Lanterne Rouge

Oops?

Sorry guys - so much for an entry every day (the weekend was never supposed to count, though). Nagging by Allan (the new fragrance for Xmas 2009) has encouraged me to put fist to keyboard and type any old crap to fill space and shut him up. I didn’t say that out loud, did I? Anyway.

How about those new-style parking meters, the ones where you stick your cash in and get a sticky ticket to put on your windscreen? They don’t half look like people. I mean, they don’t, not really, but there’s something about the way your senses have to always be on alert on a bike that translates a 6 foot night, 2 foot wide, dark coloured object standing on the kerb into the kind of lunatic pedestrian who could, at any moment, run out in front of me.

I could bang on for ages about lunatic pedestrians, but it’s a typical cycle bore topic, so I won’t. It’s kind of amusing watching people leap in terror when you point out that actually you’re cycling there and had they seen you (NB at this point I am invariably sure that an accident has been averted, but since they haven’t even seen me they are very much not). In short - look out for bikes, dudes. It hurts getting hit by a 200 lb combo of flesh and metal traveling at 20mph. Hurts me, too, and no-one wants that.

It was 0 degrees when I left the house this morning to cycle to work. Hi, winter, hope you’re not as much of a bitch as you were last year. Though so far, no plans to circumnavigate the Isle of Wight in sub-zero conditions. On balance, 3rd January might not have been the best date to pick for the trip. If only cos it gets so dark, so quickly. I am, however, going to a velodrome next weekend for the first time ever! I ride a fixed-wheel bike in London, so I hope it’ll feel fairly natural. Can’t wait - watch this space for details…