Tales from today's commute....

[ianrauk]

Phew, that was a cold one. Minus temps, only 0.1° but felt much colder. Thankfully all roads were dry so no threat of ice.
As Fossy keeps saying, winter boots are the mutts. Full on winter gear today for the first time this season. Shutt VR winter jacket on over a long sleeve.

 

[biking_fox]

Cold but fine. Stayed on the roads just in case the cycle paths were slippery. Lots of traffic much heavier than normal, even cycling slowly with heavy legs in the freezing it is better than being stuck in a car going nowhere.

 

[Arjimlad]

Car for me today, I have to go into Bristol later & get back in time to pick daughter up from guides. Missed riding tbh, with the right gear it is a good little adventure before work. Heated gloves are ready for my 6.30 start tomorrow morning though!

Chapeau to all riding today. Fossy - quite sensible not to risk another fall. My missus is 2 yrs on from a November shoulder fracture & still not properly recovered/undergoing treatment.

 

[cyberknight]

Forecast for towns was -2 c , country lanes up to -6 c , add the wind-chill on top and it was a tad biting. Could have done with the bar mitts as my hands suffered even thick winter gloves.
Got to work and my 1 st job was unloading a trailer of parts on the flt at 6 am 🥶

 

[HLaB]

With a -1 according to one weather app I took the residential estate foot path and roads very gingerly until I got to the main road and even on it I was very cautiously. With the estate being covered in frost and icy puddles, made me extra cautious. The Garmin though says it never got below 0.5deg at bar level.

Nice and warm though in my heated gloves and thermal base layer beneath the jacket and long sleeve jersey.

 

[ianrauk]

Only 0.5° for me in the Med this morning. But sunny and bright with a gorgeous sunrise.
So, for the first time since I moved to Rochester and started bunging the bike on the train, I had a jobsworth conductor question me. Asking if I knew that big bikes were not allowed on trains that arrive into London between 7 and 9? I said I'm not going to London. He didn't stop me from getting on and was pleasant enough when coming back later to ask to scan my ticket. But really, the train is empty all the way to Bromley where I get off.

 

[cyberknight]

-3 c when I walked out the house , decided not to risk it after I got the bike out as there were still ice puddles yesterday coming home . Here I am getting the bike out at 4.11 am

 

[Dadam]

I'm getting soft. WFH the whole week apart from Wednesday when I took the car

 

[Alex321]

-3 c when I walked out the house , decided not to risk it after I got the bike out as there were still ice puddles yesterday coming home . Here I am getting the bike out at 4.11 am

View attachment 793443

Yep. I deecided not to risk it too. Was also -3 at my house when I left - and it is usually 2-3 degrees colder through Peterstone Super-Ely, with some raods that are almost always damp.

 

[Arjimlad]

Minus 1.5 this morning - had a choice of swapping the wheelset & using my normal wet country lanes, or taking the gritted main roads to my destination. As the temperatures are due to rise this evening, I'd effectively have been swapping the wheels for one ride only, so I rode the gritted routes & took great care.

It was only half a mile longer than the other way anyway. Heated gloves with liners just about kept hands warm enough.

 

[Andy in Germany]

On the train today I had a conversation with someone. I don't know how that happened.

 

[simongt]

On the way home from shopping, I was approaching a pedestrian crossing onto which a man had just begun crossing.
However, a jogger had decided to take to the road to get past others on the footpath and collided with the man on the crossing - !
The jogger's expression was definitely one of it being the crossing users fault.
Hmm.

 

[HLaB]

When I got off the train tonight one of the LNER station guard's said with a smile, I looked like a train. Lol, then it clicked I had my heated gloves on full blast, so all their red LEDs were on

Quite a relaxed comfortable commute a little slowed by all the pedestrians on Bridge Street. There is a cycle ban during the day but not at that time. It was still faster than staying on Borges Boulevard which was nose to tail with traffic, it's usually clear by then. Then I realised Pottyboro were switching their lights on tonight.

After I was away from the chaos of town drivers were remarkably patient instead of letting out their usual built up stress from sitting in traffic. I hope this festive spirit last for a while but I doubt it

 

[HLaB]

Only 0.5° for me in the Med this morning. But sunny and bright with a gorgeous sunrise.
So, for the first time since I moved to Rochester and started bunging the bike on the train, I had a jobsworth conductor question me. Asking if I knew that big bikes were not allowed on trains that arrive into London between 7 and 9? I said I'm not going to London. He didn't stop me from getting on and was pleasant enough when coming back later to ask to scan my ticket. But really, the train is empty all the way to Bromley where I get off.

I get off where technically the big bike ban starts coming from the north (St Evanage), but I wasn't the only bike on the train today and he never got off with the next stop Central London It only stops at every 2nd station and from St Evanage its non-stop to London so is fairly quiet on national WFH day, Friday. The train at stops at every station can sometimes be rammed, even on a Friday and I wouldn't fancy taking a bike on it after St Evanage.

 

[cyberknight]

Late shift this week so left for work at 1.30 pm into the farking wind all the way with a nice extra of light showers , at least it's forecast a tailwind for the ride home tonight.