What have you come as???

tailwindhome

First commute today!!

Enough of the auld excuses: no more "building up the fitness", no more waiting on parcels from Wiggle, no more examining the weather forecast and certainly no more lurking/posting on a commuting website without actually commuting

Alarm was set for 6am though I coudnt sleep knowing I had an early start (what's that about?)

Ate my Weetabix (3 for luck), squeezed my chubby carcass in to DHB tights( think maternity wear for men), hi vis on and hit the road 6.40am (here we go!)

6.42 back to check the door was locked

6.45 hit the road and a bit less of the OCD


6.46 First Lesson - when commuting leave some clothes at work, Jeans+Shoes+Towel+Lunch soon adds weight, we don't need any more of that)

6.55 Second Lesson - Don't wear too many layers, warm leaving the house is too warm after the first mile.

7.30 Nearly there - sun coming up over the Glens of Antrim - hard to beat

7.35 Realise missing breakfast with Kids (wahoo! - seriously its like Breakfast in Basra)

7.40 Third Lesson - I hit a wall (fizzylogical not literal) - must bring a drink

8.10 Arrive at work to be greeted with the Norn Iron classic put down - "what have you come as?"


Feels great to have started, less embarassed now


Commute in numbers

Distance 13.08miles
Ride time 1.15.28 (I know, but its a MTB and I'm fat and it was windy)
Roadkill avoided 3
Fluffed gear changes too many to count
Times swerved to dangerously to the right while wiping (ahem) sweat on glove 1
Times encountered Mad/Bad/Dangerous drivers 0
Times encountered courteous drivers 3


Now 3 hours kip and I'll try to go home

Greg T

WheezyMcChubby wrote:

6.42 back to check the door was locked

How many times have I done that......

Of course the flip side is me lying in bed last night thinking "of course I locked the garage" to find that I'd left it wide open last night (and thankfully unplundered).

It's the logistics (kit, towels, shirts etc) that let you commute easily, well done.

Also - what did you come as, if it was "smelly bike commuter" then fair dos but I'm thinking Norn Iron's finest would go for something spicier - wonder woman perhaps?

lost_in_thought

Great stuff Wheezy! Well done!

It'll only get easier and better from here!

Kieran_Burns

Excuse me, but 1:15 for your first 13 miles is impressive. Don't think otherwise.

My first 14.5 miler took 1:15 in and it's an easier ride (it HAS to be, I have ONE hill) - I have got that down to 50 mins as a personal best (in 6 weeks)

Oh, and warm at home is pouring with sweat after 1 mile! :shock:

Take a drink before you leave, it's better than during as you can overdo the drink and feel bloated.

Have everything prepped for the ride the night before - this helps the OCD

Jen J

Well done.

How was everyone's reaction to the hi-vis gear?

Did you get the oh-so-hilarious 'no-one's going to miss seeing you, are they'?

That *is* pretty much the point of hi-vis...

tailwindhome

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Excuse me, but 1:15 for your first 13 miles is impressive. Don't think otherwise.

My first 14.5 miler took 1:15 in and it's an easier ride (it HAS to be, I have ONE hill) - I have got that down to 50 mins as a personal best (in 6 weeks)

Oh, and warm at home is pouring with sweat after 1 mile! :shock:

Take a drink before you leave, it's better than during as you can overdo the drink and feel bloated.

Have everything prepped for the ride the night before - this helps the OCD

I've missed a trick here, you guys have no idea what the route is like!!!


A bit of uphill to start (but it feels like the Alps to me) - flat roads :oops: :oops: :oops: for 10mile

Greg T

I imagine all the stopping to paint murals, bang drums and burning stuff really cuts into your average speed though.

linsen

well done and all power to you. You will get quicker. I have shaved 5 minutes off my commute time in just 8 rides - fitness can be gained quickly if you stick at it.

Keep us posted

Kieran_Burns

So 3 miles of hills? Errrr....... I have a 'hill' which is a disused railway line - something like a 1 in 100. It only serves to arrest your freewheeling (and assist in getting a great cadence on the way home) Admittedly it is for over 4 miles but you barely notice it. Then there is one little hump and it's a huge downhill run.

It takes me an hour ish to get home at the end of the day (that huge downhill run causes issues back up!)

1:15 for 13 miles is GOOD, trust me on this.

Jen J

linsen wrote:

well done and all power to you. You will get quicker. I have shaved 5 minutes off my commute time in just 8 rides

I'd be so impressed if I could do that, as it currently takes just 5 minutes anyway...

tailwindhome

Greg T wrote:

I imagine all the stopping to paint murals, bang drums and burning stuff really cuts into your average speed though.

This will be know for generations as my TRADITIONAL ROUTE even if I move house or change job I expect to travel the route unhindered.

linsen

Jen J wrote:

linsen wrote:

well done and all power to you. You will get quicker. I have shaved 5 minutes off my commute time in just 8 rides

I'd be so impressed if I could do that, as it currently takes just 5 minutes anyway...

Yes that may well involve riding in another dimension!

Mine is 11.8 miles and started off taking 52 minutes or so. Saw today it was 47.12 and after two time checks on the way that were pretty average I can only assume there has been a landslide over the weekend and Winchester is closer to sea level now....

Belv

2 things:
1. No one i've ever met who was 'building up fitness' has started the activity for which they claimed to be 'building up fitness' for! (and the limit of most of their 'building up fitness' training is watching a tv programme of the activity they hope to do).
2. You did it - end of story. I'm sure half your colleagues will chuckle at how long it took and the other half have cycled twice the distance in half the time in their imaginary younger days, but today you actually did it. Congratulations.

