On the commute today

[Mr Larrington]

I should perhaps point out that the only time I have met Pancho in RL was at one of Pam Pilbeam's Audaxen...

[Jacomus]

Wow, tonight's ride home was weird.

I set out, feeling excited about the journey. Within the first 2 minutes I was creeped out, really creeped out by a strange feeling of unease. The streets were deserted, really deserted, even for The City late on a Saturday night, which certainly didn't help. When I hit London Bridge I was almost in a cold sweat! Traffic built up a little around the station, but by that point I'd totally lost my nerve and called it quits on my journey.

Very dissatisfying, but perhaps for the best!

[Pickled Onion]

Clocked up exactly 350 commuting kilometres this week!

Fitbit awarded me an "Urban Sneakers" badge (it doesn't recognise cycling), followed by a "Penguin March" badge. 
Moves app continues to penalise me if I have a tailwind or push hard to get to the train on time...

[Pancho]

@Mr Onion: chapeau!

I'd be thinking of moving closer to the office!

[Jacomus]

Sunday morning was a nice ride, very traffic free 6miles to training.

Sunday afternoon I put in the 12miles to get to New Cross Gate. It was a fun ride right up to New Cross Gate, where I was aggressively tailgated by two guys in a Vauxhall Corsa Shed-edition. The bumper was inches from me, complete with slipping the clutch and revving. I had nowhere to go - 2 narrow lanes, the outside was chokka, and there was a high kerb and railings on the nearside. It was bloody terrifying. I didn't dare slow down even. I gritted my teeth and held a strong primary, as that was literally my only option. If I'd moved to the nearside to try and bail, I have no doubt that the driver would have pushed through and hit me before I'd got out of the way. After what felt like a mile (50 meters-ish) there was a side road, I decided I shouldn't signal I was going to take it, so as not to prompt the driver to pass too early. I held my position until I got a clear line and threw myself left. The driver floored it as I was about half way through the turn and zoomed off down the road. The adrenaline was in full flow as was the red mist. I'm bloody fortunate they didn't get caught in traffic within my sight as the flight had definitely turned to fight at that point, and likely I'd have got myself stabbed.

I'm shaking again just writing it out. I couldn't face a proper ride this morning, so I commuted through London Bride and was only on the road for 10mins, jumping at my own shadow.

[jenhunt]

having had a sadly disappointing weekend cycling wise I decided to commute this morning by bike. (not normal of a monday)

Roads were deserted, genuinely can't remember seeing any vehicles until i was about a mile from work. Lovely morning for it, but i totally underdressed and have only just warmed up (in time to cycle home!).

annoyingly my phone has decided that picking up and holding onto a GPS signal is far too much like hard work, so my 7.3 mile outward journey registered as 4.5  , here's hoping it registers slightly more than that for the 7.8 mile return journey.

[Jacomus]

Did Lady Luck smile on you, jenhunt?

I was on the road very late last night, about 2345hrs, and couldn't face up to riding to New Cross Gate, so bailed at London Bridge. Same story this morning, in reverse. The scum driving the Corsa from Sunday has left me very rattled.

[menthel]

Woz alright trip in. Bit bloody parky though, the ends of my fingers had turned grey by the end of the trip!

[Under the arches]

Glad |I looked at the weather forecast before I went to bed. It was freezing this morning so I wrapped up in a midlayer top with a pair of gloves on the commute.

Saying that it was a bit windy on the bike yesterday for the monday night unsocial ride to a country pub & back. 

[jenhunt]

Did Lady Luck smile on you, jenhunt?

I was on the road very late last night, about 2345hrs, and couldn't face up to riding to New Cross Gate, so bailed at London Bridge. Same story this morning, in reverse. The scum driving the Corsa from Sunday has left me very rattled.

it did as far as the GPS went... but the headwind and the other road users left a considerable amount to be desired (see note in DOTD) 

on the plus side, the new saddle is a distinct improvement on the previous one.

[menthel]

Was very headwindy on the way home!

[Jacomus]

I wish a headwind was my only problem on the way home. I made it to Bricklayers Arms and bottled it, turned round and cycled back to London Bridge 

[Jurek]

Jacomus, I've a vague idea of where you commute to / from - it crosses my manor.
Give me a (part) postcode and I can probably give you some useful route pointers which have the potential to stress you less.
Srsly. It needn't be like this.

Oh! And the wind tonight was thoroughly poxy!

[Basil]

Oh bugger, what an awful day.
The slows have been upon me for a couple of years now and I'm used to the occasional regular zipping past me from time to time.  But today I saw all of them.  (Well, their backs).  Yes every single bloody one of them.  They must have been waiting for me or something.
First it's bloody Super Girl on Middleton Hall Road.  She's a rare spot, so meeting her was a sign that they were all out.  She used to put it round me when she rode a MTB - all muscle and grunt.  Now she seems to have acquired some road soot.  Woosh!  Bye!
Col de Warwards Lane.  Woman on tourer with unbelievabley huge panniers, are you there?  No, of course not.  Instead some bloke on an old 70s thing with brake cables coming out of the tops of the hoods, dressed in jeans and trainers flashes past using at least 20" more than I was but at a faster cadence.  I've never seen him before.  How the hell do you do that?
Brizzle Road.  This has never happened before.  All four of the fast guys I sometimes see are either at the lights with me or zip past later.  All of them on one day!  And bugger me, even the bloke who rides the footpath is fucking having a go.  Cue Basil putting in a supreme effort whilst trying to look relaxed and casual.  I'm bloody not having that!
Col de Priory Rd.   Three regulars normally here from time to time.  Do I see office girl in her office clothes and knee boots honking her Dutch style city bike?  Nope.  Do I see nice chatty older (ie 10 years younger than me) bloke?  No, of course not.  Ok, do I see  <whoooosh.  There he went>  Fixie wiv a Barley Bloke.
Right, bugger this.  I'm not having this.  I slam my gear into what I hope is about 70 odd inches and pretend I'm fixed setting of in pursuit.  I don't want to take him, I just want to stay with him.
 Which, of course doesn't happen.

