More cycling...

[wildeabandon]

I did some more cycling today, but on routes that I'm a lot more familiar with, and it was considerably less scary even in the dark. The only bit that was a bit tricky was trying to go down Green Lanes at rush hour, and feeling as though I should be able to weave through the gaps between slow moving and parked cars as all the other cyclists were doing. But then I realised that I was allowed to just get off, walk the bike across the road, and get on it again once I'd turned into a side-street, rather than trying to do a right turn on a traffic clogged road.

I'm going to Brixton tomorrow to see themidnightgirl and the_alchemist and Florizel, and briefly considered cycling all the way there, but I think that would be an awful lot of comfort-zone pushing for one day, so instead I'm going to cycle to Kings Cross, leave the bike there, and get the tube the rest of the way.

Comments

[sfred]

But then I realised that I was allowed to just get off, walk the bike across the road, and get on it again once I'd turned into a side-street, rather than trying to do a right turn on a traffic clogged road.

Quite right! A major advantage of bicycles.

Where there's a wheel, there's a way

[hairyears]

I do that quite a lot.

There was a time when this would never have occurred to me: but everybody's luck runs out and, for some of us, our luck has made one last-gasp effort by switching-on our sense of self-preservation at the age of 40.

Quite a lot of London's road junctions look like meat grinders, viewed from a bicycle saddle, and I find myself wondering how much it costs the Borough to keep hosing-off the bloodstains, as I walk the bicycle across the pedestrian crossings instead of attempting a dangerously-exposed right turn among HGV's and homicidal Kensington Panzerkampfwagens.

[shreena]

Ooh - next time you're Brixton way you should come and see us, we are a short hop on a bus from Brixton

[barakta]

100% legit to walk the bike on pavements etc, my partner (who restarted riding bikes when we lived in London and is now definitely A Bike Nerd) usually rides recumbents and hates traffic weavers cos that's quite dangerous (and impossible on a recumbent). Even on a Boris Bike she's not going to do that.

I think working out your stretch without overload goals sounds great.

[hairyears]

Surely, your train route is ThamesLink from Finsbury Park?

[wildeabandon]

Even from Finsbury Park it's quicker to get the Victoria line than Thameslink, but in this case I wanted to deliberately go a bit further on the bike. At least, that was the plan until weather happened :)

[lavendersparkle]

I found it useful to get a mobile phone holder that attaches to my handlebars, so that I can use Google maps as a satnav when I'm cycling. That way I don't have to think about finding my way, so it's one less thing to concentrate on.

[smhwpf]

Weaving along Green Lanes is definitely not for beginners! (Arguably it is best avoided even for the experienced).