I made a low level return to the saddle yesterday, riding to and from work. I did not find it easy.

My last ride was over 6 weeks ago but it feels like my body went back around two years.

The hills and slopes that I was comfortably taking on with the middle cog (of my triple) now could only be hit with the granny gear and even then it was a struggle.

I am strongly hoping that my fitness will return within a few rides but at least it was a delight to get back on The Cube.

The ride home ended with me losing concentration and managing to ride into some stones at the side of the road, suddenly realising I had hit a kerb and was falling off while desperately trying to unclip my feet from the pedals.

For the fourth time since riding again, I was lucky to unclip a split second before I had to accept the inevitable and prepare to hit the deck.

I still don’t know how I got myself in that pickle but I’ll make sure not to lose concentration just because I am a few metres from home.

Spring Return To The Saddle is a post from: Britalian
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This morning was the first day with no torrential rain around 0600 so I took the Cube out of the basement and rode to work.

Weather-wise it was fine, not particularly cold and no fresh rain although there was still some water on the road surface and lots of small debris washed into the cycle lane of the main roads.

On a small downhill section, I was braking for a roundabout, certainly not going fast and the back wheel slid away about ten inches to the side. I straightened out automatically but I am glad it happened there and then and not at a more serious part of my journey.

It reminded me of when I was a new driver in winter. I would slide around as much as I could when I was alone on the road because I didn’t want to feel a slide for the first time when I was headed towards a truck on the wrong side of the road. I still do it in the car if I am alone, just a tiny bit of extra gas to feel the slipping point and then ease off again.

Today’s wobble was a timely reminder that I don’t need to be riding on ice to lock a wheel, just some surface moisture is enough and it means I can tailor my speed accordingly.

The car drivers seemed to be in more of a hurry to get to work and there were some very poor overtaking decisions being made. Some drivers think that they have executed a perfect manoeuvre by skimming past me and then moving out wider once they have passed.

Frankly, I don’t care how wide you go when you are past me. I am only interested in how much space I have when you are alongside me, not how much room you are giving to fresh air.

A Little Bike Wobble is a post from: Britalian
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I have several reasons for not wanting to be killed on my bike. You may share some of them, I expect.

In the last month or so I have seen a lot of poor behaviour on the road from motorists, bladers, pedestrians and motorists and have probably been involved in some of it myself.

The easy thing, especially when you are a motorist using a bike is to feel like every manoeuvre that you witness is a personal affront to you, designed to disrespect and bother you. After all, you are usually protected in your metal shell and suddenly here you are, all cold, reflective and vulnerable.

It is very easy today to play the victim. It’s probably my default position on many subjects but on the road, it’s not going to save your life and might even get you killed.

The question is “what can I do to make this safer for me?”

Pulling up a little too close to a truck at the traffic light? Well, he is never going to see you so even if he does pinch a couple of inches towards you when he pulls away, he certainly is not going to hear you shout.

My pet peeve here is motorists who overtake you at pedestrian crossings. They choose the part of the road with reduced space available for them and you but because they may have been waiting for ten seconds to get by, they figure their best bet is to floor it and squeeze by.

The best I can do is to make myself and the space I occupy larger with an extended arm to warn the motorist not to make a move.

I always make sure I have some room to move into if I need it. If a car is too close to me and I have no room to work with, it’s looking bad.

Generally I treat each situation from a distance, holding back if I am not sure what lies ahead of the traffic queue or just accepting that some people will always be assholes.

Asshole or not, each situation is met with a thumbs up and whether the other person sees it as sarcastic or not, at least I am still on my bike and on my merry way.

It’s Easy To Play The Victim But It’s Smarter To Play Defensive is a post from: Britalian
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The temperatures have certainly dropped a good ten degrees centigrade in the last fortnight and my climbing ride at the weekend taught me one thing:

However cold it is outside, it will be colder on the bike!

I did not legislate for chilly wind generated around me by simply moving and when this cracks around the face, ears and legs, the chill factor is significant.

So I think for the next few months my policy will have to be several layers at all times, leaving no inch of my body uncovered from the neck down.

For sure it means that I will be calling upon Wiggle to provide me with a few winter supplies but as I intend to ride through all non-solid weather I need to get on there soon before I am dealing with sub zero temperatures outside and even colder on the bike.

Moving In To Autumn / Winter Cycling is a post from: Britalian
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I spent 6 years using a Carrera 4 hybrid but it was when I bought my first road bike that my enjoyment of cycling really took off.

I am delighted with the Cube, even though my tinkering sometimes leaves me thinking I have destroyed it forever.

Thankfully I have found a bike shop I like a few km down the road who put the bike straight again for me.

My 2009 Cube Aerial is a post from: Britalian
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I decided over the weekend that I would concentrate on something I enjoy on this site.

So I will focus my posts on cycling.

Reviewing rides, websites, bits of kit I have got my hands on and a few very basic maintenance tips I have found and used.

So instead of random moaning and complaining I will have only have positive things to say! Unless I am moaning and complaining about other road users (including other cyclists)!

Writing About Cycling is a post from: Britalian
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Ryan Giggs was granted his “super injunction” on April 14th, 2011.

Here is a list of some of the news events that have taken place since then that would have consigned the story to the dustbin had Giggs been named back then.

