Morning Commute:
Total Distance: 9.38 miles
Total Time: 40m 17s
Max Speed: 27.1ph
Avg Speed: 14mph
Cadence: 74rpm

Firstly, we are having a ride Sunday morning. I think the aim is to complete the Manchester 100k route. Anyone interested then I will be setting off from my house at 8am and heading over to Parswood to meet up with @ChrisB112. @emmarush is joining too, but don’t know what she is doing regarding meeting at Parswood.

After yesterdays disastrous commute home I was expecting much of the same this morning due to a few reasons. My hours have changed at work as I’ve supposedly been doing the wrong hours (but looking at it logically, thats impossible so I need to bring that back up) so have to go the old way to work now to make sure I am in on time, and, because of the time setting off, traffic is always going to be an issue.

I wasn’t disappointed – not 100m from my house a BMW nearly rode into me by trying to cut a corner. Not the best thing on ice. And as I came to an abrupt stop – he thanked me and carried on. WTF?

Plymouth Grove came – doing approximately 24mph down towards Upper Brook Street when some tard of the re variety followed another car out of a junction right into my path. Queue brakes. He didn’t see me? Course he did because the second I gave him the V he wound his window down and shouted “wanker”.

Mmmm.

I managed to navigate round most of the traffic into town without issue after that (about 1/2 mile) – which was good until I arrived on Oxford Road. I was merrily pedalling down the bus lane when out of the corner of my eye I spotted a taxi trying to pull into me. I had to apply brakes to make sure he didn’t hit me.

I pulled up to him 2 seconds later at the lights (??) and he wound down his window. I mentioned that he was heading for me and he said that he was pulling into the lane – what was my point? Grrrrrrr. I explained that nearly hitting me wasn’t the best thing for him to be doing whilst sat in a car with a big taxi plate on the back of the taxi, and that, doing things like that would mean that I wouldn’t get home to see my child.

After last night I decided the best way forward was to be calm, plus, today its on camera, so I have stuff to back up my actions.

Who would commute in rush hour? After last night I debated with myself whether to give it up as my life is more important to me and my family than my weight and fitness. I can cover 100 miles once a week in one big ride.

Evening Commute:
Total Distance: 8.78 miles
Total Time: 58m 56s
Max Speed: 20.7ph
Avg Speed: 8.9mph
Cadence: 65rpm

Here is the taxi driver thingymibob from this morning:

And now the journey home… mmmm… For those that don’t know – its been snowing like crazy up here since 3:30ish. This made the whole world panic and try and escape Manchester.

Of course this didn’t work and within 5 minutes of me leaving work I hit traffic jams. Tonight wasn’t the night to be filtering, so I just sat patiently in the traffic, dead centre in the lane – taking in the fact that all cyclists cause is traffic jams… Its not the cars on the road that cause it… Despite me taking 50+ minutes to get home and had a pause time of 40 minutes.

I sat there and inched forward. Sat there and inched forward. Slowly and safely making my way home. Cars around me where excellent.

As I was coming down towards Denton a woman signalled and pulled out into the lane slowly. She had seen me and I know she had seen me. She pulled out slowly and safely. I pulled up at the side of her and her window came down. We chatted. I asked if she’d looked in her mirror (knowing she had) just to hear her response.

I thanked her when she’d finished for actually taking care and consideration for a cyclist and complemented that there aren’t many people like her on the roads.

I approached the situation in the wrong way – but just wanted to hear what a sensible person says in response to being questioned. If she got the wrong end of the stick – sorry – didn’t mean it like that. I did appreciate it.

Home now – happy that I cycled. Unfortunate that I couldn’t try out my new route with the snow coming down, but hopefully the weather will pick up over the next couple of decades and I’ll get to try it :)

Time for sausage, mash and beans.