This morning was my first big commute from my new home. 54.9km to work! From deepest Croydon to darkest Craigieburn straight into a stiff north-westerly. Of course I did it on the fixie with a 78inch gear. Just a bit high for the Banksia St hill.
The biggest culture-shock from my old commute was that I had street lighting most of the way and the traffic lights. Hardly any of them picked up the bike so I was left at a few deciding between running the light and sitting there forever. The great part was the difference between my speed and the car traffic speed. I'm used to travelling on open roads with cars and trucks passing close by at 110kph, so the moderated speeds made judging turns and distances much easier. The other nice thing is that my cycle-commute time is much more comparable to driving.
I've already spotted half a dozen bike lanes to add to my Stupid Bike Lanes series so keep an eye out here. From the bike lane which disappears on a bend, just as the road narrows, to the one with a collapsed roadwork sign in it. If there was a metal sign laying in a traffic lane with pointy steel legs in the air, it'd be a major issue. In a bike lane, I'll bet it stays there for a week.
My cycling is languishing a bit right now. With moving house, I've been a bit undirected. I've been riding a bit, but without much purpose. There's been a bit of racing but largely undistinguished. I still have an appointment with the AAC in January and a score to settle. I still have the sprinting power of a diesel tractor. I still don't have a new bike and I'm still planning to make it to France for PBP 2011. I also plan on updating this blog a lot more regularly.
At least I have a tail wind on the way home....
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3 comments:
Welcome back. What route did you take as it is a big ask to go through Melbourne's urban area.
Nice to see you're posting again.
Are there sweet spots to find to trip the lights? My steel bike usually gets 'em.
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