The daily "I cycled to work" thread

[anonymous-user]

Lovely tail wind this morning, smashed a couple of PR's

[TwistingMyMelon]

aclivity said:

Very cold and very wet this morning. At one point I was fighting the wind - on a single speed - wondering if it might be better to get off and walk!

Same here, bloody windy!!!!

Left early so didn't have to fight it too much and missed the worst of the rain, which has just started

Blimey though quite a headwind at times

[Banana Boy]

CoinSl0t said:

Lovely tail wind this morning, smashed a couple of PR's

I think (hope) I did the same here! Enjoyed the rare oportunity to get the hammer down on a few segments!

[HerrSchnell]

Found a new black ice spot on the cycle path this morning the hard way, now sitting looking at the snow coming down and regretting my adherence to rule #9.

[The Count]

How's it looking tomorrow? Bit nippy today

[littleandy0410]

30mph headwinds on the way to work this morning- one of the hardest 11 mile rides I've had in ages. "It's ok" I thought, "nice tailwind on the way home this evening!"

How wrong I was. Flat calm, hardly any breeze at all. And now it's windy again!

[WolfAir]

Since getting roped in by the rest of you about how great biking to work is, I took mine out on a dummy run to see how long it took me to get to work and back (around 15ish miles), bear in mind I had been exercising on a stationary bike for the past couple of months, absolute fail, I was knackered by the time I got barely a mile down the road from mine. Nobody thought to mention the difference of stationary to actual biking....
That said, been riding around the block a few weeks and I think I am ready for another go but then the weather decided to chuck down hail and snow so still not actually done a commute

[DeuxCentCinq]

WolfAir said:

Since getting roped in by the rest of you about how great biking to work is, I took mine out on a dummy run to see how long it took me to get to work and back (around 15ish miles), bear in mind I had been exercising on a stationary bike for the past couple of months, absolute fail, I was knackered by the time I got barely a mile down the road from mine. Nobody thought to mention the difference of stationary to actual biking....
That said, been riding around the block a few weeks and I think I am ready for another go but then the weather decided to chuck down hail and snow so still not actually done a commute

Don't get disheartened. Just start off a bit slower, you don't need to burn it up at every point. Sit up for a bit, spin your legs in a lower gear and conserve the power in your legs. When I first started doing a 12.5 miler it was taking me over an hour (in my defence it's a ridiculously hilly route). Now it's down to 50 mins, and falling. Doesn't matter how it takes you to get there, as long as you get there!

[Eddh]

DeuxCentCinq said:

WolfAir said:

Since getting roped in by the rest of you about how great biking to work is, I took mine out on a dummy run to see how long it took me to get to work and back (around 15ish miles), bear in mind I had been exercising on a stationary bike for the past couple of months, absolute fail, I was knackered by the time I got barely a mile down the road from mine. Nobody thought to mention the difference of stationary to actual biking....
That said, been riding around the block a few weeks and I think I am ready for another go but then the weather decided to chuck down hail and snow so still not actually done a commute

Don't get disheartened. Just start off a bit slower, you don't need to burn it up at every point. Sit up for a bit, spin your legs in a lower gear and conserve the power in your legs. When I first started doing a 12.5 miler it was taking me over an hour (in my defence it's a ridiculously hilly route). Now it's down to 50 mins, and falling. Doesn't matter how it takes you to get there, as long as you get there!

Yeah keep it up, I did the same when I first started, I cycled 2 and a half miles to the climbing center and almost passed out when I got there! I had to sit down for about 5 minutes... I was 23! It is akin to going for a run and then sprinting for half a mile and collapsing into a ditch.

Take it steady and don't blow yourself out too soon.

