my ride home was terrible, side gusts all the way on the wrong side.... 😀
South West Scotland - 60mph+ tailwind/sidewind on my way to work this morning made for interesting speedy moments and my fastest ever journey to work but on the way home this afternoon i had a headwind that left me spinning away in 32x36 so it took almost 50 mins to do 4 miles, some of that time i was off the bike and in the verge though.
Well my commute is better and warmer than yours Dezb, and I am planning to get 1499€ wheelset...
For free :p
(although so far this plan did not work well).
Kids were being a pain in the arse this morning.. Once we eventually got underway I had to put the power down to try to stay on schedule..
Number 1 son was still being weamie 20 minutes later when we arrived at his school..
Then the sleet and hail started in earnest
Number 2 son was delivered to nursery without further incident but I was pretty cold and wet by that point..
Raced home and picked up some stuff that needed dropping at the doctors, all in all about an hour and a half on the bike in driving sleet and hail..
Took me a while to warm up 🙂
Finally the gale force winds havd died in Leeds down so I've ventured out on my first commute of the year. Was kinda pretty.
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I've seen a guy commuting around Morley on a Cooker Maxi a few times recently. If you're on here: that looks ace fun!
It was -6 when I left this morning according to my Garmin 😯
Making a concerned effort with no excuses, after taking nearly 4 weeks off with 2 nasty colds back to back.
Very cold but nice not to have to stand up on the pedals to get down hills in ridiculous head winds! SS doesn't help with that..
Lot of ice on quieter routes around Glasgow. Those cheap 700c spikes from on-one did the job, 16 miles all upright.
running late today and didn't seem cold enough to have buff frozen xc trails so took the road, [b]again[/b]. A bad habit that I need to get out of, was OK.
Did some frozen singletrack yesterday that I've not done for ages (doesn't wear well in the wet) was fun apart from a low hanging branch that I doubted I'd get under - I was right too, bruised back and ripped my fave commuting jacket 🙁
Might hit the trails on way home, hope they'll be nicely* frozen, looks a bit mild out there tho
*ie buff grippy solidified mud, not wide patches of ice and snow
-3*C but dry here in Berkshire this morning, coldest commute of the year so far I think...
It was a nice ride in on the fixie, stuck to the main road (A4) hoping they had gritted and there would be less ice... I didn't take a tumble so it must have been the right choice 🙂
jaymoid, where are those pics taken?
I had a very icy canalside potter today, saw a bloke slip on his arse in front of me, I didn't realise it was so slippy until then.
nice sunrise.
[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8608/16137039380_e468a751c8_z.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qzYxAU ]cidImage_FOT6604.JPG" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8608/16137039380_e468a751c8_z.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qzYxAU ]cidImage_FOT6604.JPG"/> [/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/91703444@N06/ ]20ston[/url], on Flickr
I'd be interested to know where they are too jaymoid 🙂
Bottom one looks familiar - Tong/Fulneck maybe?
Nice commute today, not as icy as I thought it was going to be, snow on the way home maybe
@ton, The first is in the [url= http://www.strava.com/segments/8731672 ]"gypo fields"[/url] near Tingley. I've seen tons of foxes and rabbits here (or maybe the same ones, depending on what the fox has to say about it).
Second one is in middleton park/wood (the other side of the park than where all the hand built trails are). [url= http://www.strava.com/segments/2739394 ]Aka Miggy park downhill right [/url]. It's not massive but is 50 seconds of pure joy and hanging on for dear life (in the right conditions) - v cheeky to speed down it at socialble times. It's a good climb the other way as well.
Hardly epic but both provide a smile on my face and a nice alternative to the roads and traffic into Leeds.
If you're ever wanting a commute into Leeds that way give us a holler, would be happy to show you the options I've discovered over the years.
thought it was jaymoid, from the road, left onto the singletrack, all the way down to the figure of 8 at the bottom?
cracking little descent.
thought it was jaymoid, from the road, left onto the singletrack, all the way down to the figure of 8 at the bottom?
Ah not quite, that's the other side of the park (around the man made stuff) - Google has that area labelled as Park Wood but deffo still Miggy Wood. That's very good fun too but not really that rideable at the moment. The one where I took the pic is starts just after the fishing pond! There's another good trail on this side of the park too, again a bit muddy and slippy for the time of year though.
Heavy snow forecast here tonight, fat bike commute tomorrow!
grey grey day....... 🙁
[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8658/16145695849_fb38d04788_z.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qAJUSn ]cidImage_FOT8792.JPG" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8658/16145695849_fb38d04788_z.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qAJUSn ]cidImage_FOT8792.JPG"/> [/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/91703444@N06/ ]20ston[/url], on Flickr
Snowing on my way to work this morning ....loved it ! ( wished i'd set off earlier tbh & had a longer ride )
Just driven from Derby to Bamford. Roads fine till Grindleford. Wet snow falling steadily. Would like to meet the chump in the Defender who overtook me, nearly going head on into the car I had slowed down for so they could do a right turn without stopping on a snowy hill.
7 mile commute started with snow that turned to hail, then it turned to sleet and then rain....all with a bitterly cold wind!!
