On the commute today

[TigaSefi]

Block headwinds this am. The flags by Tower Bridge are strongly buffeting in the right way at the moment. Will they at 5pm? will they fuck!

[Andrew Br]

Hard work for me riding in this afternoon. I even used the small front ring at times.
Coming home was a bit easier but not as easy as I'd hoped. Still, I suppose that's always the case with wind.

Day off tomorrow. I'm hoping to go for a bike ride.

[Si S]

A bit rapid last night with the wind that Andrew Br was slogging into on my back, strong enough that I was easily keeping pace alongside a motorbike all the way to Urmston.
Nice and steady this morning, just cruising along.

[TigaSefi]

Hopefully tonight, a bunch of students SHALL not cross a cycle highway red light man crossing and cause me to smash into them at 20mph. They seemed perplexed that I shouted at them rather loudly about you know... stopping at a red light. They were following each other with their earphones and eyes glued to the phones! 

[Kim]

Maybe next time try braking as well as shouting?  It's hardly unexpected student behaviour.

I hope nobody was hurt.

[HeltorChasca]

I was gifted a roe buck.

Such a beautiful animal lying in the road after an early morning collision. It just seemed plain wrong that all these people in their tin boxes, wearing their blinkers, were just driving round him on their way to wherever. Eventually someone was going to make an awful mess of an awesome animal.

I stopped and picked him up. Quite a journey: school run, work and then home. From a 16kg buck I managed to process and keep 7kg of very nice, undamaged venison. A good yield considering. Most of the lights, rib cage and skull have been gifted straight back to the woods. Unfortunately he'd already cast his horns so out of luck for me.

I'm exhausted.

[Si S]

15 mins late leaving last night so that put me in the traffic carnage which kind of ruined what was a massive tailwind.

Are we sure it's Friday today? Quite surprised I'd got some legs left at the end of the week, probably just the absence of headwind.

[TigaSefi]

Maybe next time try braking as well as shouting?  It's hardly unexpected student behaviour.

I hope nobody was hurt.

I did brake and my back wheel skidded for yards - unfortunately bikes don't stop on a sixpence. Bikes were coming opposite way too so it wasn't like i was solo. I think they though it was one way.

[Paul]

I was gifted a roe buck.
...

Wow. I would probably have just gone around.

Amazing.

[Jurek]

I got knocked off the bike on the way home this evening.
Broad daylight.
Driver decided that driving through me was the easiest way to negotiate a roundabout.
I had been in primary position in order to discourage any creative undertaking / overtaking.
I lay there unable to get up because the bike was on top of my left leg, and the car was on top of my rear wheel.
I was in a state of compression á velo.
Bollox, I thought. That’s going to be a new wheel. And aggro. It’s never going to be easy to convince those who don’t know, that a bicycle wheel can cost north of £350.00
- Hand built, Large flange Goldtec track hub on Velocity V deep rim.
The driver  got out of the car and came around - Sowwy I didn’t see you.
I was right in front of you as I have been for the last three or four minutes, while we’ve been queuing for the roundabout. No?
I’m sowwy.
Can you get your car off my bike, so that I can get up, please.
They did, and I did.
I spun the rear wheel expecting it to stop, but no. It just carried on turning.
I guess those ozzie rims I have, are much tougher than I expected.
Is your bike alright ?- they asked
Yeah
I’m sowwy, I didn’t see you.
It seemed pointless to pursue this any further - Of course they didn’t see me - I was in front of them and they was looking to their right whilst driving forward..
I left them, sitting in traffic.
Twat.

The remainder of my journey home was relatively uneventful, albeit slightly fuelled by the product of my adrenal gland.
Oh. And I was rear-ended by another cyclist,  as I stood waiting for the south lift in the Greenwich foot tunnel.
Twat 2.
I’m expecting some left hip / buttock bruisage tomorrow - thanks to twat1.

[hatler]

Strewth. Are you sure you're (obv I mean the bike) OK ?

[Jurek]

Strewth. Are you sure you're (obv I mean the bike) OK ?

Yeah, thanks for asking, Rob. I think I'll be fine - all bar some light bruising.
The annoying thing is that what I'd like right now, more than anything else,  is a soak in a hot bath - I'm currently having my bathroom re-fitted and the only functioning item in there is a lavvy pan.
I'm genuinely surprised that the wheel tolerated having a Renault Clio parked on top of it with no adverse  effect.

[hatler]

Bummer. Bed and a hot water bottle ?

[Jurek]

Might have to be.
After some restorative Sauvignon Blanc 

[CrinklyLion]

That sounds resoundingly pants.  Hope the sauvignon blanc hits the spot!

My commute (the first few miles along the FNRttC route to Hull - a very different prospect at commuter times and jolly unfriendly compared with at midnight) was a good 10 minutes slower than usual.  That's what happens when you use a stokerless tandem, I guess   Handful of shit close passes, only one of which made me swear out loud.  Several cheer-restoring friendly decent overtakes.  One smile-inducing Potter spotting, oncoming. 

[spindrift]

Driver pulled across me at a junction, held her hands up as apology then when I stopped at my house as I opened the gate she said "I'm really sorry, you must have been in my blind spot!" so I said "That's ok" and my neighbour chipped in and said "All good, nobody hurt" which was nice. So 1 numpty, no yelling or swearing and a nice apology.

[Andrew Br]

Sorry to hear about your being knocked off Jurek; hope you're recovering OK.

Today's commute felt a litle easier than recent ones. I've actually felt quite wiped out just recently so it's nice to feel a little better (and to have gone faster).
I can't remember the last time I drove to work which is a nice thought. I start early shifts next week (off tomorrow) so let's see how the resolve is then ...........

[Si S]

Nothing in the legs today, just couldn't get going, having a dose C'tBA at the moment.

[mcshroom]

I used my bike pump at home last night, and forgot to put it back onto the bike, so for the first time in months I had no pump. Of course that meant that I got a puncture on the way home

Ended up walking half a mile before another commuter stopped and lent me a pump

[Jurek]

I've been caught out like that before.
So now, 3 bags = 3 pumps.
Branes are allocated  other things to remember.
Or not.

[Kim]

Better: 3 bags = 4 pumps, so you don't remove a pump from your bike to pump up tyres at home.  The nth can be a track pump or compressor or something, saving effort and further discouraging borrowing of bike pumps.

Which will work just fine until $reasons.  And then you'll cock it up anyway.

[Jurek]

Indeed.
You've just described the set up here.
How could I forget (I blame teh brane being busy remembering other things) my trusty track pump - making it one on the floor and three in the bags.

[mcshroom]

I'm currently on 3 bikes, 3 pumps plus a track pump at home. Which is fine until I decide not to get the track pump out but use the road morph off the bike instead.

[Jurek]

There's your mistake.
Schoolboy error   .
What do you mean ' Get the track pump out'?
Isn't it always out?

[Ashaman42]

Well I didn't exactly have PostAudaxHeroLegs^TM after yesterday's 80 miles but the ride home from work today wasn't too painful. The first mile or so I was a bit twingy but it eased off once I got warmed up.

Wasn't really any slower overall compared to usual which was nice. Got caught out by a heavyish shower for a couple miles, that were a bit cold.

Now currently trying to eat anything I can get my hands on.