This morning's commute and other commuting stories

....and how would you express that as, say, a 1970's dessert?

CSB...my mum made me baked alaska for my birthday the other week as it was my favourite special pub BITD.

Had a déjà vu so strong I correctly guessed that a moped rider would turn right instead of the left he was indicating. Perhaps not that difficult.

Also saw a house and garden being towed up the Thames. Strange morning.

Started out dry, ended up wet.

6/10 - would consider riding again.

quiet and only slightly damp, perfect

Erosion, yes. Also, I think I used to do them quite lightly but these days I'm a bit more punchy with my punch.

Checked the rain radar before I left. Started out dry in a long sleeve tee, felt the first spots of rain, pulled over and put on a waterproof, rode the rest of the way keeping dry and comfortable.

The remarkable bit? I truly believe that is the first time I have ever got that manoeuvre right. I always manage either waterproof on too soon and boil in the bag or wait too long before stopping and end up like a drowned rat...

silk purse/sow's ear

It was raining a bit when I left home. Looked a bit wet actually. So I opted to put on waterproof trousers as well as jacket. Jacket is fairly comfortable Ventile, trousers cheapo boil in the bag for utter downpours. Weren't needed, thus sweaty jeans when I arrived.

tl:dr I overdid it.

Bit of everything this morning, cyclist jumping lights and almost being hit by a van, ped stepping out from between buses. Young lady stepping out from a crossing while still reading her book, van indicating left then deciding to continuing going straight on, and carnage down by oval.

Will enjoy London cycling again. 8/10

Dry ride in. Get up earlier you lazy fucks.

Get up earlier you lazy fuck

I said this to myself as I stepped out the door and saw the rain starting.

Otherwise an uneventful ride in - but my first ever Strava'd commute, so that was fun.

8/10

saw a house and garden being towed up the Thames

Advert for air bnb apparently.

That's the chap. I saw it crossing at Waterloo and you could see the logo quite clearly.

I liked how the moment I spied it there was a house that looks like a boat next to a boat that looks like a house.

Hackney has joined Islington and the City of London as a 20 mph borough. My commute is not all on 20 mph roads and was really rather pleasant as a consequence.

Don't forget Southwark.

In the urban wastelands south of the river, easily forgotten.

I bet this has been raised elsewhere on here. But. 20 mph zones, while they're great (they are!), isn't it more likely I'm going to get stopped than a car? Are the zones really enforceable?

In other news, bright, sunny, bit cool, still undecided whether going through Camberwell and Walworth is better than back of Brixton and Kennington.

IIRC Southwark were going to include some wording in their 20 mph legislation that would have made it illegal for cycles to break the limit, but they backed down when the legal mess of it became obvious. Everywhere apart from the odd park you can't technically get done for speeding at all.

Cruising up the bus lane on Brixton Road sailing past the traffic 8/10
Getting confused with all the bollards & Cyclist signs around Oval so rather than going left toward Lambeth North went straight on and so over via E&C. Wasn't as bad as I remembered so 6/10.
Getting undertaken but some prick who then realised he was about to go into the back of a bus 9/10

Shed a mid-commute tear on old kent road after witnessing a fellow commuter riding a Cervelo R3 SL converted to single speed with flat bars and flat pedals wearing boot cut jeans. Am I too judgmental or is this just really, really sad? I want to rescue that frame

Oh. The undertaking thing.

Legs are still dead from the weekend, and knee is starting it hurt riding into a massive headwind. Also keep seeing this dickhead rider on a singlespeed with a yellow messenger bag riding from city road to Paddington RLJ every opportunity and thinking he is king of the road. Didn't want to overtake anyone today but he really got on my nerves so I TT to catch him at Baker Street and once he saw me coming I outsprinted him all the way to work, which brought a smile back onto my face

6/10

#CSB

Oval clusterfuck seems to be stretching further and further back every day.

Nice day for it though. 7/10

Given the clusterfuck around Oval this morning, I'm going back to the Walworth Road tomorrow.