45:10 pm »
Coming home into the headwind. Get to the edge of Yeovil. They are top-dressing the NSL bit between Yeovil and our village. There's a sign saying 'road blocked, please find alternative route'. Now, I realise that in almost every circumstance it is possible to get a bike through that sort of thing, but if not, the alternatives would all be hard work. So I had to come via the back lanes which are much steeper. And I'm out of practice!
"No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everybody on the couch."

ian

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20371 on: 14 June, 2018, 10:34:03 pm »
Pretty much std conditions here today, bit of headwind with the odd gust workbound and one hour door to door so much as usual.  Of course the leaf cover on the hedgerows at this time of year helps enormously; especially with any sort of side wind.

Odd thing.  There is a half mile stretch that I _cannot_ remember riding this morning.  And I must have ridden it because there is no alternative at that point. Complete and utter blank.  I can remember the rest of the trip, but not that bit.  Don't think I've ever had that happen on the bike before.

Happens to me all the time. I can ride (or walk) for miles with no recollection of having done so. I have a fine autopilot. This why rather than turn across Clapham Common this morning to head across the river to Sloan Sq/Knightsbridge, I found myself waiting at the lights by Oval tube station.

Anyway, was going to get the train home but decided to cycle, which I suspect was a good choice. An absence of stupid drivers and weirdly, when I really needed to stop for a piss (I might have had a swift pint after work), there was an actual public toilet, right there, and despite it being past 9pm it was open. I thought they were extinct.

There will undoubtedly be a karmic rebalancing.

ian

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20372 on: 15 June, 2018, 09:26:51 am »
Actual, I think it might have happened earlier in the trip. It started to drizzle heavily somewhere about Snorbury, the sort that gets everywhere. So I pulled over and reached into my pannier for my trusty and slightly smelly rain jacket.

My wife never did follow up on her promise to replace it.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20373 on: 15 June, 2018, 08:19:17 pm »
I've had the zen moment on the bike. Used to be able to commute via bike years back and used to be a dark stretch between two towns. Turned on both bulbs of the cat eye lights and then I was in the next town. Only about five minutes but had just passed.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20374 on: 16 June, 2018, 08:11:13 am »
I persuaded a mate to join me on an extension to Werneth Low last night. Out via the floop, Reddish Vale and round the back of Bredbury Industrial estate. Glorious on the Low and not as steep as I'd expected, stunning views with the planes stacking overhead.



Really tricky farm track descent to Compstall, cross country to Stockport followed by the TPT to Northenden where we parted company and he took to the roads home, I cut through Timperley to get on the Bridgewater before joining the TPT again until it was time to head over Warby bridge to meet my wife at the pub.

Top 10 commute that, best for long time, not sure my mate will agree, he had a visitation shortly after we parted and I was carrying all the spare tubes  :facepalm: