First day of commuting.

Cupras

Just got home from work from my first day commuting.
Other than sore lungs I feel fantastic. I probably should have waited for my chest infection to clear before starting to ride but I just couldn't help myself this morning.
6.7 miles each way with lots of hills.
Debating leaving the car at home tonight (I work split shifts) but don't know if riding in the dark on them roads will be a good idea and how sore will I be tomorrow?

menthel

Congrats! Its a good idea to take it easy when you first start, you don't want to strand yourself at work because you are too knackered to cycle home. Start with a couple of times a week and work up from there.

Cupras

The bad thing is I am off all next week as I need to waste holidays. So have a few trips planned. I didn't cycle to work tonight but will be tomorrow.

Thanks for the advice.

unixnerd

I probably should have waited for my chest infection to clear before starting to ride

Don't muck about with that, see a doctor. I thought mine would clear by itself but eventually I saw the doc and it helped a lot.

Cupras

unixnerd wrote:

I probably should have waited for my chest infection to clear before starting to ride

Don't muck about with that, see a doctor. I thought mine would clear by itself but eventually I saw the doc and it helped a lot.

Ohh I have antibiotics don't get me wrong and it is clearing it's just a tad sore when out of breath.

Did my second day today.
Way there was great got there in around 30 mins (45 mins yesterday) but I think this was helped a lot by the strong winds because my ride home was 55 mins I was however sore legged from a combination of riding and work.
I'm now off work for a week but plan on doing some rides whilst I'm off.
Should I just simulate work on my week of my going out twice a day doing around the same distance on the bike with a break in the middle or go for a single longer ride, or ride to work and back each day?

cuttsmeister

just tick over by going on the occasional leisure ride whilst off, you don't have to have an 8 hour gap to simulate work. Personally i wouldn't be going anywhere near work on my days off, take a scenic ride and enjoy it.! Your fitness will soon improve doing any sort of riding.

Cupras

cuttsmeister wrote:

just tick over by going on the occasional leisure ride whilst off, you don't have to have an 8 hour gap to simulate work. Personally i wouldn't be going anywhere near work on my days off, take a scenic ride and enjoy it.! Your fitness will soon improve doing any sort of riding.

That's what I have done the last 2 days. Nowhere near as far as my commute (only doing 5 miles per day) but I have lost most of the leg pain I had from the commuting last week.

MichaelW

If you are new to cycling, don't push too hard, too fast. It takes about 3 months of riding before that distance becomes just a routine part of the day. Most commuters ride at night on the roads they know well in the day. Make sure you know where the tricky bits are.

Grenouille

And have a good set of lights to see by and be seen by.

I have a One23 front light which has been fantastic for my dark winter commutes (pitch black country roads). It is fantastically bright.

daddy0

Depends on your age, fitness level etc... Don't limit yourself to your commute distance. Probably best to do a bit more at a more leisurely pace with a sprint at the end if you want to get fitter quicker.

When I started commuting a similar distance last year I was 35 and in bad shape. It made me a bit fitter, but as I never did any longer rides my fitness level plateaued. Getting up the 13% gradient hill was still lung busting hard work no matter how many times I did it. I wasn't doing enough exercise to build up to the point where my commute was really easy. When I started doing 10 to 20 mile rides on the weekend my commute became a bit easier. Then I did a few 35 mile rides and noticed a massive jump in my overall ability. I've recently started doing 50+ mile rides, which I don't find much harder than 35 miles, but now when I do a smaller distance I find I can keep the speed up for longer and hills are no longer such a problem. I've seen a few people on this site say that once you can do 40 mile rides you can do any distance - so aim for that I guess. Once you can do 40+ mile rides you will see your commute as just a short sprint thats over far too quickly. :-)

If you want a bit more encouragement and are competitively minded then I'd recommend using http://www.strava.com It makes me push myself a bit harder when I'm riding and makes commuting a bit more interesting as you can analyse your performance later. Its nice to see when you're making progress (and when you're faster than your friends) ;-)

Cupras

I'm 31, very unfit.

Thanks for the solid advice.
My plan is to do my commute twice a day within a month or so (split shifts) but I will only be doing mornings at first.

I do ride with the kids on my days off (evenings) but I suppose its hard to get them to do the distance I want to go.

Daddy0 wrote:

Depends on your age, fitness level etc... Don't limit yourself to your commute distance. Probably best to do a bit more at a more leisurely pace with a sprint at the end if you want to get fitter quicker.

When I started commuting a similar distance last year I was 35 and in bad shape. It made me a bit fitter, but as I never did any longer rides my fitness level plateaued. Getting up the 13% gradient hill was still lung busting hard work no matter how many times I did it. I wasn't doing enough exercise to build up to the point where my commute was really easy. When I started doing 10 to 20 mile rides on the weekend my commute became a bit easier. Then I did a few 35 mile rides and noticed a massive jump in my overall ability. I've recently started doing 50+ mile rides, which I don't find much harder than 35 miles, but now when I do a smaller distance I find I can keep the speed up for longer and hills are no longer such a problem. I've seen a few people on this site say that once you can do 40 mile rides you can do any distance - so aim for that I guess. Once you can do 40+ mile rides you will see your commute as just a short sprint thats over far too quickly. :-)

If you want a bit more encouragement and are competitively minded then I'd recommend using http://www.strava.com It makes me push myself a bit harder when I'm riding and makes commuting a bit more interesting as you can analyse your performance later. Its nice to see when you're making progress (and when you're faster than your friends) ;-)

daddy0

Yeah, riding with the kids isn't going to help much with the fitness once you get past a certain point. You need to find someone who is fitter than you to ride with who will push you.

Whereabouts do you live? Maybe someone one here might be up for being your riding buddy!

Cupras

I live in Guisborough, I have been riding a lot with my brother who is fitter than me this week. Went to Eston last night in some ridiculous wind that was in our faces on the way there (all the up hills too). Was pretty hard going with the wind but I feel super this morning and the stiffness has now gone from my legs that I had last week so that's got to make things a little easier.
Back at work Sunday so I should be a lot more comfortable on my commute after this weeks random rides out.
I don't know if its a coincidence or not but I have dropped a jeans size in a week is this normal from riding when I have gone from no exercise at all to riding every day?

Daddy0 wrote:

Yeah, riding with the kids isn't going to help much with the fitness once you get past a certain point. You need to find someone who is fitter than you to ride with who will push you.

Whereabouts do you live? Maybe someone one here might be up for being your riding buddy!

rubertoe

Cupras wrote:

I live in Guisborough, I have been riding a lot with my brother who is fitter than me this week. Went to Eston last night in some ridiculous wind that was in our faces on the way there (all the up hills too). Was pretty hard going with the wind but I feel super this morning and the stiffness has now gone from my legs that I had last week so that's got to make things a little easier.
Back at work Sunday so I should be a lot more comfortable on my commute after this weeks random rides out.
I don't know if its a coincidence or not but I have dropped a jeans size in a week is this normal from riding when I have gone from no exercise at all to riding every day?

Its no coincidence - but it also depends on how big you were to begin with.

Cupras

rubertoe wrote:

Cupras wrote:

I live in Guisborough, I have been riding a lot with my brother who is fitter than me this week. Went to Eston last night in some ridiculous wind that was in our faces on the way there (all the up hills too). Was pretty hard going with the wind but I feel super this morning and the stiffness has now gone from my legs that I had last week so that's got to make things a little easier.
Back at work Sunday so I should be a lot more comfortable on my commute after this weeks random rides out.
I don't know if its a coincidence or not but I have dropped a jeans size in a week is this normal from riding when I have gone from no exercise at all to riding every day?

Its no coincidence - but it also depends on how big you were to begin with.

44" before.
I managed to do my work and back twice today and also beat my morning shifts time this afternoon. I feel I have done a bit much now though as I am sore so I may take the car tomorrow.

timbo58

You're an inspiration mate.
You will be sore at 1st, so please take it easy and don't use the car the moment you feel comfortable enough to get back on the saddle.
It's very easy to slip back into the easy ways.

