This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Teenage mutant ninja daughters, FTW
Our flat smells of wet goat, dusty rug from Esseouira,
infused with essence of HTFU

This week I have avoided crash scene with speed bumps and leaves
but still commuting fixed.

I'e noticed that, nearly went into the back of a few people due to them being completely special

you guys should probably think about taking a bus in future.

commuting != a race

you sound like you need a cuddle.

Also my first day clip less today.. was very mind full of not falling over and thought it shouldn't be much different than straps and cages. Made it almost all the way in to work and while waiting in the middle of Muller road to turn off to a side street, someone cut me off while advancing. I stopped and then realised I was leaning too far and blah blah it was over. Fell over on my right knee/leg and luckily traffic went around me, heh. Embarrassing to say the least, but I'll live. Lessoned learned I hope.

take it any way you like, chuckles.

Lovely ride, hardly anyone on the roads, lights in my favour.

CS8 today; 8/10

"goat skin slippers " Rapha??

Anyone else cycle in via Newington Green roundabout this morning?

Passed through at about 07:30. Set off from the lights heading south and caught sight of a bus driver just before the zebra crossing waving her arms but it didn't register until too late. Her bus must have spilled it's diesel all over the road because it was like an ice rink. Couldn't make the turn and skidded all the way to the kerb but somehow stayed upright.

The dude behind me went down like a sack of shit but fortunately was ok apart from a couple of grazes. While I was checking he was alright a couple of other people went down. The road was slippery as hell as far as Balls Pond. My tyres still had a film of diesel on them when I reached work in Southwark.

Gonna be a tough one to clean up. Might avoid it on the way home

I wondered what had happened there! i went through at about 8.50 and there was what looked like a fine layer of horse shit all over the road. I thought the cavalry had been through. It was fine to ride on though.

Cool, glad they've sorted it out and you made it through ok. It's crazy how slippery diesel is. A really disconcerting feeling.

Good you had the warning from the driver. Some cock spilled diesel all over the corner on the Paddington Street/Nottingham Place 1-way system a couple of years back and although a plod was waiting for cleaning services to turn up, it never occurred to the dozy fucker to warn anybody. Didn't even come and help when I found myself travelling sideways on my left shoulder. According to the woman who'd been drinking in the cafe on the corner (and who had rung the police after she saw the first cyclist fall victim), I was the fifth cyclist to come off.

Which ever leaky-vehicle driving cunt had caused the mess, he'd fucked off.

but that was good whiskey...

Ever have it where you get told off on your way to work, and even though you know you were right, they're a wanker and their opinion doesn't matter, it still eats at your heart for the rest of the day?

yeah... I said vampires exist and even though it spent the day eating my heart, no one believed me.

nope, but €4 a pair ;-)

What were you told off for?

If I break the zen and flip out at another road user for doing something stupid/dangerous then I tend to feel bad about it for a while after. Not sure why, but I feel it's important to not react when shit goes wrong, it never helps the situation.

For not being far forward enough at a red light, end of Hackney road, crossing Shoreditch High Street on the way to Old Street... had my front tyre on the line, taxi to my right. Fat middle aged Scotch wanker comes up behind me, mounts the kerb to my left, stops next to me and goes "you're not supposed to stop there, move up" shaking his head at me. He then goes past the pedestrian crossing bit, up to the very corner onto the high street, so far forward that he can't see the light change green and holds up everybody behind him. I was too baffled to react beyond making a puzzled face, probably for the best.

Even though it was nothing, it's been boiling my piss all day. I'm quite new to London (and even newer to cycling in London) so it was just a new experience of a particular type of wanker for me. I'm sure I'll get used to it. So far cross words have been exchanged with perhaps 5 cyclists and one lorry driver.

While I'm at it, what's the consensus on here re running red lights? If I were unfamiliar with the rules surrounding them I would assume they were optional for cyclists.

It wasn't like this back in Norwich.

I'm sure I'll get used to it.

I'm sure you will too - eventually it becomes like water off a ducks back, you no longer care about the drivers trying to kill you or the cyclists constantly undertaking, they're just part of normal traffic. Enjoy!

Fat middle aged Scotch 

Reported for isms

Reported for isms

that's entirely fair

Somewhat disconcerting experience on the way home - on the lengthy contraflow down Rushey Green, lots of roadworks so narrow lanes - guy on the roadworks is (I think) circular sawing through something tough sending sparks showering everywhere, right into my path and onto me. Even though I know that those kind of sparks aren't really dangerous it's still hella nervy moving through and trying not to flinch/swerve.

Hm, you weren't going through Lewisham about an hour back were you? Think it might have been you I passed just after Lewisham roundabout. If so, a belated o hai