Morning Commute:
Total Distance: 9.28 miles
Total Time: 37m 41s
Max Speed: 28.5mph
Avg Speed: 14.8mph
Max H/Rate: 180bpm
Avg H/Rate: 145bpm

I knew today wasn’t going to be remotely good as soon as I woke up. For the second time in three months I feel like utter shite. Still, Ijumped on the bike and pottered on my way.

The nursery manager was eager to see me, as she’s a Chelsea fan, and obviously wanted to gloat about her team and how “well” they played. I let her have her moment – I lost interest in football a little when Liverpool lost their second match of the season after only the third game played!

As I left nursery I noticed that the cadence meter wasn’t working again. My missus had moved the bikes upstairs whilst we had company (they won’t go in the back garden any more) and she must have knocked it out a little.

I fixed that and pottered on.

I got to the turning for Manchester Road in Denton and pulled up at the side of my missus – gave her the nod, then spotted Gary out the corner of my eye so pulled over.

I let him overtake as I knew Devils Hill I would get him back, and pottered on.

Then, to my disbelief, as I was reaching my max speed, a bus pulled right out in front of me. I slammed the brakes on, skidding all over the place and was screaming at him to stop.

He wouldn’t even look at me and just carring on. I was fuming.

I caught up to Gary and we went on our way down towards Morrissons in Denton when traffic became pretty bad. We pulled out to the second lane to get through, signalling and taking it easy when some boy racing cock just yanked his car into the side of me. I swerved and stopped, glaring at him – he just glared back. How dare “I” be in that lane when he wanted to pull out (without indicating of course).

This left me a little shook up, and I ended up in the wrong lane to go straight ahead, so I signalled to pull over. Some jerk in a gold coloured car was being an asshole, so I slowly moved my bike into the lane, all whilst still indicating.

I could see the lights where ready to go on red, so I carried on straight ahead, signalling as I should do, ”expecting” the car to legally stop like it was supposed to.

It didn’t. He pulled up at the side of me and his missus started waving her arms and giving me shit through the window.

I pulled the bike behind them and into the middle so he could see, then shrugged my shoulders and asked “what had I done” (the move I had pulled was above board, safe and I was signalling all the time).

He gave me the V sign and tried to pull away.

That was, as Gaz puts it, the straw that broke the camels back. I put my foot down and chased them. I knew eventually they would get stuck at lights. And they did. I threw the bike down in front of their car so they couldn’t move and went over to him. He wouldn’t open his window, which was ashame, and he locked his doors, which again was a shame.

His missus tried to explain herself by blaming Gaz for the issue (bizarelly, he was quite  a few feet in front of me and would not have caused an issue) and he was just sat there like a lap dog letting his missus do the talking.

I picked my bike off, had a chat with Gaz and off we went.

I decided to go the short way to work. The Conservatives have put paid to any long distance riding, plus, I feel like crap, so the less riding the better.

Please please please let my journey home be much safer, otherwise I would potentially have to give up riding!

Overtakes: 2
Incidents: 3

Evening Commute:
Total Distance: 9.84 miles
Total Time: 47m 53m
Max Speed: 29.69mph
Avg Speed: 12.33mph
Max H/Rate: 180bpm
Avg H/Rate: 154bpm
Avg Cadence: 62rpm

After this mornings exploits I decided to just ignore everything and anything that went on around me. My number 1 priority was to get home safe and incident free.

Everything NEARLY went to plan.

I met Gaz in Denton as he’d cycled back from a visit to the LBS, and we pootled on.

There where lots of Denton RLJers today, some jumping 6 or 7 seconds after the lights where on red, but made it safe across without worry.

On the way to Devils Hill we both clocked an overtake, and Gary put some distance between us on the hill down. This didn’t fluster me – taking my time and ignoring everything that went on around me.

I pulled right back up him on Devils Hill and we journeyed up. I clocked sub 1m 30s again which seems to be a theme these days, with Gaz at around 1m 40.

We circled Hyde Town Centre for the extra part of our journey and went our separate ways.

I got to nursery fine and dandy – picked Lily up, who was the model child for a change and set back off, riding on the pavement, because as you know, with my track record, we would have been splatted.

Round the corner I slowed down to let some drunks past me and one of them commented on my riding on the pavement, then said sorry as he didn’t realise I had a little ‘un with me. I just smiled and whimpered “ha” and carried on.

Nothing was going to phase me…

Then, as I was finishing my final stretch of pavement at a slowish pace, two youngsters where on the pavement. I slowed down again, and this little scrote started heading towards me and screamed right down my ear, sending me wobbling everywhere and very nearly falling off because I couldn’t unclip.

Nothing was going to phase me…

Bollocks. I flipped. I screamed at her about having a child on the back and what would she have done had I fell off.

“I never said anything” was the reply.

Fucking hell. I know I’m tired but I certainly didn’t imagine what had just happened and neither had my daughter.

I screamed at her and carried on, ready to drop Lily off at home and cycle right back up behind her and scream right down her fucking ear and make her piss her knickers in front of her mate.

I thought better of it.

Perhaps she didn’t see that I had a kid on the back – she’s very well disguised at the back when I have my bag on, but its not funny and had I fell off, she wouldn’t have found it funny then – especially if I’d've fell onto the road with an oncoming van heading my way.

Children don’t think of these things until they are too late. Teenagers should know better. Much better.

Incidents: 1
Devils Hill: 1m 29s

Total Commute Extras:
Total Ascent: 699ft