On the commute today

[PaulR]

After half an hour of hunting a cat so that I could shut it out of the alarmed parts of the house and head off to work, I set off down the road on my newly cleaned bike.  Met a Jurek and had a brief chat.  At the end of the road there's a left turn.  Well, there should have been, but as I approached the relevant bit of road I suddenly found myself on ice.  My 23mm tyres didn't agree with my plan to turn left and I skittered over to the other side of the road, up onto the pavement and decelerated rather suddenly against a fence.  That was a bit more excitement than I needed.

Then on the way through New Cross a Dulwich Paragon rider skimmed past me so close that his elbow brushed mine. What an arrogant twunt.  I'm half tempted to post a message on the club forum about crap riding by people in club kit but it wouldn't help.  And anyway I've ceased to feel any loyalty to DP and haven't renewed my membership.

[FyPuNK]

This mornings journey in was not the best, head winds are back and the roads for the most part are clear but there are still patches where I have to ride out a little to avoid. The biggest problem for me was my back, I had a propper feet in the air back slapper crossing the road on Sunday, landed on my coxit after a about 4 miles it was starting to hurt.

[clarion]

Ouch!

[her_welshness]

Then on the way through New Cross a Dulwich Paragon rider skimmed past me so close that his elbow brushed mine. What an arrogant twunt.  I'm half tempted to post a message on the club forum about crap riding by people in club kit but it wouldn't help.  And anyway I've ceased to feel any loyalty to DP and haven't renewed my membership.

If I were you I would post a message on their forum, that is really bad overtaking.  Plus I would have said (like I did to another cyclist the other day): 'you are such a f*cking crap cyclist'.

[Wendy]

OTOH it might be more productive to start from a polite point of view.  Given that many are racing cyclists, the person responsible might have no clue that such a close overtake is not very good quality riding on the roads.

[PaulR]

I'm not sure I have the appetite for more grief.  I have to bite my tongue a bit about DP riders (I have friends and family in the Paragon, not to mention having been a member myself).  Nothing I have seen from them seems anywhere near as bad as the reports I hear about Dynamo riders, and I've found them OK on rides such as the RotFL and DD.  I had a bit of an iffy ride with them a few months ago and then there seems to have been a spate of problems with their club runs getting a bit out of hand, so I'm steering clear.

[cyclone]

Yesterday near death experience courtsey of a bus driver...lights on down hill just managed to squeeze past after he pulled out of a T-junction from the right...
Today f***y visit whilst late for meeting. And a nice blizzard to return home in 

[Zipperhead]

I'm not sure I have the appetite for more grief.  I have to bite my tongue a bit about DP riders (I have friends and family in the Paragon, not to mention having been a member myself).  Nothing I have seen from them seems anywhere near as bad as the reports I hear about Dynamo riders, and I've found them OK on rides such as the RotFL and DD.  I had a bit of an iffy ride with them a few months ago and then there seems to have been a spate of problems with their club runs getting a bit out of hand, so I'm steering clear.

My experience is that people who commute in club colours ride like tossers.

You would think that if you have big words advertising your cycling club all over your back then it would be a good idea to ride sensibly and within the law, not jump red lights, ride on the pavement, nearly hit pedestrians on crossings etc.

But they don't, so if I see someone riding in club gear then, like those who ride with "Hump" rucksack covers, I think to myself "it's very kind of you to wear a sign telling me that you're an idiot, I won't be surprised when you act like one".

[TimO]

My experience is that people who commute in club colours ride like tossers.

<fx>Quickly throws away yacf jerseys</fx>

[Rig of Jarkness]

My experience is that people who commute in club colours ride like tossers.

My experience is that people who label other people as tossers dependent upon what design of jersey they are wearing are making absurd generalisations. 

[Gandalf]

My experience is that people who commute in club colours ride like tossers.

My experience is that people who label other people as tossers dependent upon what design of jersey they are wearing are making absurd generalisations. 

Normally I'd agree.....but I've had too many vortexes in Richmond Park.

[geoff]

Commute by omnibus today...MTB commute on slushy-snow'n'ice was such hard work that I need a rest (also MTB riding-position doesn't help).

[Wendy]

Like the previous post on this, I don't think the DP are anything like as bad as the dynamo.  The only thing I've seen from the DP is riding right in the 'kin door zone on club rides.  A dooring will take out half the club in that situation.

