Tales from today's commute....

[EltonFrog]

How's your Brompton doing now - has it seen much use recently? I hope all's well in your part of the world

Ah, ok — it all clicks into place now. Things are mostly fine here, though I hardly cycle these days; the old joy has thinned out, and the roads at home don’t exactly coax one back into the saddle. And yet — irony of ironies — TFMP and I find ourselves on holiday with our Bs, pedalling along the Danube from Passau to Vienna, rediscovering a version of cycling I thought I’d misplaced somewhere between potholes and impatient, entitled, arrogant drivers.

There’s a quiet ache to it: the reminder of what riding could be. The Austrians are blessed with hundreds of miles of mostly traffic‑free paths, laid out on road surfaces so smooth and generous they feel almost like an apology from the universe. It’s the sort of cycling infrastructure we can only dream of in the U.K. — a glimpse of a gentler world where the simple act of moving forward doesn’t require bracing oneself first.

 

[Andy in Germany]

The local government has decided the river needs managing, and whatever they're doing, it apparently required the land the cycle way was on. Now we have a nice new bit of tarmac, and the old cycle way on the left has been dug up.

There is also a set of traffic lights managing a section of the cycleway so truck and bikes aren't in the same place at the same time. Unfortunately everyone quickly realised that they default to red until a truck comes along, so they are being universally ignored.

 

[HLaB]

Surprisingly busy for a Friday but bright and fresh. Most drivers were patient and friendly and held back a pinch point or gaveway to me (even when they had priority), apart from transit man who came barreling towards me from a minor approach as I was on the circulatory, missing my rear wheel by what seemed like inches before hooking and overtaking through the exit bend which fortunately I was taking.

 

[wafter]

Ah, ok — it all clicks into place now. Things are mostly fine here, though I hardly cycle these days; the old joy has thinned out, and the roads at home don’t exactly coax one back into the saddle. And yet — irony of ironies — TFMP and I find ourselves on holiday with our Bs, pedalling along the Danube from Passau to Vienna, rediscovering a version of cycling I thought I’d misplaced somewhere between potholes and impatient, entitled, arrogant drivers.

There’s a quiet ache to it: the reminder of what riding could be. The Austrians are blessed with hundreds of miles of mostly traffic‑free paths, laid out on road surfaces so smooth and generous they feel almost like an apology from the universe. It’s the sort of cycling infrastructure we can only dream of in the U.K. — a glimpse of a gentler world where the simple act of moving forward doesn’t require bracing oneself first.

Indeed... I suppose it's both (slightly) reassuring and (mostly) depressing to be able to assess what we have to put up with relative to the properly thought out, decent alternative that most of mainland / northern Europe offers for cyclists.

I can completely relate to that; cycling in Utrecht during a flaming June some years ago felt like utopia. Conversely here there's always that nagging expectation whenever going out on the bike that some knuckle-dragging f*ckwit in a car is going to verbally abuse me or perhaps end my life because my safety comes secondary to their convenience and I'm a convenient target for the rage their miserable, unfulfilled life has foisted upon them.

I hate this country

 

[HLaB]

Un believable after 5 years of getting this train that's two commutes in a row where someone has instantly gave up the cycle racks which double up as folded seats 👍

 

[HLaB]

I stayed on the train all the way to Pottyboro and did the short commute as I have a decent ride planned for tomorrow. I instantly regretted it as the wind that was supposed to switch to a westerly hadn't and it was a strong southerly headwind most of the way home. If I'd got off at the station earlier although it would have been 4 and bit times longer the commute would have been mainly tailwind.

I regretted it more further down the road. I'm usually fast enough to get to this pinch point before I can be squeezed. But with the strong headwind I let a driver go through, which wasn't a problem, as there was room at that point, but right behind them another driver squeezed through when there wasn't. If I hadn't swerved out of the way, I'd been hit. I think the following Asda van delivery driver saw it and when he came through a second later he gave me an unbelievable amount of space.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Elder Son has a new bike, so I was able to reclaim the old 26" commuter bike that I refurbished a few years ago.

This now lives in the underground bike parking near Tübingen railway station. This saves lugging the Brompton around, and also reduces wear and tear on the frankly rather delicate folding bike. I can also ride the three or so kilometres to work much faster on this than on the Brommie.

Of course, it helps that I work for the organisation that runs the garage, so I have the key to the secure section...

 

[ianrauk]

Phew that was a warm commute home this afternoon. No point pushing for any sort of pb's in that heat. So a fairly enjoyable 28 mile ride from Greenwich to Rochester, via Woolwich Arsenal.