Bl**dy weather forecasts

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Panter

Just call me Chris...
Checked the weather online last night, yup, both the BBC and Met office forecasts are dry for today so I can cycle in.

I won't do my commute by bike if its going to rain hard as there's a long section of riding in the 2' wide road edge of a fast, unlit dual carrigeway. I don't mind riding in the rain but i want the drivers to be able to see me, and have a chance of stopping if they don't :smile:

Anyway, got up at 5:00am, put all the summer gear on (it was quite mild this morning and I have to ride up a long steep hill so get very hot) and take the bike outside.

Hmmm, its raining. Not hard but raining none the less.
Still, the forecast was dry so i'm sure it'll stop soon.
Set off and it gets a bit harder, 5 miles in and it stops. Woo hoo :smile: things are looking rosey.

10mins later, and on the dual carrigeway and it starts again but this time its quite heavy. Ok, no worries I'm going to get wet.
10 miles in and the top of the downs and the heavens open, really torentiall rain. So i'm tackling the short, steep downhill section where there's no road edge to hide in, where its steep enough to easily hit 45mph in the dry, with quarter of an inch of water cascading down it and 2 manhole covers somewhere in the middle concealed by the spray :blush:
Despite the tyres being slicks, they're acting like waterwheels and sending a river of cold, muddy water straight up and into my knackers which isn't the best cycling experience this newbie has encountered so far :smile:

Still, at 15 miles the rain stopped which gave me a couple of "dry" miles of just getting soaked by the tyres.

I'm in work now, wandering round the lab in bare feet while various bits of clothing dry off in ovens and on radiators :smile:






And it was all STILL way less stressfull than driving in :smile:


Cheers

Chris :angry:
 

girofan

New Member
Panter, I'm surprised by you. Fancy taking any account of the BBC weather forecasts!
The last time they did a correct forecast Noah had just completed his Ark. :blush:
 

rich p

ridiculous old lush
Location
Brighton
Not only are they frequently wrong but the website is never adequately updated. This morning it showed no chance of rain today for my area whilst it was tipping down outside.
 
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Panter

Panter

Just call me Chris...
Yup, you're quite right guys.

Its either a forecast from Meridian TV's delightful Gemma Humphries or nothing for me from now on.

A soggy lesson learned. Again :blush:


Cheers

Chris :smile:
 

Bigtallfatbloke

New Member
I am learning to judge the local weather here reasonably well by looking outside at the sky, the tree tops for wind direction etc. However I rarely leave the house before 9am so it's easier than at 5 am I suppose.
For my money I would rather be ovewr dressed than under dressed this time of year.
If I were commuting I would be carrying panniers with all possible clothing I might need.

Yje only weathe rforcaster I trust is Channel 5's Lara lewington...I trust her to look hot everysingle day!
 
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Panter

Panter

Just call me Chris...
I hear what you're saying Mr BFTB.
I did have panniers on the old commuter but with the new bike I really just want to travel as fast as possible. My training goal is to do my commute in 1 Hour, and have got tantalisingly close, but no banana :smile:

TBH, I got soaked but apart from that it wasn't too bad. I can't cycle in waterproofs anyway over that distance because I get just as wet with sweat.



I just googled Lara lewington incidentally, not bad but there's something about Gemma............:blush: :smile:


Edit: Forgot to add. I did poke my nose outside the front door before when I woke up as I've been caught out before but it was nice and dry then, or not raining anyway. :smile:

Cheers

Chris :smile:
 

medals

Well-Known Member
Location
Coventry UK
Hmmm, Panter, I've just googled Gemma Humphries and I know what you mean, slightly quirky, not too perfect and attainable looking. :blush:

You're lucky having Meridian TV, what with Fred Dinnage(legend) and her.
 

peekay76

New Member
The forecast at www.metcheck.com is much more reliable then the BBC and you can view forecasts in different ways for different hobbies too which is actually more useful than it first sounds.
 

PrettyboyTim

New Member
Location
Brighton
Jacomus-rides-Gen said:
Indeed, I was widely derided for raving on about their sweat index under the cycling tab, but it is nice to know and the gusts column is especially useful.

Ooo! I use metcheck, but I'd never noticed that! Lovely!
 

bonj2

Guest
I was annoyed about the fact that it said it was going to rain on monday and never did 'cos it caused me to go to work in my van for no good reason. It was correct about the rain on tuesday and the wind today, but give me rain over wind anyday, today's commute was a right battle compared to tuesday's serene, almost other-worldly experience.
 

Noodley

Guest
bonj said:
I was annoyed about the fact that it said it was going to rain on monday and never did 'cos it caused me to go to work in my van for no good reason. It was correct about the rain on tuesday and the wind today, but give me rain over wind anyday, today's commute was a right battle compared to tuesday's serene, almost other-worldly experience.

bonj, it is only a forecast. It can be wrong. Try looking outside your door in the morning...:blush:
 

bonj2

Guest
Hmm... the information seems quite specific for something that they're not that sure about. And it is usually right though, it's just annoying when it's not.
fwiw I think the BBC get their information from metoffice anyway.
 

Noodley

Guest
bonj said:
Hmm... the information seems quite specific for something that they're not that sure about. And it is usually right though, it's just annoying when it's not.
fwiw I think the BBC get their information from metoffice anyway.

It is annoying when trying to plan a long ride in advance, but on a daily basis it is usually not too bad. I used to commute 40 miles per day irrespective of weather and loved it...whatever the weather. I rarely get the chance to commute now due to family commitments. :blush:

Now, if it is a forecast for bad weather all day I pack my gym kit and go during lunch. It may change during the day but that is just "one of those things" and I can always go out at night. Sometimes I decide I want to go out in the wind and/or rain anyway.
 
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