Is 50 miles a day too much?

SuperBOB

I am moving to Scotland - and have just landed a role up there. Its in Glasgow, and my place is Stirling initially. It looks like it will be about 25 - 30 miles door to door.

I started cycling to lose weight and get fit this year - I do 8 miles door to door. This is in Cambridge, so the route is very flat. I've done this for a few months now - and plough through it without a problem all week.

I realise 50-60 miles a day is going to hurt - but I am keen to keep losing weight - and to avoid the car/bus/train crap everyday!

What do you think, do-able?

spasypaddy

to start with no. id recommend for a month or so you do one way each day (assuming you can leave the bike at work overnight).

then build up to every other day full ride. So day on, day off.

Then try two days straight, with a day off

then three, with a day off

then four, with a day off

then all week.

Thats also about 3-4 hours riding a day remember. And that will only get slower as the week goes on.

danowat

Ultimately depends on your current level of cycling, how many miles do you do a week?, just the 16x5? (80 miles?).

I currently commute 3 days a week, 34 mile round trip, and believe me, 3 days of that a week is more than enough for me!!!!.

As above, if you are keen on doing it, you need to build up, if you did it every day, you are looking at a good 15 hours of cycling a week, IMO, if your main goal is weightloss, I'd say that this amount of cycling may be counter productive, as with that much cycling you are going to be ravenous and probably eat yourself out of house and home!!!!!

CrackFox

Whether it's do-able or not is something you'd be best able to answer, but to me it looks a little over-ambitious if you're used to doing a flat 8 miles. One option might be to put the bike in the car, park it around 15 miles from your destination and ride the rest of the way. Increase that distance over time. It's not just the extra effort, but also the impact of the additional commuting time on the rest of your day - i.e getting up earlier and getting home later - that you have to consider.

SuperBOB

I guess cost is another thing... I don't want to spend £15ish a day on commute costs.
My partner is driving in and out of Glasgow each day so I could build upto it and get lifts back with her..

Aidy

25 miles each way is pretty much the limit of what I'd consider doing, I think.

PBo

Aidy wrote:

25 miles each way is pretty much the limit of what I'd consider doing, I think.

with my limited knowledge of scottish geology/geography/toplology, I'm guessing that it's nothing like fenland flat either.....

MrChuck

Also depends what you want to do at the weekends- you might not have much appetite for riding come Friday evening.

Norky

That's a hell of a step up. 4 to 5 times the distance and the likelihood of some hills. I'd say doing that every day will be a tall order at first. Although regarding hills I notice there's a cycle route ( national route 754 http://osm.org/go/evdMAIX-?layers=00B0FTF ) alongside the canal between Bonnybridge and Glasgow, which will be very flat... Play with that map and http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php to work out routes.

As Spasypaddy said you can build up by doing the full distance twice, then four times, then six, etc a week. You could also drive partway to somewhere quiet, leave your car and ride some proportion of the distance in. Although it's a bit of a faff loading bike into car this does save navigating busy city streets by car.

Edit: hmm, it appears I took so long writing that everyone else got in ahead of me and said the same thing. I'll go back to sleep then.

always_tyred

What route have you got planned? I think it depends very much on elevation changes. Glasgow is not particularly hilly (or flat) but the Campsies are between Stirling and Glasgow and even skirting around them is lumpy.

Then there are the roads. Scotland doesn't have a big population, but a large proportion of it does live in one of Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow, Stirling or surrounds. I fear you may have a choice between a lot of climbing on nice roads, or a flatter ride on very busy commuter roads.

The city centre of Glasgow is also ringed by an almost impenetrable protective layer of sh1tty parts of town and busy roads.

But here's the good news - there are lots of canal tow path or paths along rivers right into the centre, where you can hook up to nicer routes in. And the trains up here are more bike friendly and much less crowded than SE England. Its very easy to get a train part way in and cycle the rest of the way. Or cycle part way and get the train the rest of the way, or even drive to a park and ride with the bike in the car and cycle from there. For example, find a place called Croy. Its on the Forth-Clyde canal and probably 15-20 mins from Stirling. There is a vast P&R there, I think it connects directly with Stirling by train, and its cyclable from there, or Kirkintilloch or Lenzie (the next stations in) into the centre. No doubt there are other options like that too.

