This morning's commute and other commuting stories

First time for ages that I've commuted fixed.

It's not kind to tired legs, is it.

This was wednesday but......

(NB reverse sides. because. Europe)

Riding along towards a roundabout. Fully lighted up. Traffic pretty Heavy.
A white Electric car waiting in a driveway on my left, sees a gap in the traffic, and accelerates fast into it. Except its not a gap. Its me. I do a little skid, realise the car is slowing faster than me and I'm better off going past to aviod contact, and speed up. Then the car realises its now stopped at an angle, blocking traffic in both directions, and looking a twat. So it accelerates into the busy roundabout causing a shit load more panic.
As I pass one of the cars which had to do an emergency stop. The drive shouts 'jævla refekts!' (fucking reflectors) at me.

I think theres some sort of asshat Brotherhood I'm unaware of.....

First time for ages that I've commuted fixed.

It's not kind to tired legs, is it.

road.cc is that>>>>> way

I had the pleasure of sharing the road with ~50 horses of the household cavalry this morning. Made a nice change from the usual motorised twats.

^ They leave big dollops of pollution on the road though.

I had the pleasure of sharing the road with ~50 horses of the household cavalry this morning. Made a nice change from the usual motorised twats.

Where were you? I was (thankfully) briefly within smelling distance of them by Buck house as they turned off Birdcage Walk into Buckingham Gate. Seemed like they were shifting the whole stable as most of them were being ghost ridden (or whatever horsey types call that).

I saw them coming the other way by Vauxhall.

I did note that the horses were not wearing helmets, and I very much doubt that they pay road tax.

Saw them just South of Chelsea Bridge, they were heading towards Battersea Bridge along Embankment.

Heading West on Chelsea Embankment.

I reckon there were no more than 15 riders ghosting ~50 horses. The bloke at the front with the bugle looked rad too.

I was indeed dodging turds until I had a chance to overtake them with enough space.

Horses are fucking weird.

It has been a military themed couple of days.

Got the shit scared out of me by the red arrows along the same stretch of road yesterday. Seeing the red arrows is a slightly weirder for me at the moment because I went to school with the squadron leader (red one, the jet at the front of the V). Quite hard to relate the teenager I knew to the job he does now.

squadron leader (red one

Standing by...

A lump of Dock Road has been re-surfaced, Hazah's!

1st bike commute today in 2 weeks due to major Garden build project and 50th Birthday celebrations (mine). 1Hr 30mins, worse time ever, I'd like to thank my sponsors, Dark Star Brewery/M+S Gigantic Colin the Catapillar cake/2 Thai meals and an Indian/Tannus Tyres and a mighty headwind for helping me add 10mins onto my usual time. Couldn't have got this lame with out you guys!

Bows and leaves Podium, exits stage left.

Indian PM is in town... Maybe they were showing him our finest silverware.

That was what yesterday's Red Arrows fly past was for. Perhaps they also brought in a few extra nags for his visit and today they were shipping the surplus back to the Findus factory.

tiny writing

ha! I'm definitely having a Colin the caterpillar cake at my 50th.

You must! It was brill! We used to buy one whenever one of the children had Birthdays, they're both 26 and 28 now so hadn't had/seen one in a while (Colin, not Birthday). It's a special order item at Customer Services if you want a Giant size one (we did I was told!).

I actually felt a bit jubby eating some of it, I think I'm done with chocolate for a few years now thank you very much M+S.

Through Bishops park after Putney Bridge...

Cheers, I tried this out and it was a pleasant change. Hammersmith RBT itself isn't too bad I find, it's the slow filtering along queues of traffic that kills any fun.

http://www.lfgss.com/comments/12620902/
Friday loomed and so did a weather forecast of heavy rain in central London from about 10AM.
Packed rain jacket and set off. Friday outer suburban rush hour not so heavy,
but realised inclines are ever present and the normal, nearly counterbalancing downhills are clogged, so the bits of road you know, (out of rush hour), to be 'quick', are just as slow as the inclines.
Not knowing EC2 succumbed to Weatherspoons filter coffee, and returned along the Embankment to see how the Cycle Highway is progressing, through Kensington Gradens,with a pre-planned cake stop at Makan in Ladbroke Grove, where I sat out the only heavy shower. Cycled home along a wet A40 to avoid the myriad of traffic lights and pedestrian crossings along the Uxbridge Road. Such loud.
Got home in a much better state than Tuesday.

Commuters with road racing pedals, why? Much slower clipping in than SPDs generally. Your PBs would be smashed with SPDs.

Who unclips on their commute?

Boring non-RLJs. Talking of which, anyone else see the group of balaclava clad helmet-less motorbikers heading west from New Cross yesterday?! Causing all kinds of traffic trouble.