My commute to work is downhill, so my return is always a slog. However, I can choose whether it’s a road slog or an offroad slog with fun bits, so it’s not all bad…

This was my commute until Tuesday, it was a bloody dream it was, now back to the reality.

@belugabob

Doing your commute is too far to do a regular basis, which clearly means you do it on an irregular basis, right? like every week or something like that? 😉

TM

With 2 busy motorway junctions and plenty of unlit, potholed A-roads my commute’s never been particularly pleasant but the worst thing…. bloody Range Rover alley, otherwise known as Radlett.

I have foreseen my death, and it’s driving a white Porsche Cayenne holding the phone in one hand to organise her weekly colonic, whilst the other hand keeps the Waitrose bags upright with one eye on the rear view mirror to eyeball Rupert and Tabitha who are fighting over the iPad in the back seat.

She’s going to get me one day.

The wind shifted on Tuesday so I was riding into it one the way in and the way home…

I’ve looked out the window and it’s pissing it down now… That’s the worst bit, being tired at the end of the day, sat in a warm office and knowing you have no other choice than to get changed and go out in the cold pissing wet…

They’d walked the local hunt pack of hounds on one of the country lanes and there were some big old doggy jobbys I had to avoid. Don’t see the hunt dog handlers following the pack around with a couple of blue plastic bags…

Just about to fight my way downstairs from the office and bung a pizza in the oven for tea.

Lorries. Any way into work will hit a lorry rat run. I tend to come in late and leave late to avoid much of the traffic, but lorries can be a problem.

It is however always a pleasure to wave at the planes landing

Pretty good commute when I can ride in, main issue is the possibility of being mugged as the cycle paths seem to attract some wrong’un on the route in.

Not too bad for me, mostly cycle path all the way. I do however get chased by a small Jack Russell dog most days on the way home that tries to snap at my ankles and brings me nearly to a stop whilst it’s owner chases it shouting “Max…..Max” at the top of his voice!! Quite amusing really. 🙂

New Job, a mile from Home.

Nice walk.

What’s not to like

Inconsiderate drivers

Derby

The worst part of my commute is having to drive three miles in a cold car before the heater warms up.

Worst bit? Arriving at a soulless business park.

The rain is annoying and amusing me in equal parts. It was raining so hard tonight that I couldn’t see a thing in front of me – this is with a 1200 lumen light. My ride is 7.5 each way mainly through the woods on a dedicated cycle track with a bit of light urban at each end. Really nice with the stravarista to race if you like or the views to enjoy if you don’t.

The rain just keeps falling. Most years I reckon I get thoroughly drenched a handful of times. This year it’s been a couple of times a week. At least. People are horrified by it. There is something funny about riding in heavy rain, something ridiculous and very British.

This has inspired me to ride in tomorrow. I’m a summer commuter generally, dark and wet busy lanes I find more pleasant in the car. Well actually it’s more the thought of it beforehand and getting changed at the office once arrived which are the pain.

A combination of arriving at work, always riding home in the dark (9pm ish finish), and the fact the guy in the green Golf didn’t see me tonight and I interfaced with his rear passenger door as he turned right across me tonight. I should add he was very apologetic about it- doesn’t stop my shoulder hurting like hell though 🙁

The grime and grit in bad weather working it’s way into my bike and never being bothered to clean it off when I get home. That and the leaving in the dark and then coming home in it.

I have started commuting but due to working in a number of clinics it’s not always possible, considering the NHS wants to go green there is a huge lack of cycling facilities,but I digress. This morning I rode in and it was glorious, clear weather and even clearer roads. Tonight though was biblical! But it was strangely fun as well, like being a kid again and playing outside in the rain.

hatter – Member

I have foreseen my death, and it’s driving a white Porsche Cayenne holding the phone in one hand to organise her weekly colonic, whilst the other hand keeps the Waitrose bags upright with one eye on the rear view mirror to eyeball Rupert and Tabitha who are fighting over the iPad in the back seat.

Brilliant 😀

The seven miles of traffic queuing on the A406 that I have to filter through on the motorbike. I’m still in bed now, but I know it’s out there waiting for me to tackle it already.

When not injured, cycling through the ‘nam (Tottenham) every morning is horrible. The roads are so bumpy the Olympic MTB should have been held there.

Tuesday night home I found a house brick sized rock on the cyclepath Morecambe to Lancaster and went flying into the tarmac. Big whack on head and shoulder and holes in jacket and trousers. Got a big egg on my head by the time I limped home. By Thursday the egg was gone now replaced by a lovely purpley black eye for that thug at work look.

Good news is the bike is fine

call me sad… but it’s when you’re getting a really good workout either chasing someone down of a similar speed or trying to lose them and the ****ers go through a red light and the race is over.

Saw a deer this morning, got right up close to it, not seen one for ages, brilliant!

Sorry forgot this was a grumpy thread….erm….oh yeah it pissed it down again last night so there’s still lots of mud, grrrr!

Like Brakes – cycling along at my usual, decent, speed. Overtake another, more casual (slower), cyclist – normally in a 18″ bike lane with cars whizzing past so have to wait for a decent break in the traffic to do.

I stop at the red light – they blast through.

Then having to overtake the same person again and again.

Having to cycle through 20 metres of submerged road, hoping not to get splashed by cars. Feeling the breeze from a too-close wing mirror on a passing school minibus.

Seeing our local friendly muntjac deer dead at the side of the road, made me sad.

At least it’s Friday!

the majority of my commute is on a sustrans path, so dog walkers. Inconsiderate dog walkers with their poorly trained shit machines gambolling about the whole trail as I bear down on them at 20mph+. Would it be too much to ask for them to call the dog to heel? Or even keep them on lead until they get to a field?
I used to let it wind me up, these days I just reward sensible, considerate dog walkers with a smile or a cheery “morning!”

Two mini roundabouts where car drivers don’t have to give priority to cyclists from their right (apparently)

Doing your commute is too far to do a regular basis, which clearly means you do it on an irregular basis, right? like every week or something like that? 😉

Definitely on an irregular basis – twice last year 😉 (But it is 26 miles each way, with an ascent of the North Downs chucked in at 23 miles)

May try to get up to three this year (if it ever stops raining)

That my commute’s only a mile and any attempt to vary it necessitates going against the flow into at least one of four local schools at dropping off time.

The worst part of the commute is arriving at the office at the end of it.

Addison Lee.
Maniac cyclists giving the minority a bad name.
Tube strikes meaning roads were packed and the commute becomes 6 mentally tiring miles of filtering and avoiding wing mirrors.

Last day of 5.5 miles each way, 11 miles each way from next week. Gulp.

Looking forward to it long term but combined with having my road bike nicked and having to do it on a 26″ wheeled slightly-too-small hardtail mtb means it’s going to be a slog for a while.

Tube strikes meaning roads were packed and the commute becomes 6 mentally tiring miles of filtering and avoiding wing mirrors.

I have noticed during this that filtering down the middle of the road (with the motorbikers and scooterists) is a lot quicker/ more preferable than filtering in the gutter (with the nodders, the pedestrians and the potholes)

Think CaptainFlashHeart was the most to complain about 🙂

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/of-all-the-places-to-surf-the-one-handed-web