I certainly think it would be a good call to live in Stirling rather than Glasow. Its small and like all Scottish towns and cities is rough around the edges. But its very pretty and some off the best parts of Scotland are just minutes away.

Cost - its Scotland, so its cheaper. Turning up on the day in peak time it costs about £20 return from Edinburgh to Glasgow by train. From Stirling it would be less. With any sort of season ticket it would be between £5 and £10 a day I would have thought. You should get an indea on Nat Rail Enquiries - it might be cheaper than you think.

Aidy

PBo wrote:

Aidy wrote:

25 miles each way is pretty much the limit of what I'd consider doing, I think.

with my limited knowledge of scottish geology/geography/toplology, I'm guessing that it's nothing like fenland flat either.....

I don't think it's tooooo bad, but no, not flat. Not sure how traffic light happy it is - which would kinda be what concerned me about longer commutes.

always_tyred

SuperBOB wrote:

I guess cost is another thing... I don't want to spend £15ish a day on commute costs.
My partner is driving in and out of Glasgow each day so I could build upto it and get lifts back with her..

Really try to talk her out of that. It will take her longer than you could cycle! 90 mins each way I reckon, at peak times.

The M80 from Stirling is being upgraded (a slow stretch of the A80 is being turned into motorway). It is due to finish around 2012. Which will probably be 2013 in reality because they are using British workers and they have to have their fag breaks you know. That route is currently a long, dreadful 40mph average speed check with narrow lanes. It backs up on a sleepy Sunday afternoon. Every single route into Glasgow is fed by the M8 traffic (the M8 rings the city centre. Its a horror show.

mattrsa

I currently do a 45mile round trip 2 to 3 times a week and it is not too bad altho I do find recovery days make a hell of a difference. Gives the legs time to recover and you feel stronger the day after a rest.

My main problem when cycling everyday or a number of days in the row is simply the getting out of bed, once I'm on the road I'm fine but I do struggle to get up after a few days cycling!

andy83

think its a little bit too much of a jump. and as others have said its the added time on your journey / day at work

just try easing into it. I commute 21 miles in and 30 miles home some days but this is when the weather is nice, im lucky that if the weather is rubbish I have a 7 mile commute or if im really tired.

how demanding is the job youro going to be doing? I think this plays a factor aswell, part of what helps me is I can get up early and not dread going into work as I love my job

wizzlebanger

Guess it also depends on how quickly you think you could do it. Just thinking about my own fitness etc I'd be in the region of 2hours for a 30 mile commute.

Starting work at 9 that means I'd be leaving at 6.30 each morning to ensure I had time for a shower upon arrival and for cool down period plus any unforseen cicumstances.

2hrs home as well.......

I currently commute about 12 miles round trip and wouldn't fancy such a big commute more than 2 or 3 times a week. (at present).

andrewc3142

Depends, depends on so many factors.

My commute is 28 miles each way. I can happily do it every day one way if I'm in the office all week, but tend to catch the train home. Sometimes I do it both ways - on a sunny Friday it's too tempting not to.

Both ways every day is too much for me, with a 10 hours or so work day in between and young kids to read bedtime stories to. Especially in winter, when you're cycling in the cold and dark pretty much all the time.

Each to their own, though.

Suck it and see.

notsoblue

+1 to everything above. Thats a big increase in mileage!

I commute 30 miles a day, (7 miles there, 23 miles back) and by the end of the week I'm feeling it. I wouldn't fancy doubling that distance. Also, as Andrew says, you'll be doing most of it in the cold and dark during the winter.

I've done LEJOG, and did 70-100 miles a day for two weeks, and its amazing how quickly your body adapts (I lost a stone over that period, and hills were devoured with ease by the end). But I think you have to ask yourself if you really want to adapt to a minimum of 4 hours cycle commuting every day in all seasons. And thats if you maintain a good pace, and nothing goes wrong...

A two hour commute really eats into your spare time as it is, and you'd have to spend that time just recovering from the commute. On the plus side, you'll lose the weight pretty quickly if you keep it up

wgwarburton

Hi,

SuperBOB wrote:

I am moving to Scotland - and have just landed a role up there. Its in Glasgow, and my place is Stirling initially. It looks like it will be about 25 - 30 miles door to door.

I live near Stirling and am currently working in Glasgow (Edinburgh from next week).

