This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Forgot to take trousers into work today. I commute with baggy shorts over my bibs, so luckily I could wear these instead. And thank god there weren't any meetings today - can totally imagine the parallel universe where I had to give a client presentation in Lycra.

First commute, and cycle, for about six months due to various reasons (mainly laziness). I'm incredibly unfit and there was a bastard headwind (I think, maybe it was just the unfit part).

Was a strange commute, up till Finsbury Park the traffic was terrible and then as I got there I saw that Seven Sisters Road had been closed due to what looked like a pretty bad scooter crash (looked like either the scooter or the van that hit it had jumped the lights). After that the roads were really clear as everything had been diverted.

Ahh schools were back to today. I love the smell of diesel in the morning.

Windy today. But have a cricket bat poking out of your bag and the drivers seem to give you space

adds cricket bat to shopping list

Local rag says police chase:

Two moped riders were injured in a police chase this morning after crashing outside Finsbury Park station in Seven Sisters Road.

Nice and sunny so had a detour via Norbury park on the way home, might do this more often as riding into the park for the bmx track then down and out the other end avoids annoying norbury avenue/green lane drivers.

I use Norbury Park and Norbury Ave to get from Streatham to Croydon without having to use London Road. Often quite pleasant.

Some right choppers out there today. I thought leaving home after 9am would avoid the majority of them but they played all the hits - undertaking, not looking over shoulders before moving out, riding primary at 5 miles an hour...

Also, as I turned right off Atlantic Road onto Brixton Road, some estate car just ploughed on ahead from the left, no hands on the wheel, freaking out - think he'd been on the ped crossing when it was green and someone had given him grief. So rather than deal with the consequences of his shit driving, he did some more shit driving, causing me, two other cyclists and a van to just crawl through the junction while he raced up the road...

Idiots/10. Looking forward to the next ride. Might leave earlier to avoid the rush.

Oh, yesterday watched gopher driver/rider head across ped crossing. I see them on the footpath so have already stopped to let them cross, not in any rush. The driver next to me somehow doesn't notice the massive fucking wheeled human and almost takes them out, car half way into the crossing. That was gonna be an ouchies.

Might leave earlier to avoid the rush.

This always works.

I'm going from my place SW2 Streatham Hill to Croydon Arena(in Norwood Junction) so on the way in I ride up and over the hill via Crown Point but on the way back the hill isn't as nice so I ride around via the other less steep ways. I don't mind the A23 just riding along to join it is that much more along.

Always so wary of cars behind me not seeing peds at crossings when I go to stop. Tend to stick my arm at to let them know to stop now.

Does make me wonder if they think I'm just slowing down to make the commute just that little bit harder for myself.

It wasn't like I was in front of the gopher guy. This is a three lane road and the guy was visible from the footpath and all the way across three lanes. The car was almost two lanes over from me so if they weren't asleep/playing their iphone they'd have seen gopher guy.

Ooh wow, sounds like he just didn't shiv a git.

I stopped for a ped waiting at the zebra crossing over the N-S highway near Southwark station last night at peak rush hour.

Had brief moment to wonder if I was going to cause a pile-up of riders, but it was all OK in the end.

Makes a bit more sense. Couldn't really see how it could have happened in the normal course of things. Also explains why there were so many police but nothing being done.

Woman wearing a hi vis tabard reading "SkyRide Ride Leader" wobbling through most of the red lights between old street and Holborn this morning. Great example being set there.

Also I slapped a cab.

I slapped a cab.

#euphklaxon

Set off this morning wondering when I last had a puncture on my commute and thinking how lucky I am as it’s well over a year.

That’ll learn me, bastard puncture demons struck me down about half way in.

I drove to the office to cycle 30 odd miles home and in again tomorrow.

one mile down the road and i forgot my light so I went back to get them. another couple of miles down the road and there were unidentified grinding noises from the rear wheel at speed.

a drive home it is then....

I rode through so much broken glass yesterday that I checked my tyres very carefully this morning. I've never picked so many splinters out (flints, too), especially my ageing front tyre, which has lots of cuts. About 25 bits, I think.

They get me every time

Tyre was flat again tonight, changed tube as I couldn’t find anything poking through. Then the tube popped out the tyre and I saw and heard the problem. Valve cap has been inserted so I know where to put the boot. Might be new tyre time though.

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