Overcome with an element of smugness...

[Bodhbh]

An elderly gent was waiting at the lights. I pulled up on his right as I was going straight on. Another guys comes up behind, the gent spots him and starts moving his bike towards to curb to cut off the young guy who was about to squeeze past.
Then what could only be described as a dance happened as the young guy tried to get past only for the older gent to keep blocking him, once, twice and three times.

Since starting cycling, it's bonkers how many people - grown men 30, 40, 50, etc years of age - completely loose all perspective and self-control and carry on like 6yr olds.

Last time I was in London, heading from Euston around to Old Street. I overtook some guy in his 50s. Susequently at every light he would push past, then back at glare at me to let me know who was boss in this town. This went on 4-5 times till I got sick of it and let him sit in front. He was pretty fast, although on a MTB and in jeans - maybe it was his naturally fast although I suspect he was out to kill himself to be in front. Best thign to do with these people is sit on their back wheel and let them knock themselves out.

Few weeks back on tour I came up behind a young family of 5 or 6. I was fully loaded, but it was flat and there was a tailwind and, as you might expect when a family is out on a Sunday afternoon dawdle, I overtook em without much bother. They were in single file and I gave a friendly nod and a smile to most of em in passing. Within a couple of minutes, the father was on my back wheel and his family had been left behind. He doesn't look so fit, but with a grim look he overtakes, and gives a me sarcastic nod to boot. Not looking so good, he stays in front for about 10 seconds, then blows up. Well nice one, put in my place again.

I'm in the sticks and don't really see many others on the road, I suspect some of you come across this stuff daily.

 

[LOGAN 5]

I made it to work on that day and that was probably the longest commute I have ever done to Waterloo in twenty years.

It was possibly one of the most dangerous commutes I have ever done.

I got called stupid by work colleagues but I think that was a bit unfair as due there being no buses running that day and no gritters either it was treacherous.

It took me 4 hours to get as far as Redhill on the train before services were suspended and then I was lucky to get home at all.

Re the tube strike. Most people got to work it just took them longer. Buses are running albeit getting stuck behind people who thought it would be a good idea to drive in (no idea where they're parking!) and the main line services across London are running so no excuse to take two days off.

Hopefully the strike will persuade a few more people on to their bikes. The amount of cyclists in London over the last two days has been brilliant -although some of the riding has been a bit iffy from the inexperienced.

Best bit about the strike is a good excuse to get to work late and we've been allowed home early too.

 

[Aperitif]

Ha ha - Bod. Spend a day in London - see the world! (And the now famous "sandbars of...")
It is strange how fellow cyclists get the bit between their teeth and keep pressing and overtaking. I dawdle on; a fast rider is fast, one who is desperate is usually unable to hold position on a bike and their 'pride' makes me smile. Sometimes I'll draft fairly adjacent and only then does the "clacketty clacketty Campagnolo" (sung to the tune of Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen ) become music in their ears...

Otherwise, it's a journey not a race, which is why I like the FNRttC +* (plug)
*The '+' being the The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby(© Tom Wolfe) of return trips that generate so much fun, frolic and forgetfulness...

Want to overtake me? Be my guest.

 

[Greenbank]

Have ATC-2000 camera with me today, mounted on the tri-bars it's a bit wobbly (I had to use the velcro mount as I couldn't find the bar mount).

I'll try and get some stills from it, and any snippets of footage from the way home.

Hardly saw anyone this morning but it was 10.30am instead of the usual 8.30am.

 

[Arch]

I have to admit I got stuck in traffic yesterday evening - it's a newish commute to me so I didn't really have the confidence to overtake on the right, not knowing the road well (and it's not all that wide). I did mange to filter a bit down the inside when there was room, and I wasn't in a great hurry anyway, so spent some time just waiting my turn. Still got ahead of most cars in the end.

This wasn't London though, this was normal rush hour in York, not something I'm used to riding in, as my previous commute was all against the general flow of traffic.

Next week, I'll probably be a bit braver about filtering down the outside, like my boss did....

And I got the red mist about overtaking too. An ambulance had come along, meaning that a lot of cars had pulled over into the cycle lane (fair enough) and thanks to the traffic being stopped and other traffic coming in from side roads, it took a a while for some of them to get clear again. I waited, but two cyclists undertook me on a cobbled bit of layby to my left (I didn't fancy it on my thin tyres, they were on MTBs). I still caught them at the next lights, and made sure I pulled right to the front of the middle of the ASL (they being queued up to the left) so that I could be away first...