[loudlashadjuster]

WolfAir said:

Since getting roped in by the rest of you about how great biking to work is, I took mine out on a dummy run to see how long it took me to get to work and back (around 15ish miles), bear in mind I had been exercising on a stationary bike for the past couple of months, absolute fail, I was knackered by the time I got barely a mile down the road from mine. Nobody thought to mention the difference of stationary to actual biking....
That said, been riding around the block a few weeks and I think I am ready for another go but then the weather decided to chuck down hail and snow so still not actually done a commute

My commute is a hilly 15 miles and I'd say it's about the limit of what I'd consider acceptable in terms of time. It takes me an hour usually, but I have been on the road for nearly an hour and a half in high winds.

Keep at it, if you can even manage this once or twice a week you'll be tanking along in no time, and by that time it'll be spring and you can really enjoy it.

p.s. I keep telling my wife who does spin classes that she's not working as hard as actually being out on the road, but as usual she's having none of it

[Johno]

That sinking feeling as you've come up from the basement, dripping gently with the evidence of your efforts, to find the one shower in your office is knackered....

So you determine to towel yourself off and get dressed in the pitch black toilet with the light of your phone torch for company, as all electrics are off due to water leak.

Then receive a text from your colleague just after stepping into your trousers that says 'showers available on 4th floor'...

Too late Wouldn't be so bad, but he only rides occasionally, I do it everyday. So he sits smugly at his desk, perfumed and fresh, I sit monitoring my own aroma

[MC Bodge]

16 miles each way for me, mostly flat with a mile or so of climbing, and a mile or so off road, mid-way. 2-3 times a week.

I've been riding for many years and I wouldn't want to go much further as a commute.

[MC Bodge]

Brrr. It was -2.5 at home and got colder as I rode through the fields.

My water bottle froze despite having been in a heated garage beforehand.

It was Nice, clear and non-damp though.

[MC Bodge]

loudlashadjuster said:

p.s. I keep telling my wife who does spin classes that she's not working as hard as actually being out on the road, but as usual she's having none of it

I went to spin class a couple of times.

I was working hard and sweating like a sweaty thing, but nobody else appeared to be. I suspect that they weren't increasing the resistance as much as the instructor was telling them to...
- Some attractive ladies there though.

[DeuxCentCinq]

Well today I got cut up and nearly knocked off my bike by....another bike!

Full Castelli lycra-clad single speed was following me for a while, in my draft. I clearly indicated my intention to turn right, moved across the road to the middle, then as I turned he tried to overtake me, I swerved harder right to avoid him, he then braked, making it worse and swerved as well, mounting the pavement parallel to the cycle lane I was aiming for, nearly hitting two pedestrians. My front wheel missed his rear by millimetres.
I shouted at him, the pedestrians shouted at him, and the car that almost hit him as he hopped off the pavement back onto the road without looking beeped him as well. And he probably thinks he's done nothing wrong.

[AC43]

It was so cold for the first couple of (downhill) miles that it felt like my face was being peeled off.

[GarryDK]

Snow on the ground, MTB out!

[anonymous-user]

Yes, snow down on the South Coast, Nobby Nics and low tyre pressures meant a good fun ride into work.

There's something about going down a hill, locking up the rear tyre and drifting around the corner looking like a boss (I nearly slid over)

[DeuxCentCinq]

Ha! Got overtaken by an old man on a sit-up style shopping bike. Ten seconds later he fell over. He was too proud to accept my offer of help.

[MiseryStreak]

I thought about it but the 4 Season's on the road bike are actually better on the icy roads than my Racing Ralph MTB tyres. I can't believe how much grip they have.

I also can't believe how many arsehats there are on my short commute through Brighton. I'm dressed up like a right in a high vis vest and turn my lights on even in the morning and I still get people trying to run me over. I got sideswiped by a Range Rover last week and nearly taken out by a Mercedes monster truck this morning. I thought one of the advantages of SUVs was the increased visibility. I have also taken to moving to the middle of the road when I see cars, especially vans, waiting to pull out of side roads as I just can't trust them anymore. It might be my imagination but I think it's got worse in the last year, and I'm cycling more carefully than ever before.

For a bit of balance, I also witness cyclists going through red lights every morning. I always make sure I catch them up (never hard) and give them a friendly 'nice one mate'.

/highwaycodevigilante