This morning's commute and other commuting stories

I feel your pain. I would hazard a guess you live somewhere suburban or use a busy rural A/B road somewhere, perhaps?

I use the OKR many days, though I always profess to try to avoid it. I have found that a LOT of inner London drivers seem more tolerant and, in the main, a lot less dangerous to be around than many outer London, suburban and small town drivers. That could be rubbish, but the sheer weight of numbers in London could surely be having a beneficial effect on the willywaving close-pass driver types.

Chances are, you may be utterly blameless, or perhaps you did a tiny thing that they percieved as 'wrong' and they'd like to 'teach you a lesson'.

I have found that a LOT of inner London drivers seem more tolerant and, in the main, a lot less dangerous to be around than many outer London, suburban and small town drivers.

Testify!

Wonder which bit of E&C they might have opened/closed tonight. Seems to be a different bit everyone last week. Last week they seemed to have opened the bike lane as you approach E&C from Borough only for it still to be blocked as you join E&C queue cyclist using the ped bit to pull in front of buses and cars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKl3L9D9AU8

Check out the top comment.

Mentals.

E&C is jokez, just avoid it.

This morning I realised that my "No problem, chap; I'll wait while you come on through" gesture to oncoming drivers is indistinguishable from a "Bring it on" gesture. I should rethink that.

I have found that a LOT of inner London drivers seem more tolerant and, in the main, a lot less dangerous to be around than many outer London, suburban and small town drivers.

To see just how tolerant they are, just try doing the same commute on a Saturday or Sunday morning.

You'll find that, of the weekend drivers, no-one knows where they're going, no-one knows which lane to be in, no-one knows that being an impatient arse doesn't really get you anywhere, etc.

Last week they seemed to have opened the bike lane as you approach E&C from Borough only for it still to be blocked as you join E&C queue cyclist using the ped bit to pull in front of buses and cars.

Yeah, I got stung by this the other night. An apparently open cycle lane that resulted in a dead end. Cracking stuff.

As I'm about to enter the south lift in Greenwich foot tunnel, I accidentally nudge the front light on the handlebars (which had kind-of-a-broken-but-still-working clip). The light propels forward, smashing on to the floor, breaking into pieces (happened before, not a biggie, put back together, go). Then the main body slides and disappears into the gap between the lift and tunnel floor. "Shit", I exclaim. Lift full of people watching.
The see-through plastic front laying on the floor, I enter the lift. Trying to break the silence: "Guess I won't be getting that back". "I guess you won't", a lady echoes my 'joke'. A dude picks up the plastic front and hands it to me. "Thanks mate".

Coming off the CS2? I'm sure I'm often stuck behind someone similar to this. Fix your seat height and drop down a gear gdi.

Found that new lane last night, spotted it was a dead end so squeezed into traffic 30 yards previous only to find a tiny invisible gap at the end of it when I came round on the outside. Needn't have bothered! Oh well the whole thing is an omniwhatsit but I think I get across in the exact same amount of time.

Have def noticed this on OKR - weekend drivers a whole diff level of fuckwittery than your runofthemill monday to friday traffic.

I don't live in London but do occasionally drive in at the weekends and can confirm that I have no real idea where I'm going and certainly no clue which lane to be in. It's just so busy and confusing. And why is everyone in such a fucking hurry?

T-t-t-t-t-TAILWIND!

That's the benefit of big winds like this, for each headwind there is a corresponding tailwind.

Or not.

Tomorrow's forecast:-

Commute in: 1mph headwind
Commute home: 16mph headwind (gusting to 32mph)

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Had a slight hangover this morning. Wondered momentarily if I was still drunk as the front wheel kept wanting to go another direction. Oh yes, it's the wind! Fun and games. Pottered in giving just about everything a wide berth...

I had my rear wheel blown sideways tonight when I lifted it to pull the pedal up. That's just a standard track bike rear end without mudguards and not particularly spokey wheels. It seemed to be because a strong westerly hit the houses next to me and bounced back, for want of a better description. (I have no idea what verbs are normally used to describe wind ricocheting off houses.)

Tricky bit on the home stretch tonight on that bit of the road where the houses are. The wind was really bobbity-flapping.

We just call it Housericochetwind. No need for all these superfluous verbs.

#bringbackrep

Shouts out to the little Spanish looking fella on the downslope of Vauxhall Bridge... Leaning over the front to manually squeeze the front calliper on his approach to the lights.
Finger tips eh.

Where was all the north traffic this morning? Sailed in on a sea of green lights, too. 9/10

My shiny new running backpack arrived yesterday - couldn't wait to try it out so I decided to run in this morning.

Got about half way to Clapham before I realised I was not quite at 100%. The best way I can describe it is like shin splints but on the inside of my foot. Painful.

Wasn't going to make it the whole 10k, so hopped on a Boris bike at Stockwell and CS7'd the rest of the way in.

Still made it under my own steam/10

Nope CS7