Cycling into work........your best and true excuse for being late.

[betty swollocks]

Mine happened a few days ago:- took a scenic ride in through the countryside and along a narrow lane was halted by farmworkers trying to usher an escaped (and very angry) pig into a trailer. They had boards and were working as a team.
They advised me to stay well back, (I had already worked that bit out for myself) and possibly go another way, but no way was I going to miss this, so I parked up the bike and clambered up a tree to watch the proceedings and make my phone call.
The pig was hammed in by tall hedges and it kept on trying to ram the boards, accompanied by loud squeals, and snorts and shouts, which because it was so huge would surely have been like being hit by an express train - so the men had to scatter and then re-group. Eventually the poor creature made a gap in a hedge and hurtled off into an adjacent field. They ran after it.
Pity I didn't have a camera.

 

[Disgruntled Goat]

A discarded lolly stick jumped up into my jockey wheels, jamming the mech and I tore off my rear derailleur.

 

[walker]

I always either blame traffic or a punture

 

[Hilldodger]

The pig was hammed in

 

[yorkshiregoth]

Helping a very pretty and stranded Polish lady who had a puncture but no tools. I gave her my spare tube and changed it for her. My colleagues didn't accept my excuse until the young lady in question returned to my station the next day to replace the innertube.

 

[yello]

Ah, being late for work, a subject close to my heart! I never used to give excuses, because I rarely had a decent one, I just used to roll in whenever. My bosses got used to it and accepted it because they realised, in fairness, that I wasn't a stickler for leaving on time either. I do recall one boss once mentioning my arrival times to me in a review but quickly following it up with "but that doesn't matter"... made me wonder why he mentioned it then... I suspect it pissed him off personally.

Best reason for being late??? Um, dunno, forgetting it was a work day takes some beating! Seriously, I thought it was a public holiday!!

 

[alecstilleyedye]

last visit from the p fairy saw me snap three (rubbish) tyre levers, and i ended up calling work and someone came out to pick bike and i up

it was all of half a mile, but it would have involved walking in cleats on a very busy road with blind bends and no pavement.

 

[TWBNK]

I was late for work on Saturday night because I took the car, got into work and realised my locker key was in my pannier bag. Because I usually ride I have a complete uniform in my locker!

 

[domtyler]

Very rarely late due to cycling, the most reliable form of transport there is.

 

[ColinJ]

I just used to roll in whenever. My bosses got used to it and accepted it because they realised, in fairness, that I wasn't a stickler for leaving on time either. I do recall one boss once mentioning my arrival times to me in a review but quickly following it up with "but that doesn't matter"... made me wonder why he mentioned it then... I suspect it pissed him off personally.

A few years back I was supposed to finish work at 17:30 but there was an urgent deadline to meet so I worked through to 01:00 the next day. I finally got home to bed at 02:30. Understandably, I didn't make it in to work for 09:00... I dragged myself in there at about 11:00 and was told off after someone in the production area complained that "Those bloody office workers come in whenever they feel like it!" I asked the boss when they last did 7.5 hours unpaid overtime !

 

[Mr Pig]

Helping a very pretty and stranded Polish lady.

I was it Poland the other week and was surprised by how pretty many of the girls are. I thought they'd be bears!

Never been late for work when cycling.

 

[Dayvo]

Only late for work once (of late! ); a 25-minute commute took two hours when I got lost in a foggy forest.

 

[mr_cellophane]

A few years back I was supposed to finish work at 17:30 but there was an urgent deadline to meet so I worked through to 01:00 the next day. I finally got home to bed at 02:30. Understandably, I didn't make it in to work for 09:00... I dragged myself in there at about 11:00 and was told off after someone in the production area complained that "Those bloody office workers come in whenever they feel like it!" I asked the boss when they last did 7.5 hours unpaid overtime

Naughty - EU Working Hours Directive - 11 hours break required. You weren't late, you were an hour early.

 

[John the Monkey]

Been late coming home, because of an escaped dog that I tried to help the owner round up.

 

[gbb]

I posted this a few months ago, but here goes...
(i want THAT late in the end, but late i was)...why ?

I set off for my short commute...1/2 way there...flat tyre
Shall i keep going and fix it when i get to work....or shall i turn round, and get another bike ?
Sod it....turned round and went back home...unlocked the shed again, slung the dead bike in and retrieved my recently rebuilt bike...locked shed and put keys back in the house. Locked house. I'm already late
Pushes bike No2 out the gate, jumps on it...and the seat slid down. It appears i hadnt been very attentive when tightening the setpost

Goes back in gate, unocks house, gets keys to the shed, unlocks shed and shoves bike No2 in, and retrieves bike No3. Locks shed, puts keys back in house, locks door, pushes bike No3 out the gate.....AND PRAYS ITS GOING TO GET ME TO WORK....COS I'M ALREADY zarking LATE......it did, rather uneventfully, and thankfully.

3 bikes for a 10 to 15 minute commute...not bad eh