Morning Commute:
Total Distance: 8.64 miles
Total Time: 33m 59s
Max Speed: 31.7mph
Avg Speed: 15.3mph
Avg H/Rate: 161bpm
Cadence: 84rpm

I had no excuses this morning not to cycle in. I was up earlier. It was sunny. I did, at one point, for about 20 seconds as I was waking up, wish I didn’t have to cycle in, but that feeling soon went.

I loaded the car up and popped my bike on the roof of the car and drove to nursery to drop Lily off. I drove out of nursery and parked the car up and unloaded everything. Its a ball ache, but I’d rather it be that than using the train / car for a longer period.

Not long into my journey, at exactly the same spot where the back end of the van / lorry / tipper truck / whatever it was struck me the other day I was confronted with this:

Fortunately for me, the car behind me was paying attention and slowed right down, giving me time to pick my speed back up.

It wasn’t the pulling out that I had an issue with (despite me going around 25mph), it was the fact that she pulled out slowly and then hesitated – despite there being no oncoming traffic.

Grrr.

The rest of the journey to Plymouth Grove was a pleasant one. Here is a video for MattyJC, just to show him what rush hour can be like:

At Plymouth Grove I had a bizarre encounter. I was approaching some traffic lights and had pulled out in the lane so that drivers could see me. This guy pulled out, and I had no problem with that – there was enough room – but I, as always, was watching him, just in case he did anything erratic (I know, its shocking that I am actually suggesting that drivers of vehicles that need a license do anything erratic – but there – I’ve thrown it out in the open) and he stared back at me and pulled the most bizarre “what the fuck you looking at” face in the world. Odd indeed.

I then had to slow down so that an aimless pedestrian could wander across the road without a care in the world.

Then I had the pleasure of witnessing a van pull out from the side and swing out and then back in again without indicating. 10ft further up the road I could have been squashed. Oh – and he did it right at some traffic lights so ended up stuck at the lights.

Douche.

Just another day for me in paradise!

Evening Commute:
Total Distance: 10.46 miles
Total Time: 40m 41s
Max Speed: 35.4mph
Avg Speed: 15.4mph
Avg H/Rate: 160bpm
Cadence: 82rpm

Interesting commute home!

I thing its the first time that my average speed is greater on the way home than it is on the way in – which is good considering I have to make my way over this sort of elevation:

Its not much compared to the 1,000ft + climb that Clive does to work, but its still mostly up hill :) And I did an extra two miles home.

I’m sticking to the route that I now take home, which is a little different to the normal way. Its a couple of miles extra, but I spend very little time on the main road shown in the video for MattyJC above, and more on side streets – which, surprisingly, tend to be clear of traffic.

Of course, this means no more footage of RLJing at Denton Roundabout, but I can live with that – its a much safer route.

The drivers seem to be a little more polite on this route too – although that probably wasn’t shown on my first attempt early last week when I had 8 or so incidents, but some of that can be down to me not knowing the area or traffic.

Fingers crossed that I get many an incident free journey down this way. Friday I will cycle in this way too and see what its like (can’t do it til then as I have to do the nursery drop off).

Addendum:
It dawned on me today, that this will be only the 50th day that I have cycled this year. That shocked me. Taking into account commute days only, I should be on at least 77 days out of 110. Granted, the weather for most of February ruined the cycling (and January for that matter) and March was ruined by illness, but I am still a little disappointed with the results. My mileage, elevation and time on the bike should be much more, so must try harder to get some more miles in over the coming months – especially with summer looming!