How was your commute ... today, yesterday, last week ...

[CXCommuter]

Windy this morning cross/head wind, maybe better for the ride home says BOM. But some crazies out today, firstly a guy with rubber floor mat mudguards cut to size and held in place with rope and plastic strap. Secondly, riding along and thought I could here a weird moaning sound, turned out the guy behind me at the lights was singing along to some Indian sounding "rock" (he was totally Caucasian) oblivious to everything around him.

[Comedian]

Yesterday I really struggled in and back due to a big weekend of riding and a decent headwind home. Only just made school pickup. (Phew)

Was feeling much better this morning on our Tuesday riverloop.

[jasonc]

Yesterday I really struggled in and back due to a big weekend of riding and a decent headwind home. Only just made school pickup. (Phew)

Was feeling much better this morning on our Tuesday riverloop.

you were going a little bit better that "much better"
I did the whole thing in the hurt box.

[Summernight]

Nice ride home for me and also in this morning,

I've had what I think is the same car turn left into Spring Street from Macarthur St, Melbourne CBD this morning as well as yesterday morning and both times fail to indicate that she was turning left into Spring until the last second and then she turns left without looking on her left for bikes in the bike lane. It would be nice if she'd indicate early so I can slot in behind her and not unintentionally go on her left because she's not indicating until she's practically turning. As it is I had to brake to make sure I didn't go on her left and possibly get left hooked.

And last night I had a pair of lovebird cyclists behind me canoodling and making gooey noises at each other at the lights on Collins and at the intersection of Albert and Hoddle, East Melbourne (how do I know they were canoodling? Because she made comments that 'he'd better not accidentally make her fall over in front of all these cars' . Plus I think I heard smooching noises ).

Which is all fine and romantic and I'm glad that we might have little roadies riding around sometime in the future. However, prior to the lovebirds meeting up the female cyclist went around me (I was stopped at the Swanston St lights) and she then went through the red light in front of me (I then passed her later on again). She met up with her lovebird on the corner of Collins and Russell or Exhibition (I was in front this time waiting at the lights) and then at the corner of Church and Elizabeth St, Richmond she magically turned into a pedestrian and crossed the ped crossing without looking first for cars turning right so a car that hadn't expected her to speed through (because she wasn't even going in that direction 2 seconds beforehand) had to brake sharply. She clearly had love hormones clouding all her risk assessment brain cells. If she had any to start with...

So to the two lovebirds on road bikes (or more especially to the lady):- please be more aware of the surrounding traffic. I'd like your mini roadies riding around sometime soon and your lack of awareness may prevent that.

[jules21]

lol.. some people just can't wait to get freaky with each other..

trees down across paths this morning. i went to ride around one along Merri Ck, in between the two wooden bridges east of Rushall station, and went OTBs. closer inspection revealed someone had placed rocks and planks of wood across the grass verge. shortly afterwards, the council guys turned up with chainsaws and one of the resident tree-ladies came out, complaining that this was where the possum crossed the path.. hmmm

if i'm taking shortcuts, i expect the path to be clear for me!!

[Comedian]

Yesterday I really struggled in and back due to a big weekend of riding and a decent headwind home. Only just made school pickup. (Phew)

Was feeling much better this morning on our Tuesday riverloop.

you were going a little bit better that "much better"
I did the whole thing in the hurt box.

Funny how two weeks ago a ride like that was a near death experience - yet this morning I was doing it pretty easy. Maybe I've done enough to pay for my holiday sins.

[jasonc]

Yesterday I really struggled in and back due to a big weekend of riding and a decent headwind home. Only just made school pickup. (Phew)

Was feeling much better this morning on our Tuesday riverloop.

you were going a little bit better that "much better"
I did the whole thing in the hurt box.

Funny how two weeks ago a ride like that was a near death experience - yet this morning I was doing it pretty easy. Maybe I've done enough to pay for my holiday sins.

definitely - time for a coot-tha attack me thinks (for you, not me)

[TailWind]

lol.. some people just can't wait to get freaky with each other..

trees down across paths this morning. i went to ride around one along Merri Ck, in between the two wooden bridges east of Rushall station, and went OTBs. closer inspection revealed someone had placed rocks and planks of wood across the grass verge. shortly afterwards, the council guys turned up with chainsaws and one of the resident tree-ladies came out, complaining that this was where the possum crossed the path.. hmmm

if i'm taking shortcuts, i expect the path to be clear for me!!

Yikes, hope you and your steed are ok. Low speed roll OTB or proper launch? Was the plank/rock arrangement some sort of "possum run" put in place by the tree-lady? I head around that way too sometimes, so will keep an eye out...

