scouserinlondon
Senior Member
- Location
- streatham, London
95% twisted, slight bend, but can't really prove it's that incident, the brakes seem to bare the brunt of lots of things.
Tales from today's commute....
- Thread starter martint235
- Start date
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95% twisted, slight bend, but can't really prove it's that incident, the brakes seem to bare the brunt of lots of things.
Andrew_P
In between here and there
I am getting in to a really bad habit at a couple of junctions where I am moving fast and a car is approaching to my right the give way what looks to me as being too fast, not only am I starting to brake (probably a good habit) the bad habit is I start evasive action without a "real" reason and without thought I find myself drifting to the right, whilst waiting for eye contact. Nearly came a croper doing it this morning, and I hate to say it was my fault.
Miquel In De Rain
No Longer Posting
Hope you didn't bend the ped too badly.
Shocking commute this morning. Every seemed to be out to get me.
First off Mr BMW thinks its ok to pass me on a narrow 30mph single carriageway with queueing traffic the other way. My deliberate wobble didnt put him off barging through. Is this enough room for a car to safely pass a bike in the same lane?
100m down the road I filter past the plonker (RHS) queueing for the Avenue traffic lights and carry on along Burgess Road. Traffic is queuing at the next lights so again I filter past (RHS). Past the university progress is not fast with pedestrian crossings and queueing traffic so I can keep up. I'm cycling downhill at maybe 20? passing parked cars with a good safety margin (centre of remaining lane width). A gap has appeared in front of me. Pillock in Micra objects to my road positioning and starts beeping. I thought the sound was my tyres rubbing on my mudguard it was so weak - I figured out later his horn was broken! He passes me on the downhill (I did not move from my position - doorzone=no thanks) and of course the lights at the bottom of the hill are red. He pulls left with wheel almost touching the kerb and indicates left at this junction. Unfortunately for this fool I am going straight on and not left so he has given me room to pass him on the right.
Was expecting number three to come along but managed to get to work without any further conflict.
Do these special Southampton motorists hate people who commute by bike or just people who commute by bike and make better progress than them?
First off Mr BMW thinks its ok to pass me on a narrow 30mph single carriageway with queueing traffic the other way. My deliberate wobble didnt put him off barging through. Is this enough room for a car to safely pass a bike in the same lane?
100m down the road I filter past the plonker (RHS) queueing for the Avenue traffic lights and carry on along Burgess Road. Traffic is queuing at the next lights so again I filter past (RHS). Past the university progress is not fast with pedestrian crossings and queueing traffic so I can keep up. I'm cycling downhill at maybe 20? passing parked cars with a good safety margin (centre of remaining lane width). A gap has appeared in front of me. Pillock in Micra objects to my road positioning and starts beeping. I thought the sound was my tyres rubbing on my mudguard it was so weak - I figured out later his horn was broken! He passes me on the downhill (I did not move from my position - doorzone=no thanks) and of course the lights at the bottom of the hill are red. He pulls left with wheel almost touching the kerb and indicates left at this junction. Unfortunately for this fool I am going straight on and not left so he has given me room to pass him on the right.
Was expecting number three to come along but managed to get to work without any further conflict.
Do these special Southampton motorists hate people who commute by bike or just people who commute by bike and make better progress than them?
GrasB
Veteran
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
It's 5:15 am I was wondering if this was such a good idea. I double checked I had 2 spare sets of batteries & they were full charged, I had 4 tubes & a spare tyre not to mention a full set of tools in the saddle bag before the final triple check I had the Durano+ shod clinchers. 10-15 min latter I'm pointing my bike down a pitch black road towards my first waypoint - Linton, not uncommon for a commute waypoint. By the time I've got to Linton in full flow & off towards my next way point, Saffron Walden, not unheard of for a commute but certainly not a usual place I pass through. The sky starts to brighten & the first of the early risers are hitting the roads as I pass through Saffron Walden & make the next step to a familiar village of Newport.
At mile 21 I make the left onto the road towards Newport, I can see the M11 & it's the start of a 20 odd mile drag of shadowing the M11 from back roads. Ugley, Stansted & the Bishop's Stortford all come inside the 100 min marker & with that I move onto unfamiliar roads. I think I as I skirt past Sawbridgeworth & I turn off the see-by lights & turn on the DRLs. The traffic is starting to get busy & I'm able to really up the speed thanks to slip-stream surfing. But not for long as now begins the climbs up towards Epping, Epping Forrest & the M25 crossing.
From Epping Forrest things are getting tougher physically & mentally. The traffic is tight & as it's mainly down hill it could be all to east to get carried away. As I head towards stratford what's starting to surprise me is how well behaved the commuters are in general, both cyclists & motorists are much better behaved than in Cambridge which is making life easier. Some people take a few SCR pot shots at me but with 50 miles in my legs I do my own thing, mostly that involves riding away from them after their little sprint has gone. It's now a bit before 9:00 am & I'm at my destination with a good 40-45 min to spare having completed 61.9 miles.
