Tales from today's commute....

[phillip scott]

Riding to work this morning cold & tired, I looked to my left & a kestrel was flying beside me for about 30 meters,absolutely buzzing when I got in, the wonders of nature

 

[rivers]

\Tough slog home into a headwind. Was crawling along at 8mph on a bit I normally do twice that

 

[ianrauk]

\Tough slog home into a headwind. Was crawling along at 8mph on a bit I normally do twice that

Yep. Same here. Was a tough old commute home this evening
Luckily the storms passed through before I left work.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

It's like winter here today: about 40mm of rain has fallen in the last 24 hours, at home and at work. I arrived at work this morning with wet clothes and shoes. I stuffed the shoes with balled-up newspaper, and used a different approach for the clothes. For these, I lay a sheet of newspaper flat on the floor, then put the clothes flat on the sheet, with optionally another sheet of newspaper on top of the clothes. I then roll this package up, starting at one end. I call it the "Cannelloni Method". It's surprisingly effective at drying my clothes, although the socks are drying out the slowest.

 

[Twizit]

For these, I lay a sheet of newspaper flat on the floor, then put the clothes flat on the sheet, with optionally another sheet of newspaper on top of the clothes. I then roll this package up, starting at one end. I call it the "Cannelloni Method".

Exactly same method used when travelling with work and having rinsed out gym kit in the shower - just use hotel towels instead - really quick way of drying out stuff.

Somehow mostly avoided the showers this week (which means I will get soaked on the way home tonight) but am fairly beat up by the strong headwinds on the way home each day. Not breaking any speed records just now...

 

[Arjimlad]

It was clear this morning so I fitted an extended commute in before breakfast.

I seem to have slowed down a lot recently. I'd normally expect 16-18mph average but that's dropped to 14mph for the past month or more. The wind's been responsible for some of that, and I'm on my heavier bike too I suppose.

Slogging on towards springtime..

 

[straas]

Exactly same method used when travelling with work and having rinsed out gym kit in the shower - just use hotel towels instead - really quick way of drying out stuff.

Somehow mostly avoided the showers this week (which means I will get soaked on the way home tonight) but am fairly beat up by the strong headwinds on the way home each day. Not breaking any speed records just now...

LOVE it when the hotel has one of those spinny machines for wet swimwear. Quick soap rinse of the gym kit and get it in there. Bonus points if there's a heated towel rail in the room.

 

[ExpatTyke]

I saw a barn owl yesterday morning on the way into work - took off from a branch and floated down the track in front of me, completely silent. I see tawny owls occasionally, but that was the first time I've seen a barn owl on the commute.

Going past a field of sheep a few miles further on I noticed a funny looking sheep amongst the other sheep. Stopped for a look, and it wandered over towards me - it was a llama, or possibly an alpaca.

 

[Arjimlad]

It was nice to leave work before it was properly dark yesterday - feels like spring is underway.

Four miles of 35mph wind right in my face down the A38 was a good workout this morning, though !

 

[ukoldschool]

Now that its light out at 5pm I have been cycling from Tooting to Blackfriars instead of getting the overground. Its a nice easy ride along London CS7 (although Im still confused about where it goes when you get to Elephant...) and I get to Blackfriars at the same time I would do if I rode to the station then got on the train

Could have sworn I saw Julian Assange coming out of a costcutter somewhere in Oval/Kennington, but he is still in HMP Bellmarsh so it must have been a doppelganger...

 

[HLaB]

The wind and floods have been horrible this week. I found out yesterday another reason why I don't use converted foot way farcilities. Unfortunately the cyclist who was hasn't learnt that lesson. He was going along that 0.5m wide bumpy foot (loosely cycle) way when a van went by on the road through a massive flood and soaked him on the foot (ahem cycle) way. I went by a minute later on the road moved out round the flood and was overtook by a car that couldn't go through the flood.
A little later I went through a road closure only to find that the council had put out a few cones round a small sink hole and continued on. Lol, with that in the memory I went down the road again today to find out that the council had dug a circa 3ft by 4ft trench from hedge to hedge. I managed to get by but had to indulge in some cyclocross

 

[straas]

So fed up of this weather now - windy and wet every day.

Looks like it'll be another wet one on the way home :-/

 

[ManiaMuse]

So fed up of this weather now - windy and wet every day.

Looks like it'll be another wet one on the way home :-/

Yup, me too. Don't mind rain too much but the wind can go and do one.

And why is it never a tailwind?

 

[GetFatty]

With the issues with my knee and then last week's infection in my arm, today was my first commute in over a month. Everything seemed to hold up well although the knee is in a brace. Absolutely knackered though and a few minutes slower than usual, still good to be back on the bike

 

[C R]

Moist and blowy this morning. Had the wind behind me most of the time, but in the bit where it was on my side I had to lean against it to ride straight!