Regarding heating: i always prefer to dress slightly warm and undo zips, roll up sleeves or stop and remove a layer than to go out in what i'd wear once warm. It's a personal thing, but if i don't warm up as quick as i expect then it can take hours to get the cold out of my bones once i get to work.

Greg T

Excellent WMC, I'll light a petrol bomb tonight in your honour.

harleyrott

Well done mate, keep at it and the time will come down, also it will take you less time to recover when you get to work. Just one thing if you left home at 6.45 and arived at work at 8.10 does that not give you a ride time of 1hr 25 mins.

ride_whenever

You know if your collegues keep making stupid comments, you only have to stab one of them and no-one will ever say anything about commuting again.

Being seen as a psycopathic loon does have it's advantages...

tailwindhome

harleyrott wrote:

Well done mate, keep at it and the time will come down, also it will take you less time to recover when you get to work. Just one thing if you left home at 6.45 and arived at work at 8.10 does that not give you a ride time of 1hr 25 mins.

RIde TIme is per the cycle computer thingymadoda . By the time i had figured out getting the bike secured and removed anything pinchable it was 8.10am


Not much gets past you!

I may have got off and walked across the road at a couple of big scary roundabouts :oops:

Kieran_Burns

WheezyMcChubby wrote:

I may have got off and walked across the road at a couple of big scary roundabouts :oops:

I'm going to get annoyed at you

I almost got killed at one big scary roundabout. I refuse to ride it now and take the slower cycle lane option.

Having a lorry drive straight at you because the driver has failed to see the 6' tall bumblebee gives you pause.

sc999cs

Congratulations on the ride.

Remember there is nothing wrong with getting off and pushing if the conditions demand it. Better to push across a road than have an accident. On my commute it is paradoxically safer to cycle around the roundabout I come to than cross the adjoining roads, mainly due to cars not indicating as they leave the roundabout but it all depends on the conditions where you are.

My question is did you have fun? If the answer is yes, nothing else matters.

biondino

Not quite true - often the toughest efforts are the ones which leave you feeling the most fulfilled.

girv73

Congratulations on the first ride WMC!

Don't knock it mate, it's a definite achievement that you've worked towards and had the guts to finally tackle.

13 miles is nothing to sneeze at and the average speed ain't bad for a MTB. Is it 13 there and 13 back? That's pretty serious. The "wheezy" and "chubby" will soon disappear if you stick at it and your slaggy workmates will soon STFU. Some of them may even become attracted to you.

Cycling is pretty big where I work. We've maybe 10% of staff here that cycle in and arrive in various states of wreckedness and lycraness. I myself arrive (after 9 miles) as a glob of sweat contained in lycra that slowly reforms into a human. No-one bats an eyelid. Maybe you can encourage a few more of your lazy (but oh-so-smart) ass workmates to get on their bikes too and the comments will stop? I expect they'll get bored anyway once you become a regular sight.

RE lessons:
1. true, clothes add a lot to the backpack. I keep jeans in work and bring everything else by bike each day. I'd keep T-shirts in work too if I could. One day I week I take the car/bus and do a swapover. I hate those days. I wonder if I could post myself clothes at work

2. true also.

3. I usually have a drink at home before leaving and carry a small water bottle on the bike.

What's your route? Maybe we can start a spinoff series "SCR: NI"

Anyway, I hope your route doesn't cross my own TRADITIONAL ROUTE or else we'll need an interface zone complete with concerned residents committee, some spides to riot around it at night and "community leaders" to "condemn" it all on UTV Live.

secretsam

girv73 wrote:

Cycling is pretty big where I work. We've maybe 10% of staff here that cycle in and arrive in various states of wreckedness and lycraness.

1. true, clothes add a lot to the backpack. I keep jeans in work and bring everything else by bike each day. I'd keep T-shirts in work too if I could. One day I week I take the car/bus and do a swapover. I hate those days. I wonder if I could post myself clothes at work

Here's a thought: as so many cycle, why not lobby for a communal washing machine facility at work? (assuming there's a lot of people working there)

girv73

SecretSam wrote:

Here's a thought: as so many cycle, why not lobby for a communal washing machine facility at work? (assuming there's a lot of people working there)

Don't think we have that numbers to make that work. It's a mostly empty building at present so perhaps in the future when it fills up...

Also, it would involve me doing laundry.

Kieran_Burns

Have you got a local shop that does laundry?

We have a sainsburys right next to where we work. Would it be cheaper to get them to clean everything over the weekend and pick it up monday morning?

biondino

If I was an employer I wouldn't want dozens of staff wasting dozens of man-hours weekly doing their washing!

Littigator

WheezyMcChubby wrote:

RIde TIme is per the cycle computer thingymadoda

The most important thing is that you're getting the hang of the complex technical language eh?

But well done WMC...your mates won't take the p*ss so much when they see how much weight you're dropping in the next few weeks and months.

ps ride-whenever you are never EVER coming to Friday drinks :shock:

girv73

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Have you got a local shop that does laundry?

Student land is in walking distance and there's an actual laundry. I dunno if they do service washes though. Hmm, interesting idea.

TBH I need to take non-bike days at least once a week due to after-work scheduling, amount of stuff to carry to/from home and the fact that I'm not fit enough to cycle commute 5 days a week anyway :roll: I still don't like those days though.

sc999cs

biondino wrote:

Not quite true - often the toughest efforts are the ones which leave you feeling the most fulfilled.

But that's the sort of thing I find fun!

Wrath Rob

Well done! Now work out your FCN and get over to the SCR thread :twisted:

symo

Well done WMC, awesome now you have no excuses not even rain. The answer to their question is "I've come as someone getting fit, whats your excuse for looking like that?". Those narky comments will stop within a couple of weeks.

I only do 4 miles a day and already I have noticed a massive difference to my fitness. Keep it up.