This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Pic of it didn't happen.

Rode home in a skinsuit #prommuting #KOMmuter

Took a detour through Walthamstow Marshes and the Lea valley up past Picketts Lock. A10+ would ride again, although I've probably had more than my RDA of flies.

Summer has finally reached Helsinki, in a manner of sorts, so all the fairweather muppets are now clogging up the cycle paths, crashing into each other and pedestrians.

Had two people in front of me - a young guy and a woman behind him then me. Young guy makes an abrupt left turn without indicating causing woman to brake sharply and emit a string of Finnish cursing. 100 meters later and I'm overtaking woman and she sticks her hand vaguely out left and turns straight into the side of me without looking. I imitated the same string of Finnish curse words fairly impressively for a foreign.

Absolute beaut this morning. I had a couple of those weird but welcome moments where you're riding along and suddenly realise there's no traffic at all within sight. Serene.

Lovely day. Breezed through Oval, although Kennington Park Road was a bit hairy.

Sluggish Thursday legs.

8/10.

Saw my first Full Wiggo Wanker!
Many flip flops out too.
And a charming Boardman city bike rider who, upon me overtaking on his right, decided to half-wheel me up OKR on the inside with me spinning out the SS, and him having the luxury of gears. Dude, I just wanted to go past, please don't keep me out here with the motos and the white vans.

Didn't get the memo about it being National No Indicating Day, but it's such a lovely day I'll let it slide this once. Quite confident riding fixed now too.

9/10

Was I that FKW? I only had the jersey, not the bibs.

May I introduce you to our most elusive friend?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2ITIT1Rg8g

woooaaaaarrh, cracker of a commute today, 1Hr14Min 20Secs. I'll have to check the data banks (bwahahahahaa) but I think thats a PB.

So, this morns comuute expressed as a Rogers and Hammerstein song = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21-KOpdwySw

Saw a schoolboy being chauffeured to school in a Rolls Royce and a dog being transported in child seat on a bike, this is what happens when I forget to set my alarm and sleep in...

Lovely sunshine only spoilt by being told off twice

Got a telling off from the po po this morning for going through a just changed amber light on South Croxted Rd , my front wheel was over the line just as it changed, they drove behind me down the road over taking me when we neared the lights. The fact he went through them and he over took me while I was doing 20mph in 20mph zone facts he ignored when presented to him. Got to the point of 'mate do you want me to nick you' FOR WHAT

Second was from a hi-viz shinny new bike lady, telling me how I should ride. I may of uttered for fucks sake as she undertook, and again as she pulled in front of me, but it was the fact that I would filter up the side of bus where they was no room. 'Cyclist should always make their way to the front of the traffic' 'And that I was to far over from the kerb' I nodded in total agreement as she and he fellow shinny bikes got stuck as the bus moved off and I cycled passed.

10/10 would be told off again.

You maaay have been - you looked pretty magnificent if it was you. Orange genesis?

Nah, red Willier. Oh well.

That is amazing.

Have taken the decision on my homeward commute to prolong my CS7 agony to Clapham North, then cut across to Streatham Hill. This is to avoid Brixton. Oval may be a CF, but the OGCF that is Brixton still holds reign and there are no roadworks!

New route is so much better despite the CS7, but I miss Brixton Hill.

Why don't you prolong it some more and go to Balham and then into Streatham round the back?

No thanks :-)

I was thinking that. If I'm going that way I take the quiet route along abbyville road(?) then down cavendish road and then along the edge of tooting bec to come up telford avenue out by the bus garage.

Just had a white (well "dirty-White") van driver shouting and swearing at me for taking primary down a steep and dangerous hill (well I didn't hear the first thing he said when he went past me, but stopped when he got stuck in the raynes park one way system)... Apparently I was a knob and bringing a bad name to cyclists. Whereas his rage and death threats were in no way shaming to white van men...
I think I did quite well at staying calm and trying to argue reasonably... But I don't think it helped him calm down... Oh well.

He was like a poor mans version of that butcher dude... I should get a camera just for the laughs...

This afternoon, warm and sunny. Car on other side of the lane runs over dead rabbit spraying bike and my legs with putrid rabbit juice.
Nice.

Ewwwwwww.

Came back via the A200 (clusterfuck), Greenwich, Maze Hill (by mistake) and Blackheath (by design). I then cycled through Lewisham centre and what was previously merely grim seems to have become some kind of vision of hell over the past four months. Some git nearly drove right over me on the roundabout. I can only hope all the BTL investors are satisfied with whatever vertical rabbit hutch they're building down there

What is the criteria for clusterfuck classification? Can we all agree that the current situation at Stepney Green - Aldgate qualifies?