Such a nice day, that not only did I decide to cycle into work once again but paused half way through dressing ... and stopped. It felt really strange to have the lycra shorts as my outer layer instead of adding on a pair of baggy shorts or 3/4 length trousers as camouflage. Add to that the T-shirt without a wind stopper of any variety and I felt I had left the house in the buff. As a general rule, vanity prevents me from exposing my hind quarters to the world without adequate covering, but sod it, it's early when I set off and who's to see?
Cycled through the city centre today which is the route I do generally only when the fighting spirit and vigilance is at the top of its game. To get through the city you have to be prepared to be a little bit nippy at the lights and a little bit assertive, a lot confident, decisive and very very clear about your intentions. No car driver must be left in doubt as to what you're doing, and to make sure that's the case ... well, you too need to be sure of what you're doing, and that means taking on board all the information possible rapidly to make that decision and having the fast twitch ready to do what's needed. Balance and strong indication are pretty key too. The world of city centre commuting is very mean to those who hesitate and I don't want to have a fit and healthy corpse.
But before 8am the city centre is fairly mellow. Enough other cyclists about so the car drivers are already attuned to the possibilities of bike riders, and enough people on foot stepping out in front of cars (and cyclists) to make sure everyone is on their toes for the preservation of life and dignity. Well, maybe not so much the dignity in the lycra shorts.
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