Tales from today's commute....
- Thread starter martint235
- Start date
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Bazzer
Setting the controls for the heart of the sun.
- Location
- On the edge of reality
Yes if I had been a few seconds faster things could have been different, but I wasn't, so no harm done.
Sounds callous, but given he had created the incident himself and and no one else was involved, my first thoughts were I hope the driver gets them self out of the car as I don't fancy climbing down the ditch wearing cleats. And if they do, I hope there is nothing obviously broken etc., as it's a bit cold to be hanging around for an ambulance and the police. Then got a bit twitchy trying to stop the following car from hitting the pole now lying across the road.
Rode home via a friends house last night. He hasn't been out on his bike since last Summer but since he's part of our group who always meet up on a Tuesday night I suggested riding with him to mine and I'd drive on to our friends house afterwards. He was like a big kid when I called at his place, dressed for a summers day (too few layers it transpired!), his mountain bike with a years dirt caked onto it with soft tyres but we did 10 miles to mine and he was buzzing afterwards. It extended my homeward commute to around 17 miles and looks like it's something he'd like to do again next week but longer.
gaijintendo
Veteran
- Location
- Scotchland
Really enjoyed my cycle today - my commuter front hub is loose, so I'm using a lighter-wheeled tourer wheel. It's like a holiday from the Marathon plusses.
On the way home I was overtaken on a brow of a hill and the van driver almost came unstuck. He then decided to punish me for his own stupidity by needlessly stopping about half a dozen times after he got in front. Would have otherwise been a fast downhill. Thankfully I give drivers who reveal themselves as reckless plenty of room to muck up. Proved to be a wise move!
On the way home I was overtaken on a brow of a hill and the van driver almost came unstuck. He then decided to punish me for his own stupidity by needlessly stopping about half a dozen times after he got in front. Would have otherwise been a fast downhill. Thankfully I give drivers who reveal themselves as reckless plenty of room to muck up. Proved to be a wise move!
Bazzer
Setting the controls for the heart of the sun.
- Location
- On the edge of reality
Hard work tonight.
Left work and discovered the fairy had visited my back tyre. Tried to limp home, but suspected 17 miles would be pushing it and after two inflates and having travelled may be three miles, knew it was a lost cause, Found the offending object, not even sure what it was, but it was bloody sharp and could only be extracted from the marathons with leatherman pliers. Old tube in the bike bag and new one fitted.
Ride home was almost entirely into the wind, which was unpleasant after recent homeward bound journeys and a little too much on the cool side. Legs felt drained by the time I arrived home, which is the second consecutive night of this effect.Hoping it's just a hangover from a recent bug.
Car from the morning's incident had been removed and the felled wooden pole, dragged to the grass verge.
Bonus was seeing a group of 7 hen pheasants and a nearby cock bird.
Left work and discovered the fairy had visited my back tyre. Tried to limp home, but suspected 17 miles would be pushing it and after two inflates and having travelled may be three miles, knew it was a lost cause, Found the offending object, not even sure what it was, but it was bloody sharp and could only be extracted from the marathons with leatherman pliers. Old tube in the bike bag and new one fitted.
Ride home was almost entirely into the wind, which was unpleasant after recent homeward bound journeys and a little too much on the cool side. Legs felt drained by the time I arrived home, which is the second consecutive night of this effect.Hoping it's just a hangover from a recent bug.
Car from the morning's incident had been removed and the felled wooden pole, dragged to the grass verge.
Bonus was seeing a group of 7 hen pheasants and a nearby cock bird.
Randombiker9
Senior Member
Morning's are usually fine:
On way home random car stopped in 3rd lane just before traffic lights before roundabout with car door open. Which is a real pain as it causes you to switch lanes and back again which is dangerous especially near a roundabout and a really close pass by a driver who must hate cyclists as it reved it's enging whilst overtaking and then pulled in way to close (Closest pass i've had was only like 2 inches away. and this was just before a school zone.
On way home random car stopped in 3rd lane just before traffic lights before roundabout with car door open. Which is a real pain as it causes you to switch lanes and back again which is dangerous especially near a roundabout and a really close pass by a driver who must hate cyclists as it reved it's enging whilst overtaking and then pulled in way to close (Closest pass i've had was only like 2 inches away. and this was just before a school zone.
