Friday beers and cycling home . . . . .

[Becs]

. . . well do you?

Just got told by a first capital connect official to give cycling 15 miles home through London "a bash" as there was no hope of them getting the trains to hertford restarted (tree on the line) and there are no buses to Crews Hill. I told him I'd had a good few glasses of wine and he told me to go for it anyway cos a taxi/hotel would cost me a fortune - not sure it was the best advice to give an inebriated girl with a folding bike at 11pm on a friday!

 

[MrJamie]

I dont think I would by choice through London, but most of my weekend rides stop at a pub or two. I tend to plan it so if i have a few the route home is an entirely road/traffic free one, or stop at one country pub then if i want more beer stop again nearer home, doesnt always stick to plan though

 

[dottigirl]

I try not to drink-ride but sometimes...

 

[SportMonkey]

I've not done it as an adult, but I used to work in a pub when I was 16 and get fairly inebriated then cycle 4-ish miles home. I never had any incidents.

 

[Ian Cooper]

When I was younger, I would do it occasionally, but very slowly on the pavement. Nowadays, I might have to ferry my kid somewhere, so I never drink during the day until I know I won't have to use the bike.

 

[Sara_H]

Theres a pub local to me that always has a fair few cyclists inside.

I don't drink anymore, but have been known to ride home after a couple, wouldnt have done it totally sloshed though.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Did it once as a teen, smashed into back of a parked car, buckled wheel and split bottom lip

 

[derrick]

Did it a couple of times last year, had 5 pints, it's to much won't do it again, a couple of pints no probs.

 

[AnythingButVanilla]

On the odd occasion that I do drink and ride, I never have more than one or two drinks and even then it tends to be half pints rather than full pints and I drink quite slowly anyway, unless it's been a bad week and I'm knocking back the gin like water

 

[gaz]

I've done it after 2 and it didn't feel like a good idea.

 

[lejogger]

Every week I cycle to footy so that when we have a couple of pints after the game I can enjoy them without worrying about driving afterwards. Having said that it's only 3 miles home through quiet country lanes and it's never more than 3-4 pints of something weak.

I once cycled home from the pub after 6 pints of birra poretti. I decided that it was a good idea to try to get my phone out of my pocket while cycling along. I realised as I swerved towards the raised kerb, hitting it at probably 17mph that it probably wasn't. Straight over the handlebars, down a nettley embankment and into the filthiest, smelliest, muddiest ditch you've ever seen. I emerged looking like a complete bog monster, wallet, bank cards, phone and all my clothes totally ruined... lessons were learned that night.
...Although clearly not enough to stop the practice altogether!

 

[Boris Bajic]

. . . well do you?

Just got told by a first capital connect official to give cycling 15 miles home through London "a bash" as there was no hope of them getting the trains to hertford restarted (tree on the line) and there are no buses to Crews Hill. I told him I'd had a good few glasses of wine and he told me to go for it anyway cos a taxi/hotel would cost me a fortune - not sure it was the best advice to give an inebriated girl with a folding bike at 11pm on a friday!

As I wild guess, I imagine you may have ridden your folder to the station to get your train. My apologies if you did not.

But... if you did, I'd have given it a go. If you're in good enough condition to ride 100 metres up the road, you can do 11 miles.

If you can't do 11 miles because of fizzy pop, you oughtn't do 100 metres.

In your place and if in doubt, I'd have chucked it in a taxi or stayed with a friend. Or.. you could have waited for your blood alcohol to drop, but that's not much fun with only a bicycle to talk to.

As to the quality of the advice, it sounds an honest attempt to offer a cheap way out. It's not always apparent to other people that their collocutor is three sheets to the wind. Seeing a woman with a bicycle he might reasonably imagined you'd ridden to the station and were OK to ride on.

I hope it worked out OK, whatever you chose to do.

 

[Hip Priest]

I had a can of Strongbow the other evening before heading out for my 'quick' 20 mile training loop, and I beat my personal best! Next time I'm going to have 10 cans, so I'll be ten times as quick!

 

[HLaB]

I've done it in the past, one night however in the pissing rain on a sharp downhill a taxi was sharp through the lights and I was late, not a good mixture que written off taxi and broken front tooth, a small scar above my right eye and a night in hospital . On the whole I was very lucky though and decided to take it as a warning and not to do it again; although I have partaken in fewer drinks and cycled home since but only in the dry, not downhill and on a route without traffic lights and any more than three I walk the bike home.

 

[MrJamie]

I had a can of Strongbow the other evening before heading out for my 'quick' 20 mile training loop, and I beat my personal best! Next time I'm going to have 10 cans, so I'll be ten times as quick!

I have no idea if theres genuine science to it, but a small amount of alcohol does seem to make me cycle/run faster but any more very quickly makes me lethargic and crap.

edit: off to the pub now on my trusty steed