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Turkey Machine · 02-03-2009, 01:10

One many years ago on a trip back from my Nan's in Braintree, on the A120 at night a bus decided it was a good idea to overtake another bus on a single carriageway stretch (for those who don't know the A120 it's single-carriageway from the A12 to the A130, twisty in places, a bit tight in others, but a good drive/ride on a clear day). Only the quick reactions of my mother in the driving seat prevented us from being road casualty figures on the following mornings news.

Another one happened on the same road, different time, when a pigeon decided to have a "suicide" moment and fly in front of my Dad on his motorbike. I was riding pillion at the time and to have him swat the thing away and feathers everywhere as we rode through it wasn't a nice moment!

On the way home from NTU Clifton campus in Nottingham, to get back to my place, you gotta go down this rather steep hill - which is great on a push bike cos you get to go really fast. However when your brakes decide not to work it becomes a liability because you then have to act fast before crossing the road ahead. I managed to slow it down such that the brakes actually started working again when I needed them most, but that was a very scary moment that could have quite easily ended with me in hospital.

A similar thing happened one day when I was cycling on the way to work. I was going down a hill to the university (I get work there occasionally) and it had been raining a few minutes before I left, such that it left the roads with a nice shine. Unfortunately, the sun then decided to pop out from its hiding place and blind myself. Using one hand to shield my eyes from the spray coming from the wheel and stop blinding myself, and the other on the handle bars keeping me pointed in the right direction and fingering the brake, I ended up hurtling down this hill about 20-30mph, students crossing the road, completely oblivious to me not being able to see and I was getting very intimate with one person who forced me onto the path and into the wall. A very sh*t-yer-pants moment, and after regaining my composure, I looked a picture of (bad) health when I turned up for my shift!

02-03-2009, 01:10	#9
Turkey Machine Inactive Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Norwich Age: 38 Services: Company LLU internet, soon-to-be company FTTC internet at 56Mb/20Mb! Posts: 1,895	Re: Your brown trouser moments.. One many years ago on a trip back from my Nan's in Braintree, on the A120 at night a bus decided it was a good idea to overtake another bus on a single carriageway stretch (for those who don't know the A120 it's single-carriageway from the A12 to the A130, twisty in places, a bit tight in others, but a good drive/ride on a clear day). Only the quick reactions of my mother in the driving seat prevented us from being road casualty figures on the following mornings news. Another one happened on the same road, different time, when a pigeon decided to have a "suicide" moment and fly in front of my Dad on his motorbike. I was riding pillion at the time and to have him swat the thing away and feathers everywhere as we rode through it wasn't a nice moment! On the way home from NTU Clifton campus in Nottingham, to get back to my place, you gotta go down this rather steep hill - which is great on a push bike cos you get to go really fast. However when your brakes decide not to work it becomes a liability because you then have to act fast before crossing the road ahead. I managed to slow it down such that the brakes actually started working again when I needed them most, but that was a very scary moment that could have quite easily ended with me in hospital. A similar thing happened one day when I was cycling on the way to work. I was going down a hill to the university (I get work there occasionally) and it had been raining a few minutes before I left, such that it left the roads with a nice shine. Unfortunately, the sun then decided to pop out from its hiding place and blind myself. Using one hand to shield my eyes from the spray coming from the wheel and stop blinding myself, and the other on the handle bars keeping me pointed in the right direction and fingering the brake, I ended up hurtling down this hill about 20-30mph, students crossing the road, completely oblivious to me not being able to see and I was getting very intimate with one person who forced me onto the path and into the wall. A very sh*t-yer-pants moment, and after regaining my composure, I looked a picture of (bad) health when I turned up for my shift!