We had a great time this morning 🙂 I rode the Kona Ute and my 4yo daughter was wearing a lot of layers and sat on the back no bother, she enjoyed catching snow with her tongue 🙂
I have found that a cycling cap underneath a buff underneath a helmet is the optimal cold with rain/snow combo !
Just cold and raining here today, but better than the ice we had Monday/Tuesday, too risky for me!
Friday night was fun, 20 miles through the snow. The urban bit was okay but the 12 miles over the moor was hard work.
[img][url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7535/16295469055_b23c7c9f87.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7535/16295469055_b23c7c9f87.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qPYxe2 ]Snowy commute home[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/94887232@N04/ ]gary.maclean.31[/url], on Flickr[/img]
I fitted some snow stud tyres at the weekend that I got cheap on planet x, rode on Monday with a low of -7, water bottle was frozen solid by the time I got to work. The road was covered in patches of ice and snow but the snow spikes were great, heavy and draggy so it was hard work but well worth the effort.
Didn't ride yesterday but still on the spikes today.
edit: why's my image not showing?
Thin tyres in this morning's commute, lots of snow off the main roads. On the TPT, crossing other folks wheel tracks was like crossing tram tracks. OK through untouched snow or joining the dots of animal tracks.
Got a good slushing from truck as it overtook me, all down my right hand side.
Route home choices? Snow/sleet still coming down.
but the 12 miles over the moor was hard work.
Gary_M wins the hardman of STW commute award!
/doffs cap
I'm gushing now. I've never won any awards before and this one means so much to me 🙂
Hard work coming home tonight, snowing in my face all the way. Glasses were useless, riding without them was painful - hobsons choice! Still, earned a few hard man points 🙂
grey grey day.........poor commute.
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7501/16339279175_20c177589d.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qTR5rV ]cidImage_FOT9032.JPG" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7501/16339279175_20c177589d.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qTR5rV ]cidImage_FOT9032.JPG"/> [/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/91703444@N06/ ]20ston[/url], on Flickr
Fairly pleasant this morning but despite having a shower I can still taste salt spray off the road on my lips. I'm missing my full guards.
Not one single commute this week, so irritating 🙁
Monday - Sunny : Off sick
Tuesday - Sunny : Off sick
Wednesday - crap: have to take car, car won't start, end up working from home
Thursday - Sunny! - have dentist and son to drop to school!
Friday.... working from home as have new car to collect.
Rubbish week in many ways.
Id love to be able to commute , but 27 miles and a 7am-7pm shift .. isnt really an option 🙁
hence looking for work closer to home
Reasonably pleasant until an unbelievably big shard of glass decided to investigate the rear tyre. Not the easiest tyre to get back on either.
Proper cold this morning again & a lot of ice about made for fun times 🙂
Managed a lunchtime spin. Lovely out there. But where the hell has my fitness gone?
Set a new PR on strava on the one climb I have on my little 2.9 mile commmute last night!
getting a big less dismal.
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7481/15723810464_d4dab55a37_o.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/pXsD3q ]cidImage_FOT96F5.JPG" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7481/15723810464_d4dab55a37_o.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/pXsD3q ]cidImage_FOT96F5.JPG"/> [/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/91703444@N06/ ]20ston[/url], on Flickr
getting warmer.
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7364/16351719271_9dbb1f24f8_o.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qUWQsk ]cidImage_FOT178D.JPG" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7364/16351719271_9dbb1f24f8_o.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qUWQsk ]cidImage_FOT178D.JPG"/> [/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/91703444@N06/ ]20ston[/url], on Flickr
nice morning ride today, pretty ice and cold.
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7351/16213543728_5bfbcf24cb_z.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qGJDFo ]cidImage_FOT486E.JPG" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7351/16213543728_5bfbcf24cb_z.jpg [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qGJDFo ]cidImage_FOT486E.JPG"/> [/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/91703444@N06/ ]20ston[/url], on Flickr
My final commute of January this morning puts me at 556 miles for the month. 50 of that was a Sportive last weekend, the rest has all been riding to and from work. That's about £100 in diesel costs saved which is nice. No idea how much extra food I've had to buy instead though.
Tried to commute for the first time in 2 weeks today. Got all dressed up and went to the garage to be confronted with a flat rear tyre. After a minor tantrum I fixed that and got going. Two miles in the tyre started deflating again. Couldn't be arsed fixing that one in the sleet so turned round and went home. I'll try again next week.
Liking those photos Ton.
Commuting in London has been fine, cold, and abit icy further out, but not snow like further North. Kind of miss that in an odd way.
But then Regents Park is nice:
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Commute of the year for me as I high fived a pedestrian trying to hail a bus in the cycle lane.
It's been a tricky week for commuting, plenty of snow and ice around meaning I've had to stay off my usual back road commute and stick to the main roads.
Worth the effort though when I hear people saying it took them hours to get home in their cars because there was a bit of snow around 🙂
Nice this morning, -2, crisp and clear, and noticeably lighter. Week ahead looks the same, going for the full house this week, ride in the full five.