• The Royal Wedding
• Capture and killing of Osama Bin Laden
• Ken Clarke argues that some rapes are worse than others
• Britain votes against Electoral reform
• Microsoft buys Skype for $8.5 billion
• Lord Triesman accuses FIFA members of accepting bribes for Qatar 2022 World Cup bid
• Facebook exposed as mounting smear campaign against Google
• Head of the IMF arrested for attempted rape

Included that is possibly the biggest news item in the last 10 years with the shooting of the bearded man.

You cannot really expect Giggs to have known what a storm his actions would cause in the media and even in parliament, but really, taking Twitter to court? Was he really advised to do that?

His advisers should be named because they have done a horrible job for him.

Combine that with the print media’s need for a distraction to divert attention away from the fact that they are accessing people’s voicemails illegally.

The absence of a single newspaper to push stories against the News Of The World go to show that they are all worried about their own actions. Exactly the way that no MPs were overly loud in their damning of Parliamentary colleagues during the expenses scandal.

Things That Have Happened Since Ryan Giggs’ Super Injunction Was Granted is a post from: Britalian
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I always like to watch The Professionals on ITV4 when I catch it on. I was a young boy when the original series was shown so it’s a nice piece of nostalgia.

But I have noticed the episodes are a bit “samey”.

So I wondered what someone who watched The Professionals would learn about the 70s if the show was used as a reference.

Well firstly, it goes without saying that the security forces dressed for image rather than comfort. With an absence of purpose-made breathable fabrics, the temperature generated by the incessant rubbing of polyester during a chase on foot put Bodie and Doyle in a state of constant fire hazard.

If I remember rightly, cleaning products in the 70′s were totally useless. Regardless of what was claimed on TV ads, if it got dirty, it stayed dirty. So when the boys were hiding out in a self-constructed forest bivouac, their clothes were certainly rendered unwearable after that point.

Which brings me to……..

Forests and other woodlands. Lots of things in the 70′s seemed to happen surrounded by trees. Criminals buried things, they practiced shooting, made their own weapons and, of course, generally hid out in the great outdoors. Bodie and Doyle made a lot of their arrests purely by taking a nice walk at lunchtime.

Cars in the 70′s seemed unable to pull away at normal speed. It was floor it or walk it. Just seen your main suspect drive the other way? Slam on the brakes, spin the Escort round and hammer it after him.

You could also travel down any street at any speed with no fear of hitting a pedestrian or another car.

The main reason for this is that it appears that every house in London was occupied by a terrorist or former terrorist with a grudge against those who tried to put them (or managed to put them) in prison. Houses in remote locations and country manors were especially prone to this as they could be occupied by several individuals or a gang of Eastern European terorrists.

Because in the 70′s, you simply could not trust anyone who wasn’t British, apart from…….

Former judges, high-ranking civil servants and Army officers, all of whom have a shady past that will come back to haunt them and bring down any life and riches they have built up since “the old gang” broke up.

Finally when it comes to arrest, criminals gave up much more easily than they do today. There was no “you’ll never take me alive”, it was much more “no problem, I will just wait over here”.

Ah yes, the 70′s. there you go kids, that’s how it was and if you don’t believe it, it’s all there, in The Professionals.

History Lessons From The Professionals is a post from: Britalian
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This morning I sent off the tickets I had bought to see Jerry Seinfeld live in London, after selling them on Seatwave.

I bought them seconds after they went on sale but my enthusiasm for the gig had been decreasing ever since I shelled out a load of money for them.

Now. I love Seinfeld.

I could spend the day and night going through episodes, even just the audio as I do on long drives. I love the craft of the script, the performance, the perfect timing with which every word is delivered.

But the Seinfeld I love is the show that features Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine. It’s not the one man standup although I am always interested in him discussing his process and his refusal ever to say that there is anything like a shortcut to comedic success. His whole approach is based on hard work and hard rework.

At ?100 a pop, I am sure Jerry is doing OK out of the gig but after my initial euphoria at getting the tickets, I think I made the right call.

It could only have tarnished my view of him and the beloved show.

Why I Sold My Jerry Seinfeld Tickets On Seatwave is a post from: Britalian
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If you are waiting for a refund from Easyjet, things may not be as they seem.

If you log in online and the status is “Refund Being Processed” then you need to call their Customer (Bad) Experience Centre.

Interesting that they admit they do not offer customer service, only customer experience.

I just did this and the two flights that had the status of Refund Being Processed had actually not been logged at all.

Apparently because I requested my refunds online during a period when other people were doing the same, the requests had not been submitted correctly to the Easyjet finance department. Note that cancellation online was one of the three recommended options we were given at the Airport.

Only by phoning them can you verify that it was submitted correctly, and get it submitted properly if it failed online (despite you being told that the refund was being processed).

It’s just another line under “companies are thieves”

What I would like to know is:

• Why is it that Easyjet payment systems never fail but systems dedicated to refunds collapses under use?
• Why does their website still say that the refund is being processed when it is not? Surely their IT department can make a query from the list of refunds with status “In Progress” and compare this to the list of payments “In Progress” that the finance department are dealing with?It would be easy to do if they used the people responsible for taking money.
• How much money have Easyjet made in interest on refunds that are conveniently not actually being processed?

If You Are Waiting For A Refund From Easyjet, Read Here is a post from: Britalian
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