This morning's commute and other commuting stories

They were genuine at the time, however I take back my sympathies now. Ride home was hard enough graft in the end. Pretty brutal across the wide open plains of Richmond Park. Knackered.

Tailwinddddddddd! Lovely!

Didn't want to try and one up you or anything. I think its horses for c0urses. Maybe I just got sick of it.

Anyway gone is the wind and a second shower on the way to work.

Cold rain, lots of it. With a bonus neck drip.

Arrived half wet at work, still happy I cycled.

I don't have spare trousers I think I smell slightly of wet...carpet? :)

Quite a soggy gym session this morning. Tipping it down.

Rode in shorts so I'll have dry longs tonight. Also took a separate pair of gloves and a separate pair of socks for gym because I can think ahead once in a while.

Dreadful traffic on my way home last night and after doing some post-work shopping I hit the late leaving slacker moronathon on the hipster spice route so didn't get to enjoy the tailwind at all :(

Also I forgot my ecig this morning so had to smoke a cigarette just now which was revolting.

That tasty combo of SUVs on the school run, rain, semi-darkness: a morning for sitting back and letting the carnage unfold.

So. Many. SUVs.

Roads seemed quiet still, Chiswick to Padd.

Not sure what I did before mudguards.
Lovely drizzly ride in, slightly sweaty in the rain jacket, discovered that the expensive bolle prescription cycling glasses fog up very quickly and never unfog no matter how windy it gets, made it a slower ride than usual.
Really enjoyed it actually..

Not really a commute story but I'll share anyway.

Earlier today I had terrifying encounter with a mad man when I was walking to the bus with my parents, we were going across a pedestrian crossing on a green man and this brand new mercedes plows though junction against the light, as he went past I saw he'd been using his mobiles (one in each hand).

After I cross the road and were walking towards the bus stops there's a huge guy staring at me on the pavement. I just ignored him and walked past to the bus stop. He turned after me getting in my face and starts screaming at us about why we were in the road in his way. I tried explained about the green man, not surprisingly he wasn't having it.

He was shaking with anger, screaming all kinds of things at us; shouting racist stuff in my mum's face and spat at my dad. He gave up when none of us said anything to him or would rise to his bait. My poor mum was so shaken. Walked off shouting that we were "privileged white cowards", all the while looking over his shoulder to see if we were looking at him (presumably to come back and start again). Seemed determined to wind us up by calling us cowards and by bringing race into it, as if that had anything to do with crossing the road. In the end went back to his car and started shouting at other drivers instead.

Sadly I didn't get his number plate.

Sounds awful

Hope you and your folks are ok now.

Sadly I didn't get his number plate.

Argh!

There was probably a kilo of uncut cocaine in the fucker's car.

Haha yeah I’m guessing I’ve spent more time in UK weather than you. Maybe the main difference is how clean the air is, when the sun shines it just felt brighter.

Thanks James, they were naturally rather shocked at being treated like that, mum was noticeably shaken but they're picking up now.

@hippy exactly what I thought, new merc, cheapo Nokia burners and trying to intimate people in public spoke volumes.

Your parents are lovely and really don’t deserve that kind of treatment. Same goes for you too.

With any luck the walking erectile dysfunction will wrap his Merc around a nearby sequoia, his drug-laced blood pouring from his crushed chest cavity providing the necessary growth spurt the wonderful tree needs to reach the record books.

Had a similar experience end of last year. Pedestrian crossing 4 lanes of traffic 3 of them stopped and walking across we could see the car coming with no intention to stop. when he blasted through i looked at him with the old ¯_(ツ)_/¯ look which caused him to stop unfold himself out of his Peugeot and start having a go at us for being in his neighborhood (my gf has lived in hackney for about 20 years) and trying to start trouble and the race card came up even though I would have done the same thing to any cunt that nearly ran me over. These are also the same people that say they have a hard life because of their skin colour and don't accept that its their actions in life that are the problem.

tl;dr People are cunts and karma will get them in the end. It wont be their fault of course..

Trainwanker for the foreseeable. Part of me wants to cry. Part of me is really enjoying having time to read.

Blow is softened by knowing that someone else will be paying my fares and that I get to travel outside rush hour.

Still sucks though.

@Spotter. Hope you're all feeling better.
Glad you handled it perfectly

Lovely cycle in this morning. Knee is doing better so it'll be the final time without cleats. Looking forward to consistent pedalling again, especially in the wind

Half train wankering and half cycling at the moment.

Pop down to Euston, Fast train to Watford and short cycle to work at the other end. Would prefer a longer time on the bike but it is fun reverse commuting and salmoning through the station as the the zombies come the other way.

On the way home tonight, top of a T-junction from the muddy lane crawl up to a main road. Stop at the top, waiting for the traffic to clear and so cross. Big 4wd indicating to come down the lane, so I'm unclipping to move out the way and a women with a dog walking up the footpath to the left toward me shouting 'how stupid, selfish, etc'. I turn to her and ask if she's talking to me and she replies, smiling 'no, that idiot in the range rover, why can't drivers be more patient?' or words to that effect, then says she hopes I have a safe journey - and her Labrador gives me a nudge for luck. People are lovely sometimes.

About the umpteenth time I've come across some kind of bikestormz-esque gathering in the Castle Baynard tunnel on CS3 (just after Blackfriars). Tonight there were two pimped out cars there too and some fellas fiddling with a drone - might've just come across a video shoot for some kind of hood video..

Anybody else come across the youts hanging out here? They've never given me trouble or aggro, just a bit unnerving everytime I do just in case they decide it'd be funny to try taking me out - saw a vid of similar on the dynamo ride last year.

Aside from that, lovely tailwind east-west this morning, felt like I was floating along

The police are onto them. They issued a special asbo effort in an attempt to stop them apparently.