Survived first half of first commute :)

Arrived at work after my first commute in.  It's not something I can do regularly in my current position and situation, but I wanted to see if i could do it at all and yesterday's work, today's tasks and tomorrow's commitments all coincided to make it possible if not exactly sensible (and frankly as the nights draw in, the opportunities to get out on the bike are going to get more and more limited). 

I've been cycling for 4-5 weeks now, so I've built up to the point where I can do 10 miles without keeling over.  The commute is 11.5 miles along the cycle route through Sutton Park all the way to the city centre; I'd scouted the first 2/3rds of the route a week and a half ago, but as it turned out that was the easy - and well-signed 2/3rds. Today I got to experience the canal tow-paths, bridges, locks and gates - much of which I felt was poorly signed (I got lost until another commuter flashed by while my iPhone was struggling to work out what part of the country I was in, so I followed him for 100 yards - thankfully in the correct direction).

I fell off the bike three times - once trying to hop up a low kerb to leave the tow-path (I blame wet kerb stones and tyres; can't possibly be my technique), once in circumstances I can't now remember, and once trying to get up one of those canal bridges when I suffered a classic "clipless moment".  Nothing hurt apart from the pride, a few scuffs and scrapes and the front wheel might need a bit of attention later (but it's clearly still rideable).   

We haven't got shower facilities at the office, so I was taking it very steady (about 80 minutes start to finish) to avoid getting too hot.  Two colleagues were treated to the sight of me in lycra, but with time and treatment they ought to recover.  I'm a little muddier than I wanted to be, but hopefully we won't have any rain this afternoon that would make the return leg a misery (and I don't want to go NEAR those brick towpath bridges when they're wet; the chances of staying upright would be slim to non-existent).