On the commute today

[Joe.B]

Off work today so did the school run on the tandem. It was raining so the rest of Gosforth decided it was better to drive. The queues for the lights were so long that I recon many of the cars managed to do 300yards in the time it took me to do my 2 mile round trip

[Ham]

Today something entirely amazing happened on my commute, the like of which I have not seen in my >30 years of commuting. Along Stratford High Street, I was in a group of seven cyclists, stopped at a red light. While historically unusual, these days it is quite common, it wasn't that. What it was, I was the only bloke, the six others were female. Absolutely amazeballs. I got talking to one a bit later, who was riding quite sensibly and lively, she was in her 20s, apparently it was the 2012 Olympics that got her into it.

[seraphina]

First time commuting by bike in a fortnight and someone appears to have replaced Cambridgeshire with an Artic wasteland. I was in full winter mufti and I was frozen

Still, work have installed a new shower which appears to be powered by a small nuclear reactor and has enough pressure to push the showerhead out of the mouting bracket at full tilt

[Guy]

Yesterday afternoon was the first time since March that I've had to wear gloves on the homeward commute.

This morning saw the second frost of the season

[Andrew Br]

An early commute for me (I left at 05.30) and, at the last minute, I decided to wear a hat rather than a cap. My ears were very grateful ! The coldest part of the journey was on the way into Cheadle over the Mersey flood plain. Brrr.

Coming home it had started raining but that cleared up after a while.
Another cyclist became very irritating. I overtook him at some lights because I managed to keep rolling and he was slow to clip in.
He came past a little while later looking like he was going for it. Fine, I was just heading home so I let him get on with it. After 50 metres, he slowed down, I caught him up and overtook. A minute or so later he came past again and slowed down. Again ............
We both stopped at the next red light and again I out accelerated him. He came past soon after and this time I eased off and stayed behind him. Thankfully he turned off at Parrs Wood.

Nobody had told me it was "Drive like a Muppet Day" in ChorltonCH.
The 1st driver did a U-turn, pulling out right in front of me. Thankfully, I'd anticipated what was going to happen so I was able to stop next to his window and, when he finally (and, presumably, for the 1st time) looked in my direction, I shouted "Boo". I'd been tempted to roll my front wheel into his door but decided that was too childish  .
Soon after another driver pulled out from a turning on my right. I think she only realised that I was there when I banged on the off-side window of the car. That required more bike handling since I was very close when she went for it.
Perhaps I should have had a very bright flashing light on the front of the bike so that I was more visible. Oh, wait a minute ........

[Feanor]

Catastrophic SPD-SL cleat failure under power on the ride home.

Just started the modest climb, and left foot released suddenly resulting in whacked shin and Foul Language.
Front lip of the cleat had sheared off, so nothing left to hook under front part of pedal.

Careful 16k limp-home ride and a new set of cleats installed.

[Si S]

A bit of a drag today into an annoying headwind. I managed to annoy a van driver by going for a sprint for the lights at Seymour Grove, which went red so I stopped to put a lung a back in, and missed the fact that they changed immediately to green, by the time I'd noticed they were red again 

[Afasoas]

Third consecutive day on the cycle-commute. It's tempting to try and go for the full house this week, even if I still don't have my legs back.

No real knobbish driving until this morning either. Ford Ka driver deemed I didn't deserve a space in traffic queuing to pass a Luton van parked in the road. Certain expletives were muttered quietly under my breath.

I've struggled to maintain my average speed for the last couple of days (I put it down to not being able to cycle in at all last week due to a conference) but with legs that felt tired, I smashed it today.

[TimO]

No today, but yesterday, when it was necessary to wear gloves.  Of course, I couldn't find the thin gloves I'd normally wear, so the thicker ones resulted in sweaty hands by the time I arrived at work.

For your elucidation, my commute at 100 times normal speed which is an effective speed a smidgen under Mach 2. 

