This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Correct me! I’m always up for learning!

But mostly I didn’t care to google the terminology as I couldn’t really give a shit what it’s called, it’s dumb regardless

on my commute this morning.
i guess it must have been hit with quite a bit of force to flatten it like that?
hope there weren't any peds around.

i didn't see any vehicles so i guess it must have happened last night as it was fine when i rode through at about 6pm yesterday.

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Any idea why the park path entrance near the Peckham Library has been closed off all day?

Was just coming to ask the same thing. Not seen any reports anywhere.

Oooft! I nearly had a very similar run in with someone today, also on a Boardman. Not looking where they were going at all in a 2 way cycle lane. Luckily they swerved in the right direction when they eventually noticed that they were riding a bike in public.

This week was probably the first time i’ve commuted two days in a row this year. Left work early to catch a break in the rain - epic fail. By the time I turned into my road it was lashing down so much it was like being in a warm shower - completely soaked. On the plus side it was relatively warm.

Im too old to use the word yeet, but its the best way to describe how I just watched a runner yeeting himself into traffic like a lemming, without checking even the slightest to his sides around Regents park. Cyclist few metres infront of me did a miracle save (and slight shoulder check) not to hit the guy with full force.

But if he did hit him im sure it'd be all over the papers...

that was pleasant.
glad I wore my fresh white socks.

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I had a dry commute both ways, riding home was actually pleasant.

show off

I want to tell you about my commute home this afternoon.
Get a coffee, a tea and maybe a biscuit too.
Before I left work today I snapped the catch on my backpack and repaired it with a few reusable cable ties , this may or may not be important later.
Anyway I left work and as it’s Friday I do what I usually do and go for a bit of a detour home. I was aiming for the usual 50km ish ride. So I head off into the countryside to blow away the cobwebs, I settle into a nice fast pace at round the 30kph mark. I get out into nowhere land and in the distance I see another cyclist in full kit and I’m slowly catching them and I mean slowly. Normally I would slowly catch them up and say hello, have a little chat and slowly pull away. But. I saw that this was a female rider, again we are in the arsehole end nowhere, I use the loan female rider protocol that Liz (Wife) had discussed before. I hang back, however the rider has slowed down a bit now and I’m having to ride too slowly to stay back. I use protocol 2 which is hang back a bit more and then build a bit of speed to pass them and make it stick. I pass them wide, on the other side of the white line, as I pass I say HI and I get the reply of COCK! I carry on and once there is a clear space between us I slow back down to 30kmh ish. At which point the rider blasts past me shouting FUCKING PRICK wtf? They then slow down once in front, but this time to around 15kph FFS! I slow down too, but I’m feeling a lot weird now. Luckily there’s a left turn and they ride past it, so I turned down it and headed for home. I cut my ride short and now I feel bad. I don’t know what I should have done, obviously I came across as a testosterone fuelled twat and not someone trying to not make someone else feel uncomfortable.
I know you can’t please everyone all the time, but I’m sure they are posting about some macho twat that couldn’t cope seeing a girl on a bike

I don’t know what I should have done,

I’m going to go with spoken to her to either explain or ask what her problem is

Again, Arse end of nowhere random fairly large bloke starts manplaining to lone female? Or worse random fairly large bloke starts arguing with lone female?
All the while openly displaying a section of cable ties (restraining devices).
I’m not trying to turn this into a poor me event, just trying to get a feel for what to do better next time. I genuinely thought a cheery hi as I passed was friendly enough to show I wasn’t being a dick.
I thought staying behind looked/felt creepy, slowly catching up and passing a little suspect, but a steady faster overtake was obviously triggering.
Possibly I’m over thinking it, but the world is a fucked up place and I want to make it less so.

fucking weird! I can only think she'd had an altercation with another rider and mistaken you for them?
either that or tourettes? 🤷

Could be? I’ll try and believe that, I’ll make me feel better or maybe it was because I was riding fixed and we all know fixie riders are twats?

Maybe she clocked you catching her slowly and then slowing down and sitting behind her. Sounds like she slowed to make you pass but you slowed as well, maybe freaking her out??

If that was it surely me gunning (not gunning) past was the right thing to do? If so why the shout and then the overtake and more shouting? I’m sure that was a I can do that too move maybe I was meant to catch her again and then she’d call me a twat, I’d explain and we’d laugh about it as we rode together?

I don't think that this is a "you" thing.

Some people in this world see things very, very differently than you because they have lived very different lives. That's fine, but don't lose sleep over it. Chalk it up to "wrong person on their wrong day at the wrong time."

and maybe check Strava flybys...?
no, don't do that.

Sounds weird. I dont adjust my pace much based on other riders. You have no idea if someone else is out for a 15km blast vs a 100km potter, so very odd to get shouted at. Deffo a them problem - but in future my advice would be to not over think passing someone out in the lanes.

Thanks all, yeah I’m sure I’m overthinking it. I’ve been on a load of awareness courses and the like recently so probably a bit sensitive about it all.

Girlfriend says what a horrid person just ignore her she must have issues and making someone else's life a misery not yours.

Aroogah is spot on. Personally I wouldn't change speed (either faster or slower), if I encountered another rider. I probably wouldn't say hello either - just a nod.

If this was a bloke I wouldn’t have altered my speed, said Hi as normal and if they had then done this I’d have just called them a twat back, but it wasn’t and… now I’m where I am. Next time? We’ll see.

As a female rider, please let me assure you that you did everything right, courteous and appreciated by most of us. The problem in your situation is that you encountered a twat. I’m sorry that you did. Please don’t stop being a super thoughtful rider.