Jefferson Meriwether
Veteran
- Location
- Worthing
I'm an all week cycling commuter. The only days I find it hard cycling are the ones where I'm cycling into a strong wind. I only have a 6 mile round trip commute so it's not bad at all.
Week long Commuters
- Thread starter Jdratcliffe
- Start date
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Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
Did you cycle the last few weeks? I drove most of last week as the rain was torrential and the GBW has become a canal adjacent to Fenstantion lakes. I am sick of getting soaked, cleaning and relubing my bike. Getting home soaked is a bummer, but arriving at work soaked is grim. Plus I have a half hour drive from home to St.Ives before I even get on my bike, so if pissing it down I just continue onto Cambridge by car. Monday night was just about dry, got nearly to the end but didn't realise that GBW was submerged as it was dark, so went over the last bridge crossing bit at about 20-22mph straight into about 18 inches of water on the other side. The water was over the top of my bike wheels. Still managed to stay upright and ride through it as no option. My internal hub is now buggered though.
It is pure incompetence on Cambridgeshire County Council's part not to ensure that we got a cycle path fit for purpose. Hopefully the waters will recede soon.
Here's my take on the week's ride from The Cure,
I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's gray and Wednesday too
Thursday I don't care about you
It's Friday, I'm in love
Monday you can fall apart
Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart
Oh, Thursday doesn't even start
It's Friday I'm in love
Saturday, wait
And Sunday always comes too late
But Friday, never hesitate...
I don't care if Mondays black
Tuesday, Wednesday - heart attack
Thursday, never looking back
It's Friday, I'm in love
Monday, you can hold your head
Tuesday, Wednesday stay in bed
Or Thursday - watch the walls instead
It's Friday, I'm in love
Saturday, wait
And Sunday always comes too late
But Friday, never hesitate...
Dressed up to the eyes
It's a wonderful surprise
To see your shoes and your spirits rise
Throwing out your frown
And just smiling at the sound
And as sleek as a sheik
Spinning round and round
Always take a big bite
It's such a gorgeous sight
To see you eat in the middle of the night
You can never get enough
Enough of this stuff
It's Friday, I'm in love
I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's gray and Wednesday too
Thursday I don't care about you
It's Friday, I'm in love
Monday you can fall apart
Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart
Thursday doesn't even start
It's Friday I'm in love
martint235
Dog on a bike
- Location
- Welling
Monday morning for me. I always feel out of practice in traffic so it's never as quick as the rest of the week.
kevin_cambs_uk
Guru
- Location
- Near Cambridge
Yes, every day. I keep a track of the weather for my commute. Last year I got rained on only 12 days, (either a journey too or from work where its been a soaker) in the entire year, so far this year its over 16 already. Mainly January and April.
I am lucky in that at work we have a shower, so getting to work wet is not such a problem, plus I am able to dry the clothes at work by 5 pm.
Going home is okay, tend to tumble dry the clothes after a quick wash so the rain is not much of a problem. Last week I think it was Tuesday the bus way had started to flood but I thought I could cycle thru but got about half way in, and realised it was a mistake, so veered to the left, put a foot in the water and managed to get up the embankment. I cycled across the left of the track on the embankment, as I was on my mountain bike as this has mudguards. But coming back I decided it was too close to tthe edge of the busway itself and as there is no way to veer left, its too dangerous to try so I was back on the roads via Fenstanton and the awful Low Road.
As I have no mudgaurds on the road bike its been hard work on the MTB, each day but at least the mud guards keep the crap off me. As for cleaning, I tend to do a complete strip down of the MTB every 3 weeks if its been raining a lot. Where as if I was on the road bike, and it got wet just once I would strip that down the following weekend. So the MTB is harder, certainly helps me to sleep, but I tend to clean it less often.
But I have been coming back via the bus way and then taking a left at Fen Drayton Lakes, and coming back thru Fenstanton, but that road from the bus way to Fenstanton looks like its been bombed so its a no go for the road bike but okay for the MTB, but it does not save any time because the section from Oakington to Longstanton is such a big winding curve that it eats away at any advantage of the busway unlesss you can stay on the busway all the way to St Ives.
One thing that struck me on Thursday when me and the wife went to see if that water had subsided is the sheer size of the waiting area on the side that buses go to Cambridge, the lovely big paved area, is so big, I just can't thinking how many people did they think would be going on the busway !!!
They could have halved that and spent the cash on raising that cycle track level. I am sure Sustrans never envisaged this flooding scenario when they gave them the money to tarmac it. A real shame and a real missed opportunity. I would love to email the person in charge of it and ask them why it can't be sorted.
I remember reading, I'm sure it was on here somewhere, that the average person on then average commute, will get rained on around 10 times a year.
subaqua
What’s the point
- Location
- Leytonstone
in April alone i got rained on more than 10 times. last year was a great year with very little wet riding on the commutes.
Between May and October 2007 I got rained on 60 times.
I've been rained on 10 times in two weeks before now, never mind the whole year.
TonyEnjoyD
Guru
- Location
- Newcastle upon Tyne
I bike every day, my MTB ove the winter and roadie the rest.
Wednesday's my hardest day for no reason?
It's only 5 miles each way and usually wind in my face each way, westerly heading into work and thermals getting pulled in off the coast going home apart from the winter when it's usually vicious north easterlies.
Wednesday's my hardest day for no reason?
It's only 5 miles each way and usually wind in my face each way, westerly heading into work and thermals getting pulled in off the coast going home apart from the winter when it's usually vicious north easterlies.
