I consider myself quite fortunate to be home safe tonight; I reluctantly went to the gym after work for a run (ankle is getting much better!) and a swim afterwards.  Sitting in the sauna, I closed my eyes and completely let go of my worldly concerns; no, I didn’t say “ommmm!”.  You crazy racists!

As usual, I got ready to leave at around 9pm and was looking forward to the 10 minute ride home; only to genuinely struggle to open the entry door due to the very strong winds outside!!!!!”.

“Wooooooooooooooo!” the winds howled; just like a couple of flaming queens prancing around London’s ‘Old Compton Street’ on a Friday night.

Believe me, there’s nothing quite like strong winds and heavy rain to humble a motorcyclist; I stepped outside, immediately felt the wind’s resistance as I began to walk and I quite honestly thought, “FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!”.

Do I park up the bike and walk? Yes, that’d be the sensible thing to do? No, I deactivated the alarm, popped the key into the ignition, started the bike up, and glanced to see if the thin trashy blonde girl who left the gym at the same time as me had been blown over 100 yards up the road?!

I figure that ‘blondie’ is around 7 stone (disgraceful!), and if she goes over, there’s no hope for me and my bike!

Somehow, she manages to stay upright; maybe it’s because she’s as thin as a knife and is naturally air resistant?  Perhaps my logic was flawed and it was a bad move basing my decision on whether to ride home or not on whether peroxide was going over?

My eventual decision?  “Bollocks to mother nature!”;  against my better judgement, I held in the clutch lever, selected first gear and off I went; somewhat gingerly down Purley Way, round the back of Five Ways and along Stafford Road.  I must have winced inwardly each time a gust caught my bike fairing and instinctively leaned the bike to compensate for the drag.

I thanked the great Donald Pleasence up in the sky that I only had a relatively short journey and arrived home soaked and beaten by the wind.  The picture below is posey I grant you (it’s mine after all!); but I think it shows the relief in my face that I had gotten home in one piece!?!

Best of all, the bike got a really good wash and blow dry free of charge!  Always a silver lining eh?  Boom boom……

Fuzzy/Grizzly man about town – THE look of 2011.