Alex321
Veteran
- Location
- South Wales
I wasn't willing to risk it this morning. Quite a heavy frost, and certain parts of my route are always wet roads, so just too much risk of black ice.
Tales from today's commute....
- Thread starter martint235
- Start date
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A proper pea-souper this morning. The drive started out OK with most people behaving sensibly, however there was a notable minority of muppets with no lights on (when in some areas fog lights would have been borderline appropriate). 50 seemed reasonable but I had to endure a stretch of A-road at 30mph for no discernible reason, while I ended up aborting my approach to the woodstock roundabout as it was static and didn't seem to be moving at all, so I turned around and took an alternative route.
I'd left in reasonable time but the state of the roads added about 50% to the car journey portion so I had to get a wriggle on once on the bike; sadly curtailing my ability to take many photos of the foggy journey. The temperature was OK but the significant amount of damp in the air made it feel pretty chilly; with water accumulating on the front-facing bits of the bike and my clothes as I cut through the fog.
More people than usual seemed oblivious to my presence today despite my usual use of the bell - perhaps the moisture present on it / in the air had lessened its effectiveness. Despite my best efforts to make my presence known repeatedly taking people by surprise as I passed made me feel a bit guilty, but it is what it is.
I don't think today's PR was helped by my haggered aesthetic - being puffy-of-face and straggly-of-hair following last night's allegens and relatively late night.
Arriving at Bridge street I waited for a guy to pass on a splendid orange Brompton before overtaking him going up George St. I dodged pedestrians crossing on green traffic lights at the Cornmarket St. crossroads, and was also repeatedly blighted by people unthinkingly using pedestrian crossings when they could have crossed quite safely without stopping what little traffic there was, which was frustrating.
I'd felt a distinct air of conflict growing throughout the journey and could probably have been more accommodating of those around me. This "us and them" mentality continued to grow as I followed / eventually passed a car on the Cowley rd that was driving partially in the cycle lane, before witnessing another cyclist pile into the side of a van at Div road at it cut left across him
Thankfully he remained on the bike and nothing seemed to be damaged. I stopped and asked if he needed a witness; he just wanted to crack on although was understandably a little visibly shaken. I should probably have been more overtly sympathetic but was in a rush and just wanted to make sure he was basically OK.
I came across the earlier cycle-lane-driver again a bit further up; and she nearly had me turning right when I attempted to overtake as she dawdled and signalled at the last minute.
A relatively fast ride with no quarter given; mood probably not helped by the soundtrack of Pink Floyd's more maudlin efforts although they suited the etherial surroundings nicely. I think a bit of a wakeup call to take a step back and chill out a bit... of course this would have been easier today had I not been held up earlier and had more time to just mosey along. Hopefully the ride home will be more sedate and measured
A few of the unexciting photos I did manage to snatch on the way in..
EDIT: The sun's finally burnt off all of the fog and it's now a beautiful spring day outside - hopefully some vestages of this remain for the journey home.. upon which I'll go out of my way to be nice to people, in repentence for this morning
I'd left in reasonable time but the state of the roads added about 50% to the car journey portion so I had to get a wriggle on once on the bike; sadly curtailing my ability to take many photos of the foggy journey. The temperature was OK but the significant amount of damp in the air made it feel pretty chilly; with water accumulating on the front-facing bits of the bike and my clothes as I cut through the fog.
More people than usual seemed oblivious to my presence today despite my usual use of the bell - perhaps the moisture present on it / in the air had lessened its effectiveness. Despite my best efforts to make my presence known repeatedly taking people by surprise as I passed made me feel a bit guilty, but it is what it is.
I don't think today's PR was helped by my haggered aesthetic - being puffy-of-face and straggly-of-hair following last night's allegens and relatively late night.
Arriving at Bridge street I waited for a guy to pass on a splendid orange Brompton before overtaking him going up George St. I dodged pedestrians crossing on green traffic lights at the Cornmarket St. crossroads, and was also repeatedly blighted by people unthinkingly using pedestrian crossings when they could have crossed quite safely without stopping what little traffic there was, which was frustrating.
I'd felt a distinct air of conflict growing throughout the journey and could probably have been more accommodating of those around me. This "us and them" mentality continued to grow as I followed / eventually passed a car on the Cowley rd that was driving partially in the cycle lane, before witnessing another cyclist pile into the side of a van at Div road at it cut left across him
Thankfully he remained on the bike and nothing seemed to be damaged. I stopped and asked if he needed a witness; he just wanted to crack on although was understandably a little visibly shaken. I should probably have been more overtly sympathetic but was in a rush and just wanted to make sure he was basically OK.
I came across the earlier cycle-lane-driver again a bit further up; and she nearly had me turning right when I attempted to overtake as she dawdled and signalled at the last minute.
