On the commute today

[fuzzy]

Last night, as I closed down the 'pooter (an hour late cos shit happens), I saw that it was chucking down with rain outside. Now, it is always my intention to be

badass.

so I got togged up in my finest foul weather gear. I then started to wheel the steed towards the door when I noticed that 'Things Were Not As They Should Be'. Another chuffing visitation to the front tyre

I got changed again and drove home

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

I wouldn't have fancied A322 or A30 tonight, what with the sideways rain and huge puddles.  Fortunately I was commuting back from Reading not Uxbridge so used some hardcore lanes.  Top performance from the Sealskinz socks, feet were dry without overshoes even after an hour of badly leaking sky.  Got home with grin on face, only two working days to go this year 

The A30 is not bad, well lit, wide and a 50 limit with enough space for the cars to flow past. The A322 though is a 70mph+ unlit dual carriageway and the left lane can't just flow past. Therefore Martins Heron station and if I missed the train the A329 through Ascot was the preferred route. If I hadn't had errands in Bracknell then I stay north through Binfield on the Forest Road. nearer to lanes but not like your area south of Reading *looks for the green with envy smilee*

Crowthorne - Coral Reef - Martins Heron - A329 is on my Basingstoke to Uxbridge commute when its not icy but I only do that once a month.

Went to sleep last night to the sound of rain overflowing our leaky gutter.  Woke up to the same sound this morning.  The lanes south of Reading were even more entertaining this morning.  Arrived in the office with a smile as bright as my Christmas lunch tie 

[Looks out at continuing rain]  May need snorkel and those high heeled flippers tonight. 

[David Martin]

That was the worst weather I have commuted in for some considerable time. I picked quick drying trousers (my olympic volunteer ones) and have turend the office radiator to 'fry'. Juat about warming up.

[rower40]

The bright lights, loud noises and stress of after-work Christmas shopping took their toll on me last night - a Migraine while in the shopping centre.  Half-vision, squiggly lights and pretty patterns - so I walked home rather than risking riding.  In the pouring rain.  Soaked through, and straight to bed on arrival after a 50min walk.

Head's mostly better now, but the rain's still falling.  Twice through "Singing In The Rain", and one rendition of ELO's "Mr Blue Sky" saw me get to the bike shed at work.  Whereupon the Flying Banananana went through the station, so things are looking up.

[Notsototalnewbie]

Some of the roads in central Lunnun are half-flooded. I just about managed to avoid most of the lakes, which is good because there were probably potholes underneath them that would have swallowed little wheels.

It's very annoying that we don't have radiators in this office; my gloves would have appreciated one.

[Butterfly]

It was a wet day to have as the only day I have ridden all the way in for a fortnight . I needed a proper sized bike so that I could bring the big panniers because it is my last day and I have stuff to take home (coat, walking shoes, track pump - that sort of thing). It was very, very slow . Still, not too bad, despite the discovery that my lightweight waterproof trousers need re-proofing.

[clarion]

An odd start to the commute last night.  I rode up to the first set of lights heading towards Lambeth Bridge, and stopped behind another cyclist.  As the lights changed to green, he asked me how to get to Bermondsey Square.

'Well, it's not far' I said, 'but you're heading the wrong way'

We pulled into the middle of the road to let a car pass, as i considered how best to direct him.  Should I try to send him through the confusing old streets of Southwark, or down to the motorways of New Kent Road and Tower Bridge Road?

'Follow me' I said, and headed back past work and off the wrong way.  He was a bit slower than I'd expected, but we wound through to the back of Bermondsey Square, where I left him.

That's twice (I think) that I've diverted from a commute to lead another cyclist somewhere (last one was a Japanese lad with very little English trying to find Wimbledon from Clapham).  It's nice to be able to help.

Incidentally, I have no idea what he was planning to do at Bermondsey Square.  Every time I've been there, it's been to meet Bill.

[zigzag]

Today I was badass.

some of these "rules" are well funny, who wrote them?

[Ray 6701]

Wet!  I was expecting to hit the 10,000mile mark today but I missed it by .8 of a mile.  Any other day I would've added a few miles but its that wet n horrid out there I couldn't be arsed.  I'll get it done & dusted tomorrow instead 

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Started my ride home after xmas lunch at 6.30pm.  Roads nicely saturated, almost epic.  Fortified by lunch decided to take the road across the ford north of Bramley and ignored the road closed sign.  Water was up to the 2' mark so at the point wisdom took over and crossed via the footpath 

Got round the corner past the farmhouse.  Lights reflected back on a deep pond of grey-brown water, well over the bottom bracket.     Splodged my way through that with bucket-loads of water filling my shoes at every pedal stroke and made it to the other side.  Squeezed through the other road closed sign.

At the T-junction at the end the council workers were putting up another road-closed sign.  The "What the....." expression made my day.   

[marcusjb]

I reckon CET might win the baddestass award today!

[Jurek]

Today I was badass.

some of these "rules" are well funny, who wrote them?

No idea.
They've been doing the rounds for quite a while - surprised they've not crossed your gaze before.

JB

[clarion]

I had a good ride home, but it was into a gusty wind.  Through various back streets to Tooting Broadway, then home the normal route, past home, up the hill round TGL's old 'training loop'.  28km this evening.  Another 50km day.  It's hard, stepping it up in this weather, but so what?  I've got to work tomorrow after all (chiz), so I may throw in a circuit of RP on the way home, especially if I can get away at lunch time.

