25 miles every day commute

tjh159

I have been cycling to and from work for the past 12 months. I have averaged 2-3 days per week and the odd Saturday but really want to regularly do 4 days (mon-thurs) and also saturdays as well, I find myself getting very tired on Wednesdays and I don't really push myself every day. I average about 50-55 mins each way and about 15mph on good days. Has anyone got any tips for resting/recovery. Obviously sleep is important but am I missing anything? Thankyou in advance

optimisticbiker

I do 2 - 3days a week 30miles round trip, and I try a more gentle recovery ride most weekends. My average is 14 - 14.5mph.

The things I have found that make a difference:
- eating properly before and after rides
- hydrating properly during rides
- not trying to make each ride a sprint finish on the last stage of the tour de france. Indeed some days need to be taken very gently, even if that means 10min more.
- sleeping properly


Do you have a bike computer/heart rate monitor? This is really good to help pace yourself...

cyberknight

I do 10 miles each way 5 days a week with an average of 17-18 mph and as above you cannot treat every day as a time trial.
Plan your rides,plan your food + drink and rest days .
Listen to your body and go at a speed that is comfortable.

How fast do you rotate the pedals? if you try to push a fast gear slowly then that can tire your legs rather than pedaling a bit faster in a slower gear that strains the legs less but you go just as fast , i did not believe it till i got a speedo and tried it !A good average rpm is 80-90.

Like you i want to go for rides at the weekend ( blooming weather permitting grrrr !) as i want to train for a sportive so that means i take it a bit easier in the week now so i have some in the tank for the weekend.

Lastly with eating i have..

porrdge or toast for breakfast as i do not like to cycle on empty but you should be able to do so then eat when you arrive.
Break time is 1 sanwhich
dinner 2 sanwhiches, 2 fruit, 1 yoghurt
break bannana
tea cooked meal

I try to eat regularly to keep the tank topped up for the rides rather than eating 1 big meal that takes a long time to digest

tjh159

thanks for all the advice guys. I do tend to get a fast rhythm going and before I know it I have arrived at work 10 mins before I usually do!! I did go through a 2-3 week period where I had slowed my times down by 5-8 mins and cycled in a lower gear and that really helped. As you say it is a commute and NOT a race so I suppose I just need to get the right balance of cadence and speed. Thanks again. My commute btw is Epsom to Weybridge and back. Anyone else cycle that route?

optimisticbiker

I have specific parts of my route which get used for 'training' - for example there is one hill approx 1km long at a 5% gradient that some days I will do hard intervals up and other days will pootle up.

As cyberknight says, dropping a gear or two and upping cadence made a difference for me - from mid-50s to 70 made the whole thing feel much easier tho it was counter-intuitive at first.

The thing I tend to watch now is heart rate... I know what it should be on each section of the commute... if I find its going higher I know I need to take it easier... and that is more accurate than trying to assess how i feel... obviously as my fitness improves and my heart rate drop on a given section I will naturally work harder then. It seems to be working!

Twostage

I used to race to work and back doing the same distance as you and could only manage 3 days per week. I forced myself to slow down and soon found that not only could I manage 4-5 days per week but I was back to the same speed. I wear a HRM but judge my effort by how hard I am breathing. I try to keep my breathing easy so I could happily have a conversation.

I reckon that by deliberately taking it easy my body became more efficient.

iPete

Take the long route home, tell your legs to shut up, do 5 day weeks, keep telling your legs to shut up.

Depending on your age/fitness your body will catch up and soon it'll be a breeze.

tjh159

So first try at not pushing too hard today. Got to work in 50 min 30 secs (12.5 Miles) and felt great. I ate little and often through the day with a big dose of porridge early afternoon which seemed to really help on the ride home. Got home in 53min 24 secs (slightly more uphill on the way home) and I felt great again. I hope this new slower is faster technique works like this for the rest of the week!!!!

dilemna

12.5 miles you should be able to ride in 35 minutes, 40 mins max or 30 minutes on a good day. But you don't say over what terrain you are riding? Is it fairly flat? If so 30-35 mins should be achievable.

There seems to be a myth that porridge is good for cycling. I never found this except when perhaps it is -8C. I find porridge heavy, leaves me bloated, lethargic and thirsty.

25 miles a day is no problem. You just need to eat a full balanced diet and keep hyrdated. If you were riding 55-60 miles a day, like I was before I was knock down by another f*cking moton, then yeah you'd really need to eat properly and specific foods to keep yourself fully fueled. But 25 miles a day isn't really going to need a special diet. Just don't push heavy gears and spin comfortablly, not like a bee or an old man in slow motion but at a cadence of about 85-95.

HTH.

tjh159

The terrain is quite hilly. the best I have ever managed timewise was pushing the big gears and I arrived in 42 mins. This morning was 49mins 36 secs. Not too fussed about time but it amazes me that by spinning more I am actually getting quicker!!!

dilemna

tjh159 wrote:

The terrain is quite hilly. the best I have ever managed timewise was pushing the big gears and I arrived in 42 mins. This morning was 49mins 36 secs. Not too fussed about time but it amazes me that by spinning more I am actually getting quicker!!!

Quite hilly ..................... which hills or county?

The point is you should always be in a gear that is comfortable ie not so slow that a snail could pedal faster or so fast you are spinning your legs like road runner. Get a cycling computer with a cadence function. If there are some serious climbs on your route 42 minutes isn't bad going.

woodford2barbican

dilemna wrote:

12.5 miles you should be able to ride in 35 minutes, 40 mins max or 30 minutes on a good day. But you don't say over what terrain you are riding? Is it fairly flat? If so 30-35 mins should be achievable.

This is true only if not city centre commuting. I currently do 11 miles into the city and depending on route it can take up to 50 minutes. I am shortly going to change to a 16 mile each way commute and the only thing stopping me doing it every day will be the time it will take.