All in all an interesting, long but rather uneventful commute, So if anyone saw a guy in black cycling gear with green highlights with a smallish white rucksack riding a white & green road bike at warp speed close to the M11.
At mile 21 I make the left onto the road towards Newport, I can see the M11 & it's the start of a 20 odd mile drag of shadowing the M11 from back roads. Ugley, Stansted & the Bishop's Stortford all come inside the 100 min marker & with that I move onto unfamiliar roads. I think I as I skirt past Sawbridgeworth & I turn off the see-by lights & turn on the DRLs. The traffic is starting to get busy & I'm able to really up the speed thanks to slip-stream surfing. But not for long as now begins the climbs up towards Epping, Epping Forrest & the M25 crossing.
From Epping Forrest things are getting tougher physically & mentally. The traffic is tight & as it's mainly down hill it could be all to east to get carried away. As I head towards stratford what's starting to surprise me is how well behaved the commuters are in general, both cyclists & motorists are much better behaved than in Cambridge which is making life easier. Some people take a few SCR pot shots at me but with 50 miles in my legs I do my own thing, mostly that involves riding away from them after their little sprint has gone. It's now a bit before 9:00 am & I'm at my destination with a good 40-45 min to spare having completed 61.9 miles.
All in all an interesting, long but rather uneventful commute, So if anyone saw a guy in black cycling gear with green highlights with a smallish white rucksack riding a white & green road bike at warp speed close to the M11.
GrasB
Veteran
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
Much the same, went a bit harder through town & had the wind with me so knocked about 15 min off my outbound time.
Vikeonabike
CC Neighbourhood Police Constable
- Location
- Bourne, Lincolnshire
Bit of a close pass/non stop RTC on my ride today... Loud bang from right next to me gave me a start and a half!
GrasB
Veteran
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
I'm looking at riding 14500-15000 miles this year. You don't do that kind of milage without being able to ride 200km/day without issues.
Vike, thankfully the bang was caused by easily fixed vehicles colliding!
My first incident with a bus on yesterday's ride in.
Partly my fault for going for it, but still a stupid driver.
Waiting to pull out from a side street onto the last road to work, I need to go right. Traffic's much busier as they've closed the short cut through the retail park. Waiting and waiting. Bus pulls up just after the stop right in front of me, car behind passes him, I decide to go for it. As I'm along side the bus -despite being clearly visible in his mirror - the driver starts to pull out!!!
I shout "oh oh oh" He looks right at me and keeps going but slowly, fortunately I get passed him, and cut across the pavement for my new short cut. I think I need to learn a little more patience, and he needs to realise that when you see somebody in your mirror you don't pull out.
Ride home was very wet and cold with hailstones so I had a little sing to myself.
Partly my fault for going for it, but still a stupid driver.
Waiting to pull out from a side street onto the last road to work, I need to go right. Traffic's much busier as they've closed the short cut through the retail park. Waiting and waiting. Bus pulls up just after the stop right in front of me, car behind passes him, I decide to go for it. As I'm along side the bus -despite being clearly visible in his mirror - the driver starts to pull out!!!
I shout "oh oh oh" He looks right at me and keeps going but slowly, fortunately I get passed him, and cut across the pavement for my new short cut. I think I need to learn a little more patience, and he needs to realise that when you see somebody in your mirror you don't pull out.
Ride home was very wet and cold with hailstones so I had a little sing to myself.
Miquel In De Rain
No Longer Posting
Well the ride in today was busy even though it was silly 'o' clock,boy racers about at Mile End plus the usual sprinkling of glass in the road by the p155h3ads at Aldgate East,but the ride back was worse in the pouring rain,had a close pass this morning and two on the way back in the p1551ng rain,didn't confront any but was tempted to.The last at Thatched House was shocking but partly my own fault I would guess.Bus drivers generally okay today,I have a suspicion some of them recognise me,or perhaps not.I do tend to hold back behind buses at lights depending on circumstances.Jealous of my M-F friends and probably missed them today as I was generally alone against all those tin boxes.
Miquel In De Rain
No Longer Posting
Well for my sixth commute of seven,I felt pretty crap this morning and wasn't sure how I would cope,but more was to come,I found out at work that I had been cycling in a 30mph headwind and I even extended my ride and didn';t go the shortest route.(for the second timesince I got back from the Thailand bike tour)Had to walk a little way over the Bow Flyover though as the winds were too strong,bit oif a mistake really,I should have taken the low level.Common sense not used there.
I will be joining the M-F boys for my seventh commute tomorrow.
I will be joining the M-F boys for my seventh commute tomorrow.
