How many commuting girls do we have here?
linsen
Posts: 1,959
Just interested to know, really...
Also quite interested in the safety aspects of being out alone when it's dark. I cycle 12 miles home (not every day, but some of it is completely remote), and home from college at 10 or so in the evening once a week and it was only when I saw a bunch of people at the roadside a little drunk that it occured to me I might not be so safe. I am usually oblivious to these things, I am quite brave on the whole, and I probably look like a bloke on my bike, but it did make me wonder....
Also quite interested in the safety aspects of being out alone when it's dark. I cycle 12 miles home (not every day, but some of it is completely remote), and home from college at 10 or so in the evening once a week and it was only when I saw a bunch of people at the roadside a little drunk that it occured to me I might not be so safe. I am usually oblivious to these things, I am quite brave on the whole, and I probably look like a bloke on my bike, but it did make me wonder....
Emerging from under a big black cloud. All help welcome
0
Comments
-
Know what you mean. I'm usually with hubby - he even comes with me on my commute usually as he's retired, but when he isn't with me there are times when I really don't feel safe.
A couple of weeks ago a guy walked out into the road to flag me down, smiling and ostensibly asking for directions. I think he would have jumped on my bike and been away if it wasn't for the fact that it was a very old purple Raleigh and the brakes squealed like hell
He probably thought he could find a classier target and let me on my way. Scared me though.
BTW one of the things that made me suspicious of him was that he was looking for a Kingdom Hall in the middle of a very Jewish Orthodox area
0 -
Lol!
I'm counting on the fact I'm going a bit too fast to be grabbed by most people (it's kept me alive so far and I've been cycling alone at night for as long as I can remember). A good encouragement to keep up the training!
Nice to meet you Kaydee Emerging from under a big black cloud. All help welcome0 -
I'm a girl, but to call my 1 mile journey to the office may be a little ambitious to call it a commute. But it gets me from home to office, so I guess it counts.
I hadn't though of the safety aspect of it, but I'm used to running alone at night, and so with the extra speed I'd feel a lot safer on the bike anyway.
I will, however, stick to well lit roads in the dark, and rather than going the long way home, will just do the mile route then go on the turbo trainer to get some more mileage in..0 -
surely a commute is any journey from home to work / college etc done on a regular basis? You are quite hard it seems, jen, so I reckon you count
Anyway, I don't cycle every day (teachers sometimes have work to take home
) so do I even count?
I must say though that being on here does keep me doing it on a regular basis - would hate to slink away in shame and not be up for one of these daft challenges once I find the time....Emerging from under a big black cloud. All help welcome0 -
linsen wrote:Just interested to know, really...
I cycle 12 miles home (not every day, but some of it is completely remote), and home from college
You count 0 -
I would suggest roads that get a modicum of traffic and houses, where there are always people nearby, would be the safest.
In my hometown of Brisbane there have been a spate of sex attacks against women and they have been on isolated sections of the cycle network, on isolated footpaths near some of the universities and so. Like anything else you are just more vulnerable if you are alone in such a spot, but I don't think that applies to just women either.
One of the things that really freaked me on staying overnight at the YHA in Milton Keanes was that the area it was in, and the paths around it, were so quiet. Divorced from the traffic they felt really lonely and I felt rather uncomfortable walking on them, if someone or a group had attacked me it would have been myself fending them off or running like hell, not much chance of anyone seeing or hearing anything to assist.
Whereas I do a lot of cycling on pretty empty country roads and don't feel at all isolated even though the nearest house may be a mile away. But then again I'm less likely to get mugged by a junkie....'Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that caught the cycling craze....0 -
oi you - you are definitely not a commuting girl (are you?)
We weren't being aggressive - in fact quite touchy feely.....Emerging from under a big black cloud. All help welcome0 -
I'm in touch with my feminine side, if that's enough?
I guess my hilarious "you c***t" joke didn't quite work, then :?0 -
biondino wrote:I'm in touch with my feminine side, if that's enough?
I guess my hilarious "you c***t" joke didn't quite work, then :?
Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha0 -
There are various rules to safety, and I say that as a bloke as its not just women who get attacked or threatened. Here in southampton I often cycled the common on the way home, and in winter it gets a) really dark and b) really quiet. It always amazes me how many people, women esp who travel alone through it in the dark. There have been a spate of sex attacks and flashers near and on the Common (including friends of mine)
I've often thought that putting a pocket rocket pump on the bike for easy access could be used in defence in the worst of cases. I prefer to think that you'd know the area well enough, escape routes, houses nearby.
There are usually signs that someone is going to do something. They will watch you and may be quite visible for a time. I suppose the golden rule is if you feel threatened then get the hell out of there and dont bother trying to stand and fight.0 -
I'm a bloke so sorry to encrouch upon your thread. I'm about 6ft, 14 stone and a brown belt in Karate. While I'll cycle to work in the mornings down the canal and through the park in Tottenham if it is dark and I'm heading home I'll take the busier route as I don't want to put myself into a situation where I don't feel safe.
That said you're probably safet on bike than on foot. And any thing you do has risks - cars are more secure from personal attack but 3k people die a year due to them. Public transport is safet from accidents but you are at greater risk of unwanted attention. Black cabs are safe but expensive. Mini-cabs are cheaper but more risky in terms of personal safety.
All you can do is not let unnecessary fear get to you but be sensible enough to take precautions and to alter your routes if you think it doesn't feel right.
Safe cycling everyone Pain is only weakness leaving the body0 -
I've never really felt threatened cycling at night except by car drivers trying to get home in time or the football/after a night out.
I think have a well practiced evil look can help though. Useful in all kinds of situations such as when cars pull out in front of you with out looking, when bus drivers attempt to kill you, when pedestrians step into the road in front of you without looking.
If you couple this with shaking your head and tutting its amazing how courteous people can be after the event
0 -
The Chingford Skinhead wrote:That said you're probably safet on bike than on foot. And any thing you do has risks - cars are more secure from personal attack but 3k people die a year due to them. Public transport is safet from accidents but you are at greater risk of unwanted attention. Black cabs are safe but expensive. Mini-cabs are cheaper but more risky in terms of personal safety.
So really, everyone should just stay at home? But what about carbon monoxide poisoning?0 -
I've never felt even remotely threatened, even traversing London in the dead of night. I figure that if I needed to get out of a situation quickly, I'm perfectly equipped.
Moonio - what do you ride? I saw a lady a while ago with flashing armbands, and wondered it if was you??0 -
Jen J wrote:The Chingford Skinhead wrote:That said you're probably safet on bike than on foot. And any thing you do has risks - cars are more secure from personal attack but 3k people die a year due to them. Public transport is safet from accidents but you are at greater risk of unwanted attention. Black cabs are safe but expensive. Mini-cabs are cheaper but more risky in terms of personal safety.
So really, everyone should just stay at home? But what about carbon monoxide poisoning?
Yes, stay at home and post on internet forums about the things you would be doing if it was safe to go out :P If we all did that then we could all have been at the "virtual" Richmond Park ride this morning Pain is only weakness leaving the body0 -
Please don't laugh!!
0 -
moonio wrote:Please don't laugh!!
That's a mad machine!! What is it? Why does it look like that?
It wasn't you then... this lady was on a Trek - she had (I think) 8 flashing arm/leg bands on!0 -
The Chingford Skinhead wrote:Yes, stay at home and post on internet forums about the things you would be doing if it was safe to go out :P If we all did that then we could all have been at the "virtual" Richmond Park ride this morning
"virtual" Richmond Park ride? Pah. I did a "virtual" Ironman Hawaii. And I *won* 0 -
Well....
it has a battery to help me up the big hills
24 miles per day with lots of long steep hills would be impossible otherwise...
hides.. :P0 -
moonio wrote:Well....
it has a battery to help me up the big hills
24 miles per day with lots of long steep hills would be impossible otherwise...
hides.. :P
Ahhhhhhh that's what that thing is. Well, you know, if it's what gets you out on a bike then more power to you. No pun intended! :P
And I bet it's heavy on the flat, which will be making you stronger.0 -
Yes its really heavy...25kg so I get lots of exercise plus I ride it up the hills on low power.