YouTube

It's nice to see how the sky lightens up between 6-20, when I left, and 7-15, when I arrived.

[Si S]

Very lazy this morning, I'm suffering with nightmares at the minute and the lack of sleep is taking a toll on my enthusiasm in the mornings, by the afternoon its all back to rights, mind you the recent stonking tailwinds for the return help in that regard, just a shame the roads are cluttered with all these metal boxes.

[Ham]

Looked like at least one down on CS2 outside London Hospital this morning, from the number and selection of vehicles in attendance at least the cyclist was stretched off in an ambulance, possibly others, my best guess was involved a pedestrian. Hope all are ok, but following on from the cycle-cycle vid yesterday, this was inevitable too.

[Andrew Br]

I don't seem to be finding the same tail-winds as you Si; head-wind in both directions (or so it seems) atm.
I know that I go less well in the mornings but I'm finding it hard coming home in the afternoon. I had a slump last week and then it picked up for a couple of days but it seems to be slumping again.

To liven things up on the way home this pm, I took the off-road route from ChorltonCH; Hawthorne Lane and a bit of the TPT before I got onto the bit to Sandy Lane which isn't suitable for slick tyres. Luckily nothing didn't happen but I'd unclipped for the slippy, cambered section where nothing happened last time I rode it.

Day off tomorrow but I'll be bike commuting on Saturday and Sunday (06.00 start on Saturday  ) since the car is having a new clutch fitted, a legacy* of my attempts to get it out of a mud filled ditch on the RallyWalesGB last year..
For the 05.30 starts** Tue-Thu next week I'll almost certainly be driving***.

*No pun intended.
** They seem to have blind-sided everyone with that start time.
*** Unless I drink really deeply from the fountain of HTFU.

[Si S]

I don't seem to be finding the same tail-winds as you Si; head-wind in both directions (or so it seems) atm.

The winds have been swinging between SE and NE lately, with your direction that's pretty pants as a general crosswind and quite possibly a headwind both ways, especially if it's being funneled by the urban landscape, which for me it is as both Kings Road and Stretford to Flixton become wind tunnels.

I had a slump last week and then it picked up for a couple of days but it seems to be slumping again.

Not trying to teach you to suck eggs but don't under estimate the cumulative fatigue effects of riding and working day after day, you'll learn to recognise the early symptoms and develop a coping mechanism, for me it's an extra hours sleep. Not chasing Strava segments helps 

Last night filtering up through the traffic on Moss Lane I felt the back wheel step sideways and there was a massive bang from the car next to me, I'd flicked a stone up and it'd taken a rather large chunk of paint out of the door of the orange Lambo I was passing. A chat with the guy at the next lights and he was very decent about the whole thing, even thanked me for stopping.

At Stretford a guy on an illegal ebike who I'd passed on Kings Road nearly punted me into the traffic flow in the turn left filter lane with some of the craziest filtering I've seen in a long time before taking a so-late-it-must-be-red amber.

A steady uneventful ride in this morning, the note worthy bit being I extended it a bit to Chorlton since I had a green light on Edge Lane and the left hand turn into Kings Road is now lethal due to drifts of gravel from crap road repairs.

[Andrew Br]

Not trying to teach you to suck eggs but don't under estimate the cumulative fatigue effects of riding and working day after day, you'll learn to recognise the early symptoms and develop a coping mechanism, for me it's an extra hours sleep. Not chasing Strava segments helps 

Wise words Si and something that I'm aware of since I know my job can be quite physical.
One problem with early start times is that I don't sleep well before them; I always seem to be aware that I need to get up soon........
Having said that, I was feeling tired on the late shifts when I can have a lie-in and feel no guilt.

