Author Topic: On the commute today  (Read 2462446 times)

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20650 on: 15 March, 2019, 05:31:19 pm »
I'm getting really tired of this wind.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20651 on: 20 March, 2019, 01:48:00 pm »
First cycle commute at the new job.
Features:
Nagging headwind
Close passes
Steep hill
Skipping gears
Off road shenanigans
A monster pothole on said off road track
Lets call it a wheel eater
Slo-mo collapse into the mud
Wet feet
Muddy longs
Bruised hip
No audience=pride intact :thumbsup:
Crappy footpath
Partially completed closed roads
No clean socks.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20652 on: 20 March, 2019, 05:23:17 pm »
Took the track bike.  Nervy, twitchy, rear wheel has a tendency to skip over bumps.  But it's silent, unexpectedly supple, and it absolutely flies on the flat.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20653 on: 20 March, 2019, 07:41:47 pm »
A driving colleague, later at coffee, said that he knew it was me on the bike out on the road earlier, because he saw the 'just in case' duct tape I have wound around the top of my water bottle...    :o   ;D
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20654 on: 20 March, 2019, 08:56:17 pm »
Shat on by a pigeon as I went under a bridge. It got the side of my helmet and face  :sick:
I thought I'd wiped it off but when I met my wife at the docs on the way home she wasnt too happy at the sight of me with crap down my helmet, on my hands and a bit still on my face.

Also, I pass this
https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/events/red-bull-neptune-steps-uk
Not sure I'd want to swim in it. Might try to persuade my son to come along on Saturday and watch though

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20655 on: 21 March, 2019, 07:47:45 am »
Dragged the best bike out, there was mojo, enthusiasm even, enough to get involved in a bit of SCR, I'd even go so far as to say I enjoyed that, a step in the right direction  :thumbsup:

Guy

  • Retired
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20656 on: 21 March, 2019, 08:05:32 am »
Two noteworthy things today:

1 First morning commute in shorts this year
b I saw a man on a unicycle in Campton  :D
"The Opinion of 10,000 men is of no value if none of them know anything about the subject"  Marcus Aurelius

Paul

  • L'enfer, c'est les autos.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20657 on: 25 March, 2019, 09:37:51 pm »
Bloke carrying a cross. This was a full-size cross, the upright being 11’ or 12’ long. The pieces looked to be about 4” square. There was a small wheel, 10” or maybe 12”, fixed to the end of the upright, presumably to make the process less of a drag.

He was dressed in casual clothes and a high-viz jacket.

He was on the shared use path as it approaches the A38 at Little Eaton.

I didn’t see any Roman soldiers. He could have just dropped it and done a runner.
What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20658 on: 26 March, 2019, 08:36:56 am »
I trust you started singing "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" as you passed him?
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20659 on: 26 March, 2019, 10:06:04 am »
There is a bloke who sometimes walks up and down the hill here carrying a cross and handing out JW leaflets. His cross doesn't have a wheel but it's only about 6' tall. I've never seen any Roman soldiers with him, but I have run into some on the Bristol-Bath cycle path; they didn't cause any trouble do anything for us, they'd been taken prisoner by some Celts.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20660 on: 26 March, 2019, 12:14:28 pm »
The Romans were last seen in Silly Oak, decimating recycling bins and arguing over minicabs.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20661 on: 26 March, 2019, 01:19:10 pm »
Right ankle got tapped by a driver's bumper bar when I pulled away from a traffic light this morning. The dozy driver apologised for not knowing how wide her car was. No doubt she meant to leave at least 100mm clearance... That was followed by a close pass from a different driver about 30 seconds later.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Paul

  • L'enfer, c'est les autos.
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20662 on: 26 March, 2019, 08:16:10 pm »
I trust you started singing "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" as you passed him?
Damn and Blast!

And that was probably the only chance I’m ever going to get to do that!
What's so funny about peace, love and understanding?

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20663 on: 26 March, 2019, 09:44:56 pm »
I trust you started singing "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" as you passed him?
Damn and Blast!

And that was probably the only chance I’m ever going to get to do that!

On the plus side, the rest of us are now prepared.

benborp

  • benbravoorpapa
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20664 on: 27 March, 2019, 08:57:00 am »
I trust you started singing "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" as you passed him?
Damn and Blast!

And that was probably the only chance I’m ever going to get to do that!

On the plus side, the rest of us are now prepared.

...whistles..
A world of bedlam trapped inside a small cyclist.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20665 on: 27 March, 2019, 10:12:28 am »
And a van squeezing past me into oncoming traffic while going under a narrow bridge. Whacked the side of the car a couple of times as he overtook and had a shouting match at the traffic jam a few hundred metres up the road before I rode away. Perhaps I'll take a longer route to work for a few days. This shit is getting a little wearing.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

telstarbox

  • Loving the lanes
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20666 on: 27 March, 2019, 10:58:37 am »
I've definitely been within kicking distance of close-passing vehicles, but I've never tried to do so in case of an embarrassing unbalance into the ditch...
2019 🏅 R1000 and B1000

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20667 on: 27 March, 2019, 11:37:01 am »
I used to race on Aussie velodromes, so I'm quite comfortable with a bit of push and shove without coming off.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

ian

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20668 on: 27 March, 2019, 09:21:40 pm »
Cycled all the way home. I normally get the train for the last couple of miles, but the board at the station when I arrived was

Cancelled
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Apparently an earlier 'operational incident'* and a signal failure at Forest Hill. Pootled around the back way to avoid the Road of Death. I think they put some new hills in.

Oh, and cycle-lady briefly ahead of me at Clapham, that retina-searing white light goes on the front of your bicycle, not the rear.

*cryptically defined as '[t]he term 'operational incident' encompasses various incidents which can occur on our Network. We try to avoid these occurring as much as possible, but on the rare occasions they do occur we need to make sure we have the safety of our passengers as our number one priority.' Well it's nice they try to avoid them as much as possible. I'm the same with angry elephants.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20669 on: 28 March, 2019, 08:28:47 am »
Down the NCN which was pleasant, nice to see some of Mr Boardman's Bee Network making some progress

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20670 on: 28 March, 2019, 09:27:51 am »


Cycled all the way home. I normally get the train for the last couple of miles, but the board at the station when I arrived was

Cancelled
Cancelled
Cancelled
Cancelled
Cancelled
Cancelled
Cancelled
Cancelled

Apparently an earlier 'operational incident'* and a signal failure at Forest Hill. Pootled around the back way to avoid the Road of Death. I think they put some new hills in.

[/size]

I cycle around Forest Hill area for fun, which is the "road of death"?

Sounds like something I want to avoid.

Sent from my PLK-L01 using Tapatalk


ian

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20671 on: 28 March, 2019, 11:18:04 am »
Not Forest Hill, that was just the train problem that meant there was nothing on the board at Purley. I have to trundle all the way to the North Downs (which are only north if you live south of them) – the Road of Death is the A22 from Purley – narrow and the peccadillo of large lorries trying to find a layby before their driver's working hours run out and car drivers who think speed limits are advisory. As a boon the road surface, especially to the sides of the road, was imported wholesale from the far-side of the moon. There is a back 'cycle' route (which I took), though in places it's a traffic-clogged rat-run and starts with a fairly gruelling hill and is generally aerobic as it wends its way along the valley side by Kenley and Whyteleafe. Hence I usually hop on a train for the final league.

There's a mostly unlit private estate near the end, I confess it was pretty cool scooting along by bike light alone. An interesting contrast from the vehicular bump-and-grind of the A23.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20672 on: 28 March, 2019, 07:30:32 pm »
My first frothing at the mouth loon for a long time. The vast and overwhelming majority of drivers on the London CS7 are unbelievably considerate and aware of cyclists. Not this tosser. Way too close, and unnecessarily so. I tapped (quite literally) the side of his van to let him know he was too close. Cue full-on bonkersville. Tried to crush me in to the pavement twice, swearing like he'd just discovered the words 'fucking' and 'cunt'. Quite risible in hindsight.
Rust never sleeps

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20673 on: 28 March, 2019, 09:43:49 pm »
My first frothing at the mouth loon for a long time. The vast and overwhelming majority of drivers on the London CS7 are unbelievably considerate and aware of cyclists. Not this tosser. Way too close, and unnecessarily so. I tapped (quite literally) the side of his van to let him know he was too close. Cue full-on bonkersville. Tried to crush me in to the pavement twice, swearing like he'd just discovered the words 'fucking' and 'cunt'. Quite risible in hindsight.
Delightful.

Re: On the commute today
« Reply #20674 on: 28 March, 2019, 09:53:57 pm »
My first frothing at the mouth loon for a long time. The vast and overwhelming majority of drivers on the London CS7 are unbelievably considerate and aware of cyclists. Not this tosser. Way too close, and unnecessarily so. I tapped (quite literally) the side of his van to let him know he was too close. Cue full-on bonkersville. Tried to crush me in to the pavement twice, swearing like he'd just discovered the words 'fucking' and 'cunt'. Quite risible in hindsight.
Delightful.
And all the more remarkable for the extreme scarcity of such events. Quite a change from ten years ago. But yes, he was a charmer.
Rust never sleeps