This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Double fog today: fogged up sky and fogged up glasses.

Also in the fogged up glasses gang (they were cycling spex so I removed them in the end).

Fogged up beard gang here. Impressive bank of it sitting over the river too.

Wrong gloves thos morning. Brrr.

Bastard cold this morning, never got really warm on the way in.

I have to admit since October’ish I’ve been hating cycling in to work. Don’t know why but the thought of it just depresses me but once I do it I’m usually ok, just a general lack of cycling mojo, might be linked to a bad winter but roll on warmer weather.

I really enjoyed my ride in today, had the temperature just right and the fog cleared up half way through to make everything look real nice. Was one of those chill out and just go with the flow rides in which are always my favourite. Missed the light? Oh well, just get to listen to a bit more music this morning. Busy cycle lane? Fine, just sit at the back and take it slow. People taking stupid opportunities to overtake groups and cutting all over the place? Just drop back and make some space for things to work itself out.

Ogmios school of zen cycling, love it

Rolling on 4 wheels for work at the moment and it’s reassuring to see that car drivers are still jaw droppingly reckless when I’m also behind a wheel. Choice cuts:

• Attempting to overtake 2 cars and a cyclist because I was holding back behind the bike until the blind corner + dip in the road resolved
  
• Beeping after a swift but controlled stop because of a pedestrian jogging on my side of the country road with car approaching on opposite side
  
  

Hopefully me then stopping for a polite but direct chat might make them reconsider their hazard perception. Would hope the same for myself when I inevitably pull some shoddy manoeuvre

He’s the best. Good memories of Hackney.

I was driving at Christmas, and got overtaken and brake checked by some mouth breather because I had the audacity to hold up traffic for an ambulance with its blues and twos on! What a prick.

Currently looking to buy a car, will def be buying a dash cam.

Beeping after a swift but controlled stop because of a pedestrian jogging on my side of the country road with car approaching on opposite side

Sounds like you were driving too fast for the visibility.

Hopefully me then stopping for a polite but direct chat might make them reconsider their hazard perception

That usually works yeah

Started working at Imperial last week after my contract got moved over from QMUL. New commute from wood green to south ken is err.. interesting. I'm used to getting cut up by deliveroo boys on scooters, but this morning was delayed by the changing of the guards at buckingham palace. Told to get off and walk for no apparent reason as the bike lane was empty, felt a bit entitled and grumpy about it but kind of got his point after being barged into by tourists trying to get a photo and not looking where they were going.

My ride home last week was my first experience using the cycle superhighway along the thames during rush hour. Fuck me there's some shocking cycling on display there, both from aggro bro-muters and clueless twats on boris bikes. Probably got a bit too het up about it, gonna try and channel Ogmios on the way home today

I miss my old commute down the lea river towpath - inefficient, slow but so much more chill than dealing with central london

lovely morning today, unfortunately slightly marred by s SMIDSY in a campervan pulling out into the road as i cycled past a junction.
luckily i managed to take avoiding action, but i did lose my zen and do a bit of a swear.
he pulled along side me to apologize though, which was nice.

Having just finally managed to sort out bleeding the brakes on my road bike, gave it a spin this morning in the lovely mild weather and came off on, I suspect, an oil patch. Thankfully going pretty slow, embarassingly in front of shitloads of people, annoyingly smashed watch. Bruised hip, elbow and ego.

Had seen the same happen to a fella on a hire bike a week or so ago (but at the opposite end of the road about 1/2 a mile away).

Ahhh, that delightful fear of taking any corner the day after a nasty off the night before. I had the turning circle/speed of a P&O ferry this morning.

ouch, hope you're not too badly bruised and you weren't wearing a posh watch!

Thanks. Nothing too bad - will be good in a couple of days. Not a watch thread watch - mid-range smartwatch. Hey ho - will get myself something to replace it.

Saw somebody come off on the corner at the top of Portland Place and Park Crescent Southbound. Poor chap just slid out and hit the deck. Stopped; he was OK, just a bit shook up. Weirdly slippy today. Maybe no rain to wash away unburnt hydrocarbons.

been pretty happy with my fitbit versa 3 (don't get the newer 4 though, it's not as good)

Got followed by a Border Collie who was fascinated by my bike.

I stopped and he put his head between the wheels.

His owner put him on the leash and explained he chases skateboards and bicycles anything with wheels. I guess the dog considers wheels "not ok".

Happy Monday everyone :)

I'm very annoyed that since I stopped commuting, I've had to put myself in hospital instead of relying on UK drivers to do it for me. Much more time-consuming and I've had to seek rougher and rougher things to ride on to ensure regular hospitalisation.

I've had to seek rougher and rougher things to ride on

👀

So bouncy I'm now looking at a double-ended piston machine...

As long as it makes you happy, I'm happy.

Cycle back uphill, cyclist follows me. We both stop in the same green box, have a chat on where we go and he says: I was just drafting you to take it easy. The inside of my brain: (silent FFS...) :)

My takeaways:
Unknown people drafting me makes me nervous
I guess I'm not that unfit that a man in my age group drafts me...