Your Anti-Rants here

suzyb

Thank you mother nature for the nice tail wind helping push me up the hill today my first day cycling for a week.

CiB

The short sweet but sometimes scary descent down a rapidly disintegrating Poundon Hill used to be the best part of my route, but the pot holes and blind sweeping bends coupled with increasing amounts of oncoming traffic make it sensible to treat it with some respect and not go for the max down there these days.

Today wasn't a day for being sensible. The silver Astra that caught me just at the top did the right thing by holding back so I dropped it, picking a perfect line through the debris to hit an easy 43mph down it for the first time in a while. Everything was just tickety-boo down there. And as a bonus the Astra was being driven by a fit youngish blonde who gave me the approving look when she passed me as it flattened out, still doing over 30. Nice. She smiled again when I passed her in the queue of traffic outside the primary school in Launton. Double bonus - the lights over the railway were on red so the trackstanding came in handy waiting for them to change to green. No RLJing here.

Cafewanda

Thanks to the lorry driver LJ03 xxx who dropped back to let me pass him on Jamaica Road heading towards Tower Bridge. Hope you heard my shouted 'thanks' as I wasn't stable enough to wave

Kieran_Burns

Okay - had a rant this morning, but I need to anti-rant as well.

Wasn't it just utterly gorgeous first thing??

I'm cycling out of the village and can see over the hedges into the fields and down the canal I cross over - no wind, blazing clear sky and this stunning covering of ground mist hanging over the fields - gossamer thin.

Crisp, clear weather; roads were quiet and smooth as I go onto the next little hamlet. Can't get much better on a commute 8)

rally200

Overtaken by a Green Woodpecker at head height (scalped you could say) - spectacular!

Kieran_Burns

I decided to take a different route home last night, which threw in this natty little hill that got steeper as you got nearer to the top. Had a good feeling of accomplishment by the end of it...

but the very best bit was turning off down this pancake flat single track road with a schmoooth surface, no cars, a brook runnning alongside and fields everywhere. I was completely in a zen like trance going down that stretch; it only lasted a mile or so, but by 'eck it's a great way to end the day 8)

davis

Set a personal best on the lunchtime loop. Just over 10 miles in 30 min 0 seconds. Feels good to have done it, but I might be bimbling home today..

nich

Few anti's today...

1) I'm pretty sure the slight knee pain I have is not cycling related, but squash/badminton related! Which is good, as I couldn't take commuting by train anymore!

2) I mostly sorted out my gear indexing, so can cross off that new chain/cassette that I was thinking of buying

3) A day off work tomorrow!

Cafewanda

Lovely/beautiful/fantastic ride this morning. Oh it's great to be a cyclist

I even had my arms out, wearing a short sleeved top. Woo hoo!

MonkeyMonster

Cafewanda wrote:

Lovely/beautiful/fantastic ride this morning. Oh it's great to be a cyclist

I even had my arms out, wearing a short sleeved top. Woo hoo!

This mean we might see you at the morpeth sooner rather than later then?

Cafewanda

If the sun shines and it's warm all things are possible

Of course, that is still dependent on you lot being visible or hiding from me when I decide to wander over :?

I'm still traumatised from the last time

kelsen

I got a p******* coming in this morning :x

...but before you all berate me for sullying this thread, it took me all of 5 minutes to change the tube and reinflate it with a CO2 canister; and it being a gorgeous morning and all there was plenty around for me to admire. The ladies lycra brigade was out and all looking great as they whizzed by, several female office workers walked by one even giving me a smile (as she perved over my bum whilst I was bent over no doubt ), and I had a nice wee chat with a tramp who had stopped and was watching with interest whilst I was changing the tube.

nobunaga

Today's the 3 month anniversary for zero puncture on either bikes .
Am tres happy

Cafewanda

kelsen wrote:

one even giving me a smile (as she perved over my bum whilst I was bent over no doubt .

Oh yes, I enjoyed that activity last night on the homeward journey too. Some of you male cyclists have lovely bums

and what? I'm too old to behave 8)

MonkeyMonster

Cafewanda wrote:

I'm still traumatised from the last time

Not surprised the last time you were there was the christmas special

You'd find us fine this time i'm sure - just nab a golf sale sign from somewhere...

asprilla

All together now:

'Oh, What a beautiful mornin’,
Oh, What a beautiful day.
I got a beautiful feelin’
Ev’erything’s goin’ my way..........'