The train service is excellent, by UK standards. You can usually take your bike on it, though a folder would be a useful insurance policy. A monthly season ticket is about £160. Weekly £40 or you can get a book of 10 ("flexipass") for around £45-50, to let you cycle one way and get the train back.

There are a few guys that cycle one-way on an occasional basis. I don't know of anyone that does it daily. The direct route is heavily trafficked and the pleasant alternatives are a bit slow. It isn't flat, by Cambridge standards, though it certainly isn't mountainous, either.

What do you think, do-able?

If you can do it daily, you're a better man than I. I would expect the main issue to be time- it takes me well over two hours to ride one-way. I know a guy (you'll meet him) who's done Glasgow-Gargunnock in an hour thirty-five, but that's his PB and he doesn't ride into work 'cos it leaves him too washed out for the day... He and another guy, who posts here occasionally, sometimes get off at Larbert to extend the commute into a training run on the way home, or Bishopbriggs on the way in.

So, I would say not do-able, but there are other options. You could get a season between Larbert and Glasgow, for example, and cycle there instead of Stirling, though TBH, it will only save you ~£25/month.

Where in Glasgow are you working? It's pretty big and not very flat...

Cheers,
W.

BentMikey

It's very possible, but I'm sure it'll hurt too, and take lots of time. I do 43-45 miles a day, plus a physical job.

Wallace1492

You want WGWarburton to post on here. He does the same commute, but usually takes train, but does cycle it at times. You would be passing my front door if you go via Buchlyvie/Killearn/Strathblane/Milngavie, and its not too bad a route, a few climbs but nothing major. However that road can get busy in the rush hour and it is not the widest.

Canal option is a lot slower and prone to dog walkers, kids, joggers. Personally I would avoid it and stick to roads.

I do 7.5 each way from the north of Glasgow, and the route into the centre, although pretty potholed (they have been repairing a lot recently) is generally quite good. A lot of bus lanes.

Certainly would not fancy the commute in winter, as roads would be lethal and unlit for most of the way, so stick to 2 or 3 days a week for the lighter days. Look into train options for other times, depends how far you are from the station in Stirling and Glasgow, bike on train could be a good option.

Lastly, hope you enjoy Scotland, and join the SCR stats as it looks like you will be clocking up the mileage!! See you on Maryhill Road sometime.....

EDIT: I see WGW posted as I was typing this! Was a bit slow in posting....

chuckcork

I agree with what most others are saying: its a big jump to a long way.

I do a round trip of about 60km/37 miles, 4 days a week, having Wednesday off work. If I have Monday off instead and do Tues-Fri then by Friday I'm knackered and struggling. So as every else says, build up to it, take time off when you can to recover, and try not to over do it.

And think about alternatives like the car/train and keeping fit on a trainer when winter comes, 25 miles is a long way on a bike in the rain when it is cold, dark and windy...

ex-pat scot

Possible, if you build up to it.

The others have it pretty much covered already, really.

I do 40 - 45 miles per day, every day. Minimum (busy roads) is 38.
Funnily enough, my running training has rather taken a back seat from the 70+ mpw I was clocking this time last year.

always_tyred

BentMikey wrote:

It's very possible, but I'm sure it'll hurt too, and take lots of time. I do 43-45 miles a day, plus a physical job.

Yes, but its the exception rather than the rule and I defy you to do that on top of a 10 hour a day brain draining office job. It very much depends on what you do in the interim and for how long.

I could manage it if I did my old job (in academia, with requisite slow days and meetings as a viable alternative to making decisions or doing any work) but not now (legal).

I also think that if you add in 1000ft of climbing each way, even you'd start to struggle. You ride a recumbent on the flat. Convert that to a regular bike with climbing and I think its more the equivalent of 30-35 miles daily, which is a little more than me, but not much.

Finally, take 3-4 degrees celcius off the temperature of your commute and double the rainfall (I'm sooo glad I live in Edinburgh), and knock off a bit of daylight in winter so as to add 3 or 4 weeks of commuting in the dark.

WGWarburton (who I inexplicably failed to note lived near Stirling) is right. I don't know that route, but I do know bits of it and I did commute 30km each way from the foot of the Campsies and it was very hard in cold and damp Glasgow in dark December-February, I can assure you.