Mad

[Iainj837]

As I work in the community My cycle varies from day to day one day it is a 20 miles round trip to a Mile some still say you cycled to work in this weather I say yes you have a car and van and you still cycle I try to explain to them by the time I start the car and drive to work the car isn't started to warm and it is a waste of fuel

 

[dudi]

the people I work with can't understand it. especially in the depth of winter and when it's raining... some people are wusses. it's just easier, and it wakes me up for a good days work and it saves me an awful lot of money!

Also, it's the fastest mode... we dont have a car park at work so have to walk across town to the car park, and the bus is crazy slow.

I have raced the bus many times, and win all the time now. I also raced my boss one day, back to my house as he wanted to borrow a paint sprayer. he was driving and had his car parked close by.
I had got home, put the bike away, walked through the house to the front door and got cold waiting before he turned up...

 

[Sprocket Dog]

Okay, even I'm questioning my sanity for cycling in today. My toes are about to drop off from frostbite and my heart and lungs may as well have been left in the freezer overnight........

 

[rnscotch]

I think we all question our own sanity at some point, last night i had a look to see what temps are being forecast for my commute in for the rest of the week (wed -6, thurs -6 & fri -4) so i began to whine about the conditions my wife actually had the audacity to laugh at me. The inner cyclist started to kick in with thoughts of “I guess it’s not that bad once I get out there, people in north America/Canada bike in a lot worse conditions.”

These challenges are nothing new to cyclists, however it’s nice to come on here (once you have defrosted) and hear others who go through a similar ordeal. For me, it’s going to be the sense of adventure that keeps me cycling through the winter plus cycling in great self-righteousness tends to keep me warm.

 

[Bollo]

The novelty's worn off at my place as there are enough of us now to make it normal. Which is exactly how it should be.

 

[hackbike 666]

You do realise it's threads like this that made Britain great.

 

[DJ]

I could take the train quite easily and make my commute a lot quicker, but I just can't stand the thought of missing out on the exercise that my cycle to work gives me!

 

[bugslop]

A couple of weeks ago it rained realy hard on frozen ground, you couldn't see the ice for the water, and not wanting mrs bugs to drive in the terrible conditions rode my usual 7 miles in to work at 5.30am. Only to be greeted by 'you must be a f**king idiot to cycle in that!'

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

Most people have got used to it now .. there's only really two people that still comment in an arent-we-funny kind of way :

- A lives approx 1 mile walk from the office but always drives to / from work, despite it being further to drive. He's hugely overweight and is on GP referral to the local authority-run Leisure Centre / Gym, paying approx £5 a session once a week to walk a mile on a treadmill. Many wonder why he doesn't save his fiver a week, plus the fuel costs, and just walk to work.

- B lives a bit less than 2 miles walk from the office which, in fairness, he walks about half the time. He's walked less now we're in to Winter.

So in my experience, comments tend to be inversely proportional to how much exercise the person making them takes.

I get this a lot ..

My work colleagues used to do it a lot when I first started "You're crazy cycling in this weather" etc. Now they have just accepted it as the norm, although they do make comments when we meet new people and the conversation crops up. Usually something like "oh yes Plax cycles even when there is a monsoon and gale force winds. Crazy" etc.

.. and from neighbours / friends / family as well, when they are introducing me to someone. It's odd how people sort of try to take ownership of you in that "This is LC, he rides 7 miles to work each day 'cos he's really fit" (I'm not) way. I can't work out if they're proud of me or if I'm akin to some sort of interesting creature they've just found and want to show off.

 

[Euan Uzami]

typical conversation at my work:
(i'd brought a french stick in)

"Euan's brought a french stick in"
"did he cycle to france to get it?"
"yeah it took him half an hour"
"why, was the traffic busy?"

 

[Twiggy]

I get a few comments at the local chippy I cycle to, about two and a half miles away.

They think it's a long way to go just to get a bag of chips. But then, they work in a chip shop.

 

[hackbike 666]

Today I've had the "did you get that shirt for christmas?" and remarks about my locker and all my cycling/railway stuff as I was moving it all about.I was starting to get cheesed off so I started to take the p out said peetaker who was dressed like an eskimo.