On the commute today

[Wendy]

Hahaha! That's awesome Zipperhead.

Flatus, jwo, this is your cue to castigate Z severely.

[citoyen]

I've just seen 20 Boris Bikes jump a red light. They were all on a trailer being towed by a maintenance van.

I followed the van up Farringdon Road and it was behaving very erratically - if I didn't know better, I might have suspected the driver and passenger were pissed. Especially when they started tooting at women pedestrians.  

d.

[benborp]

Obviously, in absolute terms, considering the opportunities that a bank holiday commute presents I've got to admit I'm dissapointed. That said, having gone over the data I can now see that I really put the effort in and though the resulting time may not be quite up there, for me that was a top class ride.

sportwaffle aside, I bet it's a stiff, yet almost imperceptible headwind on the way home too.

[matthew]

Beautiful morning for riding in today, cool crisp autumnal morning. If only I had avoided the 5 minutes waiting at the level crossing and had the geared bike to stay in the tow of the other rider who was waiting there. (I span the fixie up to 22mph ~110rpm and he went past as if I was going backwards, then disappeared on up the road).

Plus I think I spotted MattH near Bagshot.

[itsbruce]

I was knocked off my bike, this morning, on Bayswater Road.  Some prick in a council services van pulled out into the road when I was right in front of him.  He saw me at the very last minute, which was too late not to hit me but early enough that I'm uninjured.  Knocked the bike from under me and I have some road rash on my arm and thigh.  In a way, I think I was lucky that it was a van with a high-set cab, so that I had a fairly straight-forward side-on collision with a largely vertical bonnet rather than something which flipped me through 90 degrees. Worst thing about it was the sense of inevitability; could see him coming, couldn't do anything about it, just had to wait for the impact.

When I worked out I wasn't dead or injured, I was furious.  Got up and banged on his passenger window.  Only then did he get out.  Couldn't believe his attitude; he was annoyed that I was annoyed.  "Look, I've apologised.  Look, I've gotten  out to see if you're all right."  Only reason he got out of his cab because I was trying to get into it through the window.

Colleague just brought me a mug of tea.  Mug has DHL all over it.  Because I need to be reminded about vans.

[citoyen]

Bummer. 

Have you reported it? Have you had yourself checked out by a doc?

Most importantly: is the bike OK?

d.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Is the bike ok?

[itsbruce]

The bike is OK.  I had a word with our first aide person here, but I remember the impact with great clarity and it managed to be near fatal (because it was a busy road he knocked me into) without actually causing injury.  The guy wasn't moving fast enough, thankfully.

[MattH]

Beautiful morning for riding in today, cool crisp autumnal morning.

I looked out of the window this morning and everything looked wet. It was only when I get up that I realised it was just misty, so cold and damp - which was how it was until I was past Camberley and the sun started to burn it off. Still good enough for shorts, short sleeved top and mitts.

If only I had avoided the 5 minutes waiting at the level crossing and had the geared bike to stay in the tow of the other rider who was waiting there. (I span the fixie up to 22mph ~110rpm and he went past as if I was going backwards, then disappeared on up the road).

I got caught there too, but going the other way (obviously!).

Plus I think I spotted MattH near Bagshot.

Yes, that was me. A bit late out this morning, and with a heavier bag than normal and Friday legs already (Saturday night's ride home from Brum via Tewkesbury and Gloucester didn't help). I felt really slow, so I'm surprised I only took ten minutes longer than usual, and  still managed to average over 25km/h.

[onb]

The office is dead and there is only me here so Im off on a nice long ride home through The Bowland Forest to Slaidburn and then over the Cross o Greet and home .Some consolation for a waste of time coming in today





Between Slaidburn and the Cross o Greet

[clarion]

Lovely.

