How far is your daily commute? How fast do you ride? What do you do to prepare for it? And how do you recover for an enjoyable ride on your off days? I ask these questions because I have only been commuting for a month and have had some issues being tired on my off days. I have been wondering if I need special equipment or something.
How far is your commute?
- Thread starter AdamSean
- Start date
I have 3 different routes I can take, 3.5 miles, 4.5 miles, and 5.5 miles. If I'm late for work I take the short route, if it's nice out and I'm not late, I take the long route. I take the middle length route in the winter because I can be sure the roads will be cleared on that route. It's nice to have options.
I ride at about a 15-16 mph average pace, not too hard, not too easy. I'd say it's in my upper green zone bordering into yellow. I definitely sweat on warmer days and get out of breath here and there. But I try not to push it hard like I would on a road ride. On the way home, I definitely push it hard, almost time trial like. Doesn't matter if I get sweaty then, I'm going home!
Depending on how long your commute is, you don't need to really change your clothes when you get to work. Short routes aren't long enough to get body odor or stinky clothes.
If you're getting tired legs, take a look at either your diet or how hard you're riding. Maybe back off on your effort and just take it slightly easy. After all, you're riding a bike to work, it's not a race, no need to go overboard and red line.
But really, the key is to just ride more if you want to get into better shape and not be tired all the time.
I ride at about a 15-16 mph average pace, not too hard, not too easy. I'd say it's in my upper green zone bordering into yellow. I definitely sweat on warmer days and get out of breath here and there. But I try not to push it hard like I would on a road ride. On the way home, I definitely push it hard, almost time trial like. Doesn't matter if I get sweaty then, I'm going home!
Depending on how long your commute is, you don't need to really change your clothes when you get to work. Short routes aren't long enough to get body odor or stinky clothes.
If you're getting tired legs, take a look at either your diet or how hard you're riding. Maybe back off on your effort and just take it slightly easy. After all, you're riding a bike to work, it's not a race, no need to go overboard and red line.
But really, the key is to just ride more if you want to get into better shape and not be tired all the time.
My commute is six miles, and I manage to average about 17mph, which isn't too bad considering traffic lights etc. I always try to ride fairly hard, but not so hard that I'm permanently sprinting. I'm always sweating by the time I get in, but there are showers at work for me, and I get there with time to use them. As for recovering for day off rides, think its just a case of getting used to cycling really. I recover relatovely quickly, and sometimes go for a longer ride later the same day - I don't do anything special to recover.
I started biking about a month ago also. I have two different router - the shorter one is 6 miles and takes me 40 min, while the longer one is 10 miles and takes 55 min. Contrary to your experience, I found, I have more energy throughout the day and on the day off. I also take a change of clothes and food for the day.
My actual commute is about 4.5 Miles one way. I usually work overnights 6pm to 6am I am a 911 dispatcher and have access to the Sherrifs locker room if I need to shower so thats a plus. Depending on my mood I will sometimes leave early and ride the long way around which is about 8 miles. Same goes for the ride home. I have done one 12 mile ride on the way home once so far. I got my Trek 7.3 FX back in the middle of July and have logged 286 miles since.
I have been wondering if I need to increase my protein intake. Back when I was lifting weigts a lot, the extra protein kept my muscles from being sore all the time. I am going to do a little experiment and increase my protein intake this week. I will post my results.
I'm going to begin commuting tomorrow. It's always easy to start something tomorrow eh? I've ridden to work a few times and I've worked out the kinks, but I had knee problems earlier this year and couldn't ride for a while, so I never did it enough to get into the rhythm of it. The route is 22 miles each way and it starts getting dark about half way home. I've got an older steel bike that I put a rack on. I bought a trunk for the rack and I've got good lights. Time to do it. I plan to drive to work one day a week to bring clothes etc. I need to look more than presentable at work. Not sure what I'll do if I expect rain... we'll see.
I'm anticipating gains in fitness from the expected increase in mileage. I could stand to lose a few lb's.too.
I'm anticipating gains in fitness from the expected increase in mileage. I could stand to lose a few lb's.too.
My commute is about 5.6 miles each way. I average around 14-15 miles per hour. Takes me about 20-23 minutes to get to work and a 23-26 minutes to get home (due to elevation difference I think). I've found that I feel much better if I eat a snack (usually peanuts) before my ride back home. The little extra protein sure helps. I've also found that on Monday's I seem to crank a little harder - the two days off are just enough to rejuvenate the legs. Though, this is becoming less obvious as I'm getting better in shape.
I too pack a lunch and take a change of cloths in my rack "trunk". If I get a little sweaty, I wash-up my face and arms in the restroom - which goes a long way in feeling and being more "presentable". So far, my employer has been totally cool with my riding to work and even let's me park my bike in my office.
My experience has been the more you ride the easier it gets and better you feel - even on the off days. Keep it up!
I too pack a lunch and take a change of cloths in my rack "trunk". If I get a little sweaty, I wash-up my face and arms in the restroom - which goes a long way in feeling and being more "presentable". So far, my employer has been totally cool with my riding to work and even let's me park my bike in my office.
My experience has been the more you ride the easier it gets and better you feel - even on the off days. Keep it up!
I am currently "between jobs"/img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif and enjoying it, hopefully this week it is about to change. In my previous job I used to cycle 26kms to work and 25kms back (slightly different routes) but then I moved much closer and it shrank to 6kms each way/img/vbsmilies/smilies/frown.gif
(In miles - 16, then 4)
(In miles - 16, then 4)
Today was my first day commuting. The ride is 7.8 miles, with a lot of short, steep hills (much worse IMO than a long gradual climb) and a few main thoroughfare crossings that slow things down. I made it right at 30 mins today, and averaged a little over 15 mph with a fat backpack on. I loved it. It's a fun ride, and running through the dark and just listening to the driveline run is an addictive thing 
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My commute is 15 miles each way--takes about an hour. A couple of other guys in the office commute too, but one guy alternates his commute (drives in with bike in truck, rides home, rides in, drives home; so he's only getting 15 miles a day). We're Coast Guard so have access to shower facilities and support from work since it's fitness related (slack for being late b/c of flat tires and such). I've been on leave for the past 4 weeks, but trying to keep up at least 20 miles a day--leave is due to a newborn so it's tough with trying to catch some sleep when the baby's sleeping.
When I started early this summer, I would drive halfway then ride the rest of the way, but one day decided to do the whole thing and it wasn't bad; I was glad for working up to it though. For those of you just starting a long commute I would recommend this strategy or my buddy's alternating method, otherwise it'll suck and you'll probably quit.
When I started early this summer, I would drive halfway then ride the rest of the way, but one day decided to do the whole thing and it wasn't bad; I was glad for working up to it though. For those of you just starting a long commute I would recommend this strategy or my buddy's alternating method, otherwise it'll suck and you'll probably quit.
