Tales from today's commute....

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fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Well, that was more eventful than usual.

Mottram St Andrew, village en route, was closed by police due to WWII UXB! Unfortunately, they only closed the road at the centre, so that meant over a mile retrace to the next cut through, which happened to be one of the 100 climbs https://cyclinguphill.com/100-climbs/swiss-hill/

Lungs busted, rolled in the next few miles, only to suffer an outrageously close pass approaching some lights, for no reason at all. Managed a very polite request to take more care in future after knocking on miscreants window when I immediately caught him up. I suspect his polite response was helped by his daughter being in the passenger seat.

Oof, Swiss hill on the commute. Thoroughly unpleasant if damp. Last time I rode it was on my CX bike last year with 34x32 and grippy tyres. - Easy on that setup.
 

roubaixtuesday

self serving virtue signaller
Photo Winner

Welcome to the forum, Tadej!
 

Arjimlad

Tights of Cydonia
Location
South Glos
A main route on my commute is closed at the moment. Diversion was very pleasant, added 1.2 miles to the ride. Going to see if I can get past the road closure as a pedestrian this evening.
 

Dadam

Über Member
Location
SW Leeds
Posted on FB by plod... "The device has been moved to a field in the local area where it can be safely detonated within the next few hours.

There may be more than one controlled explosion while EOD work to make the device safe."


View attachment 788460

They could have put a banana in the pic for scale! :laugh:

I've been spending a fairly pointless 20 minutes trying to google what size bomb it is. If those are standard concrete paving slabs then they're 2" thick which would make it 16-18" diameter.

Haven't found a pic of one yet with an oblong hole in the side like that one. Also trawled through the typically unedifying comments on the FB post, but a couple of posters saying it's a 15 or 16" artillery shell. I'm dubious, can't see any driving bands near the base. And of course, what's a naval shell (way too big to be from any other kind of artillery) doing so far inland in a suburban garden? But I'm no expert on either artillery or bombs.
 

roubaixtuesday

self serving virtue signaller
Photo Winner
They could have put a banana in the pic for scale! :laugh:

I've been spending a fairly pointless 20 minutes trying to google what size bomb it is. If those are standard concrete paving slabs then they're 2" thick which would make it 16-18" diameter.

Haven't found a pic of one yet with an oblong hole in the side like that one. Also trawled through the typically unedifying comments on the FB post, but a couple of posters saying it's a 15 or 16" artillery shell. I'm dubious, can't see any driving bands near the base. And of course, what's a naval shell (way too big to be from any other kind of artillery) doing so far inland in a suburban garden? But I'm no expert on either artillery or bombs.

UOK hun?

Latest update: now made safe in a controlled explosion. Cycled through on way home, plod all gone.
 

wafter

I like steel bikes and I cannot lie..
Location
Oxford
Despite feeling crap I pushed the ride out with some of the usual hometime appointments after work. Was nice in the sun, temperature dropped as it disappeared but it was still very mild and fine in a fleece.

This evening's highlight was probably seeing a bloke at the shops in a polo shirt bearing the moniker "Baboon management" on the back. From the rest of his attire and his general demeanour I was left in no doubt that he could manage a baboon or two.
 

katiewlx

Well-Known Member
despite it being a Monday, I felt happy to be riding into work, last week was incredibly messy transport wise for one reason or another, so it was nice to be back into the routine again, the sky was blue, the sun was shining, the trees beginning to show their golden autumn glow, it was cool but not cold, barely a breath of wind, and even though Id managed to bash my knee hard over the weekend, even it seemed happy and wasnt complaining too much, though I might be getting the knee warmers out sooner than later.

would have been perfect, except for the 5 loose nuts behind the wheels of cars I met on the road :sad:

but I still arrived at work feeling quite positive about things, just disappointed that some people are just so triggered by cyclists mere presence on the road in front of them, and the lack of accountability to driving like complete muppets there is nowadays.
 
