Frosted Heaven

After a week away from the bike and a few essential winter purchases (new winter gloves, some bright lights and a cheapish pair of cycling trousers) it felt brilliant to be back on the bike.

A very frosty morning and a bright sunrise persuaded me to try the canal path route and give myself a chance to listen to some loud tunes along the way. It was a stunning cycle in, my face was bitingly cold, but the rest of my body was warm and toasty to the point that I even had to unzip a couple of vents to try and cool myself down! The canal itself was frozen over in many places, the canal path was extremely hard packed with a few icy puddles to negotiate and the morning sunrise completed the picture-perfect scenario and just kept me buzzing the whole ride in.

The ride back home was a stark contrast - pitch black and boring with only a few cars and lorries to keep me company, how dull. My new lights arrived today though, so i think I'll attempt to cycle back up the canal path and see how bright they really are.

Winter cycling rocks!

Weekly Total: 22.33 miles

Mixed Results

A bloody wet and wild week this week. Rain almost every day and a few very close escapes with regards to traffic.

On Tuesday I cycled in in the morning but caught the train through to Edinburgh after work. Thursday I survived the dark and dangerous rain storms of the early morning, with another car narrowly missing me as it tried to jump through a red light at a busy junction in Maryhill. The return leg was another train journey home though - this time so that I could be home to meet the washing machine repair man and hear first hand that 'yer washing machine is deid mate... its been killed by a pund coin'. (The man kindly proceeded to show me exactly the place that the coin managed to force its way through the internal metal drum and out the the plastic casing that surrounded it - the coin was still poking through!)

No cycling today as I'm off to try my hand at a wee bit of curling tonight.

All in all, a weird and wonderful week and a whole load of very nasty, aggressive rain.

Weekly Total: 48.35 miles
Overall Total: 2266.8 miles

Crash

I got hit by a car last night.

I guess its every commuter or courier's nightmare, but generally expected to happen at some point given that we generally spend so long on the roads. Not a very nice expectation, no matter which way you look at it, but I was lucky this time so maybe that's me for another 2000 - 3000 more miles?

It wasn't my fault, let me get that out straight away. I wasn't jumping traffic lights, dodging in and out of tail backs or hopping on and off pavements. I was just peddling back home, blinking the cold rain out of my eyes and generally behaving myself.

Anyway, I'm peddling down Great Western Road, just past Drumchapel and we've definitely got right of way. There's a junction up ahead on my left hand side, a couple of cars had already pulled out but the junction was empty as I continued to pedal along the road and past the junction. All of a sudden, a wee Corsa pulled out of the junction, clipped my handlebars and knocked me off my line and into the middle of the road. I was only clipped, I wasn't knocked off the bike and luckily there was absolutely no traffic coming up behind me so I was lucky, I guess. The driver of the Corsa pulled up just ahead of me so after chcking that my bike and my hand were OK I pedalled up to him and then began to realise the irony of the whole situation.... the driver of tea car was a driving instructor, his Corsa was spashed with 'L' signs and 'Learn to drive safely' slogans. Madness.

A few angry words, including my pertinant and deadly comment "I would have expected better driving from a driving instructor, mate" I decided that there was little point in continuing the conversation (it was raining, it was bloody cold and my bar ends had protected my hand and smashed up his wing mirror) and started back on my journey home.

I'm buying some more bike lights today.

Weekly Total: 21.14 miles

Not a bad week

Last week wasn't too bad in terms of cycling - I managed 3 days on the bike and pretty much endured some of the worst weather that I could. Next week I want to get back to doing 4 days on the bike, with a day off on Wed not because I am a lazy bugger (although that is quite definitely one good reason) but because the leisure centre where I get my morning showers opens late on a Wed.

Weekly Total: 63.48 miles
Overall Total: 2218.4 miles