Tales from today's commute....

[HarryTheDog]

Well this morning was a dam site colder than yesterday, did a canal path only commute today and rode through cold mist all the way. The only distraction was a escaped horse. It looked calm and I could not see how it go out. I figured it would not stray far from the rest of the herd ( around 20 -40 horses in the field) so left it to its breakfast.

 

[ianrauk]

Yep, a bit nipper this morning. Lovely blue, sunny skies though. Getting close to digging out the knee warmers.

 

[fossyant]

Still not been able to get out for a proper ride with my wife being away and helping with family etc.

Managed to get my shopping done today though.

View attachment 664954

Lidl on Hempshaw Lane - recognise that.

 

[biking_fox]

Really rather fine morning here in Manchester, bright skies just a hint of mist of the canal. Two fast riders to overtake, (SCR) and some strava segment PBs.

Car driver moan - overly polite. If you're more than a car-length in front of me and correctly indicating left approaching the junction, please continue to take your priority and turn in. If you stop and wait for me to undercut you I'll have to stop because I'm not doing something silly like that and then we're both slower.

 

[GeekDadZoid]

Lidl on Hempshaw Lane - recognise that.

Sure is. After spending about a year fighting with them over thier cycle parking, I make sure I use it as much as possible now. Still not perfect but at least it's not full of trolleys.

I got out for a much needed ride today. Took in the Bridleways around Manchester airport, Morley Green, Wilmslow and Styal. Perfect weather for it and my vinted special Rapha Brevet Jersey and Insulated gilet where fab. The repair on the gilet held up too.

Normal commuting to resume on Monday.

 

[HLaB]

A bit of a fresh start this morning the Garmin recorded 2deg but at night it was a warm 13deg average according to the Garmin. Given the good weather I decided to go a slightly different route out of town in the morning. It only worked out to be 0.6miles longer and what I had thought would be busy section wasn't. I might take that route more often. I wouldn't fancy it in the dark though as it's a bit of a narrow and twisty descent northbound, probably fine southbound (the descent is longer on wider roads and would likely be done in the light).

 

[steveindenmark]

Riding to work at 5am this morning. I stopped at the end of a seperated, designated cycle path and had a drink before moving onto a cycle path shared with the road. While stopped I checked my rear lights. I even took my helmet off at checked my rear helmet light. I rode across the road and onto the shared cycle path. I have been riding this road for 16 years. 2 minutes later a car driver was behind me sounding his horn. My immediate thought was my rear lights were out. But I have 2 usb lights and a dynamo light. I had just checked them and they were fine.

I stopped and the driver got out and was quite irate for 5am. He wanted to know why I had not turned left and followed the " Perfectly good cycle path" and why was I riding on the road." I told him I was not going in the direction and was turning right about 2km ahead. He explained that this road was prohibited to cyclists and I should turn around and follow the cycle path.

Dont you love it when you find a prat.

I flicked on the main beam of my front light and said " Can you see that big blue round sign up ahead? The one with a bike on it. What do you think that means? I looked at the floor and asked " You see the painted bike that you are standing on? What do you think that means?

"I didnt think this was a cycle path" he said. "Thats your problem pal, you didnt think". I said. "You didnt think that where I ride has nothing to do with you and you didnt think that this is how people get killed. By stopping strangers in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere and getting confrontational with them.

I then advised him to get in his car and go away

I think I ruined someones day before it started. An odd encounter to start my day.

 

[biking_fox]

First time running the Manchester Oxford road cycle lanes since the start of University Term. Gratifying and pleasing numbers of cyclists around, enough to constitute a swarm, and nearly all of them stopped at the red lights too.

 

[GeekDadZoid]

......and nearly all of them stopped at the red lights too.

Probably worth getting a lottery ticket today 😁

 

[scragend]

Long traffic queues for the last couple of mornings. Narrow roads make it difficult to filter through, so slow progress.

The only real incident to report was on the way home on Monday though. It's dusk, but I am fully and correctly lit. And wearing an orange jacket.

Arriving at a three-arm mini roundabout where I am taking the second exit (turning right, effectively). I'm in the middle of the road with my right arm outstretched. There is nothing coming from the right. I enter the roundabout.

As I'm rounding the painted circle, a lady in a Mercedes arrives from the road on the left. She hesitates and seems in two minds about whether to go for it or not.

She doesn't seem keen to wait. But faced with the option of doing that or mowing down the cyclist, fortunately she chooses the former. But as I exit the roundabout I hear a long blast on a horn behind me.

A few seconds later she passes me, pressing constantly on the horn as she does so, and frantically gesticulating at me. Then I see brake lights and wonder if she's stopping. Maybe we could have a chat about giving way to traffic on a roundabout. But sadly she is just slowing to turn right. Bye then.

What goes through the minds of these people?

 

[HarryTheDog]

My Garmin and Xert training programme were telling me to only do a recovery ride today so just bimbled alongside the canal slowly, making sure heart rate was below 130. It was very pleasant in the drizzle, got really close to 2 herons. here is a pic of one of them

 

[rivers]

I rode all the way into work today as I had to stop and pick up some parts I ordered earlier in the week (and shipping was going to be 3x the cost of the parts). Incidentally, it was from the same company I'm moving to in 3 weeks time, so I got to try out the new commute. It needs some tweaking. I didn't realise how much traffic I was going to hit coming through Bedminster, so I might opt for the slightly longer way (about 3/4 mile) that uses shared paths to avoid South Bristol traffic. In other news, I'm tired and I think I'm coming down with something. My heart rate was way higher than it should have been for the given effort. I hope it's not covid, but I work in a university currently, so it could be.

 

[Arjimlad]

A rare wet commute for me this morning, with 2 close passes and a pointless MGIF which forced me to stop, and forced oncoming drivers to stop as well.

But the standout moment was a lovely driver who patiently waited for an open clear road ahead to pass me fully in the opposite lane, nice and wide. Really wonderful - apart from the bum-smackingly enormous splash from the puddle in the middle of the road which drenched my undercarriage for the rest of the ride !

Literally felt like I'd had a whack across the backside with a wet tea-towel.

 

[si_c]

Literally felt like I'd had a whack across the backside with a wet tea-towel.

I've had that effect from a lorry passing me in the opposite direction in the furthest lane of a dual carriageway with a decent sized central reservation. There was a definite wobble as hit by a wall of water.

 

[cosmicbike]

Too wet for just short sleeves, too warm for waterproof jacket, so a wet and sweaty ride in this morning. Nice on the way home though.