[mrcharly-YHT]

It seems there are two types of cyclists:

Those who look at a lovely photo like that and think "I want to ride up that road"

Those who look at a lovely photo like that and think "I want to ride down that road"

[SteveC]

Got to work this morning to discover I'd left my clean towel at home. Oh well, that's what wet wipes are for.
Then a colleague came into the changing room complaining that the weather was 'too cold for shorts but too hot for over trousers'.

[itsbruce]

Have you reported it? Have you had yourself checked out by a doc?

I have now.  This morning I seemed to have gotten away with just a few scrapes and bruises, but around midday my left leg turned into one solid lump of pain.  Have spent all afternoon in Hammersmith A&E trading "Carry On Matron" double entendres with the nurses.  Good news is no fractures.  Bad news is I won't be commuting on any kind of transport for most of a week.

[fuzzy]

Have you reported it? Have you had yourself checked out by a doc?

I have now.  This morning I seemed to have gotten away with just a few scrapes and bruises, but around midday my left leg turned into one solid lump of pain.  Have spent all afternoon in Hammersmith A&E trading "Carry On Matron" double entendres with the nurses.  Good news is no fractures.  Bad news is I won't be commuting on any kind of transport for most of a week.

Before I saw this I was going to post and advise you that, according to your original post, you certainly were injured. Road rash on arm and leg is an injury.

Of course, this is all your fault. Victims are always to blame......

[GruB]

Bottle cage broke on the TCR.  I was only 7 miles into the commute so took a gulp and emptied the bottle so it would not bounce out or sheer off completely.
Upon arriving home I have pinched the Specialized one of Mrs G's bike as it is black.  I have given her a heavier black one 

[fuzzy]

Bottle cage broke on the TCR.  I was only 7 miles into the commute so took a gulp and emptied the bottle so it would not bounce out or sheer off completely.
Upon arriving home I have pinched the Specialized one of Mrs G's bike as it is black.  I have given her a heavier black one 

Does she know?

[nutkin]

Bottle cage broke on the TCR.  I was only 7 miles into the commute so took a gulp and emptied the bottle so it would not bounce out or sheer off completely.
Upon arriving home I have pinched the Specialized one of Mrs G's bike as it is black.  I have given her a heavier black one 

Does she know?

No reply from Grub.

Methionks she does indeed know, and he's now under the patio.....

[citoyen]

This morning I seemed to have gotten away with just a few scrapes and bruises, but around midday my left leg turned into one solid lump of pain.

Sorry to hear that. The lack of instant pain is probably down to adrenaline. GWS.

Maybe worth getting the bike checked as well just in case there's hidden damage to the frame?

d.

[GruB]

Bottle cage broke on the TCR.  I was only 7 miles into the commute so took a gulp and emptied the bottle so it would not bounce out or sheer off completely.
Upon arriving home I have pinched the Specialized one of Mrs G's bike as it is black.  I have given her a heavier black one 

Does she know?

No reply from Grub.

Methionks she does indeed know, and he's now under the patio.....

Sorry, I was on her rower.  No she doesn't know.  She doesn't know I was using HER rower either.
She and the boys were at swimming training.
I am not going to tell her either.  Treat it as a test in observation skills.

[sg37409]

The ride in was beautiful Homewards was marked by 2 p**ct*res, so had to nip in to halfords for a couple of tubes. Then got a bit lost following a road closure in Falkirk and ended up in seemingly going in circles in Larbert ! 

[GruB]

The office is dead and there is only me here so Im off on a nice long ride home through The Bowland Forest to Slaidburn and then over the Cross o Greet and home .Some consolation for a waste of time coming in today





Between Slaidburn and the Cross o Greet

One of the many benefits of commuting 

[TheLurker]

Ack! Ack! Ack! I don't know what they're putting on the fields at the moment, but it is positively emetic.   

[Riggers]

1 minute 50 seconds door-to-door today. Maybe I could do it quicker?

[clarion]

Crikey.  I rode hard this morning, and was a shade over that (48 minutes 10 seconds over, as it happens).  You must be very fast Riggers.  Chapeau!