MCN Fleet: Hooray for the Honda X-ADV

This morning didn’t start well. I glance out of my kitchen window and a fallen fence greets me, annoyingly it’s the one we’re responsible for. Loads of branches from the trees at the bottom of our garden litter the lawn.

Severe weather warnings and winds of over 60mph had been forecast, for once the BBC aren’t wrong. To say I was apprehensive when I kit up for my commute to work was an understatement. I ride year round and am always nervous in the wind, it’s unpredictable but I stick with the bike.

UPDATE: #LAMMA18 show at @EofEarena #Peterborough remains CLOSED due to storm damage. LONG DELAYS on roads throughout the area especially:#A1 southbound #Stamford to #Alwarton#A605 eastbound from #Warmington to #A1M J17#A1139 Fletton Parkway westbound from #Hampton to #A1M pic.twitter.com/C6hdpOT9ep

— Cambs Travel News (@Cambs_Traffic) January 18, 2018

It’s only a seven mile commute from my sleepy village to the office, an easy route out to the A1, north two junctions and off towards the office. Police have closed the road to the A1, it’s happened before when the winds been this rough, there’s loads of ancient trees that have a tendency to fall. Hoping this is the case and not an accident, I turn tail and take the less enjoyable route towards the city centre.

Today of all days I’m grateful of my two wheels. It’s the annual LAMMA Show at the East of England Showground. Thousands of excited farmers descend to check out the lastest combine harvester technology and traffic chaos always ensues.

With heavy congestion and stationary traffic my filtering skills are most definitely put to the test. With my upright riding position I’ve got great visibility, the only thing I do have to be careful of is the mirrors. They’re about the same height as Transit van mirrors. At 7.30 in the morning I take many of the sleepy drivers by surprise as I glide through and smirk to myself as I leave them in my wake.  

As I get to my desk I check out the AA website and their traffic information is 100% correct. The map of the local area shows that our office is smack bang in the middle of the web of red lines that show heavy congestion. Today is definitely a ‘Hooray for the X-ADV’ kind of day!!