A relatively fast ride with no quarter given; mood probably not helped by the soundtrack of Pink Floyd's more maudlin efforts although they suited the etherial surroundings nicely. I think a bit of a wakeup call to take a step back and chill out a bit... of course this would have been easier today had I not been held up earlier and had more time to just mosey along. Hopefully the ride home will be more sedate and measured
A few of the unexciting photos I did manage to snatch on the way in..
EDIT: The sun's finally burnt off all of the fog and it's now a beautiful spring day outside - hopefully some vestages of this remain for the journey home.. upon which I'll go out of my way to be nice to people, in repentence for this morning
Last edited:
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
Nearly got wiped out by 2 deer yesterday that ran either side of me and today we were back to the freezing fog,thicker today so I had to Keep wiping the glasses to see where I was going
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Late finish today, but at least it was still light when I set off from work at 6ish - what a difference a few weeks makes eh.
I was a little naughty tonight, just to prove a point. I was cycling in a shared bus/bike/taxi lane and a new Corvette nipped past and turned on his cloaking device and he was suddenly a bus, as he drove down the bus lane, undertaking all the cars. Of course he got stuck at the lights, so naughty old me filtered past and sat in the cycle box, right in the middle. The lights changed and I slowly pedalled off. Mr Corvette only had to filter back into the main carriageway, pass me again, and guess what, cloaked into a bus again to under take a few cars before turning right.
I need a cloaking device or not !
I was a little naughty tonight, just to prove a point. I was cycling in a shared bus/bike/taxi lane and a new Corvette nipped past and turned on his cloaking device and he was suddenly a bus, as he drove down the bus lane, undertaking all the cars. Of course he got stuck at the lights, so naughty old me filtered past and sat in the cycle box, right in the middle. The lights changed and I slowly pedalled off. Mr Corvette only had to filter back into the main carriageway, pass me again, and guess what, cloaked into a bus again to under take a few cars before turning right.
I need a cloaking device or not !
united4ever
Über Member
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Ah, OK, you haven't done Star Trek - makes stuff invisible - disperses light, or like Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak. This turned the car into a bus....
united4ever
Über Member
😅 Never got into that show.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Had a new one this morning. Driver not looking and pulled out from a row of parked cars (windows covered in dew).
Shouted 'whowah" as I passed (I was already in the middle of the road). Driver pulled up at the junction and said, wait for it.... "sorry I didn't hear you" - WTAF. I did respond with 'used your f'ing eyes then'.
Shouted 'whowah" as I passed (I was already in the middle of the road). Driver pulled up at the junction and said, wait for it.... "sorry I didn't hear you" - WTAF. I did respond with 'used your f'ing eyes then'.
biking_fox
Guru
- Location
- Manchester
Really glorious riding lovely spring weather. On the SS again. Raised the saddle position - I've had the bike a few years and never really noticed it change but it seemed quite low yesterday - which helped. And just better all around - fewer muppets by the school and a better run of green lights. Final stretch drafting a skip lorry gave quite a boost too.
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
Fortunately a long time ago (nearly 11 years ago) and a piggled wheel was the only real damage but the driver who drove into the back of me in 2013 got out of their car and said, "I saw you "!
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
I think with all the floods of late my bottom bracket has failed that didn't stop me silly commuter racing though. A bloke came right passed my front door going a good pace bumping up and down kerbs. I am a bit more cautious with the road bike wheels but when we got to the road I had that silly urge to chase him down but then the roads pulled off oh well. The way I went is longer and with a big hill but his shorter route appeared just where the road comes out. So I had that urge again and passed. At the 3rd red light, one of those mornings, I think I heard his disc brakes screeching behind but by the 4th, 5th and 6th red light, definitely one of those mornings, I heard nothing. Lol, I think that was the fastest I've got to the station, I guess I didn't go hard enough on last night's training session 🙄
Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Freiburg im Breisgau
I got eyeballed by a heron this morning. They're surprisingly large.
biking_fox
Guru
- Location
- Manchester
Wind last night - lots of fun wheee! - PB too.
Wind this morning.
(and it had dropped some too).
I'm still cycling in full winter gear. Somewhat eye opening to pass a woman running in just a sports bra!
Wind this morning.
(and it had dropped some too).I'm still cycling in full winter gear. Somewhat eye opening to pass a woman running in just a sports bra!
Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Freiburg im Breisgau
Wind last night - lots of fun wheee! - PB too.
Wind this morning.
I'm still cycling in full winter gear. Somewhat eye opening to pass a woman running in just a sports bra!
It would be better if they at least wore shorts as well.
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
RIP my Specialized Radiant gloves. I put them into semi retirement when I moved down south and only used them on the coldest days but after getting chemo induced Reynolds I put them back into action and they were ideal. Most waterproof gloves Ive had and warm. There marginally too thick but the Thinsulate stopped them from being overly so. On the main part of my commute the thumb stitch which had been open for a while opened up fully 😭
