How was your first cycle commute of 2017?

After commuting over the festive period on deserted roads I was not looking forward to the madness of the first commute of 2017 but I was pleasantly surprised. It felt like no-one was in a particular rush to get back the grindstone and didn’t mind waiting behind the cyclist for a decent spot to overtake. There was one berk in a white Audi A4 who had to pass as I had my arm out to turn right but apart from that it was a very calm 20+ miles. It could do with being a few degrees warmer though.

schools aren’t back yet are they…

4 miles, all up hill in the dark. It can only get easier, surely.

Cold. First day back at work today. All my MTB’ing over the break has been in plus-degrees, but last night it dropped to -10. Was really feeling the cold suck the energy out of my legs this morning.

schools aren’t back yet are they…

A very good point, I’d overlooked that 🙁

Traffic was ok, but my legs weren’t. Too much chocolate over the hols made it bloody hard work. Fat git.

Cold. Into a very low sun in a crystal clear sky. Too many drivers peering through badly de-iced windscreens. And at least one of the Schools on my route was back.

too icy for me, too many rides planned to risk a daft injury falling on sheet ice, so caught train and walked 6 miles

Glad of the studded tyres this morning through a very icy bristol. Felt ultra slow, probably was.

Cold and very steady, though it wasn’t as icy as I thought it might be – roads were fine on the whole, cycle paths not so much.

Better than yesterday’s first mtb ride where my crank fell off at the start of the first descent.

Thought it was going to be cold so wrapped up warm. Felt a bit overdressed by the time I got to work! Speed about normal, well middle of the spread of times I usually manage. Roads were very quiet – I think some of the schools round our way haven’t restarted yet (my commute crosses a county boundary).

Pretty much no traffic, but freezing cold and slippy as ****
Thankfully its only 1.5 miles and pretty much slightly downhill all the way to the office 😉

Roads still quiet in west of scotland, got to work in 24 minutes in the car, it’s 20 miles and normally takes well over an hour. I’m off the bike this week as I’m having a well deserved rest.

30 yds from home I found myself giving a big ‘****’ sign to a bloke in a silver BMW ragging it the wrong way up our one-way residential street.

I never normally go in for aggressive gestures but it was clear from the way he was absolutely hooning it that he knew he was wrong and didn’t care.

it was quite pleasant after that though! 😆 Bright sun, saw a heron, didn’t slip on the ice, got a bit light headed going up the big hill.

Easier than normal, rode the Levo 8)

Cold, but roads clear. Warming up later with a 100 km club ride planned for this evening. Rode the fixed wheel for better control. When it is icy, the trike comes out. Today was not that day.

Took ages to clear the ice from the windscreen 🙂

Tired legs (big ride yesterday) so a slow and steady road ride, quiet, driver twattery at low levels, not bad.

A balmy 5 degrees in Edinburgh this morning. Quiet roads as schools aren’t back so the 14 mile commute was quite pleasant.

Looking forward to the end of the month so daylight begins to become a welcome addition to the commutes.

Not as cold as I was expecting either. Tried a new route which added in a couple of hundred metres more climb. Argh. But I did track down the source of the fabled Bradford Leeds Cycle Superhighway. 50km, 646m climb and I feel like I deserve my lunch…

Going fine until the awkward slippy turning into work (a hospital, as it happens) – slowed down knowing it’s a git, went around the corner fine, stood up to accelerate up the hill, somehow caught my bars on my shorts and found myself doing some off-bike acrobatics.

Technically I think I rolled out of it, but the bit when my head was on the ground with my feet in the air suggests I was rolling in the wrong axis.

First ride of any sort of the year too. Hoping my rides:crashes ratio improves.

Drivers were definitely in more of a rush to get home tonight than get to work this morning.

Erm not back to the office yet, so it was rather lazy as didn’t get out of bed until 10, so cold even the dog didn’t want to go for a wander but we managed an hour before returning home to banana and chia seed pancakes and the newspaper

This morning was fine, if a little ‘fresh’! Only on idiot in a van spoiled a nice pedal in.

This afternoon was back to normal with idiots charging around everywhere not paying attention. Schools are mostly back here so normal service resumes for the next few weeks 🙁

It was crap I had to take the car, plus side got chance to set my other wheels up with the compressor

Driving was much worse tonight than it ha been for a while, roads were quiet and I think (hope) people were just a bit dazed after the break and not being gits on purpose.

We’ll see tomorrow I suppose. Hopefully will have a new helmet light for the way home so even less excuse for pulling out on me.

I was going to drive went to open the car doors and couldn’t so I decided it was a sign to cycle. Cold, but thankfully not too slippery, the hardest part was the hills with all the christmas weight. although going down wasn’t too bad now I’m no longer brakeless. Lovely and quiet.

I’ll let you know tomorrow night. 23 miles starting at 6am 🙁

then 23 home at 2 deg. BBBRRRRR 🙄

Sheet ice at 5:30 this morning + a puncture. Arrived at work 4 hours early ffs back home to bed.

Good this morning, risked a new section to find most of it was a bus lane, knocked 10minutes off usual route (bike path).
The way back was the usual slog (uphill).

Went into work and home on my longboard

Cold, dark and windy with some ice cold rain thrown in too. Delightful.

Wasn’t too bad, pretty calm conditions. Did think I was going to have to stop for a Greyfriars Bobby going through the golf course though! All that rich food and beer, came on all of a sudden.

Just made it…

Not too cold, still dark when I got in.

No more cars trying to kill me than usual.

Have been off the bike for a few weeks so will probably get train tonight & cycle home tomorrow.

Not bad, a couple of dozy gits but everyone was prepared to wait until it was safe to pass on the narrow poorly sighted sections.

Schools are back tomorrow, I’ll have to get up earlier I think.

Had an off involving mud and a tree on Sunday night so wasn’t up to cycling in yesterday. Compromised by taking my Brompton on the tube and cycling part way in. Felt OK last night and cycled directly home on it, really enjoyed it! Was quite chilly so didn’t get sweaty despite riding in a jeans, shirt and jumper with gilet over the top

Back on the normal commuter this morning, roads still quite quiet. Schools back today

It was ok apart from chinese light giving up with a couple of dark miles to go. Had to resort to the pavement in part so received a few bollockings.

Seemed quite quiet, although it took me ages to get myself sorted out this morning so ended up leaving about half an hour later than usual so that might be a factor.

Looking forward to a gentle tailwind home, then a wee debate with myself as to whether to bother tomorrow, supposedly down to -2.

I’ll probably fire up the Spectral, and go the off road route.

Had to resort to the pavement in part so received a few bollockings.

Lucky to have pavements. Mine would be a nightmare without lights – just grass verges! S’why I have 3 light sets at the ready 🙂