When I get to work, I find that I've forgotten that we're going out for a meal tonight.  I'm only working three days a week atm and when your weekends are longer than your working week, its difficult to remember this sort of stuff.  Bugger!  I was supposed to have come on the train today.

[Si_Co]

Last night following a couple of commuter buddies, got split up filtering at the quadrant, accelerated off the quadrant to pick up mates wheel and........BONK.....the world goes grey and legs turn to jelly, soft pedaled to the bottom of Kings Road where one had waited for me, fortunately he'd got food  Apparently ca. 350kcal is not enough to commute 38km and do a days work. Idiot 

This morning, another broken spoke, so that's 2 in 2 weeks. 

[Jacomus]

Jacomus, I've a vague idea of where you commute to / from - it crosses my manor.
Give me a (part) postcode and I can probably give you some useful route pointers which have the potential to stress you less.
Srsly. It needn't be like this.

Oh! And the wind tonight was thoroughly poxy!

Thanks for the offer, Jurek, I appreciate it. However, I really like the route I've got - it's just the scrote from the other day that's got me rattled.

I had sucsess this morning though Got off the train at New Cross Gate and serenely rode in. Very enjoyable indeed and with a bonus of lots and lots of well behaved drivers.

[Riggers]

I've become more sanguine about people overtaking me nowadays Bazzer. One flashes past, and your 'dander' starts to rise, and then you think: "No, hang on, wait a minute, she's half your age … it's the natural order of things … let it go."

What does irk, is … it's fine in town … no acknowledgement, I can accept that, but when you're cycling out of town, and some flash bugger comes hurtling past, a little civility or human interaction wouldn't hurt would it!!? A nod, a "Morning", or some such.

My commute. Nothing happened.

[Jacomus]

I've become more sanguine about people overtaking me nowadays Bazzer. One flashes past, and your 'dander' starts to rise, and then you think: "No, hang on, wait a minute, she's half your age … it's the natural order of things … let it go."

What does irk, is … it's fine in town … no acknowledgement, I can accept that, but when you're cycling out of town, and some flash bugger comes hurtling past, a little civility or human interaction wouldn't hurt would it!!? A nod, a "Morning", or some such.

My commute. Nothing happened.

The kind of nothing that happens in the general vacinity of a ford?

[Riggers]

Mine is the sort of commute that one might genuinely ask "Why bother?" It's a few hundred yards. Half a mile at the most. My body would be better served if I walked. I sometimes wonder why my awesome powers are waning. However, I enjoy getting on my bike each morning. I suppose I could take a longer route in, and sometimes do, and it also allows me to zoom into town if I want, or make other errands. Bike and me are inseparable.

Addendum: I did scoot past about eight cars this morning as they sat, immobile, behind a refuse lorry. Perhaps that's worthy of note.

[spindrift]

Road rage off a cabbie and sarcasm off an ambulance driver who appeared to be trying to drum up trade.

[ian]

I don't normally measure such things, but according to my phone I've cycled 316 km in the last couple of days (since Saturday, and apparently 15 of those kilometres were vertical), so I'm giving today a rest. It may explain why my 50 lengths in the pool earlier were a bit of a effort. I seem to be in some kind of endorphin haze at the moment.

Avoiding the A22 is an improvement and I've become zen with the hill on the way back.

[andyoxon]

Rained on me for 40mins on the way in this am. - not too bad, though drying kit was a little challenging.

On t'return, Sunny.  I tested my specs with hydrotac +1.25 bifocal add-ons; work really well.  Though area below top tube begins to get a tad blurry when I'm looking down, but that's OK.

Still amazed at drivers who give me OK width on the road, but - into oncoming traffic - who then hoot or flash at them as overtaker swerves back in... 

[Pancho]

I dodged the rain on both legs today.

Traffic seems busier of late. Almost all of the urban section of my commute is done on the wrong side of the road overtaking queues.

[Ashaman42]

Oh my that headwind was tough work home. But made it in time to get changed and have a quick bite to eat before my welding class.

It did seem to be overtake like a stupid stupidhead day today though.

[Basil]

On the ride home this afternoon I heard a sound that seemed to be something falling onto the road.  I immediately checked, wallet, phone, other phone (don't ask), smoker's accessories etc, but all seemed present and correct in the myriad of pockets of my jersey and Hummvees.
It was only later that as I glanced down at my Hope Vision that I realised that I hadn't replaced the battery cartridge or my rear Cateye Volt50 after recharging at work.  Uh oh!  I'd slipped them into a side pocket of my jacket which I hadn't bothered to zip up as I was only taking them from my desk to the cycle park.   Doh!
I quickly checked the pocket.  Hope cartridge was there.  Cateye wasn't.  So of course I turned round and started retracing my route.  Thing was, I really couldn't be sure exactly where I'd heard the sound of it hitting the road.

Long story short, I eventually spotted it laying in the road on the dual carriageway bit of the Brizzle Road.  (OK, I admit it, I was riding along the pavement against the traffic flow - there would have been little point in riding legally on the northbound carriageway looking for something that may have been on the southbound). It appeared to be intact, but I watched in horror as a van missed it by millimetres.  After retrieving it I found it to be in perfect working order with no signs of damage.

Phew.