Jenkins
Legendary Member
- Location
- Felixstowe
Two consecutive days without the need for a bike with mudguards and the wind has dropped. Is spring finally here or is the excrement about to hit the air recirculating device weather wise?
lazybloke
Considering a new username
- Location
- Leafy Surrey
Haven't had a bad close pass for a couple of years, but was nearly left-hooked by a van this morning, then had two VERY close passes tonight.
Feels like an epidemic of cr*p driving, which is putting me off cycling in traffic. I'd switch to offroad routes but they're so swampy - - bring on the hotter weather.
Also saw a Volvo on fire tonight. that made me feel a bit better.
Feels like an epidemic of cr*p driving, which is putting me off cycling in traffic. I'd switch to offroad routes but they're so swampy - - bring on the hotter weather.
Also saw a Volvo on fire tonight. that made me feel a bit better.
Dropped off the car to the mechanic for maybe the 4th time this year.. and rode onto work. I like riding from his as the country roads are a little quieter than what I'm used to normally. Just before turning into the street beside my work a Royal Mail van was stationary on the oncoming lane. There was a queue behind him and nothing in front of him. I was beside him in seconds and just stopped at his window and glared in at him, of course he was sitting texting away and hadn't noticed the traffic had moved off ahead of him. He looked up and seen me and floored the van. Then I got into work and one of my overshoes ripped taking it off..
and then out into the headwind which killed my motivation completely, so I pootled into work.
Yesterdays' commute home was short sleeve jersey, shorts, no arm or legwarmers and just a thin pair of gloves!!! Winter is definitely over now. Back to a long sleeve jersey this morning though.
I liked this, but because it reminded me I need to buy a spare hanger! Make sure you find out exactly why it snapped, for me last time I didn't realise how worn the big ring was and ended up having to replace the rear derailleur too.
I liked this, but because it reminded me I need to buy a spare hanger! Make sure you find out exactly why it snapped, for me last time I didn't realise how worn the big ring was and ended up having to replace the rear derailleur too.
Tonight's commute home was an exercise in how not to de-escalate conflict. I was interrupted by a moton beeping and close passing me as they went past on the main road. It's about 1.5 normal lanes with a cycle lane on the right handside. The cycletrack is usually filled with gravel and crap, and given that I was going relatively quickly at about 28mph I kept right, just over into the main lane, leaving ample space to pass, even though I was essentially keeping up with the rest of the traffic.
Pulled up alongside them at the next set of lights inevitably to be greeted with a deluge of profanity. I tried to explain to the driver that I was well within my rights to cycle there, cue more profanity, road tax, more profanity etc etc, at which point the lights changed so as I was losing my temper I called her a shoot driver and told her to fark off and learn how to drive. This prompted her boyfriend(?) to get out of the now moving car without waiting to stop, so I called him a bellend as I went around them and carried on up the road.
I'll readily accept that I dealt with it poorly, but their attitude and roadcraft were appalling. I'm not one to post these sorts of things in this thread, but I'm still seething a bit some six hours later.
Pulled up alongside them at the next set of lights inevitably to be greeted with a deluge of profanity. I tried to explain to the driver that I was well within my rights to cycle there, cue more profanity, road tax, more profanity etc etc, at which point the lights changed so as I was losing my temper I called her a shoot driver and told her to fark off and learn how to drive. This prompted her boyfriend(?) to get out of the now moving car without waiting to stop, so I called him a bellend as I went around them and carried on up the road.
I'll readily accept that I dealt with it poorly, but their attitude and roadcraft were appalling. I'm not one to post these sorts of things in this thread, but I'm still seething a bit some six hours later.
gaijintendo
Veteran
- Location
- Scotchland
Driving instructor?
Good deals on Cycliq products at present, and your police force have an online reporting system where you can share private(?) YouTube links. Also, if you know you are being recorded, you might moderate your behaviour, not that I think you were being unruly.
I suggest this as, other than stew, there is nothing really positive you can really get from the experience. And who doesn't like buying gadgets?
