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Updated with the commute home

Given the issues I had getting a bus home yesterday and the Monday – a fatal car crash resulting in my bus not even turning up in the city centre (bus wasn’t involved, it just couldn’t reach the city centre) and some Tory person being in the city causing traffic chaos the day before – I decided that, what with the strikes and all, it might, just might, be better to ride into work today. So I did.

I woke at the normal time of 6:20 and had a very leisurely morning as I didn’t need to leave the house until 7:45. I tend to forget what exactly is on tv at that time of day as I’m usually kinda only half listening to it as I get dressed and force food down my throat, but today I got the full joys of Ugly Betty (repeats, again) and Wildfire (repeats, again) before sorting my rucsac out with a change of clothes and clambering into my kit.

The wind chill got my eyes-a-watering and as I rode down towards the main road I looked like I was really not wanting to ride – with tears rolling down my face as my eyes tried to cope with the cold, cold, wind. Blinking furiously I made it round to Ashton Old Rd without hindrance and readied myself to ride with half the world on my tail and out to get me.

I was very surprised at how easy it was turning right onto the AOR, as it’s normally a nightmare, but I was soon riding alongside good, law-abiding citizens until a van cut in front of me. Twice. The same van pulled out of a side street into my path, across into the next lane, then decided that he actually wanted to do it all again and cut across in front of me to turn left into the next side street. Plonker! Still, I was aware that there’d be morons and was prepared for them, so it didn’t bother me much.

Aside from the very odd places where the traffic narrowed into a single lane thus killing the cycle path, the rest of my ride was easy – traffic in one lane and the whole of the bus/cycle lane to myself. Oh, what a joy to be passing all those people in their tin cans. Getting close to Pin Mill Brow would be the most difficult part of the ride as the traffic becomes multi lanes with a turning for the inner city motorway (Mancunian Way) and I was anticipating that I would be flattened while approaching the turning, but I made the left turn easily and without a hitch and carried on my merry way along the crappy rough road, made my right hand turn under the bridge and got onto an even worse surfaced road. By now my lights were vibrating really badly and starting to annoy me with their hum, but the road soon evened out and I was making my last few turns to skirt Ardwick Green and then try to cross the stupidly busy road, though I would much rather do this than try to navigate the Apollo roundabout.

My only issue with commuting was having to lug the rucsac in with me, but I guess if I make it a permanent thing then I can leave some clothes and a change of shoes in the office and take them home at the weekend etc so I only carry it all twice a week.

You never know, this may become a permanent fixture, even though it is only around an eight mile roundtrip.

Blurbage – outgoing

3.6 miles
30ft climbed
00:14:43
14.8mph average

The route home was a slightly longer affair due to the traffic building up so it naturally took me a little longer to get home, but it wasn’t too bad. Getting out of work onto Ardwick Green South was surprisingly easy, but once in the bus/cycle lane to the roundabout I had the joys of the honks of disgruntled drivers who were angry with those in front of them, bizarre seeing as those in front were only crawling anyway and had to stop at lights. Oh well.

The back streets were difficult to navigate due to ruts and hgvs, but I soon got out onto Ashton Old Rd and began the main route home. Riding along here wasn’t too bad actually as the traffic was good and steady and I was given lots of room. But I was finding myself getting very annoyed with fellow cyclists who were running every light going and weaving in and out of traffic like they were at a fairground. At one set of lights the driver of the car next to me wound down their window and asked me if all cyclists were that mental, I said no as was plainly obvious with me, and they chuckled and said it was nice to see one obeying the law. Good to know that us good cyclists are appreciated by drivers!

The road remained fairly clear until near Matalan when it started to build and and I had to slow down and stop a few times, but I didn’t mind too much as I knew that I’d be home soon. As predicted once over the Floop the road cleared again as it became two lanes and I could roll along happily until my turning when the going got rough as the surface got more and more rutted and potholed. Thankfully the traffic on here is pretty light so I could hog the whole road.

The worst bit of the ride is when I get to my junction – as the tram lines run on it and it’s now been made into a one way system, it’s not great for road bikes, so I added a bit to the ride by doing a little loop round to the next set of lights and doubled back on myself.

Blurbage – homeward bound

4.2 miles
203ft climbed
00:20:19
12.5mph average

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