NE London to Hammersmith = a lot of traffic lights.

iandennis

dilemna wrote:

12.5 miles you should be able to ride in 35 minutes, 40 mins max or 30 minutes on a good day. But you don't say over what terrain you are riding? Is it fairly flat? If so 30-35 mins should be achievable.
HTH.

I must be slow then as 11 miles is taking me 55 minutes on a route from the Chilterns to Pinner. There are a couple of big hills around harefield and I'm using an old mountain bike with slicks but even so, I'm clearly not as fit as i thought. Can do it in 40 mins on a road bike but don't usually take it as set up on spd-sl and not idea for commuting.

25 miles a day should be fine - as posted just eat and drink well.

Good luck

cjcp

tjh159 wrote:

. As you say it is a commute and NOT a race so I suppose I just need to get the right balance of cadence and speed.

But, but.... it's *ALWAYS* a race!

As others above have said, vary the pace on different days - recovery in some form is an integral part of any exercise programme, and I find that commuting is no different. Some days, I find I don't have the legs to go up a particular hill (usually Fridays), so take a longer but flatter route.

Eating and drinking properly, particularly when it's hotter, is also a good plan.

And the point Cyberknight made about the size of the gear you're pushing is a very good one.

Stick with it - the fitness will build up.

Thanks again. My commute btw is Epsom to Weybridge and back. Anyone else cycle that route?

Do you have to ride along Seven Hills Road? God, that's a mentally draining road.

tjh159

Luckily Seven Hills Road isn't on my route although I am planning a longer cycle home on Thursday so it will be my first ride on it!!! Tonight the ride was 48mins and that was me beasting myself the whole way (felt really strong today). As for the earlier post saying 40 mins etc I don't think I will get near that anytime soon. Just gonna keep a good pace and enjoy the ride

PedalPedant

dilemna wrote:

12.5 miles you should be able to ride in 35 minutes, 40 mins max or 30 minutes on a good day.

Average speed of 25mph! even on a good day that sounds pretty quick to me. Even 40 minutes is nearly a 19mph average. Maybe I'm just a *lot* slower than the average commuter.

PP

seadog12

Lol, 25mph average on a 12.5 mile commute is about the same speed a good club cyclist would do a 10 mile TT on a decent dedicated TT bike. Can manage 18mph on my 16 mile commute on a good day with a fair wind, and this is my third year commuting!

tjh159

I thought it sounded a bit quick!!!!! 15-16mph is my max average speed.

bakerstreet

dilemna wrote:

12.5 miles you should be able to ride in 35 minutes, 40 mins max or 30 minutes on a good day. But you don't say over what terrain you are riding? Is it fairly flat? If so 30-35 mins should be achievable.
.

I think we have established that this isn't realistic for some of us.

I can only go so fast in the traffic along with traffic lights and roundabouts.

I used to manage 17mph average over an approximate 7 mile commute and that could be quite tiring. Journey home was always slower.

New job is approximately 25 miles from home and I may have a go at commuting that by bike one day, but I'm currently undecided if its worth the grief. Their is huge hill in the middle of it too. No shower at work either.

bails87

bakerstreet wrote:

dilemna wrote:

12.5 miles you should be able to ride in 35 minutes, 40 mins max or 30 minutes on a good day. But you don't say over what terrain you are riding? Is it fairly flat? If so 30-35 mins should be achievable.
.

I think we have established that this isn't realistic for some of us.
.

Yeah, an average of 25mph over a whole commute seems extremely quick to me. I do 15 miles and if I average 18mph then I'm impressed.

triggmiester

I can do my 12.95 mile commute in 39 mins on "rolling" terrain avg speed 19.somehting mph.

Love to be able to crack the 20mph but too many traffic lights i think

whitestar1

I feel humble to be in such company! I cover 4.5 miles (9 miles round trip). I ride five days per week. This is my second week and I was thinking of a rest day. Don't think I will now that I have seen the OP and others. Time average out at 24 mins with upto 26 mph in the mornings to work. To be honest I do treat the mornings as a race.

chrishumes

good post, got some good tips here. i do 12 mile and it takes 40-45 mins, quite hilly and via town centre in parts, and 50-55 mins back into the wind. i can only do it 2-3 times a week though but plan to build up. depends on bike type as well i guess.

two best tips i think are to use the gears and not push too hard as its not a race.

squired

I find that a good way to give myself a mental note to take it easy (or push harder) is through the choice of clothes.

If I wear my lycra shorts I tend to find that I just get into the zone and push harder. Conversely, if I put on the baggy shorts that is a message to take it easy, so I cruise in/home.

dcurzon

this has been my first 5 day commute, i usually do 3. 11 miles each way from Chingford to Covent Garden, so a 100+ mile week this week ) yay! Interestingly, i did my PB the other day at 43minutes, and wasn't pushing so much, just more careful timing for the traffic lights, averaged 14.25mph for the journey. I dont live in Chingford, its slightly over half way to work, so i drive and park in chingford then cycle the rest.

I'm going to start adding more mileage next week, think i'll park 5 miles further out

seadog12

My first 5 day commute this week to So far 110 miles @ 15.8mph average and 123bpm with 7900ft of elavation gain. Getting myself ready for the 103 mile Midland Monster Sunday week.

whitestar1

seadog12 wrote:

My first 5 day commute this week to So far 110 miles @ 15.8mph average and 123bpm with 7900ft of elavation gain. Getting myself ready for the 103 mile Midland Monster Sunday week.

Whats that all about - Midland Monster Sunday ? I live in the midlands too.

seadog12

It's a week Sunday: http://www.wheelsinwheels.com/midlandmo ... event.html
There's 76 mile short and 103 mile long route