Ride into work almost claimed me this morning. The final quarter mile sees the careful corner, this is a dual carriage way that drops down hill and then effectively does a 180 degree turn and then has a left turn off the inside lane that then does another 180 degree turn. It takes you from Upper Brook Street into Sackville Street and the apex of the various bends in the road are a real test of lane discipline for drivers.
Of course if you’re on a bike and they’re not paying attention it’d be all too easy for them to cut you up and leave you in the gutter and in the last few years the number of time I’ve shouted curses, banged on roofs or stopped and had words of people is ridiculous. It is without doubt the most dangerous section of the commute. The technique is to occupy as much space as possible and hold your line and speed. A road bike even in the wet can carry more speed through all the corners than a car. In the dry you can really rail it around the corners and play the traffic lights to your advantage,.
Today a taxi driver tries to overtake me through the first bend and then, despite not actually completing his shining example of vehicular ineptitude, our Mancunian friend still attempts to cut me up going into the left hander. This is despite the fact he was in the wrong lane to be trying to do this move anyway. All they need to do is wait. I’d quite like not to end up underneath the wheels of a Toyota. If I do go out of this world in vehicular glory, I want to be doing it in spectacular style, at great speed and whilst going backwards. On fire.
R O T H A R . C O M 
2 thoughts on “Almost…”