Bikerbaboon

Went out for a great Ride on sat and all was well in the world... managed to over take a bus in a 30 zone.... and get my average speed up for a 3 hour ride

I got badly cut up by a driver in a right turn only lane wanting to go straight on so moved in to my lane with out checking her left mirror... I know she did not check it as it was turned in.
I was along side the car when it moved and pulled on the brakes and managed to get lucky and not crash all while yelling at the top of my voice Wohhhh WOhhhh Wooooohhhhh check your Ducking mirror its turned in..... The person driving the car did not take any action or even hear me.

but the police car 2 cars in front did hear me and managed to see it happen..... Q flashing blues and Pulling the Driver over for a Quick chat and sorting out the mirror. Good days :P

cat_with_no_tail

To the Gentleman in the Black Audi S5 this morning.

Thanks for slowing down to let me out of that stupid junction. Thanks even more for continuing to slow down, wait and cheerily wave me out when I somehow slipped off the pedals and almost fell off. It is comforting to know that not all Audi drivers are complete bellends.

Also, thanks to the traffic light fairy for giving me all greens, all the way. Same again on the way home please!

Kieran_Burns

I think I need to say a sincere Thank You to the Hardstaff lorry driver (ANOTHER one) who waited patiently behind me at a tricky piece of road here then when he overtook me gave me LOADS of room and was clearly waiting to see when his trailer cleared.

I kept an eye myself and gave a clear wave to let him know, and got a wave in acknowledgement before he pulled in.

I actually feel SAFER when these lorries are around as they always give me huge amounts of room and are patient to the point of Zen when waiting.

davis

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I think I need to say a sincere Thank You to the Hardstaff lorry driver (ANOTHER one) who waited patiently behind me at a tricky piece of road here then when he overtook me gave me LOADS of room and was clearly waiting to see when his trailer cleared.

Might be worth* emailing them to say thanks. At least the people in charge get to hear people appreciate their drivers' manners.

*: Ok, "worth" is the wrong word.

Splottboy

I think cars are great.

It's the drivers who are the problem, not all of them though.

Salsamander

I stopped at this red lights on the way to new cross the other evening:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=c ... 1,,0,26.97

as another cylist went through them, and the man who crossed the road stopped to thank me for stopping and called me a gentleman. made me smile all the way to my friends house :-)

cat_with_no_tail

Salsamander wrote:

I stopped at this red lights on the way to new cross the other evening:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=c ... 1,,0,26.97

as another cylist went through them, and the man who crossed the road stopped to thank me for stopping and called me a gentleman. made me smile all the way to my friends house :-)

That's both good, and quite sad at the same time. Good that he thanked you for stopping, and that he made you smile. But sad because he really shouldn't feel the need to thank someone for stopping at red lights.
Also, good because at least that's 1 more ped (and possibly driver too) who knows we're not all a bunch of RLJing fucktards.
Good for you

Kieran_Burns

I'm not there yet, but I can now see the point where my commute in will stop being hard work and start being JUST pleasurable.

Came in today with no wind - smoke going straight up, roads quiet - in a good time (39 mins for 10.5 miles) less of a strain, using higher gears for longer and starting to get that 'zone' feeling.

Much less tired when I got to work as well.... Today was a good day to ride

Cafewanda

OK so I wouldn't call Balham to London Bridge a great route scenery-wise, but with the sun out it was a lovely ride this morning despite a few cyclists wanting to shave my right leg they were that close :roll:

*praying to the weather god(s) to keep the sun out til at least Sunday*

bails87

Many thanks to the alert and considerate Corsa driver yesterday. I was keeping a steady 25mph on the flat on my MTB :shock: I don't know how!

Anyway, I was in a 20 zone, and the Corsa pulled out from a side road and headed in the same direction as me. As I caught up (looking forward to drafting it for a bit) the driver moved over into the middle of the (otherwise empty) road and waved me through

suzyb

Even though it was generally a bad day, one good thing happened.

It's US cherry season

always_tyred

You people are so F***ing happy, it makes me want to vomit.

Oh, sorry, wrong thread.....

suzyb

My new bike arrived today...

(continued in rant thread)

Canny Jock

Lovely weather we're having...