Crankarm
Guru
- Location
- Nr Cambridge
Wow you keep a record of the weather! I wish I had that dedication. The last 3-4 weeks have been awful. Before I was knocked down when I used to ride every single day come rain or shine I don't remember the weather being quite as bad as this year. Wettest April for 100 years they say.
I would take the back roads to Cambridge if they weren't rat runs for homicidal maniacs. If there is a jam or smash on the A14 they become lethal. For me it is GBW all the way. It is far safer.
I have been walking along the bank to get past the flooding. In my view the path passing by Fenstanton lakes approaching St Ives is totally inadequate. Those at Cambs County Council who over saw the project should lose their jobs. BAM Nuttal should be sued for such a poor job. What they need to do is raise the path on that very last section by about 6 feet almost to the level of the busway. I can't understand how any civil engineer worth their salt would consider what has been provided is a satisfactory result. It could have been so much better.
The busway itself I think ranks up their with the channel tunnel. It will never generate enough revenue to pay for itself. Yes they do seem to have over predicted how many would use the busway although I am not complaining as aside from the flooding issues it is a joy to use. There could be a few more hedges/trees though to act as wind breaks. When or if summer finally arrives it should be a glorious ride to and from work. Just that so far this year it has been pretty shoot. The dog walkers are a fecking menace. I have had several with packs of 4 or 5 cross over the busway onto the path with the mutts on those long extendable leads going beserk. Last week one nearly took me down but managed to prevent it going under my wheels my sticking my foot out to fend it off which was met with a loud "You c**t!" from the chav female owner. Some times I am working a later shift so ride in mid morning. It is really noticeable that at about 10:30-11am all the benefit chav cheats have got up and are returning from where ever with their status dogs and supermarket bag of milk ......... or beer. This tends to be between Histon and Milton.
The roads that lead off the GBW are awful and I have no idea where they lead. I went down one which had huge craters in and my bike became covered in sandy grit mud as it was raining really hard which really pissed me off necessitating a thorough clean and re-lube.
The warm, hot, dry weather can't come soon enough as far as I am concerned. I hate the crappy weather of the UK. Would love to move to a better warmer climate. The Med would be nice. If only.
kevin_cambs_uk
Guru
- Location
- Near Cambridge
LOL
I am a sucker for keeping a record of things, so I keep track of all weather, just brief notes and also what I spend on the cycling and repairs, mileage etc etc.
I think that I may give your solution a try and walk along the bank, the sandy hole filled road you spoke of I am pretty sure is the road from Fen Drayton lakes to Fen Drayton, I experienced it smooth surface and race like conditions last week for the first time. The crazy thing is people drive down their in cars, I would not take my road bike down there !
As for the busway, I always wanted the train back, especially to link St Ives to Huntingdon, but when I heard there was to be a cycle path I was for the busway ! It is unbelievable that it was finished so inadequately, I just hope something can be done about it. But before it was built I used to cycle thru all the roads to Cambridge and never thought much of it. Now that the busway has been out of action its made me appreciate just how good it is.
Its funny that when the weather is shite, I too think of living somewhere where its sunny all the time !!
Melonfish
Evil Genius in training.
- Location
- Warrington, UK
yup, week long commute to and from work. if it rains i get wet, if its cold i wrap up and if its windy i grit my teeth and swear like everyone else 
if i take the short route its 5 miles, but that included dirt tracks and a really horribly muddy bit.
its 7 miles for the next route, then ups to 8, then 9 respectively depending on which route i take.
i usually do the 5 in the morning then depending how i feel do either the 7 or the 9 home to get some mileage in.
i'm lucky to have a changing room, locker and showers available in work, its a new building with a built in gym so they thought ahead.
pete
if i take the short route its 5 miles, but that included dirt tracks and a really horribly muddy bit.
its 7 miles for the next route, then ups to 8, then 9 respectively depending on which route i take.
i usually do the 5 in the morning then depending how i feel do either the 7 or the 9 home to get some mileage in.
i'm lucky to have a changing room, locker and showers available in work, its a new building with a built in gym so they thought ahead.
pete
goo_mason
Champion barbed-wire hurdler
- Location
- Leith, Edinburgh
I do four days a week normally (just getting back up to that this year after lots of time off due to doing a 9-week running course 3 times a week, then recovering from running injury to my knee and hip). All of my commutes are fine - the only time it gets really hard is when it's been a stiff head-wind on the homeward leg every bloomin' night. By the third day it's really getting painfully beyond a joke!!
(Headwinds going to work are hard, but nothing compared to slogging it home, grinding away, after a punishing day at work when you're already feeling physically & emotionally drained!)
(Headwinds going to work are hard, but nothing compared to slogging it home, grinding away, after a punishing day at work when you're already feeling physically & emotionally drained!)
smutchin
Cat 6 Racer
- Location
- The Red Enclave
I had several consecutive wet rides in April, but then I don't remember having more than one or two wet commutes over the last 12 months before that, so I think the average works out about right.
d.
It is the booze that keeps me off the bike!
The only time I bus it to work is we have a departmental do and I an out in the evening and plan to have a few pints
Otherwise it is by cycle. In fact I am almost infamous because in the snow last year I cycled into work (Catrike with snow tyres) and was one of the few who made it at all, never mind on time. I even cycled past the doors of two 4x4 owners who deemed it impossible!
The only time I bus it to work is we have a departmental do and I an out in the evening and plan to have a few pints
Otherwise it is by cycle. In fact I am almost infamous because in the snow last year I cycled into work (Catrike with snow tyres) and was one of the few who made it at all, never mind on time. I even cycled past the doors of two 4x4 owners who deemed it impossible!