Today's ride in started at ~04.30. I think I saw one other cyclist, the guy with 2 obnoxiously bright front lights and no rear  .
Other than that, 90% of the traffic seemed to compose of unoccupied mini-cabs going backwards and forwards. There were also several parked up en-route their drivers, presumably, waiting for fares. It did make me wonder how they can make a living at that game and it also made me worry about how long they'd been working. Through the night would be my guess and that might explain some of their road behaviours ............
Tachographs in Hackney and mini-cabs might be an interesting experiment.

Coming home was quite pleasant apart from the arse who pulled out across me on one of the downhill stretches. If he saw me and did it anyway, he shouldn't be driving. If he didn't see me, he shouldn't be driving. Luckily I'd anticipated what was likely to happen so I was already on the brakes.

It's a lie-in tomorrow (08.00 start) so I'll make the most of that. Day off Monday and then 05.30 starts Tue-Thu.
I'll be driving.

[Andrew Br]

A later (08.00) start today thank goodness.
Fewer mini cabs and no, as far as I could tell, other cycle commuters. I got passed by a couple of roadies approaching Cheadle but that was about it for cyclists. Quite a few dog walkers though.
Coming home I had a few "enthusiastic" bursts which hurt my legs but felt worthy.
I stopped off en-route to visit a couple of friends to see their recently run-over cat at home. It seems that Gregs will make a decent recovery even if it looks like he'll have lost the sight in one eye. Wired jaw and scuffed paw seem like they'll heal on their own (after the appropriate vetinary interventions). Gregs seemed to like the attention that Helen and I gave him before he drifted off to sleep again  .

[Si S]

A bit tough today, first wet one for some time and my shoulders are somewhat sore.

[Pingu]

I forgot to bring my towel to work. I used an old labcoat instead. It wasn't tremendously effective, but slightly better than drip-drying 

[matthew]

Damp to start but rapidly stopped raining to just leave wet roads.

Passed the peloton of school boys (12-15 of them) on the way in and the queue of slow moving traffic.

[andyoxon]

Good sunny ride in today, had to stop and take off my lightweight jacket.

What is it with drivers who feel the need to 'undercut' mini roundabouts, on the wrong side of the road? 

[TigaSefi]

Had to meet my sister to give her phone that she forgot this weekend on Blackfriars Bridge. That cycle lane is JAMMED packed! So many people. Thankfully I don't have to use it any more!

[JamieD]

Had to meet my sister to give her phone that she forgot this weekend on Blackfriars Bridge. That cycle lane is JAMMED packed! So many people. Thankfully I don't have to use it any more!

Much better than it not being used. If it's shown that cycle lanes are at capacity there's all the more reason for more to be created.

It's annoying that you end up going a bit slower than you'd like but I'd rather have more people cycling at a slightly slower pace than it being just a few people willing to mix it up with traffic. Overall it's good for cycling (if not always great for individuals).

[Si S]

A late one today due to waiting for tradesmen. As I came down Stretford Road there was quite a queue of traffic, at the front of it was a car buried in someones garden and another one that appeared to missing most it's front end, must have been one hell of an impact. The fire brigade had got all their toys out.

[TimO]

...  I found a webpage for TfL that lets me submit a road defect report, which I've done.  I'm not overly confident of anything happening, because it's not much of an issue for a car, but it's hard to avoid on a bicycle because of its width.

I did eventually get an email from TfL saying that they'd deal with it, and amazingly the weekend before last, it was adjusted with a new layer of tarmac that has removed the aggressive edge.  I keep on forgetting that I no longer have to carefully ensure I go over one of the less abrupt bits!

[TimO]

I appear to be on Quietway 15 for a short part of my commute.  This seems to have been done over the weekend, although further along there are just scrawls on the road, where it looks like further symbols need to be painted.  I think I'm only on it for a few hundred feet, so I don't think the nature of my commute is about to change dramatically !



On Turk's Row, here, if you were wondering.

(I can't actually find any route details for Quietway 15, but that marking seems like suspicious evidence!)

[spindrift]

Loud crack as I rode slowly uphill, out of the saddle thankfully: