Terrible ride to work...

Well this morning's ride in wasn't one of the best. Here's the short
version:

First, the kids took ages to get organised for child care, so I was late
anyway. As I was rushing to get out of the house I found my rear tyre
was a little flat, so I had to get the floor pump out of the shed and
pump it up. No big dramas but I was already late so I'm getting a bit
flustered. Finally leave home at about 8:10 am (I normally like to leave
around 7:30, so I'm much later than usual). Ride through Gowrie and
Wanniassa and then up the Farrer ridge on Athllon.

A lady on her bike coming down the hill suddenly flies over her bars and
lands on the deck in front of me. Ouch! Skin off the elbows but no
broken bones. I fix her rear derailler which was the problem... it had
moved up a sprocket but didn't take the chain with it and the whole
drive train had jammed! Give her the once over (I'm not trained in first
aid, despite thinking about it last night!). She seems OK and is up on
her feet and quite talkative, so I offer my condolences and get on my
way. Now even later. Things are fine going through Woden and onto
Adelaide Ave, but by the time I get to the Hopetoun overpass my rear
tyre has decided to call it a day... must be a dud valve I think. I
change the tube while I notice the traffic building up and suddenly fire
engines approaching.

The tube change was a quick 5 mins and I'm back on the bike heading to
State Circle where the traffic has come to a standstill. When I say
standstill I mean that traffic had stopped but some drivers were eager
to pass their comrades on the left by quickly nipping into the cycle
lane, so I have 3 or 4 instances of near heart-attack and significant
finger waving within just a couple of hundred meters. Not happy Jan!
Then I see the reason for the traffic jam.

A cyclist had been hit on what I consider one of the most dangerous
corners in Canberra. It's an intersection where the cycle lane splits
and goes either straight or left and if you're on a bike and going
straight, beware the car turning left!! The car had significant damage
to the left hand side where the cyclist had come to grief and the
cyclist was on the ground being cared for by the ambo's. There was a guy
I've ridden with on the scene too but I didn't want to stick my head in
just to find out the story... I'm sure it will be talked about at the
crits tonight. So, after chatting for a minute or two with some other
cyclists who were clearly shocked by the scene, and realising that all
that could be done was being done by people with the right training, I
got moving again. Finally, just to finish me off for the morning, I had
a near collision coming off Commonwealth bridge with a cyclist who
decided he wanted to go right instead of left without indicating and
while I was passing him. A few choice words and off to work where I'm
emotionally frazzled for the day!

No news on the cyclist yet but anxious he's OK.

Bean

On Feb 13, 1:06 pm, Bean Long wrote:
Well this morning's ride in wasn't one of the best. Here's the short
version:

First, the kids took ages to get organised for child care, so I was late
anyway. As I was rushing to get out of the house I found my rear tyre
was a little flat, so I had to get the floor pump out of the shed and
pump it up. No big dramas but I was already late so I'm getting a bit
flustered. Finally leave home at about 8:10 am (I normally like to leave
around 7:30, so I'm much later than usual). Ride through Gowrie and
Wanniassa and then up the Farrer ridge on Athllon.

A lady on her bike coming down the hill suddenly flies over her bars and
lands on the deck in front of me. Ouch! Skin off the elbows but no
broken bones. I fix her rear derailler which was the problem... it had
moved up a sprocket but didn't take the chain with it and the whole
drive train had jammed! Give her the once over (I'm not trained in first
aid, despite thinking about it last night!). She seems OK and is up on
her feet and quite talkative, so I offer my condolences and get on my
way. Now even later. Things are fine going through Woden and onto
Adelaide Ave, but by the time I get to the Hopetoun overpass my rear
tyre has decided to call it a day... must be a dud valve I think. I
change the tube while I notice the traffic building up and suddenly fire
engines approaching.

The tube change was a quick 5 mins and I'm back on the bike heading to
State Circle where the traffic has come to a standstill. When I say
standstill I mean that traffic had stopped but some drivers were eager
to pass their comrades on the left by quickly nipping into the cycle
lane, so I have 3 or 4 instances of near heart-attack and significant
finger waving within just a couple of hundred meters. Not happy Jan!
Then I see the reason for the traffic jam.

A cyclist had been hit on what I consider one of the most dangerous
corners in Canberra. It's an intersection where the cycle lane splits
and goes either straight or left and if you're on a bike and going
straight, beware the car turning left!! The car had significant damage
to the left hand side where the cyclist had come to grief and the
cyclist was on the ground being cared for by the ambo's. There was a guy
I've ridden with on the scene too but I didn't want to stick my head in
just to find out the story... I'm sure it will be talked about at the
crits tonight. So, after chatting for a minute or two with some other
cyclists who were clearly shocked by the scene, and realising that all
that could be done was being done by people with the right training, I
got moving again. Finally, just to finish me off for the morning, I had
a near collision coming off Commonwealth bridge with a cyclist who
decided he wanted to go right instead of left without indicating and
while I was passing him. A few choice words and off to work where I'm
emotionally frazzled for the day!

No news on the cyclist yet but anxious he's OK.

Bean

Jeez, glad that was the short version.

phillip brown

Bean Long wrote:
Well this morning's ride in wasn't one of the best. Here's the short
version:
snip
No news on the cyclist yet but anxious he's OK.

I winced quite a few times whilst reading that. My own commute this
morning was quite straightforward and eneventful in comparison. I'm
hoping for something similar this afternoon.


BTH

BT Humble wrote:

I winced quite a few times whilst reading that. My own commute this
morning was quite straightforward and eneventful in comparison. I'm
hoping for something similar this afternoon.

Yeah, I hope you have a good one BT... you never know, you might find
another tent on the way home!

Bean Long wrote:
BT Humble wrote:
I winced quite a few times whilst reading that. My own commute this
morning was quite straightforward and eneventful in comparison. I'm
hoping for something similar this afternoon.

Yeah, I hope you have a good one BT... you never know, you might find
another tent on the way home!

Well no, but it had tried to escape again! I've pegged it down
now. ;-)


BTH

On Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:06:12 +1100, Bean Long
wrote:

A cyclist had been hit on what I consider one of the most dangerous
corners in Canberra. It's an intersection where the cycle lane splits
and goes either straight or left and if you're on a bike and going
straight, beware the car turning left!! The car had significant damage
to the left hand side where the cyclist had come to grief and the
cyclist was on the ground being cared for by the ambo's.

Hope the rider comes out ok. That said, many cyclists take the wrong
line on those green lanes, too far left. Some even stay on the curb
and snap right at the last second as if to surprise the driver.
Me, as far right as I can and early.
Give them every opportunity to exit harmlessly on my left.

I was having a great commute home tonight, weather was perfect for me
(nice and overcast but no rain),and ended up taking a series of
long-cuts to extend the ride. All going well till a plastic bag blew
across my path and became completely enmeshed in the derailler jockey
wheels. Sat on the side of the road for 15 mins picking out pieces of
plastic bag with a pocket knife, but some of it wasn't moving without
dismantling the whole thing. Couldn't turn the jockey wheel by hand but
pedalling gave enough force to turn it, so continued home for the next
10km as if the brakes were on the whole way.

DaveB

lemmiwinks wrote:
In my admittedly very brief experience of cycling in Canberra I found
it helpful to check over my right shoulder lots while approaching such
an intersection if I was going straight ahead. *Other than that,
cycling in Canberra is bloody brilliant.

I left for work an hour later than usual this morning (08:00 vs 07:00)
and I was pretty surprised at how much more aggro the 08:00 people
were! What a difference an hour makes! ;-)


BTH

BT Humble wrote:
lemmiwinks wrote:
In my admittedly very brief experience of cycling in Canberra I found
it helpful to check over my right shoulder lots while approaching such
an intersection if I was going straight ahead. Other than that,
cycling in Canberra is bloody brilliant.

I left for work an hour later than usual this morning (08:00 vs 07:00)
and I was pretty surprised at how much more aggro the 08:00 people
were! What a difference an hour makes! ;-)


BTH

I wonder if that's because it's mainly tradies going to work at 7am and
office workers going to work at 8am. Are tradies nicer than office workers?

Elm

Elmo wrote:

I left for work an hour later than usual this morning (08:00 vs 07:00)
and I was pretty surprised at how much more aggro the 08:00 people
were! What a difference an hour makes! ;-)

I wonder if that's because it's mainly tradies going to work at 7am and
office workers going to work at 8am. Are tradies nicer than office workers?

I've noticed the same thing everywere. On the trains, the tradies might
look pretty rough, but are nice group. The office workers must really hate
their jobs, because they appear to be in a perpetually grumpy mood.

Likewise on buses, roads...
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