Am I mad to think this is possible?

benvickery

I've got an interview on Tuesday and the new place is 19.5 miles away with over 300 m of climbing. I cycle 12.5 miles each way a couple of times a week at the moment and this takes between 40 - 45 mins. I cope quite well with this but I'm thinking another 7 miles each way would be just too much. Well maybe I might manage it in the summer

I live in Maidstone and the job is in Dartford.

Comments please

cjcp

Never know until you try it. Do a test ride on the weekend and see how you feel.

gtvlusso

personally, I think you will be fine - give it a shot!! Nothing to lose and everything to gain from it! Good luck!

DiggingDeeper

AM I right in thinking there is a chuffing big hill (Wrotham pronounce Route-Ham) between the two locations...............I am pretty certain you can attain +50mph downhill (you notice I am ignoring the other way)

cougie

I reckon this is doable - maybe ease into it by alternating modes of transport for a week or two - but you'll be as fit as a fiddle come Summer ! I'm quite jealous !

always_tyred

benvickery wrote:

I've got an interview on Tuesday and the new place is 19.5 miles away with over 300 m of climbing. I cycle 12.5 miles each way a couple of times a week at the moment and this takes between 40 - 45 mins. I cope quite well with this but I'm thinking another 7 miles each way would be just too much. Well maybe I might manage it in the summer

I live in Maidstone and the job is in Dartford.

Comments please

How hilly is your current commute? I wouldn't have thought that the extra distance would take too much getting used to, but climbing might be a bit more of a shock to the system if you are a flat lander. It also depends on how those 300m are disposed - if you are going deeply into the red on several hills each morning and taking bottled oxygen to recover at the tops, it may take it out of you a bit. But long shallower hills can be tackled at a sane pace and are just more miles.

prawny

Yeah should be fine, I'm working up to commuting full time 19.8 miles 800ft climb in just over 1000ft home, I haven't long got back into it so I can only manage twice a week so far but I'm getting better.

Just remember to eat more the last 5 miles kill me (all uphill finishing with 1 mile steady 9% hill I want to move!)

chuckcork

My new job (starting soon) will see me driving in probably 3 days week (transporting child to creche, operating hours of which don't tie in to working hours well, and spouse is working long hours too complicates things a bit) but I'm seriously considering cycling in 2 days a week, the route I have already done a test run on is 25 miles each way, which I figure I can manage in about 95-110 minutes or so once I have the route finalised and i'm not looking at maps every 5 minutes.

Last year I had a 14 mile commute each way, and topped that off with Sunday club runs of another 40-50 miles or so, so over a week I was doing 180 miles or more. I managed to keep that going for 7 months (until I was made redundant) and was finding it easy enough at the end, when your body had adjusted you should find the same.

So 19.5 miles is doable I think, you will need to be prepared to do it physically, mentally etc but if you have been doing 12.5 miles it shouldn't take too long to adjust to the extra length, I had to build up to mine from near nothing!

Rich158

I know the area, I live in Gravesend, and you should be fine. Club runs regularly take me from Cobham through Vigo, East Malling, West Malling etc, and it's not too hard. I'd go for it, it'll only make you stronger in the long run

CiB

My 20 miles in involves a couple of minor climbs if I go that way, but 20 miles is certainly achievable. The view has to be not whether you can do it, but how long will it take. 20 is within range though. Every day might take it out f you by Friday - I don't do more than 2 successive days at this time of year, will do in the summer though.

benvickery

Thanks for your positive comments. Digging deeper is right, there is a big hill near Wrotham but once you're over that it's almost all flat or gently downhill.

At the moment my commute is similar, a fairly steep hill, a good downhill and then 5 miles of flat.

I'm going out tomorrow morning, so maybe I'll have a go just to see what it's like. If I do maybe I should keep my mouth shut during the interview about doing a 39 mile round trip just for the fun of it. They might think I'm some weirdo

itboffin

If this is an interview then you don't have the job yet? if so don't even consider turning up at an interview after a long hard bike ride, they will think your mental.

Good luck anyway.

itboffin

@chuckcork


Well done matey it's tough out here ATM only hope I can be as lucky, i'm interviewing in Dublin next week.

cjcp

chuckcork wrote:

My new job (starting soon)

Yep, second ITB's post. That's good news. 8)

Rich158

benvickery wrote:

Thanks for your positive comments. Digging deeper is right, there is a big hill near Wrotham but once you're over that it's almost all flat or gently downhill.

At the moment my commute is similar, a fairly steep hill, a good downhill and then 5 miles of flat.

I'm going out tomorrow morning, so maybe I'll have a go just to see what it's like. If I do maybe I should keep my mouth shut during the interview about doing a 39 mile round trip just for the fun of it. They might think I'm some weirdo

I know the hill you mean, up and over the downs. I've done it several times and it looks worse than it is, it's just longish but not particularly steep, unless you choose the option going up from Trottescliffe to Vigo, which is short and sharp, about 700m at 20% :shock:

What route do you plan on taking?

It's definately do-able. I do 22 miles each way, Gravesend to Greenwich, 4 days a week, with a 40 mile club run or a 70+ mile sportive at the weekend, so generally over 200 miles a week. Your body does get used to it, just make sure you eat enough to support that level of exercise, I've founf if I don't eat enough I catch every little bug that's going round the office.

Good luck ITB

+1 Chuckcork, hope the new job goes well

AndyOgy

Did anyone else see the thread a while back with a link to a news article about a guy commuting 144 miles a day? I'd love to know how he got on through the winter.

And ChuckCork - Congratulations on the job. I just spent all afternoon filling out a 14 page application for a job that pays three quarters of my previous salary. Glad to hear that somebody's doing better than I am.

chuckcork

Andy, the application only took me an hour, but the salary is 3/4 of my previous last 3 jobs as well....in fact, its about what I was earning 7 years ago. Better of course than the reduction to 60% of pay of one guy I know who has kept his job and whose missus (I worked with) was fired along with last year.

And in the current economic climate with architects being fired by the dozen (unemployment for architects in Ireland at the moment is around 40%, technicians 58%) its is better than the none at all I could expect otherwise, and would likely expect for the next 2 years or however long the recession affects the construction industry.

Haven't started the job yet of course, its the NHS so have to go through a number of checks first which is taking a while. :?