[Jurek]

I had a good ride home, but it was into a gusty wind.  Through various back streets to Tooting Broadway, then home the normal route, past home, up the hill round TGL's old 'training loop'.  28km this evening.  Another 50km day. It's hard, stepping it up in this weather, but so what?  I've got to work tomorrow after all (chiz), so I may throw in a circuit of RP on the way home, especially if I can get away at lunch time.

I'm starting to see how it is that your commute lends power to your elbow knee(s).

[clarion]

Well, a commute of 19km each way is neither one thing nor the other, so it's always worth doing a bit of jazz impro on the routing.

[Jurek]

Some of the roads in central Lunnun are half-flooded. I just about managed to avoid most of the lakes, which is good because there were probably potholes underneath them that would have swallowed little wheels.

It's very annoying that we don't have radiators in this office; my gloves would have appreciated one.

That's such a bugger.
I'm currently trying to find a spot in my workplace where I might dry damp gloves, hats, shoes etc.
We have a forced air system in the warehouse which probably surpasses the gross energy consumption of Rwanda, but I'm b0££0xed if I can find anywhere to hang my gloves, etc from it

[TimO]

... It's very annoying that we don't have radiators in this office; my gloves would have appreciated one.

You need to work in IT, that's what servers are for.

I was suitably badass yesterday, cycling home in 'orrible drizzle, which wasn't really very badass, but then I had to stop a couple of miles from home, and repair a fairy visitation.  I reckon the additional crapiness of doing that in the dark, and wet qualified!

[Crumbling Nick]

It rained. It was never heavy, but it never stopped during the 39 miles. That was also almost true of the day's activity (coppicing, plus a bonfire or 2 to cook sausages, bacon, onions, chestnuts, mashmallows for lunch). Fortunately my "cutting down trees" waterproofs worked better than the cycling kit (to be replaced at Xmas), so the lower layers dried out during the day.

I took several pairs of gloves, and still had an unused pair by the time I reached home. Bonfires are not a reliable way of drying gloves if you need to have hands that can still be used afterwards . It's surprising what can be shoehorned into a Carradice long flap camper saddlebag (though not the wellies).

What surprised me was the increase in standing water/minor floods on the roads this evening. The rain wasn't that heavy - only a few mm during the day -  but it evidently had nowhere to go.

[clarion]

Not raining this morning, but it was still damp under the wheels, and there were large puddles in places - especially round Clapham Common.

As it happens, I turned off my route at CC, choosing to go down Cedars, and over Chelsea Bridge, then along Embankment to Westminster, back over the river, and along the big roads back to Borough. 

Roads were pretty empty, and there was a kind tailwind.  Just over 25km again.  I'm now about 40km over my 'normal' commute distance for this week, and I'm hoping to get away early enough to get 35km on the way home.  The more I do by myself, the less I need to drag a still-poorly Butterfly out for big miles.

[David Martin]

Badbadbadass today. Light drizzle and some rain but I needed to visit Mr Tescos emporium on my way to work so I took the scenic route up the Miley, a former railway track that runs for 80% of the journey in the right direction. It was a little damp. I splashed happily through the first few puddles, then under teh bridge - the deepest so far had been foot deep (ie bottom of crank). Then I hit the big one. Bottom Bracket plus (on a MTB) and it wasn't warm either. Did the business at Tesco and had the option of heading back by road or back along the Miley.



My cunningly included spare change of clothes is snug and warm, and  the rest is making friends with my office radiator.

[Basil]

A morning of "can't be bottomed"

Due to a snapped straddle cable on the rear of the Mercian (I've got at least two spares, but couldn't be bottomed at that time of the morning) I needed to switch bikes.
The Galaxy was up in the bed room, so couldn't be bottomed to struggle that down stairs, I didn't fancy the fixed, so I grabbed the son's Horizon.
Got outside and realised that it hadn't got SPDs, but couldn't be bottomed to go back in to change shoes.
Mistake.  The cleats made it very difficult to stop my feet sliding off the nasty plasic platform pedals.

Other than that, well, very pleasant on the way in.  Didn't need to wear my winter jacket.

Just the "Last Friday Before Christmas Drunken Traffic" to negotiate on the way home tonight. 

[Notsototalnewbie]

Oh goody, loads of people seemed to have disappeared already. Lambeth bridge almost empty. Very nice!

(Jurek, it has not yet been cold enough again to properly test out your lobsters - it's at temps close to freezing that I start to suffer)

[Notsototalnewbie]

Another nice HGV Driver. A tipper truck with ‘George Dugdale’ emblazoned on it. I was about to take the turn onto Lambeth Bridge and turned to check he could see me and wasn’t about to try any funny business (lots of vehicles cut you off there). He was deliberately hanging back and smiling at me. I gave him a thumbs-up and made the turn first, safely.

I can’t find an email address for George Dugdale haulage to send him some praise, only a phone number and postal address. I should really stop being so lazy and write them a nice letter. Or send them a Christmas card!!

Despite my general avoidance of snail mail I’ve now sent them a Christmas card complimenting the driver’s behaviour and mentioning the place and date so maybe they can pass it on to him. It's important to encourage good driving.

[L CC]

I have a flat on the fixed, it needs a new tube and I didn't have any, so I'm stuck with the ice bike.
Filthy.

I have just bought big fat guards. Mud in my hair, in the gap between hat & buff. Nasty. There's so many pigs round here, I'm not convinced of its 'muddyness'.

[clarion]

I forgot to mention that I saw some excellent driving from a skip lorry at Tooting Broadway the other morning.  Good use of mirrors, safe positioning, clear indicating, avoidance of a hazardous situation, and a wave to the cyclist (me).

The driver was, unusually, a woman.