On the commute today

[Steph]

Run out to T*sco on my first day off for the mega shop, and I had a truly dismal tide back.  That was only the start of it. I came down Victoria Road past the station, approaching the roundabout where I turn R onto Balcombe Road, check behind, let one car pass, spot the gap, indicate, pull right---and the next car, as I approached the traffic island, pulled out to overtake me and as she drew level started to cut in hard at me. Not even school run time, but she was looking straight ahead and not at me in bright yellow with my lights on.

I used my audible warning device "OI! STOP!" and she stopped dead, just before the island. I think she may have stalled. I grabbed the space in front of her that I would have been in and set off across the roundabout, just as a horn started to blow constantly. Mrs idiot then passed me--carefully!- and was followed by the punishment pass I expected from Twatty Hornblower. Number taken, but got the bastard wrong in the stress of things, as Surrey Drive Smart have just notified me. VK56CDG is what I memorised, but...

Dark blue estate or similar. Watch out for it. Driver's a twat.

[Peter]

No legs, getting dropped left, right and centre.

Well, your fastest 200k on Saturday and NO ginger cordial - what do you expect!

[Ham]

For the first time in forever I forgot my clothes, so had to use the Emergency T-Shirt. Then I had to get back home sharpish and had a visitation. Ho Hum. At least I collected, from a charming lady with the broadest Irish brogue "Chasing a christmas tree is more fun than chasing an arse"

[Si S]

Just plain lazy at the minute.

[Ashaman42]

First ride (or exercise of any kind) in a month. Took about the same time as usual.

The first third of the ride was spent thinking I'd have been too hot if I'd worn my winter boots and the last two thirds wishing I had them on. Coooold toes.

[sg37409]

Brommie and train due to beering engagement.

[TigaSefi]

So was riding to work and I was approaching towards Vauxhall gyratory system (lovely) when I heard the blues and twos behind me so pulled over in the bus lane to the side at the red traffic lights and a mercedes came flying past with the indicators being the blues. Anyways at the exact time, I was being overtaken by a boris cyclist who adopted the aero position on it and sped through the lights NARROWLY missing the car that has stopped at the red and was slowly moving to the left to let the Mercedes through the gap and then the lights did change to green at that time too!

So I rode through the lights and carried on watching the merc, it slowed down next to the aero boris man who was blissfully unware that they wanted him to stop. He eventually stopped and two undercover policemen got out of the car and gave him the biggest bollocking EVER! I don’t know if it was cos he went through the red or he put himself in danger for going through the red and the car that pulled to the left. They got back into the car and sped off to the emergency!!!

[spindrift]

Pretty sure I rode right through the middle of a drugs deal. Unless people just meet up in shit cars to have a chat through the windows. One reversed down a bit as I arrived so i indicated right and turned off and they did a little wheel spin for some reason.

[Si S]

After pooping the Christmas party rode home with my buddy for a change who actually made me put some effort into it. A flat at then end resulted in pump, ride, pump, ride for the last couple of miles home last night as I realised I was not carrying a spare tube.

Nagging cross headwind this morning but still the quickest I've been all week.

[Nuncio]

After last night's commute I am now in that no-man's-land where the 1.6:1 km to miles conversion is not accurate enough for my 2016 target of 10,000 miles (having done more than 16.000km but not quite reached my total).

[TheLurker]

Two miles out from Ciren. (Ampney Crucis - ish) caught up with another commuter. _Very_ unusual as not many of us on that route.  Bike had a decent rear light but only a glow worm on the front so kept company to share my lamps 'til we hit the street-lights at the edge of town.    We had a wee chat and it turns out until a month ago he couldn't ride a bike at all and now here he is commuting. 

[Kim]

We had a wee chat and it turns out until a month ago he couldn't ride a bike at all and now here he is commuting.

 

[velosam]

Was incredibly mild today.  Had to potter in as was not feeling too well.  Hopefully this will be my last commute of the year. If it all goes to plan today, by the end of the day I will be about 5 miles off my target for the year.

Actually by some quirk and a few extra miles hit 6k km today, so I am done for the year.

[Ham]

E      M      P     T     Y ...........

What a nice ride in, wherever people are, pls to be staying there forever.

[Si S]

It's going to a long week, this is one of my least favourite commuting weeks.

[Riggers]

"The schools are off.
The cars are gone.
Simply having,
a wonderful
Christmas time."

And you know what? I hate that song. Looked out the front of the house this morning before cycling off, and spotted 2 empty car spaces. An event I felt duty bound to pass on to my wife.

[Si S]

One of those mornings which culminated in a slip in the shower followed by rolling around clutching my knee feeling 

[sg37409]

Left late last night, the rain didn't damp the stink of hotdogs and burgers from the Xmas market. This morning was drier, roads quieter than normal but that means faster (and more impatient) traffic.

[matthew]

First ride of the week (previous two days involved long train journeys). It was completely uneventful.

However on arrival at work I found a colleague trying to straighten his left pedal after a hit and run from a car that pulled out of a side turn in front of him. He hit the side of the car and the deck but apparently not too hard, driver stopped looked at him and then drove off.

I suggested 101 to report the incident but without the number plate tracing the driver will take more police leg work than they are likely to have available.

[Ham]

Plop.

[Nethypete]

Last commute of the year - cold and uneventful. Poor year by my usual standards only managing to cycle 54% of days largely due to a prolonged injury early in the year. Three seconds more daylight to look forward to tomorrow so might lie in.

[Si S]

A combination of running late to laziness, being slightly under dressed for the weather, a tailwind and getting a tow off a non stopping bus made for the quickest commute for a while.

[TigaSefi]

I had to get into work early today so was greeted by beautiful foggy scenes as I sailed past Big Ben (only white clock face was showing) London Eye and all that jazz and by the time i got to work 10 mins left, it all lifted! Nice!

[sg37409]

Soaked in the morning, battled against strong headwind on the way back.

[Paul]

I fell over. Icy roads. Thought I was being careful enough but the bike went from under me on a slow left-hand turn. I'm a little achy of left knee, hip, shoulder and head, but nothing major. Renewed respect for weather.

I noticed that I was a bit tense for the rest of the journey in, and the first half of the journey home.