This morning's commute and other commuting stories

TSing on a Brompton? Easy, I do it on a daily basis. Mind you, it helps that my Brompton is fixed. #boastpost

Riding into the village where i live, from the village where i'm employed --thereby transferring the lack from the former to the latter-- there were no cars parked on the right hand side of the carriageway and i didn't have to speed up, slow down or pull over to allow drivers heading in either direction to keep their feet down. On other days i can't help noticing that said parked cars are outside properties with ample off-street parking available...

Rode from ninewells hospital in Dundee to my hotel last night and back this morning on my highly comical brompton. Joinedd a mate who actually works in the area for both commutes. Absolute bliss, have confirmed I hate driving every day and need a shorter commute so I can cycle.

Nice! My first ever forum encounter in real life. Nice to meet you too.

Amazing ride in. I told myself I would take it easy after a knackering week and then proceeded to turn myself inside out for 11 miles. First proper tail wind in weeks and nicely flowing traffic pretty much the whole way.

10/10

Seemingly very quick, despite no real effort to make it so. No wheelsuckers to report.

Almost got SMIDSY'd by a chap in a 4x4 pulling out of a side road just before Oval. Fellow cyclists rallied around me to call him a dick.

8/10

I'm imagining a group of cyclists all chirping "Dick!" "Dick!" like the "Mine! Mine!" birds in Finding Nemo. Accurate?

Yeah, not too far off actually...

Don't understand all this wheelsucker bizness.

Surely you all push really really hard, then move off suddenly to the left, slam on your brakes, and fire the heatseeking missles?

I drafted a large man on a mountain bike going along Hove lawns in Brighton once because of horrible headwind. I felt a bit bad as he was really struggling and I was getting a free ride but he didn't look over his shoulder at all and never saw me. Sorry large man.

Van full of bees. Standard.

https://instagram.com/p/6o2lHojVFs/

That's a keeper.

Would rep.

It says bees in transit but that is a berlingo...

Going N after work on Canonbury Road and stopped in the bike box at Essex Rd junction. A scooterist speeds into the box and stops alongside. I stare until he must look at me and when he does I look down, point down and say 'What is this?'. He says 'WTF are you on about?' I say again, pointing and looking down, 'What is this'. He tells me to 'Fuck off'. I answer my own question. 'It's a bike box mate - for bikes - not scooters or motorcycles or cars - it's for bikes. To make it easy for people who can't read there's even a picture of a bike in it'. He huffs, steps out of his lady bike, puts it on the centre stand and squares up. I don't flinch (on the outside - inside I'm thinking I've really done it this time and I'm going to get severely twatted). He glances around by which time 8 to 10 cyclists have entered the box around his scooter and all look at him in an unpredictable way. He hesitates. The lights turn green. I'm off sharpish like. I hear cars hoot cos he's blocking their progress with his parked vehicule. I anticipate a flying kick as he catches and overtakes but nothing. He sails through the red light at Canonbury Square. Twat. Me that is.

This morning I got shouted at by a man driving a Jewson van. He wanted to know if there was a bike shop nearby.

Almost as eventful as yesterday, when I got to work and discovered I had one sock on inside out.

#LifeInTheFastLane 8/10

I moved over for a white van this morning and he lent out his window and said 'thanks mate'. I was shocked!

I replied 'no worries' and kept a calm facade. Inside I was wobbley emotional mess.

A little gratitude goes a long way.

Read my comment on the photo.

;)

I moved a full hive once in the back of a Nissan Patrol. Drove from Oxfordshire to Hampshire wearing all the kit. Hat n everything. All good until I shifted it ever so slightly as we moved it out of the vehicle. Holy f*cking shit did they go crazy. We ran for 2 fields. Waited for an hour. Went back. Gently shoo'd out what we could see. And then set off home. All the way to Oxford and for days afterwards bees emerged whilst I was driving and terrorised unlucky occupants. All this just to get some blokes clover field pollinated. Hampshire - they're lazy B's.

Similar experience with a black cab the other day, slowed down to fall in behind him by Monument. As I went past at other end of the Bridge he looked out and thanked me.
Needless to say I almost crashed. Then contemplated an RLJ to balance the world out again.

Nodder or prostitute.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/11812929/Street-prostitutes-in-Italy-ordered-to-wear-high-visibility-vests-so-motorists-can-see-them.html

10 days off the bike as ordered by the physio, and they've completely fucked up cs2!
Stayed in the road rather than segregated cycle lane coming from Stepney to Whitechapel and the number 25 bus now spews out into the separated left only lane when the bus route carries straight on, meaning the bus driver has to try to pull over into the straight over lane during gaps in traffic. Who on earth signs off on these type of concepts?