The First Commute
There's no photos as it was dark pretty much all the way there and all the way back. Since I now have my locker and know where the bike sheds are, there's no longer any excuse apart from the wimp-out excuses of being old, cold, wet, muddy, dark..... I figure that if I can do it in these circumstances, then anything else will just be a bonus.
I had everything ready the night before, including my new Terry cycle clothes all laid out for me. My thinking was that it would be nice if all I had to do was get up, clamber into cycling clothes, slurp a cup of tea and then head off into the unknown by about 06:30, leaving plenty of time to cycle the ten offroad miles to work and shower.
And so it was. My stalwart husband got up at 06:00 to drink tea with me and see me off (I also wanted him around to notice anything glaring that I might have forgotten in my sleepiness). The cat didn't notice anything different or seem interested - but then he got fed; that's all he's concerned about in the morning - that I don't walk out without fulfilling that necessary function!
I finished the tea, loaded up the panniers, and ventured out into what was still, strictly speaking, the night. One pannier was full of clothing - spare gloves, waterproof top, underwear, Thinsulate hat - along with spare essentials for the bike, namely pump, pre-Slimed tube, tyre levers, multi-tool, First Aid Kit (more on that later), and chemical glow-sticks. I have a horrible fear of having a CDE on the Downs Link in the pitch black after having gone through an ocean of mud. I need a head-torch. The other held spare battery for Lupine, purse, tissues... basically the usual contents of my briefcase.
So I wheeled out of the back gate, turned on all my lights, checked the fastenings on my glow-in-the-dark tabard and pedalled excitedly off into the dark. It was so cold that I stopped two miles down the road in Cranleigh to put a second set of gloves over my cycling mitts as my fingers were already numb. The rest of me was warm enough though.
The route worked out well - the dark hid the hills as it always does and I missed out those parts of the Downs Link which I knew would be muddy. I met deer on the Wey Navigation who dashed backwards and forwards across my path, obviously trying to figure out the easiest way of hiding until I had gone. They stood just the other side of a fence watching me as I wheeled past.
I still had to get the bike over the footbridge crossing the railway as I couldn't figure out where the path was that I had been told about that would take me under the railway. I picked up a fair bit of mud trying to find out!
The sky was growing light as I arrived almost at work - the sky was painted pink and blue and purple and there was mist between the hills. Beautiful. I tried to make it all the way up the hill but had to give up about tow-thirds of the way - I was starting to wheeze so was obviously overdoing it. I'll get there.
A good hot shower was very welcome, as was the discovery that the shower room is very well air-conditioned - my towels and cycling clothes were completely dry by lunchtime having been hung up on hooks. Excellent!
The journey home was not quite as pleasant - I found the bridge under the railway to the Wey Navigation only to have two things happen - firstly the towpath was impassable - three or four inches of mud meant that I had no traction despite my tractor-tyres.... also a jobsworth wanted to see my British Waterways Cycling Pass (which I now have, but didn't have at the time) and ordered me off the towpath.
I was by now liberally coated in mud and still had my whole journey to do, now in the dark. There was also a light drizzle of rain. I became a complete wimp once I got to Cranleigh - the last mile was the most difficult for some reason.
I put newspaper down on the kitchen floor before bringing the bike in. I couldn't see the worst of the mud until Saturday morning. I was very glad that I've fitted out the patio at the end of the garden as a fettling space! I was also very glad that the hosepipe ban has been lifted.
So, in summary, I made it, the lights were sufficient, the mud was deep and better gloves were needed. But all in all, very enjoyable.
I had everything ready the night before, including my new Terry cycle clothes all laid out for me. My thinking was that it would be nice if all I had to do was get up, clamber into cycling clothes, slurp a cup of tea and then head off into the unknown by about 06:30, leaving plenty of time to cycle the ten offroad miles to work and shower.
And so it was. My stalwart husband got up at 06:00 to drink tea with me and see me off (I also wanted him around to notice anything glaring that I might have forgotten in my sleepiness). The cat didn't notice anything different or seem interested - but then he got fed; that's all he's concerned about in the morning - that I don't walk out without fulfilling that necessary function!
I finished the tea, loaded up the panniers, and ventured out into what was still, strictly speaking, the night. One pannier was full of clothing - spare gloves, waterproof top, underwear, Thinsulate hat - along with spare essentials for the bike, namely pump, pre-Slimed tube, tyre levers, multi-tool, First Aid Kit (more on that later), and chemical glow-sticks. I have a horrible fear of having a CDE on the Downs Link in the pitch black after having gone through an ocean of mud. I need a head-torch. The other held spare battery for Lupine, purse, tissues... basically the usual contents of my briefcase.
So I wheeled out of the back gate, turned on all my lights, checked the fastenings on my glow-in-the-dark tabard and pedalled excitedly off into the dark. It was so cold that I stopped two miles down the road in Cranleigh to put a second set of gloves over my cycling mitts as my fingers were already numb. The rest of me was warm enough though.
The route worked out well - the dark hid the hills as it always does and I missed out those parts of the Downs Link which I knew would be muddy. I met deer on the Wey Navigation who dashed backwards and forwards across my path, obviously trying to figure out the easiest way of hiding until I had gone. They stood just the other side of a fence watching me as I wheeled past.
I still had to get the bike over the footbridge crossing the railway as I couldn't figure out where the path was that I had been told about that would take me under the railway. I picked up a fair bit of mud trying to find out!
The sky was growing light as I arrived almost at work - the sky was painted pink and blue and purple and there was mist between the hills. Beautiful. I tried to make it all the way up the hill but had to give up about tow-thirds of the way - I was starting to wheeze so was obviously overdoing it. I'll get there.
A good hot shower was very welcome, as was the discovery that the shower room is very well air-conditioned - my towels and cycling clothes were completely dry by lunchtime having been hung up on hooks. Excellent!
The journey home was not quite as pleasant - I found the bridge under the railway to the Wey Navigation only to have two things happen - firstly the towpath was impassable - three or four inches of mud meant that I had no traction despite my tractor-tyres.... also a jobsworth wanted to see my British Waterways Cycling Pass (which I now have, but didn't have at the time) and ordered me off the towpath.
I was by now liberally coated in mud and still had my whole journey to do, now in the dark. There was also a light drizzle of rain. I became a complete wimp once I got to Cranleigh - the last mile was the most difficult for some reason.
I put newspaper down on the kitchen floor before bringing the bike in. I couldn't see the worst of the mud until Saturday morning. I was very glad that I've fitted out the patio at the end of the garden as a fettling space! I was also very glad that the hosepipe ban has been lifted.
So, in summary, I made it, the lights were sufficient, the mud was deep and better gloves were needed. But all in all, very enjoyable.
posted by Catherine at 22:31
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