I've lost a stone in 3 months and can see some muscles....so chuffed!!0 -
moonio wrote:Yes its really heavy...25kg so I get lots of exercise plus I ride it up the hills on low power.
I've lost a stone in 3 months and can see some muscles....so chuffed!!
That's fantastic. I've been trying to lose a stone (or two) for months, and I'm about a pound down so far!0 -
Jen J wrote:moonio wrote:Yes its really heavy...25kg so I get lots of exercise plus I ride it up the hills on low power.
I've lost a stone in 3 months and can see some muscles....so chuffed!!
That's fantastic. I've been trying to lose a stone (or two) for months, and I'm about a pound down so far!
+1, well done!
I lost weight really quickly when I first started, about 2 and a half stone at high speed. Sadly, 4 years on, the weight loss has slowed to a trickle.
I thought my bike was heavy at the time, 25kg is really heavy, kudos to you!
Upping the ante by adding in gym sessions and increasing my mileage seems to be working though!
I am also considering registering for a triathlon next year, Jen, any advice?0 -
Delurking to announce that I'm a commuting girl: 7 miles each way through south London on a horrible rusting hybrid. Hello!
It's only just starting to get dark when I leave work, but as the only non-main road I use is the one I'd be walking up from the train station if I wasn't on my bike, I feel fairly safe. I did once cycle back from central London after a fairly late night in the library and felt safer than I would have done on a bus at that time of night. If anything I was worried that I wasn't worried, if that makes sense, as I tend to be stubbornly foolhardy (well, why shouldn't I be out at night on my own, eh?)0 -
I found that for the first 2 months of cycling every day (with under inflated tyres 20 psi tsk) I was just building/toning muscle.
Its a real killer as you think your going to die when you get home and everything aches.
But when you've got passed the muscle building bit the fat just burns off naturally whenever you go cycling as your muscles are conditioned etc.
I still have more fat to burn off and am enjoying seeing my body change over time.
Its very empowering and refreshing etc etc0 -
"lost_in_thought wrote:I am also considering registering for a triathlon next year, Jen, any advice?
Oooh, just go for it!
You'll already have a big advantage by being fit and experienced on the bike - whatever distance the tri, the most time will always be spent on the bike, and I'm going to try and balance my training with about 50-60% of time on the bike, although I still have a few long run races, so can't abandon that entirely.
Are you thinking long or short distance? If you're going to be doing sprint distances, I wouldn't worry too much about the swimming, as the difference between the best and worst swims will just be a few minutes, so just make sure you can comfortably do the distance.
As for the run, ironically that is my weakest discipline, as I'm really not speedy over short distnaces (nor long, but it doesn't matter so much then). Just try and run a few miles a couple of times a week and see how you get on.
I only did my first tri last week, just so I could call myself a triathlete without having to wait six months until next season! If you start training now, you'll easily be ready when the season starts around April time.
If you're already a regular bike commuter and gym goer, I expect you'll already have a high level of fitness, so should adapt to the training quite quickly.
Did you have any particular tri in mind?0 -
I am a girl, bike 8 miles to work across Devon country roads. Always in pitch black at the moment as I leave the house at 5am and leave work at 7pm. Only thing to scare me in the dark so far was a hedgehog and my own shadow!0
-
I want to try a tri too! I think a sprint to start with but I'll need to get running a bit first - not my favourite thing.
As for the weight loss - I have cycled hundreds of miles in teh last few months and I know I have eaten less than I needed on commuting days but I haven't lost a thing!Emerging from under a big black cloud. All help welcome0 -
I'm female and have never been worried on my bike at night. Even leaving my house at 11.30 to cycle to the meeting point for the night rides I do...
I do avoid cutting through estates etc when don't know where I'm going at night (my flat is ex-council and on an estate, but I know where I am on that one!)0
