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An excellent read, especially the historical references: 1970s Californians against cycle paths etc. http://www.theguardian.com/cities/bike-blog/2014/mar/04/cycling-cities-search-bike-friendly-metropolis

Probably had something to do with the Range Rover camera car and their overall celebrity status. I don't like those three much ("And he's not even a real hamster" - Stewart Lee.) But they seemed to give a somewhat gentler view of cycling then a full on rant. Buses - they really really really don't give a toss. I'm back there in a week or two, trying not to get murdered every day.

Mild SE (for locals) Gusting to 40km/h.

Accountants.

Sometimes it's not inadvertent, a woman in an Audi Asomethingorother tried to stop me passing through the traffic on Tuesday. It was on purpose because I saw her looking in the door mirror straight at me (I have a dark visor so no eye contact) and saw her move the steering wheel to the right. Luckily the car to the right had moved to allow motorbikes some room. It's happened a few times, luckily not too often.

You guys who do the rescue thing. Words fail me. You are Magnificent Human Beings.

LSD on the road . Dude you are special, very special.... Or Hunter S Thomson.

Takes me about 45 minutes to an hour for a 23km one way trip on my MTB. Faster on the road bike. Depending on the wind.....And the traffic lights.

Thank you to all for your suggestions and advice. I was ready on Saturday morning, had a route planned; at least 25km of headwind. What happens? NO WIND!! Or so low as to be insignificant. Nice ride though, even if the temperature was a touch high. Tried again on Sunday quite a bit more wind: the approach of embracing the wind, not making it your enemy but something to move in and around really does work. It did not become a distraction and I definitely was more efficient as I'd become more relaxed. Thanks again all. This has really helped. I'll try again in the week Tuesday and Thursday look quite good.

Thank you for the detailed advice. I'll certainly try the riding the waves approach. I have to use headphones as I don't want to be deaf in ten years. I've been wearing earplugs whilst riding my motorbike for the last thirty years: a few of my mates are almost deaf or have very narrow hearing bandwidth as they've never used noise protection when riding (motorbikes and bicycles). My hearing is still very good - better than it should be according to my GP. The volume is set low enough so external sounds are not drowned out but the drone of the wind is interrupted Also, looking behind, frequently or "The Lifesaver" as UK bike test and instructions call it is another and probably the best defence. I do hear you (pun intended) and understand your qualms where headphones are concerned. Joggers are a case in point. Sorry, slightly OT. Everyone's input is appreciated.

Thanks fellas. The " Respect do not fear" is a line I'm definitely going to try. I can usually find a comfortable rhythm whilst climbing. I'm doing my best to strengthen the old core at the moment, which hopefully should help.

I've tried various ways, but I can't seem to get into a good rhythm when riding into the wind. On the days I commute I seem to have areas where all I can think about is the headwind and how little progress I'm making. I always wear headphones playing music or podcasts; these serve as earplugs as the sound of the rushing wind is quite painful. Does anyone have any tips/techniques which help with the despair of riding directly into a 20 to 25knot headwind? HTFU is not helpful (but may be the only way)............

Check the cable, make sure the outer casing(s) are all located correctly. This has never happened to me, no not at all, never.. I've never adjusted and cursed a brand new cable and a crappy shifting RD only to find the outer casing was snagged in two positions. Nope didn't happen...

http://reviews.mtbr.com/the-angry-singlespeeder-dont-showroom-your-local-bike-shop From Hipsterdouchebagland. I agree in principle: But some of the comments below the article are quite interesting especially from shop owners/staff.

Feck, What an absolute cock. White vans and expensive sports cars seem to be driven by absolute tossers. Glad you didn't get hurt.

Cycling in London is a tense affair. The spaces reserved for cyclists are a small oasis amongst the murderous traffic. When a car encroaches the adrenaline does start to rise. However, the best retaliation is disappearing off through the traffic. There's no excuse for violence, verbal or physical. A while ago on my way to work in central London I asked a guy in a Range Rover Sport who was talking on his mobile as he forced me into the kerb if his Bluetooth was broken. He shouted at me...a lot. It was an innocent question..............

Golf is not a sport. It is a game like darts or snooker. The only thing golf courses are good for is riding on.

Haha, you'll never stop'em boyo. My Boxer and Retriever both steal the "cat treats" from the litter tray; up to the point where the cats have just about stopped using it. I think they (the cats) are upset their leavings keep disappearing! Both dogs still forage in the garden though and it is disgusting when the Boxer comes in with her flat nose and big paws covered in black sand. The sand in our garden is greyish, when mixed with dog spit and cat stuff it goes black... Eurgh..

Well done fella!!

Apologies if you've seen it. in a similar vein:

As regards the respect for others theme: In a car: I think just slowing slightly, thinking about how other vehicles are likely to behave (this encourages anticipation thus making the journey smoother and probably quicker) and KEEP LEFT as much as possible, only use the right hand lane (if available) for overtaking. On your bike: anticipation, anticipation, anticipation with a massive barrel of anticipation thrown in just for good measure. Oh and enjoy it, it's not always a race...

As I was on my home yesterday (in my car) a guy did an illegal u-turn at a traffic light which made me swerve and almost hit a row of parked cars. I gave him a flash (lights, ahem..) and received a single finger salute in return. Car: Toyota Fortuna or similar. Driver: Wrap around 90s style shades, big 'tache, massive stomach (I could see this at the next set of lights). Plate: GP. What exasperated me was that I was the only car for at least 800m, so he could have waited for a couple of seconds and not scared the crap out of me. But no, he typically drives like a selfish tw@t. Ah well, got home and after an hour and a half on the bike and I was calm. The cycle lanes are very clean, I often see the guys cleaning the centre section of Blouberg road.

Read this, in here is the most comprehensive coverage you'll find anywhere. https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/75887-import-duties-on-cycling-goods/

My first Boxer went blind, he managed quite well, our Dalmatian would guide him with a gentle shoulder charge to help him move in and out of the house. Really cool. Makes me sad to think of it though. I took him to the vet as we'd noticed he'd become blind and we wanted to know why. The vet couldn't really answer but gave us a few tips on how to manage him. He lasted for about two years as a fully blind fella. He died of a stroke. The vet told a story of how a woman had brought her dog in saying it had gone blind overnight. He told her this was close to impossible without other obvious symptoms and on inspection of the dog's eyes he saw the animal had been blind for some time, probably well over six months. He then asked had anything changed at home and she replied she'd bought new furniture and redecorated. It turned out the dog's eyesight had probably gradually deteriorated and it knew the house very well and once the new furniture was installed it had started bumping into things and only then had the owner noticed the do was blind!

I find this is generally the norm; if you make a show of slowing down for a stop street most drivers will wave you through. Which is nice... I also stop for pedestrian crossings (as long as someone is waiting to cross of course!) this can cause some consternation as happened a few weekends ago riding into the Waterfront: I slowed down and unclipped one foot ready to stop as a large family with a wheelchair were waiting to cross. A quick look behind and had a Yikes!! moment as a couple of bikes were steaming down looking like they did not expect me to stop. Luckily they did stop in time but looked a bit wobbly. In hindsight I probably should have looked behind sooner and made some sort of obvious signal, but I still would have stopped.