I am ashamed to say I lost over 20kg 5 years ago, mostly through cycling then managed to put the majority back on again by not cycling regularly enough.
I now have a tacx VR turbo in ym spare room with a wall projector(!), 2 good road bikes and a hybrid and have been cycling 16 miles + (turbo) daily, gradually adding another 20 miles per week and going out for short runs on the roads at weekends (12-15 miles each day), this is the only way to 'form a habit' and not injure yourself doing so.
I'm up to around 100 miles now and will aim for the magic 40 a day when I can!

I used to have thigh rubs, bruised stomach, knee problems etc -all of these disappear after a while and as the cycling gets more enjoyable it's get more addictive: a win-win!

Cupras

Thank you for your post timbo. Its given me a lot of inspiration I did go to work in the car today as I was sore however on my split shift I went for a short ride (4.6miles). I'm off work for 2 days now but my brother and I will be going the opposite direction to my work (flat roads) for a good ride out tomorrow and on Thursday I am going fishing so I will be out and about but not cycling. I will only be doing once a day rides to work and back for the next few weeks minimum and I will just try and beat my times rather than going both shifts for now. The reason I rode twice on Monday is when I got home from my first shift I was full of energy and felt amazing.
I do prefer taking the bike to work even in these 40mph winds where my ride to work is 26mins and my ride home is 1hr.

timbo58

I think the key (and I'm convincing myself also as I say so!) is to make it a rock solid habit.
It would be sooooo easy for me to have a lazy day and not cycle tonight -I have plenty of excuses coming into my head already -but team Lampre and an 18 mile Tuscan jaunt await imminently on the real life video, I am lucky- I have a full on gym set up in my spare bedroom and live alone so I can use the rowing machine or the turbo, 2 HUGE fans, a projector and laptop and blackout curtains, gym floor mats and a dedicated road bike for the turbo (btwin triban).

I am re-starting a cycle to work next Monday, and plan on 3 or 4 trips return as I have meetings weds/fri so it may not be practical, the route is mostly urban unfortunately and around 8 miles each way so it'll be a case of seeing how I go on monday on my Bianchi road bike and if it's too tricky with clipped in shoes/lycra I'll use my boardman hybrid instead.
I'm 48 and it's really tough trying to shift weight this time :-(

Cupras

Well I rode to work today and feel fantastic. I drove the evening shift and got a puncture in the car (go figure).
I haven't been to the gym for about 10 years so I don't think that will be coming anytime soon. I do need to move more weight because the hills on my commute are just shocking.
Im on a split tomorrow and then a single shift Sunday so I don't know if I will be able to get a car tyre when I get in so I may have to do both sifts on the bike tomorrow and the weather has been very heavy rain and hail so I'm not looking forward to it.

I am also thinking about getting a horn for my bike but don't know if it will be a waste of time/effort/space on the bike or not yet.

Cupras

Got myself some SPD m540's and some shoes. I've done 3 rides in them so far and they are fantastic. Why have I never used them before?
What shoes should I be looking at? I only got the pedals as my mother got me some cheep cycling shoes for £20 and although they do the job brilliantly I am worried about how fast they will break on someone as big and heavy handed as me.
I started cycling to get fit and I wasn't bothered about losing weight however after losing 4 stone in 6 weeks I am kind of liking It now. Weight coming off me is slowing down now but my fitness level is getting better and better.
I keep beating my PB times to work and home from work as well as the hills on strava. (I do keep forgetting you use strava though so I must remember to use it every time I go out on the bike)

I think that's me pretty much updated.

essex-commuter

Cupras wrote:

after losing 4 stone in 6 weeks

:shock:

Cupras

essex-commuter wrote:

Cupras wrote:

after losing 4 stone in 6 weeks

:shock:

Its amazing how fast it comes off when you go from takeaways every night after work (I finish late) and no exercise to eating healthy and riding a bike like a raging bull every day.

essex-commuter

Cupras wrote:

essex-commuter wrote:

Cupras wrote:

after losing 4 stone in 6 weeks

:shock:

Its amazing how fast it comes off when you go from takeaways every night after work (I finish late) and no exercise to eating healthy and riding a bike like a raging bull every day.

Great stuff, well done.

joelsim

Keep it up!