Riding to Work Could Damage Your Health

Here's a link to the STV news report on the train crash... That's me with the bike pack and the muddy face!

So I've been riding down to the station these past few weeks, getting the train into Inverness then riding out to where I work. I use my Specialized Hardrock singlespeed conversion for the journey (it's mostly road riding) and I love it, it means I get to ride so much more than I would usually in the winter and it helps me to make sure my fitness is there for racing when the sun comes out.

It's been difficult for the past couple of weeks riding on 4 inches of ice on the cycle paths but I figure if I can do it now it's only going to get easier as the days get longer and the air temperature begins to climb...

So the riding is wonderful, and actually getting the train is nicer than driving for 2 hours a day (although I have to get up at 5.50am to get to the station on time!). The only issue has been getting home... last week the train was totally cancelled on one occasion and then on Friday night... WE CRASHED!!!!

That's correct, my efforts to spend more time on my bike have resulted in my being in a train crash. The train derailed outside Dingwall station on Friday night and we were suddenly surrounded by dozens of Fire crew, Police and Ambulance crew. It was all pretty exciting, starting with a massive bang, followed by the train snaking along the gravel, clearly no longer attached to the rails...  The only nervous moment came when we all felt that the train was beginning to tip onto its side, but as we came to a halt and realised that we were still upright everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The whole thing was actually a pretty exciting experience, nearly as much adrenalin as riding downhill at Golspie.

Well it hasn't put me off. The trains were cancelled for a couple of days whilst they sorted the tracks and got the train cleared, but it's all fixed now.

The best thing about it is that when I got the train this morning it was strangely quiet and there were lots of empty seats to choose from...