This morning's commute and other commuting stories

A cabbie hit me in similar situation and buckled my wheel. Gave me false details. I told police and had a video of his face and the licence plate, as well as him admitting that he hit me. Guess what happened in the end...?

Ooh ooh! I know! Does it rhyme with "chuck fall"

You found him again and shat on his bonnet?

He apologised, sent you a lovely bouquet and paid for a new wheel? lives in hope

I did find him, actually. Randomly passed his house and taxi on the way home one day. Didn't do anything as I have a conscience. The police made me fill in a form, then sent me a letter many, many months later saying that they weren't going to do anything. I had to sort my wheel out. Taxi driver continued driving a large, solid object around a highly populated city for a living.

I had a van roll into the back of me whilst stopped at traffic lights. No damage done but I wasn't exactly difficult to see, I had two rear lights on my bike, one on my helmet and was wearing one of these:

I'm not going to report it. There was no damage and nothing would come of it anyway. I gave the driver a hard time about it so I hope they'll think a little more next time.

@Sparky @chris0 It's a fucking horrible feeling. There's no escaping the fact that a big metal vehicle has carelessly toppled you into the middle of the road. I'm 6'4" and 14.5 stone so I'm not invisible. Although, if your face is in your phone, it's hard to see what's going on around you, so fair enough.

#vainhopes

A man walking through the bike box at a junction walked straight into me as I was trackstanding. Not sure it was on purpose, he was pretty old, looked slightly surprised when I shouted/squawked in mid-unclip disbelief.

You may already know this, but if you fill out a V888 form the DVLA will* give you a driver's details using the reg and you can then pursue them for the cost of the damage.

*Might. I have never done this, so it's entirely possible that the DVLA are as useless as the police.

Edit: Obviously not much use in this instance as you now have his address anyway.

This evening I rode through Burgess Park as normal on the way home. Slowed down just after entry to the park, as the path was full of peds. Hear a bit of swearing and a screech of brakes, then get rammed at full pelt by a female cyclist from behind. Next thing I know I'm lying in pain on the tarmac. Sit up to find the culprit lying tangled in her bike on the grass on the other side of the path. Look around for bike. No sign. It only ended up in the lake, didn't it? Some passersby fished it out for me.

Think I've bruised /cracked a few ribs. Bike and other person completely fine, bar some ripped bar tape (mine) and broken mudguard (hers).

Fun times...

Fuuuuk...

That is so obscene! Was she even sorry?

WTF?! What was her excuse? What did she say? Sorry to hear about the damage to you and the bike, heal up quick!

In other news, there are loads of cyclists out. Where have they been? There was a fast guy on a Ti something with deep carbon wheels yesterday. Chased him for as long as I could up the A2 then blew up. Where's he been all winter?

On his turbo trainer probably!

Pathetic!

Out of interest, 'aero'-wise - anyone know how many watts a pair of SKS Longboards are worth?

fuck that sky-high.

let us know if you need a ride anywhere.

Bike just scuffed on the bar tape. Nothing major. The other lady broke her mudguard.
She was very apologetic but didn't really offer an explanation. I think it was just one of those moments where you take your eye off the ball momentarily. Just glad she wasn't driving a car behind me at the time!

Poundland articulated lorry gave me a close pass on Streatham High Road. It was not nasty, they were trying not to impose on the other lane....er thanks! I didn't feel it was going to get critical, but it was very unnerving cos I had parked vehicles on my left and no escape route.

I got into a race** with a fellow fixed rider who was a lot taller, thinner, stronger and faster then me.
He turned me inside out over the course of about 4 miles.

**He may or may not have been racing me

Caught a couple of blokes early doors so did a bit of 3-up action for 20 miles before they peeled off. Chilly start but dripping by the time I was in town.

The sun is out, the sky is blue and there was something genuinely enjoyable about joining the throng on the CS7 this morning.

Got to pity the poor fuckers on the tube on days like this.

Bloody lovely out innit!

this morning's cunt-parade included variously:

being told a biking RLJer was 'giving me a bad name' by a driver with a lit-up phone on the passenger seat.

being called a 'fat cunt who can fuck off back to where i came from (again)' by an inches away from lethal close passing driver of a shit panel estate with a phone in his lap, still on a call.

being honked at by an RLJing skip driver as he blazed through a set of lights right outside a school.

think i may take a break from commuting by bike for a while. fuck this town and the vast majority of its inhabitants.

Felt like the first commute of proper spring. Actually warm from the off, Richmond Park was beautiful. Even the dear were gallivanting around, rather than just moaping about, as they are wanton to do after the exertions of their Autumn rut.

Many folks out on bikes. Great to see. Just cycle safe all.

A motorcyclist cut me and one other up turning right from Goswell Road onto Old Street, within inches of knocking both of us off, I tell him to 'learn how to f***ing drive' (listened back to recording and that was indeed all I said), he pulls alongside me and asks 'was that really necessary?' and starts to berate me for my language!?

Twenty mph zones. Seriously what is the point in them? The drivers I encounter of a morning seem to have a real problem with them. Almost came to blows with some arsewipe driving right on my arse beeping at me. I was going 22mph so I gave them the usual V sign for it's 20 - followed by the V sign for fuck you. Various expletives etc etc. God it's been so long. Feels good to be alive