Stinging nettles

Well the 33 seconds of yesterday's trip home displayed above were possibly the most exciting and bizarre of the week since Monday. A near miss, cycle on cycle action and stinging nettles to add spice.

There I was turning right off Chickerell road onto Prince of Wales road (A steepish pull) holding a strong road position - mostly because there was no traffic coming; the lights here alternate east/west traffic along Chickerell road because the bridge is single track. Anyway back on track as it were... I turn left off the road onto the feeder path for the Rodwell trail and, as you can see, I am forced to ditch in the nettles by a rider coming down the wrong side of the path. He did yell a brief "sorry mate!" over his shoulder. If you are in anyway concerned about the nettles - they only got my left calf a bit and weren't hurt at all. Leg itched a bit though!

The Rodwell trail is like the wild west - pedestrians (who should be off it when I am using it - after all I share it with them for the rest of the day) everywhere, dogs on invisible black leads, dogs off the lead, drunken people, Bike Shaped Objects, Tiny bikes, Hoodie propelled bikes, pushchairs etc. so I expect to be wary but, as in this case I am travelling uphill at a whole 2 mph, I feel the downhill racer could have at least been on the correct side of the path!

Your opinion may be different, dear reader, but really is it unreasonable to expect people to at least try to be on the right side of the path - rather than being wrong by riding on the right?

Overtake if you must....

Well here I am back again after a long absence... an absence for which I have no real excuses other than nothing exciting happened when riding the Orca and also I kept forgetting to either attach the camera to the helmet or to charge the camera so that even though it may have been attached it was useless.

Today I was proceeding in a southerly direction down Portland road when I became aware of a White Van in the process of over taking. Actually I was aware of him before he started his manoeuvre by use of my bar end mirror, but anyway...

I was tanking down hill at a fairly leisurely 23 mph (37kph as indicated on my incredibly accurate bike computer) and only 7 mph under the speed limit I guess an overtake was deemed necessary by WVM.

Having been cycling on the roads for 32 years now I thought I had encountered every sort of overtaking style (motor vehicle vs bike) but today this WVM added another to the list... overtake then stay just in front of the bike - a style not uncommon in car on car overtakes especially on motorways) but in this instance even more surprising because the road was completely clear in front of us - save a set of traffic lights.

Oh well - none so queer as folk, they say, and definitely none so queer as folk in white vans!

Hazard Perception

First today I apologise for the quality of the above video - condensation on the camera owing to fog. As I was descending the ramp from the Rodwell Trail I noticed stored gas pipe so slowed to take evasive action. It transpires that I was wise to do so as the gas board have dug up the road and sealed one lane with traffic lights. I expect the dump truck driver was surprised by the 'bent and the snaking path I took to avoid everything was fun - even off road the Orca is OK!

Second, I present another video on the same subject... hazard perception. Luckily I had a hunch about this car as I saw it approaching the roundabout stop line, so was well prepared to avoid a collision and not use any expletives in my shout. The only slight mitigation in her favour was that the sun was almost directly behind me so I may have been a little difficult to see. Possibly. If you are feeling really generous. Oddly enough the other car at the give way failed completely to hit me or otherwise impede my progress.



For those who can't make out my shout I say "Get out of it! What are give way signs for!?" the latter referring to the lines on the road commonly found at traffic roundabouts. What are give way signs for? decoration? daft mare.

I am fairly confident she heard me because I shout loud anyway and she had her passenger side window open.

Oh well, no more cycling till Tuesday now. See you all (both of you, dear readers) then.

Shared path

As most of you know by now, I use a shared path for a length of my commute. The usual meaning of the word shared is "to use something with someone else"... so why on a shared path, do people consider standing in the middle of a junction to be sharing?

The Gent on the right notices me and winds back his hound on an extendible lead (black cord is just so visible and suitable for use on a path on which bikes are a common feature)the woman on the other hand - she of blog posts passim complete with skittish mad greyhound - is totally oblivious to the imminent arrival of a cetacean on the scene.

Oh look, the dog runs off and, rather sensibly for a greyhound, a breed not known for their smarts at the best of times, it hops off to one side of the track to let me past.

What was so important to talk about that the path had to be blocked, when a little bit of thought on the dog owners part would have rendered their conversation uninterrupted? why how to avoid the traffic chaos that is the roundabout outside ASDA and the edifying comment which I added as the title sceen of the clip...

Ah well - best wishes dear readers, until next time.

Traffic

Dear reader, it has been a while hasn't it? well here is a video to pass the time and I probably won't be posting another until Monday or Tuesday because I will be driving tomorrow.

Anyway, back to the video. You will remember that I ride along the Rodwell trail as part of my commute. In the last weeks I have met all sorts of other traffic - pedestrians (how dare they use my road?), joggers, school children, dog walkers, maintenance trucks, a grass mower and now, adding colour, a mountain bike actually riding up the steep path off the trail at the marsh.

I take my hat off to the gentleman - not only did he ride up the slope, he passed me almost casually. no fuss or bother!

Anyhow TTFN dear reader, more next week I hope.

Scalped

Dear readers, today we have a longer than normal video (showing off my elite video editing skills..... or perhaps not!) which illustrates the thorny issue of overtaking on a bike, or scalping as it is called by the commuter racing fraternity.

Climbing up the hill by the Kingswood Hotel I wonder why my Orca is making unusual noises and, much to my surprise, a Brompton folding bike creaks past about 1 or 2 mph faster than I. Ho hum thinks I and pick up the pace, as I would do normally at that point on the hill, expecting the Brompton man to be streaking off into the distance.

I was mistaken. He pottered along about 5 mph slower than I normally cycle along that particular stretch of road... that is the boring bit of the video - which I took the liberty of speeding up to save you from terminal boredom.

As the traffic eased and the road widened I took my chance with a swift glance to the right I streak (yes ok... I know!) past the Brompton using the hill and my 120" top gear to my full advantage much to the disgust of the tendons behind my knee. I neither hear nor see Brompton man again.

Now I don't overtake unless I am sure I can stay well in front; this applies in my car as well as on the bikes - why should someone be slowed by my inability to keep up a reasonable pace? Surely I am not being unreasonable if I expect the same courtesy from other riders? Waiting behind till we got to the top of the hill wouldn't have killed Mr Brompton man would it?

Oh well - he better watch out if I catch him on the flat or down hill...

Cycle cycle cycle cycle..... Junction junction... Aargh! Bus! a Buuuus!

Dear readers, remember back in the mists of time, when being taught the green cross code, the admonishment to look right, look left, look right again?

This video shows just why that is important. As I was approaching the junction I looked right, then left then right again just as the bus miraculously appeared out of the morning sun. I didn't fall off either.

This morning was an unsettling commute - nothing went wrong as such but things just didn't flow - by the time the bus turned up I was ready for anything to go not quite right.

What went not quite right? all sorts of things, listed here in no particular order...
There were pedestrians using the shared path (how very dare they!) in clumps so I had to use my bell;
Said pedestrians were accompanied by loose dogs;
I had a bit of a wobble at the end of my road for no apparent reason;
The traffic lights on Portland road started changing when I was 2 meters from the line travelling at 30mph or so.

That sort of thing - nothing major yet the whole was greater than the sum of the parts

I hope that my journey home will be even less eventful and more relaxed - if it isn't you will be the first to know.

p.s. in case you didn't realise the title of this post pays homage to Weebl's Badgers
p.p.s. Yes I know that isn't the original; it is the new live action version and no Weebl hasn't fixed the synch issue!