Rule number one of cycling in London : never go on the inside of a bus or HGV. Stay behind and let it do what it gotta do, you will still get there before them, and most of all, you’ll be in one piece.
SillyCyclist IX came up on my inside and undertook me, ok I was nice and wide this time so I didn’t mind so much. The reason why I was out wide near the middle of the road was because I was trailing behind a bus. I was heading east on the Chelsea Embankment coming up to Albert Bridge and the road does a s-bend to the left then a right as it goes over the bridge approach. Just before the the start of the s-bend there is a bus stop and that was why I was out wide as I was planning to over take the bus, but the bus pulled out before I was near it. So since I knew the road was turning to the left and had the SillyCyclist on my inside I stayed out wide, to take the lane.
As the road really started to bend the SillyCyclist started to undertake the bus as it was slowing down because of traffic ahead. Though soon to start off again just as it always happens in rush hour traffic in London. The SillyCyclist then had to bail out of his attempt since the bus turned left and started to pull into the left as any vehicle would do while driving through a turn. Luckily on that bit of road there aren’t barriers that stop pedestrians walking across the road. So the SillyCyclist could jump off his bicycle onto the pavement to save himself from getting run over. The SillyCyclist then quickly jumped on his bicycle and joined the road again without looking behind him, like nothing had happened.
I pulled up next to him and said “that is why you don’t go on the inside of a turning bus”.
He then looks at me as I was the idiot! Eh?
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