[Zipperhead]

My experience is that people who commute in club colours ride like tossers.

My experience is that people who label other people as tossers dependent upon what design of jersey they are wearing are making absurd generalisations. 

With respect, you don't commute in London, if you did you might find yourself agreeing with me.

[pdm]

Very, very interesting commute this morning.... 

Temperature a couple of degrees below 0C.
Light drizzle of supercooled rain.
This hits the ground and promptly freezes over giving a beautiful smooth sheet ice surface.
Cars and pedestrians sliding all over the place. Sheffield city centre apparently at a complete standstill with people with broken limbs lying all over the place waiting for ambulances. (Or so SWMBO has informed me when I phoned to see how she was getting on - she could not get to work)
I passed a couple of "lets slide across the road and demolish the oncoming sliding vehicle" accidents.
Winter tyres coped fine; could not easily stay upright on my feet when I had to stop but once cycling it was OK 
1 hour for the 15 miles. 
I wear a helmet with a helmet cover to keep my head warm in these conditions and, by the time I got to work, it had accumulated a layer of crinkly ice all over...

[GruB]

I failed.  10 cm minimum of snow overnight and riding with it up to my MTB rims was really difficult.  I tried the main road and initially it was fine but when I got to an area that was full of snow drifts yesterday I cam undone.  A snow plough had been through yesterday afternoon but it had not been cleared as well as it could.  The new snow on top of the rough surface did me in.  I was crawling up this bit plus it got deeper.  I turned around and tried a different route but decided not to bother.

I do not think I could do that for 17 miles ( shortest route to work ) and then back again.

I also can work from home so what is the point - kept going through my head.

8.46 miles in 1 hr 2 mins !! 

[Jacomus]

Interesting journey

What a bunch of arsewits behind their steering wheels! FFS people! Conditions, even here in Teh Big Smoke, are crap - why can't people driver slower and more carefully

Too drained to post about the rest.

[PaulF]

Yes, but on my MTB, decided that the single speed would make the journey too interesting. Cold and wet but otherwise OK.

[Notsototalnewbie]

Interesting journey

What a bunch of arsewits behind their steering wheels! FFS people! Conditions, even here in Teh Big Smoke, are crap - why can't people driver slower and more carefully

Too drained to post about the rest.

Sorry for those who've had tough ones. They weren't too bad on mine. One WVM undertook me where I was riding wide to avoid a big slush pile, only to go straight into the big queue on Waterloo bridge where they have closed off half of it, whereupon I serenely cycled past him.

[rower40]

All last week I used the WindcheetahSNOLeopard, and took a route that was almost entirely traffic-free.
The thaw this Monday took me by surprise, and I arrived at work covered in road-splash.  Slush on top of ice meant no grip and lots of splash on the paths and closed roads, and the on-road bits were just WET.
Wimped out and took the Omnibus yesterday.
Day off today - the nice man from E-On has just arrived to fit a new electricity mete %$&&* {#  +++ NO CARRIER

[Basil]

Took the pub-bike today.  So that I could ride in walking boots.
It only has those silly shorty aluminium mudguards.  Ooh, very wet botty.

Amazed at the consideration, space and holding back by other road users.   

[RichL]

I met a woman at Swindon station who turned out to have just started work as Cycling Development Officer for the CTC. Rode with her until she turned off.

Best job in the world? Perhaps.

In other news: messy on the roads, but I'm still convinced I've had the best commute of anybody over the last week. The only time I did get the car out I bent it, so went right back to the bike again.

Rich

[clarion]

Bending cars = not good.

Hope you're OK & that it isn't an expensive bend.

[CrinklyLion]

I rode my bike for the first time this year!  Only a couple of miles but it was my first bike commute of 2010, and I'm off to the next site in an hour or so which would be a half hour-ish walk but it won't be cos I'm on my bike

Although I did get half way to work and realise that my front light had stopped working... had forgotten to check batteries after a couple of weeks off  

Fortunately I was a couple of minutes walk from a corner shop.  And since getting to work I've been to see site management to acquire some spares for the rear light which I noticed was no longer quite as bright as it should be.

My new bike is officially very lovely indeed, btw.

[clarion]

Yay!