View From The Top

I would imagine that it'll be City.

I hope big Vic snaps the c**t.

Stupid bint.

You've plenty of time to get the miles in the legs. My "big" ride this year is Newcastle to London in 24hrs, 305miles.

70km club ride on Saturday, I played tail end Charlie as we had some fellas who haven't ridden for a while so the ride leader knew when he saw me that everyone was up the climbs. We have a brilliant sprint finish heading back to the shop, managed to sprint, on the flat, at 51km/ph. Finished 2nd from 24, left my move a little to late to win it. Today a flat 120km with a couple of mates. Really slow by my standards as they haven't enough winter miles in the legs. Decent hot choccy and cake at the 1/2 way point and the last 20km, when the 3rd rider had rolled home, we went balls out. Average a slow 25kmph or so for the 1st 100km and 34kmph for the final 20km.

That was a massive, massive win.

Whatever. After working in Sandwell, seeing foodbanks in action for the 1st time, seeing how JCP and ATOS work at close quarters for 3 years, I know policy when I see it. This isn't about hammering the workshy, which I'm really all for, it's about saving money at the expense of some of the most vulnerable and f**k the consequences.

More than once over the last 4 years, especially when working in Sandwell, I have given examples of how the system is now targeting people, instead of helping people and your usual refrain has been "it's not policy but the implementation". That's bull, it is policy. My favourite example is how a woman who had an appointment at the same time as her GCSE maths (calculator) paper. She had been told her lack of English and maths quals were holding her back so she'd enrolled on GCSEs to do something about it. She was told, by Tipton JCP, that if she missed her appointment then she'd be sanctioned, despite her giving them plenty of notice about the exam. She did the exam and passed with a B. We got involved as we ran some courses for them and were told, by the centre manager, that their regional manager had been told by London that missed appointment = sanction, no exceptions.

He's in Stafford nick. I find myself whistling "two little boys" every time I ride past.

End of the month they have said. I use that line everyday (further north).

It's not that bad but I'm gone well before the school run. Mums are more deadly than vans IMHO.

Or, as up here, they are full of parked cars. No way I'll ride my road bike on one and even on the hybrid I'm loathe to use them as they are almost exclusively shared with pedestrians.

I ride a road bike. The clue is in the name.

http://ukcyclelaws.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-laws-according-to-highway-code.html http://ukcyclelaws.blogspot.co.uk/p/overtaking-cyclists.html

Riding on Cannock Chase at night is darker than the mother-in-laws heart so my light is powerful and bright so I can see the road properly.

I've been a few times (NE) & love it. Strangely enough we were discussing a Sardinian holiday for 2016 only yesterday.

Great move.

I did a solo 45km tempo ride (30km/ph+ average) last night between Stafford-Stoke-Stafford up the A34 with my full MAMIL gear on & on my full MAMIL winter bike but I was still lit up like a Xmas tree. The club & the lads I ride with have lights way brighter than the cars. I don't get why you wouldn't keep yourself safe.

Not many better taxi rides on the planet.

DoT guidelines tell cyclist to ride well away from the kerb, certainly out of the iron works. The light issue is one that rankles with me as it sees like an obvious thing to do. My winter commuter bike has a very bight flashing rear light & my front light is brighter than the sun and I wear a bright jacket. My winter road bike has two rear lights plus one on my lid & another searchlight on the front plus reflective strips on jacket, tights and overshoes . I do an awful lot of night riding in the winter and I want to ensure that all drivers can see me.

Every day's a school day as thought you couldn't stop in a box junction at all.

Makes me smile when they are illuminated saying "Sign Not In Use".

I ride more miles a year than I drive and when I ride in a group we ride in pairs but when we know a car is waiting and it's safe to do so, we will go single file. Beep at us and there is no chance of us doing so. Riding in pairs stops drivers making f**king insane overtaking decisions. Keeps the driver and the cyclist safe. I can't comment of jumping red lights as I never do it (bar a bridge in Penkridge whose sensor doesn't pick up bikes so we jump it on the pavement) and I've only seen it done once and he got pelters from the rest of us.

Think we are off to Piedmonte in October 1/2 term