back in the saddle after lay off feels cold no doubt tonight will be warmer, busy commute in full of three point turn twonks. Glad to be back on the bike. Rear light decided to shear off its bike mounting this moring, secondary light on the back decided to switch off half way through the commute, Great all lights at front working. Glad to have made it into work. Will probably be warm and sunny on way home nice to be back on the bike after work enforced lay off.
 

cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
Temps were a lot cooler when i came out of work last night and i had forgot to pack a base layer so kept my work t shirt on underneath as the ones i wear are a thin material so doubled as a base layer nicely .Patches of cold fog drifting across the road kept it cool till i got out of the trent valley where the temp rose enough to make me too warm.
Bunged the gilet in the wash too when i got in as it was a bit aromatic ....
 

biking_fox

Legendary Member
Location
Manchester
Yesterday thin longs were the perfect temperature. Today they're slightly too warm. Lovely riding in the still air of dawn though. Not looking forward to the increasing darkness.
 

wafter

I like steel bikes and I cannot lie..
Location
Oxford
Another gorgeous morning; compared to yesterday a shade warmer, feeling a bit rougher although more content having found my merino buff last night ^_^

Traffic was bad with lots of static bits and my route into the city completed in probably a good deal less than half the time it would have taken in the car.. not that this was ever an option. The traffic was almost welcome given the pleasure of efficiently cutting through it, and with it the conviction that I'd chosen absolutely the most appropriate tool for the job.

Got overtaken by a racing snake on St. Aldates so chased and kept pace just behind, providing a welcome bit of high intensity. Managed to lock the back wheel braking for the pedestrain crossing on the way back out thanks partially to the state of the front brake; hoping I've not gone all the way through the tread although I suspect the rear only has a couple of hundred miles natural life left in it anyway.

The tow path was especially glorious today with many rowers cutting through light swathes of low lying mist lingering over the water; backlit by shafts of sunlight cutting through the gaps in the trees. Also it seems the blokes on their little square brutalist concrete boat have nearly finished whatever they were up to on the bank - meaning the sub-optimal diversion through the hedge and through one of the uni cricket grounds has mercifully been pensioned off.

Looks like the path has been widened and the grass between it and the river have been curated too (possibly with a lot of brambles removed) so that should look nice when the bare earth has gained some greenery.

Granted I'm not "can't get out of bed" ill, however it has been at the point where I've been wondering if I'll need time off work and tbh so far getting out on the bike has felt more like a bit of respite to the congestion and general respiratory grottyness than a burden..

I was also musing earlier on how much more achievable getting to work is in sub-optimal conditions now that I'm so much closer and don't have to bugger about with the car and slightly temperemental Brompton (as much as it was appreciated at the time, given the alternative).
 
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Arjimlad

Tights of Cydonia
Location
South Glos
Lovely ride in the sunshine apart from the spanker driving a Renault minibus who could not be bothered to time his overtake so as to avoid just one oncoming vehicle, meting out a touching-distance close pass. Avon & Somerset will be onto that one, the report has been submitted.

Trundling down the A38 (in "cycle gear" and doing about 18mph) I was overtaken by a lady in jeans on an upright hybrid. Unusual, I thought.

Later I overtook her on the flat, I was doing about 5mph more than her, but she caught me up again at lights. Eventually I clocked the Swytch bike battery!

Chapeau anyway! The more of us riding, the merrier.
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
Single figure temperatures this morning but lovely blue skies. No need for longs or knee warmers yet but definitely a wind cheater for the top half.
Bumped into a long time fellow cycle commuter on the way in, so nice to ease off a little to have a chat whilst dodging in and out the mass of motor vehicles.
We got over taken by another long time regular on the commute. I nicknamed him itchy guy as he has psoriasis on his legs. Never says hello. He's one of those who's always cycling heads down in the drops, full gas and doesn't like being over taken by other cyclists and if you slipstream him he's constantly looking back. Thing is, he's not really that fast. Each to their own I suppose.

Warming up nicely now, predicted to be high teens temperature wise, possibly even 20 for the commute home.
 
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