Summer Holidays pt2
Let’s talk about weeks three and four. These weeks were much more eventful. Week three remained relatively consistent, but I started to notice that the roads were getting busier, and cars seemed to be driving closer to me than usual. One morning, while delivering an order, I approached a pickup point and suddenly felt a massive shove on my rear wheel. This caused me to lose control of the bike, and, to my surprise, I ended up crashing straight into a wall. It turns out the car behind me had pulled in but wasn’t paying attention. When they saw me at the last moment, they panicked and hit the accelerator instead of the brake. Classic case of foot in mouth—except it was foot to pedal. Fortunately, I was completely fine, and the driver was very apologetic, which helped resolve the situation amicably. However, the incident left me feeling a bit like a character in one of those action movies where the hero survives a crash but spends the rest of the day wondering if he's still in one piece. I started feeling like all the cars were getting too close, overtaking in spots where it was definitely safer to be a mile away from me. So, I decided to call it a day and head home.
The next day, the weather was forecast to be the hottest of the year, so I made sure to prepare by hydrating and bringing all the necessary spares and repairs in case anything went wrong. I started my shift at 08:00 when the temperature was still manageable. As the day went on and the heat increased, the orders kept coming in. It was like cycling in a sauna, but I still managed to find joy in the fact I could stop at the occasional scenic spot. The freedom to work at my own pace felt great, and honestly, I was enjoying myself. This felt less like “work” and more like an oddly well-paid cycling holiday.
Now, it’s week four. After the minor accident and several close calls the previous week, I became significantly more vigilant on the road. I noticed that the large bag strapped to my back and my helmet severely restricted my field of vision, making it difficult to see what was approaching from behind. It was like trying to needle in a haystack… while wearing a blindfold and standing on a trampoline. As a result, I made the somewhat unpopular decision to reduce the frequency with which I wore my helmet. Don’t worry, I’m still all about safety (most of the time). However, I did notice that removing my helmet made me feel like I could actually see the road instead of just hearing the whooshing of cars behind me. It also made me feel a bit more like a road warrior, just without the cape.
By the end of the week, the volume of orders began to decrease, likely because people were off on holiday, enjoying the middle of the month like sensible folk. While this made the workload less intense, I still found it worthwhile. It was like a lull in the storm, and I had time to catch my breath. However, there was a noticeable drop in my earnings per order, tips, and the overall number of deliveries. It was almost as if my bike had been given the summer off, too.
As week four came to an end, I had a great day with a steady flow of orders. While I wasn’t making as much as in previous weeks, there was a certain ease to the consistency. I had gotten into a rhythm, everything was flowing like a well-brewed cuppa. That was when a car unexpectedly pulled out in front of me. I slammed into the front fender, sending me over the handlebars and onto the car’s bonnet. Lovely. Fortunately, I was unharmed, but my bike looked like it had gone a few rounds with Tyson. The wheel was bent, the chain snapped, and I had coffee splashed all over my bag like some kind of caffeinated disaster. This was the first time I had food damaged during a delivery, and I have to admit, it really rattled me. It felt like all the universe’s small mishaps had decided to gather in one inconvenient moment.
The driver was initially angry , but he calmed down when he saw the camera on my chest (which had unfortunately just run out of battery). He became very apologetic and checked that I was okay. We then discussed the next steps, and I contacted the customer to explain the situation. We sorted it out by having the order remade and picked up by someone else. The driver and I agreed to take my bike to the shop, where he covered the repair costs. We parted ways with a fist bump, which was nice, but it also felt a bit like one of those “I’m not hurt but I might be in denial” moments. Thankfully, I had a spare bike at home, so I could continue working for the rest of the day. It took me a little while to relax again on the bike, as I felt that the traffic had become more unpredictable, like a game of “guess who’s going to cut me off next.”
For the remainder of the week, I used my larger road bike, a Whyte RD7, for deliveries. While it was good to have a bike to use, it just wasn’t quite Vicky, my usual bike, a Pendleton road bike. She’s the cheapest bike I’ve ever owned, but she’s brilliant, cheap and cheerful, just like a good bacon roll. My bike was in the shop for a few days, so I took this opportunity to take it easy and enjoy some time off or at least, not focus so heavily on work for a few days. I planned to resume next week after giving my legs a chance to recover. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if my calves were going to thank me or hold a grudge.
During this time, I was making around £90-£100 a day before tips. I could have made more if I had taken longer deliveries, but I chose to wait for the ones that were closer. Sometimes, waiting for the perfect order felt like waiting for the kettle to boil. When you wait like that, sometimes you don’t receive any orders for a while. It’s a real test of patience, but hey, I figured if I could wait for the tea to brew, I could wait for the next delivery to come through.
