Queensferry to Eastham ride to work

9:30. Most of the traffic has died down. I don’t want to be dicing with death on the bypass. Death being in the form of left hand drive Polish trucks making the trip from Ireland through Holyhead and past my back yard. I don’t know what the Polish for “Sorry mate I didn’t see you is!”

I get the garage open. There she stands in all her red metallic Italian splendour. Check the tyres, the oil, the coolant and the lights, and wheel her out into the dull grey morning. Back inside, get the gear out; boots, jacket, gloves helmet, trousers. In a flash I become Kevlarman.

Back out to the bike, after locking up. Its even greyer, its starting to rain. The BBC forecast gets it wrong as usual. Damn you Meteorological office!

She starts, the revs rise then settle at about 1800 rpm. I give her a blip and back out into the alley. I blip her again, and click into first. Wind down the alley watching for broken glass and scrap metal. As I open her up, so do the heavens. Bloody typical. Someone has angered the rain gods again in washout Wales.

Up onto the bypass between two cars, a truck is being followed by four more cars but the fast lane is open, look over the shoulder, flick on the indicator, blast the throttle. Soon I’m up the back of a BMW repmobile (typical), but the road becomes three lane and I’m off, 4th, 5th, 6th, relax into it until the 40 limit.

All too soon up comes the 40 limit. Roadworks! Will they ever end? Two flaming years, but due to finish “Autumn 2008”. Yeah right! Be lucky if they are finished by Christmas.

Turn off onto the so-called “Welsh” road. I’m in England now so they are responsible for the fact it should have been made into a dual carriageway at least 30 years ago.

Slow. More rain! More trucks. Once after the lights at the posh Honda car dealers I manage to jump a few slower vehicles and blast the last bit to the A41. More lights, more lane changing idiots, through the roundabout for the M53, back onto the A41 towards Birkenhead.

Keep it down to 40 for the stealth tax camera, then ease it back up a bit for the last part of the run. More traffic lights, but less traffic.

I have to wait a while to turn right into work, pushing my visor all the way up for better visibility. Its still raining. Up the drive, avoiding or slowing for the speed bumps, and into the poshest of the car parks.

Find the dedicated motorcycle parking. So much for “Ride to Work Day” mine is the only bike! The sun comes out. Typical.