Spotted...

If this was just up the hill from The Northcote Road, and you shouted "track stand" at me, on a black fixed, then that was me! Just on my way back from Richmond park - I guess you were going the other way?

The headwind was helping with the resistance but it was still a bit wobbly, so thanks for the encouragement! Fixed during the week, but I'm in training at the weekends!

HA! That was me! Good going man, good going! I was impressed:-) You call it down wind, i call it impressive. We were on our way to do just that. She called me a geek when i screamed that at you, i say she doesnt understand.

Nice one! Hope you had a good day out there:-)

teenslain getting his trouser leg caught in his chain suffering a mechanical tonight. Oh joe, best stick to walking 'em... ;)

Cheeky beeatch but true story... Gonna have to get the fuckers patched (again)...

It was blowy for sure - got two laps in one way before relenting and going 'with' the wind (as much as possible in a loop) for a last one!

Early mornings at the weekend are comedy busy there at the moment!

I'd love to get out there fixed, but base-training for an ironman so got to keep my heartrate down and doubt I can get up those hills without getting into the red zone!

Ride safe!

A

Dude this morning with feline-grade reflexes on a maroon Pompino, Old Street. Ped steps out in front of lorry, freaks out, darts across the road and into path of Pompino rider who somehow manages to swerve around this insane c*nt and not stack it. Same dude then almost gets taken out by a lorry (WAMFC) squeezing past a traffic island about twenty seconds later. I hope you made it to wherever you were heading alive, dude! Too many 'whoa' moments. Also spotted the lovely yellow Fort track behind him.

Hi, that was me on the Pompino. I made it the rest of the way to Bloomsbury with no further drama - cheers. The pedestrian looked to be recreating 'Frogger' on Old Street with herself in the part of the frog. Absolutely nuts. Possibly my manly / terrified-for-my-life scream I let out convinced her not to take next step out in front of me.

Didn't particularly need the close pass by the lorry afterwards - he pulled into the left lane at Old St x Central St because a car was waiting to turn right, like you can see the taxi doing in this Google streetview image. Very poor behaviour.

Following this another fixed rider, I think the guy on the yellow Fort, caught up with me and said "Good scream" which was appreciated. :)

Two Gruppeti in Richmond Park this morning- BMMF (?) and one other?? Shouted DAS but you ignored, possibly because you were on roadie bikes. Scoundrels!

That would have been Rickymundo and StevieP

this morning, an addison lee-esque mini bus driver pwning me on baylis road at the end of lower marsh/spur road.

i was bowling along towards the cut trying to make a green light at the junction when he pulled right in front of me causing me to swerve right across the road. we both missed the light. i pulled up in front of of him in the the cyclists ahead box and made the gesture of "what the fuck!?" he made the gesture of"shrug". i made the gesture of "you pulled out right in front of me" he made the gesture of "shrug" i made the gesture of "look where you're going" he made the gesture of "undoing his seatbelt, getting out of the car and walking slowly towards me in a menacing manner". he came right up in my face and (eerily calmly, but with jabby pointy finger) said: "there's a solid white line back there, indicating the end of that" (meaning the bike lane i suppose) "so next time you talk about using your eyes, use your own."

I was completely taken aback and could only lamely look in the direction he'd indicated and say "where?" but he was already walking back to his vehicle. i was totally exasperated. a lady on a bike next to me took sympathy and said "he did just pull right out didn't he?"

it wasn't until he was back in his minibus and the lights were changing that i realised what he was talking about and that he he was talking total bollocks. i was belting along a main thoroughfare and he was turning onto it, it makes no difference if the particular bit of bike lane i was on ends just before the junction. he wasn't seriously suggesting that he could pull out with impunity and anything coming along the main road would be forced to come screeching to a halt because of the "the solid white line"? it would make no difference of there was a 4 foot wide solid white line across the whole fucking road, i still had right of way and he still pulled out right in front of me for one reason only, that he knew i'd be forced to brake/swerve/avoid him. the fact that he had bullshit defence worked out in advance only strengthens my opinion that he did it deliberately.

i'm so pissed off i didn't have the wherewithal to call him on it at the time. i was totally taken aback by his menacing manner and reference to this supposed facts. nnnnnghhhhhh! so annoying!

number plate?

report and ruin.

i was too flummoxed by confusion and self doubt (then shame at having been had) that I didn't bother. ngggggh!

never mind. i know how you feel - chump gets up in your face spouting horseshit and you spend the next 5 minutes trying to make sense of it. next time. good you didnt escalate it, and you know you were right.

It always seems to be the Addison Lee ones that go for people!

I was going along Torrington Place about a week ago and had one of those people carriers accelerate up to close a gap where a van was parked on the side of the road, just because I was going to go through it! The traffic on the other side was all waiting at the light!

I looked and he seemed to be pissed off with me!

cheers russell. yep glad i kept calm. i'm fundamentally a wimp so i'd rather know i was in the right and feel a bit disappointed i didn't make a point of it than have got all righteous and ended up with a black eye. it's just not worth it.

on the plus side. it's a lovely morning!

bodieanddoyle

great to amble into work with you this morning

indeed it is sirrah. slightly marred by the TWO FUCKING PUNCTURES I GOT THIS MORNING!

/intends to repeat this news in every thread so you can all share my pain.

I saw an Addison Lee minivan parked in the middle of the lane going the other direction on Mile End Road yesterday. Their bad driving is actively encouraged by the CEO, so all you can do it avoid them, or kill them in the face.

^ This. I guess the greater average fear of minivan drivers among the rest of the population, the more likely people are to cocoon themselves in Addy Lee airbags for their trips to the shops. Fight the power.

Their bad driving is actively encouraged by the CEO, so all you can do it avoid them, or kill them in the face.

That is proper fightin' talk right there. Much as the driving behaviour of the typical Baddison Lee driver might seem evidence enough, can you point me in the direction of documentary evidence of the CEO's position?

to be fair i did say "addison lee-alike". it wasn't actually an addison lee car. it was a private hire people carrier with an orange logo of some sort.

here's one article about their crap customer service
http://kingfriday.co.uk/addison-lee-minicab-bad-service

orange logo you say...

here's a story of an Addy Lee driver killing a man because he spilt his drink on his car
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23839021-three-years-for-cabbie-convicted-of-manslaughter.do

can't find the damn article. Basically it was someone complaining about their shocking driving, and the CEO responded by saying he isn't going to look into it because it didn't matter.

Think I saw The_Buny the other day on this thing

It always seems to be the Addison Lee ones that go for people!

This ^.

Got squeezed out by one today at the top of London Bridge. I glared at him and he nonchalantly raised his hand in apology. Something I suppose.

Had my micro cam on but I can't get the fucker to mount on my mac this morning. Meh.

I'm wondering if we need a thread devoted to them and their bad driving. Get the feckers on a google hit?

Spotted: Skydancer. Hiya!

Me getting stuck in my clips and falling on my arse between a bus and a van in Kings Cross this morning...red face.

Looking into getting a camera too after watching that BBC thing last week, so if I get got by anything it'll be straight up in the interweb!

Hopefully won't need to though! (wishful thinking!!!)