The "Excuses" Thread

[ColinOldnCranky]

I'm not much on excuses, the conditions in Perth are just too good for them.

However I am willing to claim one this morning. I scored a boil from my Saturday long ride on the giraffe - right at the top of the inner thighs at the bone where the edge of my seat contacts my seat. Ouch.

So I took the train as much as I could. (I still did - gingerly - the unavoidable 5km to and from the train.)

It may or may not ride the full distance home tonight, depending if it has gone down. Probably the smart thing is to give it a rest.

[nezumi]

I *intended* to go on a shop ride this morning, leaving home around 5:40 to get a 5:45 start and let the bunch catch me (they start at 6:00).

When I was still awake, unable to sleep, at 2:45 I decided the shop ride was a wash, and that my attempt at riding in on the road with a backpack would have to wait. Alarm reset to 7:20 and sleep attempted.

[rheicel]

Sick for the last 4 working days

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[CXCommuter]

Mega Manflu- actually just a cold but got told last night when leaving the office to not come in unless I was better. Nothing better than a boss enforced sick day.

[nezumi]

I've missed my commuting all week.

Baseball game on Sunday, slid into second base. After I get home and the adrenalin wears off I realise I have take off about a palm sized area of skin from my knee/kneecap. This, on a flexible area of the body, has meant painful scabs and tring to keep it moist using saline washes and hydrogel. As a result, pedalling would not be fun, so I am abstaining for a week.

[alexander]

job interview and the outfit has to look clean and sharp, not crumpled and messy. Plus my folio wont fit in my bag.

[bychosis]

The pedal school bus was cancelled today due to torrential rain. I don't mind getting wet, but getting my kids wet on the way to school when there is a perfectly goos SUV in the driveway wouldn't work out well.

[bcal9879]

Up early to get ready for a 0530 departure, and my rear light was displaying low battery. I wasn't really interested in being invisible, so I went back to bed.

[TraceyG]

Because Morwell is still so fully of poisonous smoke and fumes from the coal mine fire that I have trouble breathing just being there for work without the addition of exercise.

[isabella24]

Grrrr. Work is my excuse for not commuting, although it's supposed to be my excuse FOR commuting.... So far:

Monday - had to go to Adelaide (I live in Sydney)

Tuesday - I had to go to Horsley Park work 2hrs then go to Rosehill (both in Sydney but 30kms apart and in work time so can't ride)

Wednesday - Schofields for 4hrs, horsley park for 2hrs, silverwater for 3hrs (work time again)

Thursday - tomorrow it's Cecil Park then Horsley Park (in work time again)

Friday - it's Schofields then Horsley Park (can't cycle in work time yet again)

Why can't I be in 1 place per day for work!!!! Has anyone else come up against this problem and solved it? Other than Adelaide... I'm pretty sure I know why I can't cycle there in a day from Sydney.

[eldavo]

Seems like your problem is work... try some redundancy to achieve some work/cycle balance

I had to move this from how was your commute thread, as I realised I'm now a non-commuter, a little lost initially, but have a cross-trainer bike on a bike trainer, new Mio Alpha heart rate monitor, and some appointments around to keep me in contact.

Today first interview in 3.5 years, geared up, two change of clothes and shoes packed, plastic bagged to ensure no rain issues for first Perth rain, time to get going... customary squeeze of tyres a tad late, finding flat rear tyre that let go overnight after last ride. The Conti Super Sport PLUS is a tough mother carcase/sidewall and holds its own not looking flat at ll I could have faffed and pushed it, but recent history of luck (below) I decided not to gamble with being on time to an interview.

So the bad tube luck, a while back I was just sitting around when I heard the tube let go while it was parked up. Happened a couple months ago valve let go after I topped up the pressure on a Continental tube... so I was thinking OK a mix. A colleague had 4 X-cell road tubes fail out of a pack of 10 that hadn't all been used yet, one in the front while riding with a nasty shoulder slide so he was sworn off them, so I've given up on them now too. Today was just the right motivation =P I have a couple new Schwalbe tubes waiting... but to prompt me before the interview... Murphy's Law.

I got a lift to interview with family going to the park in the car, for the first time in ages in the car commuting. Traffic on freeway at 9:40am I was expecting clear 100kph, but felt like peak hour of 4-5 years ago (when I last on motorcycle commuting). Still early for the interview, I didn't give the offending tube a thought until now, it's time for some foul words in the change over =P

[isabella24]

Seems like your problem is work... try some redundancy to achieve some work/cycle balance

That's exactly what I tried about a month ago, problem was, I got a job the day after I was made redundant!

Hope you went well in your interview

[rheicel]

Claire, I hoping you will get some commute time after your busy week.

Well, next week is no cycling week for me. I'll be out to implement a project that is not even part of my job! Sigh! Can't complain though, I am still lucky to have a work at this point in time.

[find_bruce]

Jeez Louise, some employers just don't seem to understand you work to support your bike habit, not the other way round - which explains why Rheicel works so hard

[rheicel]

^Well said Bruce

[SheikYerbouti]

The ultimate excuse for no rides this week - Man Flu!

Everyone knows this is a severe and debilitating illness. Frankly I am lucky to be alive, so I don't mind having not ridden for a week.

[TraceyG]

The air is still crap in Morwell and now I am on the countdown to an international work trip. I think I am going to suffer big time on the charity ride I have committed to doing just two days after returning from OS.

[Aushiker]

This is my excuse. Hopefully it comes to an end in a couple of weeks.



Andrew

[jasonc]

andrew - that's an honourable reasons thread entry.
man flu however, is not

[isabella24]

Andrew, I wish you all the best, heal well and keep riding if you can.

[Aushiker]

Andrew, I wish you all the best, heal well and keep riding if you can.

Thanks. No riding until it is healed. In the meantime way to much time online researching future purchases

Andrew

[eldavo]

The weather must be too good for no excuses for the past 6 weeks and ALL OF APRIL!!!

I am handing in my every day commuter for 2012 and 2013 card.
2010-2011 I had motorcycles and scooters I mixed in before ascending to the die hard every day cyclist.
Now 2014 I've descended to the scumbags again... I bought a Saab. It was owned by a Priest (no, not some self righteous BNA contributors, the religious type
Only intended for bad weather when I can't see the half broken bottles in water puddles between bad shared path, convenience and rainy days when I used to prefer cycling...
It has cassette deck built in despite being a 2005 model so I can relive my high school youth of first racer friction shift bicycle and CD/cassette music of that era dusted off from my bedroom at my parents house.
One consolation is I'll keep my Strida Evo at work so I can get around the industrial area at lunch for convenience or in the boot to moderate the petrol guzzling turbo.
Time to go and repent...

[jasonc]

It has cassette deck built in despite being a 2005 model so I can relive my high school youth of first racer friction shift bicycle and CD/cassette music of that era dusted off from my bedroom at my parents house.

don't forget a pencil so you can rewind the tapes when they screw up

[Mububban]

I'm keeping a spreadsheet/calendar of when I ride, and when I don't I need to have a reason/excuse. I have spent a lot of this year so far sick. Thanks kids!

[clackers]

I'm keeping a spreadsheet/calendar of when I ride,

Gotta love retentiveness, Mububban!

I'll be disappointed if macros in the cells don't trigger threshold warnings of when to service your hub, etc.