[jules21]

Yikes, hope you and your steed are ok. Low speed roll OTB or proper launch? Was the plank/rock arrangement some sort of "possum run" put in place by the tree-lady? I head around that way too sometimes, so will keep an eye out...

it was a low speed roll - no major damage although i lost the rubber button on my light, which was annoying.

yes, my guess is it was a possum run. not her fault as usually i only need the path but i was trying to see the funny side when she was explaining the cause of my crash was protecting her possum - she was obviously very concerned about the possum's safety

[alkhoo]

Yesterday's commute back to the train station was pleasant, if a bit blowy... We had headwinds and crosswinds heading back to Southern Cross.

I jumped on the trainer when I got home last night as I wasn't planning to ride today, but woke up, checked BOM (clear) and decided to ride in anyway. It was very windy around Lorimer St/Wurundjeri Way. The apartments in the area turns the area into a friggin wind tunnel. Very good ride in this morning. No incidents. Might take the bus home if the weather turns to custard this arvo...

Unlike one of work colleagues who drove in this morning. As I walked past him, he said to me "Always wear your helmet." I said, "I always do, and after what happened last year to the missus, there is no way I'm riding without a helmet." He came together with a cyclist this morning. He was turning right from Hoddle St into Vic Parade (or Albert St) at the lights (green) and collided with a cyclist who was using the pedestrian crossing (that was red). Cyclist and her bike went up on his bonnet and windscreen. Bonnet and bumper is dented and scratched up. Windscreen is smashed in where her helmet made contact. Cyclist was in shock but okay. She also owned up that it was her fault crossing at a red pedestrian light. Will post an update here if/when I find out more - he said he was going to call up and see how she's doing later this morning. Another driver/witness that stopped at the scene took cyclist and bike to home/work.

[gretaboy]

Am physically stuffed. Am sleeping like the proverbial log and not wanting to get out of bed. Signs the body wants/needs sleep to repair itself.

The temp was supposedly 13 degrees this morning and if it was, it was a chilly 13. My hands and toes were half frozen by the time I got to work. Took things easy due to the body feeling the way it is.

I reckon the last two days battling into strong headwinds is the cause.

[rangersac]

Windy! My commute home includes a 3km shallow downhill section that I'm normally cooking down at 50kph+. Last night I was reduced around 20kph, as between the insane crosswind gusts and the slipstream from passing high sided vehicles, I was struggling to stop the bike from ending up in either the side barrier or getting sucked onto the road. This morning was marginally better as it was more head on, therefore controllable!

[jasonc]

Am physically stuffed..

Take some time off :d

we have a public holiday today in Brissy

[warthog1]

Windy! My commute home includes a 3km shallow downhill section that I'm normally cooking down at 50kph+. Last night I was reduced around 20kph, as between the insane crosswind gusts and the slipstream from passing high sided vehicles, I was struggling to stop the bike from ending up in either the side barrier or getting sucked onto the road. This morning was marginally better as it was more head on, therefore controllable!

Yesterday a massive grey buck kangaroo standing at the side of the road at the top of one tree hill.
He was 6 feet tall and ripped! Should have seen the shoulders on him. I didn't know grey kangaroos got that big.
One of my work colleagues when I told her how big he was asked if he had tatts.

Today was a beautiful morning, no wind, clear skies and 6.5c. The days are getting longer too, the sun is up earlier, winter is finally on the wane

[Summernight]

Ouch, Alkhoo. Hope the cyclist and your driver friend are okay.

On the way home last night on the dedicated bike lane in Albert St I moved into the left vehicle lane to pass a slower cyclist (no cars behind me when I did) and decided to stay a bit longer in the vehicle lane due to another slower cyclist up ahead in the bike lane and me not wanting to weave in and out of the bollard thingies that separate the bike lane from the vehicle lane to pass. Anyway, a 4WD came up behind me and gave me a blast on his horn and his passenger leant out the window to tell me I should get back in the bike lane. What/who gives you the moral high-horse to tell me where I should and shouldn't be, Mr Moron? He had plenty of room and I was going almost the speed of the traffic.

The wind wasn't that bad for me on the way in this morning. Maybe I'm used to it. Or maybe I had a tailwind. I can't really tell anymore as I just keep slogging away. Apparently the forecast is winds of 90kph+ in the afternoon. I hope that doesn't happen.

I got to work and then realised that I'd actually enjoyed that ride. Which is usually the feeling after a ride. I keep forgetting that, even though I'm puffing and pedalling away, I enjoy the exercise and the wind in my (helmet and bandanna covered) hair.

[ColinOldnCranky]

Perth:

A unicyclist should ride with as little pressure on the pedals as possible and, for the distances I do, it is a definite. Well, I had a sneeze this mornign with zero warning - a beauty too - and involuntarily my legs must have lifted just a smdgin. All of a sudden I am sitting on the saddle with no control. I bailed immediately before I scraped the parked cars a few centimeters away. Oh well, another first I guess.

