On Roads & Drivers

 Winter is on us again and once more the gritters are out. I don't know how it's done in your country or even in your county but here where they don't have automated gritters, the kind that drive about at 50 mph and spread the stuff thought a spray mechanism at the back - effectively blinding any oncoming traffic, they send an open pickup truck out with a couple of guys standing in the sand with spades shovelling it onto the road at strategic intervals. The strategic positioning of it scares the shit out of me. You know what I'm talking about if you're a bike rider. Yup! Center lane (alway a good one), big piles on round-abouts (another good one) and (the cream of creams) at the exit of steep blind bends! Wokingham District Council - take a bow. You've excelled yourself again this year!     

 Wanna Race?   

Have you ever arrived a traffic light and positioned yourself between two cars? Has one of them made the dumb move of trying to race you? Here's a get even!

This takes place in a town called Slough, which is a town no one has ever heard of and those that have wish they hadn't. A very fast piece of dual carriageway runs from this town to another obscure one called Uxbridge. The road starts as at what used to be called the "Greyhound Stadium", in the days when Slough could boast one.

Anyway at the start of this is a set of traffic lights. I used to run this route every day for abot 6 years. I white-line between the cars waiting at the traffic light, right up to the line. The car to my right blimbs his throttle. "OK here we go again!" Light goes to amber, I open up, he opens up. Up over the first rise we go. I don't accelerate away but keep him to my right. Down the other side and we're both creeping towards 70mph. Up the next rise - neck and neck. Top of the rise I pull the brakes on and watch him smiling as he powers straight through an automatic radar. BLINK - BLINK - You win! Your prize will be a picture of the winning car sent to your home and three winning point which can be attached to your driving licence and kept for full five years. Have a nice day!