This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Drive your car to work day is in full swing on the south coast, 4x4's as fair as the eye can see.

On the way to work this morning and get over taken around Pimlico by a 4x4 who are bit close but nothing too bad. They stop at lights and I pull up to the passenger window and it looks like a father son team on the way to their investment bank their grandfather set up.

I catch the sons eye and make the "Excuse me could you wind your window down please" lip and hand movements. He ignores me. Repeated another couple of times and he was clearly not winding his window down but I was being fairly polite and insistent.

Son - "What do you want?" he finally said back through the window
Me - "Your offside break light is out, just wanted to let you know"
Son "Oh, erm ... thanks"

Some people are so cynical and presume all cyclists want a go. They'd probably met with DJ somewhere along their route in the past.
I should have told them to "fuck off and eat some canapes"*

*see "reporting dangerous drivers" for full story on that one

"it looks like a father son team on the way to their investment bank their grandfather set up"

Yeah, I know what you mean, cynicism and assumptions based on stereotypes... terrible! :)

haha, very good point. They were both wearing tweed and I think it is a bit early for hunting season

Got caught in the instant biblical rain last night just as I was riding down central hill in crystal palace. Road literally turned into a river, could barely see because of the rain, and rim brakes to boot. Have not been that scared on a bike in years.

Unfortunately was also wearing summer kit as when I left for work it was glorious.

1/10 would not do again

I said people walking IN a road, walk on their right so they are facing traffic and can therefore see what's coming.

Every other situation I would 'expect' people to walk on their left. I work/commute/have lived in London! I reside in the chaos that is the universe. Of course I expect the unexpected.

You walking on your right down a shared path just means that I have to move to my right and then back again to avoid the 90% of other people who walk on their left (which is the general consensus)

Also got caught in the monsoon last night. Glorious. Found myself yelling "IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT?" at the sky. Great stuff. 10/10 Would do again.

Wet shoes and helmet this morning though. Not as good.

2 out of 2 wet evening commutes so far this.

Could be going to shoot some Grouse! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glorious_Twelfth

In London?

Bit chilly this morning, eh? September's too early for cold hands and ears.
Still, lovely sunshine, and SE to SW means a pretty quiet commute at the mo.

Yep. Definitely noticed the cold hands. Might have to break out the fingerless gloves...

It's a polar plume, said some dodgy newspaper headline. But yeah, the fingerless gloves are a good shout... hate to wave goodbye to summer so quickly though.

I've gone to long sleeved thin jersey and gilet, which I am pronouncing to rhyme with millet.

Fellow cyclists - can we stop the overtake-into-traffic move please? The reason you're able to overtake me is because I'm slowing down. You see all those stopped vehicles a few metres ahead? Yeah? well you're going to have to stop for them too, and I'd rather you didn't do so right in front of my front wheel after having cut back into my path.

but, commuter racing!

Cars in ALL the advance stop boxes on my commute in today .. grrrr..

Current pet hate is cyclists who on seeing stopped vehicles can't wait two or three seconds so trying going around the right side of them only to have to cut back left when the vehicle moves off again.

Also lights people, lights it may be only September but it's a little darker then last week. Finally what the heck is going on a London Bridge going North bound. The little island has gone and all the road markings mad from some interesting cycling this morning.

The guy who did this this morning gave himself away with his Iron Man backpack. To be fair once the road cleared out he sped off ahead of me but our paths then joined 20 minutes later as he pulled up to the lights I was stopped at.

I was liek bru u gots 2 find a better root 2 work lol pmsl

Inadvertently timed it so this evening's downpour coincided exactly with the point I was leaving the office. penis/vagina

hate to wave goodbye to summer so quickly though.

We're probably in for an Indian summer, the same articles claimed. Don't pack away the summer gear just yet...

Yeah, but that was from the Standard, which has the same weather forecasting reliability as the Express.

Southbound on CS7 alongside Clapham Common around 9.30 ish? If so I was the guy in front with arms aloft enjoying the torrent of water!

Yep, that would be me. Good to meet you!

shout out to the "tough guy" hgv driver i met at chiselhurst common by ramblers rest this afternoon
after refusing to let me overtake you on the outside and practically forced me into oncoming traffic rather than slow down, when me met at the junction you said i was "some kind of cunt", when i questioned this highlighting that you were obese, inarticulate and uneducated as you were driving someone else's truck you threatened me with a stanley knife from inside your cab
when i said to pull round the corner to the left of the pub and that i am un armed , i relished the thought of getting the chance to defend myself against an obese opponent with a slashing implement, but alas, it was not to be
you just kept driving, as it happens along my original route, so i followed you, down the descent by chislehurst station, and you slammed the brakes on
causing me to crash into the back of you, dropping my bike, and grazed my knee and shin, but worst of all, cosmetically damaged the right hand da 7700 shifter on my dream
by the time i picked my bike up you were gone, a couple in car stopped and asked if i was ok, they saw the whole thing, from start to finish, and you caused it, lucky i never got your registration

Easier said than done, and it's been said countless times - but it's always best to take some deep breaths and let the trouble just drive away. Adrenaline makes you do daft things, annoyingly, but when the other person's driving something weighing 15 tonnes it's best to let it go - because their adrenaline makes them rather lethal.