Steve, the guy who went down when he hit the tree after the storma few weeks back introduced himslef to me this morning (I had been one of those helping out). He is fine, back to riding and sporting at least one decentl scar on his face. I hadn't realised how tall he is - that fallen tree was made to order for him.

It was remarkably quiet yesterday but good to see the usual numbers back in the saddle this morning.

[TailWind]

Yesterday afternoon - Windy.
This morning - Windy. Arrgh.

[rdp_au]

Very pleasant run in this morning - a far cry from the wild and windy trip home on Monday. Not in the same league as Gretaboy, but challenging enough. Wind was 35kph gusting to 50kph at Olympic Park when I left, and was pretty much a headwind. Thankfully it actually wasn't too bad, as my route is fairly sheltered, so I only had to cope with blasts of wind in more exposed spots. All the detritus on the road was a problem though - I tried to stay away from the worst of it, but there were a couple of times when I had to ride through some due to traffic. Hit one stick so hard it bounced the front wheel sideways before firing out from under the tyre with a crack that sounded like a gunshot. Scared the c***p out of me and I was sure it would have caused a puncture, but thankfully not. Took some perverse pleasure in 'conquering the elements' to arrive home safe and sound

[familyguy]

Great run in. Confused by a poor woman gesticulating oddly from her car. Till I figured out she was pointing towards the footpath, and suggesting I should ride there. I suggested she depart the bus lane. Good times.

Jim

[alkhoo]

Ouch, Alkhoo. Hope the cyclist and your driver friend are okay.

Summernight,

Driver friend is okay - a bit shook up though. He told her, if you get any headaches, don't mess around, head straight to the hospital. The fella that dropped her off at her destination reminded her too. He tried calling her earlier, but she didn't pick up, so no word yet on her current condition.

[DavidS]

Yesterday afternoon - Windy.
This morning - Windy. Arrgh.

Yeah, I ride home down Beach Rd so there's only one word for recent conditions: windy!

DS

[gretaboy]

Getting better at this windy weather caper. Headwinds were blowing a mild 30 k/h yesterday arvo....riding into them seemed like a piece of cake...compared to the 50 k/h headwinds lol...still a struggle. Went over the top of a few "things" on the way home..got home and checked the back tyre and it was a bit spongy so I pumped it up.

Woke up a little bit earlier this morning just in case I had issues with the tyre...and yep it was flat. At 5:30 this morning there I was throwing a new tube onto the tyre...gave the inside of the tyre a good check with the fingers but couldnt find anything poking through. Will have to put the flat tube into water tonite to try and find the hole. This is the second morning this week that I have come out to a flat tyre.

Put a new seat on the bike too this week...feels comfy but the backside is still getting used to the new pressure points. I am happy with it so far however.

Lost a screw for my gopro mount this morning, obviously the rough roads shook it out. I actually tightened, well I thought I had, it up this morning, am just glad I didnt lose the gopro itself, would have been in the doghouse otherwise.

Had a fwit cut across me this morning, he obviously thought it safer doing it to a cyclist and not an oncoming car..he wanted to beat the traffic coming his direction.

Weather was fantastic however this morning, for all the issues I had, the weather/conditions made up for it all.

[FuzzyDropbear]

Well, HUGE disappointment for me last night. I've been pumped recently because I was finally going to see the cyclocomputer tick over to 10,000km. So last night was the night it was going to happen, I hit the 9,999.9km mark and watched the computer as I rode.. But it just started to flash and then it dawned on me, the thing only goes to 9,999.9km. When it hit me I'm pretty sure I looked like this lol.

Oh well, around the clock she goes, and back to 0019km now. I'm not sure whether it feels like a 'new bike' or it just rides like a dodgy used car that had the odo wound back. Looking forward to ripping it down for the 10k service though

This is the second morning this week that I have come out to a flat tyre.

Ahhh flats, what a royal PITA, 2 in one week just destroys the week. Still trying to come up with a way to make the tube change fun, tried a 'racing change' format but that ended up in a pinchflat and BANG because I hurried it too much because a mate was filming the pitstop. Takes me back to when I used to ride CrossMarks (I had 7 punctures in 5 days riding) on my way to work; that wasn't a fun winter.

[TailWind]

A bit of everything on the way back yesterday afternoon. Rain but little wind to start with, then some sunshine, then wind, followed by wind and rain and then finally cloud and wind.
Forgot about the mid-week chain cleaning and tyre checking routine yesterday, so this morning the drive-train sounded a bit noisy and I couldn't help feeling that I was working harder to spin the pedals...probably just my guilty imagination....but it bugged me all the way into the Melbourne CBD.

[Summernight]

Nice ride home last night as well as on the way in today, apart from the headwind for a bit. I really suck at the hill though. Going home I'm not as bad but going to work in the morning everyone else seems really enthusiastic to tackle that hill, whereas I'm just plugging away getting up it.