So near, yet so far

At the start of the summer, mindful of previous year's problems, I put all
my winter bike gear in a box labelled "Winter Bike Gear". Smart move,
except - Where did I put the bleedin' box? Can't find it, rode to work in
summer gloves. Am pissed off.

 

Yebbut, it wasn't *that* cold. Lovely and sunny, and *so* worth it for
the miles of overtakes as the cars park/drive slowly into Cambridge.
) I is a happy bunny this morning.

 

Welcome to the wondeful world of Autumn bike commuting. Stick with it
as long as you can, watch the count of other bikes drop day by day, as
the cage queues get longer. Snigger as you shiver, like ;-)

 

Farken freezing here, but then I'm nesh, and my gloves were still wet
from Monday's swim.....

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l. Really, Sprint 1.7
Ducati Monster 600 Metallic
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

"Pip"

I love this time of the year

 

"Separately, and with earplugs and a helmet..."

 

Care to elaborate? Or do I have to google?

 

well, I'm assuming he's referring to the fact that on Monday afternoon
in central and north london, it was massively chucking it down.

 

Hugely so, especially when I was waiting for plod to clear the way at
the junction between 7 sisters road, and St Annes road.
<rant>

WTF are the incompetent car jockeys even allowed out in the rain? Are
they *really* so stupid that they don't realise the effect it has on
braking distances?
</rant>

There was about 3" of water running along the road by the time I got
bored and U-turned.

When I got home, my gloves weighed about 3 pounds each

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l. Really, Sprint 1.7
Ducati Monster 600 Metallic
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

You must have been there about the same time as me. I got as far as
Candle Street, and asked a trucker who'd got out of his cab what was
up, and he told me the road was closed, so I went through the back
roads onto Amhurst Park and then down the A10, both of which were
/totally/ solid with traffic.

AOL, and it was my leather gloves too - just about dried out by this
morning.

 

<fx checks map>

I cut a bit further north, came out on St Annes the squeezed through
everything up to Meridian Way. Ain't bikes great like

There are 'waterproof' FTs (but I knew they were on their way out).
Still damp now

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l. Really, Sprint 1.7
Ducati Monster 600 Metallic
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

Oh. Rain. It's jus that I was leafing through a copy of Bike from 1999
(no, i don't know why it was in the loo either, ask Will) and there
was an amazing photo of a guy and a bike erm, not flying, off a cliff
and into the sea.

So I guess my imagination got a bit carried away with me.

 

Absolutely. Even in the pissing rain, on a shit old bike with several
things wrong with it, I was having a much more enjoyable journey home
than the fools stuck in cages. Meridian Way was fucked yesterday
around 6:45, between the North Circ and the cinema, 'cos a big old
Merc white van had knocked some poor **** off their scooter.

 

Why ask? I used to have a magazine rack for, well, storing magazines
in, in the loo.

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l. Really, Sprint 1.7
Ducati Monster 600 Metallic
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

AOL though the throttle started sticking

I don't like Meridien way. My wife saw (an idiot from her
description) get killed up there near the Biffa depot. It just
streikes me as a nasty piece of road......

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l. Really, Sprint 1.7
Ducati Monster 600 Metallic
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

No, I mean the fact that it was from 1999. The first one to have Foggy
as 'guest editor'. And a rather heartwarming review of the Triumph
Triple.

 

It is a dangerous piece of road. Yesterday, I had at least 4 cars pull
u-turns in front of me without indicating. I don't always (or in fact,
usually) go along that last bit, usually making my way onto the North
Circular and up the A10 (I live (just) west of the A10). I wanted to
go to Tesco @ Ponders End yesterday though, which is why I was on it.

I think in the 5 or so years I've been using that road on and off,
I've probably seen one accident a month on it. Also, it's one of the
worst stretch of roads for traffic light abuse.

 

I peel off towards Chingford, and over the reservoirs.
Never seen a U-turn on it, but equally I've yet to ride it when the
traffic is stalled..

Now that I've not noticed.

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l. Really, Sprint 1.7
Ducati Monster 600 Metallic
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

Oh just my memory for useless information recalling that darsy had a
particular dislike of that junction - partly because parts of it are
"blind" if you are on 7 sisters rd but mostly because so many drivers
continue to cross on amber and red or otherwise pre-empt green. It's
certainly a junction I am very careful to check before moving across it.

I know he goes another route these days but many moons ago I used to
sometimes see him riding along and I'd try (in vain) to catch or keep up
with him. This was when he was on the rather loud TRX.

 

Ditto. Normally with horn firmly engaged

Personally I *know* I'd only end up looking silly.......

--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l. Really, Sprint 1.7
Ducati Monster 600 Metallic
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk