Longest bike commute to/from London?

TomIOLondon

Hi guys,

I'm a long-time cyclist but recent addition to this forum. I work for BBC Inside Out London - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0071mkv - and we're currently looking into doing a piece for television on exceptionally difficult/long commutes.

I cycle to work myself, but my journey is a little over five miles, and I'm looking for someone who undertakes a really impressive commute by bike, at least a couple of times a week (all the better if it's every day barring extreme weather!)

The piece isn't just about cycling by any means, but if we can find someone who has an extraordinary story to tell about the lengths they go to (get it?!) to get to work, that would be fantastic.

If this sounds like you, or like someone you know, it would be great to hear from you. You can get in touch with me on e-mail at tom.kavanagh1@bbc.co.uk or give me a ring on 020 7765 1210.

Thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing from you,

Tom.

(P.S., I have posted this in two subsections of the commuting section - if that is excessive or unwanted I'm sure there's a moderator around who can make sure it ends up in the right place!)

Kieran_Burns

Except commuting in London is never extraordinary 'cos it's like all lit up and flat like

You want to speak to us countryside nutters... like that mad Scottish idiot ( :P ) who seems to revel in cycling in Arctic conditions. Hell, even I've managed a few mental commutes in my time.

Gallywomack

Well there was the time I somehow bonked on my 9-mile commute home...but I don't like to talk about it.

iPete

20 miles, each way, 5 days a week (including fairly extreme weather)... but don't fancy being in the telly box!

but can I have a prize of some sort? preferably high calorie food..

asprilla

Anything between 16 and 23 miles each way. Generally 5 days a week, but the office I'm working in at the moment doesn't have showers so I'm on the train.

I generally do it in all weathers including snow. Will be resolving that issue soon.

The only thing that would rule me out is that I don't think it's extraordinary.

ugo.santalucia

When I take the Grand Union Canal path I often have to fight swans... they gang up, hiss and occasionally attack me... they are pretty big beasts and of course I can't kill them, as it's illegal...

There's also plenty of interesting folks living on the canal... a guy has a boat named "Cirrhosis on the canal", which says it all

Plenty of stories...

5milestogo

The Silly Commuter Stats thread http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12620363 on this forum relates to the tables updated at http://www.startfarm.co.uk/aspStats/Default.aspx. If you click through peoples names on the table you'll see what daily miles they do for the commute.

gbsahne001

much the same as Asprilla above, all weathers year round, club rides at the weekend and leading Sky Rides during the Summer.

None of which I find particularly extraordinary nor difficult.

rjsterry

rower63 has a bit of a story in that he was 'famous' for years on this forum, before he found out about it. Does a decent distance too.

sketchley

13 miles to current office (direct route) in direct (faster route) 16 miles each way. Can be extended to 20+miles if I go the long way home though Richmond park. In better weather 5 days a week! 18+ stones make that a little difficult but in no way do I think my journey is exceptional or extreme. Doesn't really help the OP as I don't want to be on telly.

Gallywomack

rjsterry wrote:

rower63 has a bit of a story in that he was 'famous' for years on this forum, before he found out about it. Does a decent distance too.

In danger of breaking the 1st & 2nd rules of SCR club here...

rjsterry

Gallywomack wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

rower63 has a bit of a story in that he was 'famous' for years on this forum, before he found out about it. Does a decent distance too.

In danger of breaking the 1st & 2nd rules of SCR club here...

Wot? I dint say nuffink.

<whistles nonchalantly>

FoldingJoe

Asprilla wrote:

Anything between 16 and 23 miles each way. Generally 5 days a week, but the office I'm working in at the moment doesn't have showers so I'm on the train.

I generally do it in all weathers including snow. Will be resolving that issue soon.

The only thing that would rule me out is that I don't think it's extraordinary.

That's because you're from up North!!

asprilla

FoldingJoe wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

Anything between 16 and 23 miles each way. Generally 5 days a week, but the office I'm working in at the moment doesn't have showers so I'm on the train.

I generally do it in all weathers including snow. Will be resolving that issue soon.

The only thing that would rule me out is that I don't think it's extraordinary.

That's because you're from up North!!

Tis true.

A few year ago my wife, who is from Dorset, wanted to make sure I knew how to drive in the snow before I went out in the car. I pointed out that I'm from north Northumberland and my birthday (like most kids who grow up in Nowhereville I wanted driving lessons as soon as I could) is in the middle of winter.

The longest commute I ever had was about 8 years ago in London. 2 inches of snow meant it took six hours to get from Collindale to Greenwich by public transport. Laughable.

keyser__soze

Some guy I noticed on Strava doing quick times between Richmond and CW comes in the long route from Ruislip, over Richmond bridge, roughly 30 miles each way every day, always done rapidly.

meanredspider

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Except commuting in London is never extraordinary 'cos it's like all lit up and flat like

You want to speak to us countryside nutters... like that mad Scottish idiot ( :P ) who seems to revel in cycling in Arctic conditions. Hell, even I've managed a few mental commutes in my time.

Absolutely - how hard can it be? I used to do 35miles RT with a couple of thousand feet of climbing. I'm now a city commuter and it's a doddle. My biggest worry used to be falling off, no-one finding me, and dying of exposure. My biggest worry now is a tourist stepping out in front of me :roll:

gabriel959

willyb does some silly commutes from what I can gather in Strava (30 miles + in the morning, not so long in the evening). Might be worth checking with him.

rick_chasey

Keyser__Soze wrote:

Some guy I noticed on Strava doing quick times between Richmond and CW comes in the long route from Ruislip, over Richmond bridge, roughly 30 miles each way every day, always done rapidly.

S'a long time on the bike if you don't do it rapidly!

Sharkyssurfers

Well currently commuting 52 miles a day, but have been known to do the full commute in the summer months around 96-100, going to try and hopefully do that again in spring :shock:

ex-pat scot

there's a customer of Swift Cycles who does 26 miles each way in to the city. Don't have his name though, but I'm sure they'd put you in touch.

I do 20 miles with kit Sunday evening ride to York station, then train to Kings X, then ride to digs in Docklands. Same again (reversed) on Friday.
Overall it's not nearly as much as the 20m each way each day I used to do when travelling to York to work, but as an extreme example of wider commuting into London it's the best I can manage!

el_presidente

I did 37 miles each way (West of High Wycombe to the city) a few times in the summer. (Well OK twice)

On_What

14 each way for me. Nothing extraordinary about it as far as I'm concerned. I used to do about 18 each way to Chiswick as public transport is to slow.

raymondo60

Epsom to Holborn & back, 3-4 days per week depending on work commitments/meetings etc. Through Nonsuch Park makes it 18 miles each way, so 36 miles per day. Keep a couple of suits at the office and am blessed with good shower facilities.

In spring/summer I very much enjoy the Thames Towpath on way home - even quite late in Autumn its beautiful - which is about 32 miles one-way, so can do a 50-mile commute on those days, using a 'Cross bike. One decent ride at the weekend - a sportive if there's a suitable one - keeps me going too.

And you are all perfectly correct - it doesn't seem 'extraordinary' in any way at all. I am sure there are many thousands of cyclists out there who rack up many more miles than that. However, it's not a competition - cycling, for me, is just THE best option all round, as I'm sure it is for others.

Don't wanna be on telly though!

samsbike

I dont know, but you guys doing >30 miles RT very day, I think is pretty good. I can hardly manage that twice a week at the moment, not least because it takes me nearly 2 hours sometimes.

warreng

Epsom to Covent Garden for me; which is about 16 miles each way

I average out at 4 days a week given that sometimes I'm working from home or at a customer plus a 50 mile pootle at the weekend

I am by no means a "proper" cyclist (whatever that is) - I've never raced, I've only ever done a handful of +100 mile rides and I wouldn't consider myself über-fit. I'm 43 and the average age of the people in my office is about 30 - their reaction to my commuting habits range from disbelief (they literally don't believe me) to wondering whether I'm insane. You can guarantee that when we have meetings with external people the first thing that is said is "he cycles in from Epsom EVERYDAY!!!!" and yet it a damn sight more pleasurable than sitting on a SW train for 40 minutes. There's a lad in the office who trains it in from Stockport every day - now that's mad

I wouldn't consider anything less than 35-40 miles each way on a bike as extreme.

TomIOLondon

Thanks for the responses guys, some really interesting stuff here.

WarrenG, I sent you an e-mail to what I hope is your correct address (it's the one listed on here for you...)

Not sure if you got it, are you able to call me on 020 7765 1210 or e-mail me at tom.kavanagh1@bbc.co.uk ?


Anyone else have an extreme commuting story they're desperate to share? Some of you are very modest, a lot of these rides sound really impressive!

meanredspider

TomIOLondon wrote:

Thanks for the responses guys, some really interesting stuff here.

WarrenG, I sent you an e-mail to what I hope is your correct address (it's the one listed on here for you...)

Not sure if you got it, are you able to call me on 020 7765 1210 or e-mail me at tom.kavanagh1@bbc.co.uk ?


Anyone else have an extreme commuting story they're desperate to share? Some of you are very modest, a lot of these rides sound really impressive!

It might be good to share just how "common" longer bike commutes are (all over the country). As I've learned very much the hard way in the last few years, you are far more capable than you ever imagined you are and most of us are just limited by what we think is possible. Rather than rate commutes as "extreme" a better and more constructive approach would be the "and you could do it too" story. Anybody with reasonable health can do a 30-mile RT commute.

Kieran_Burns

meanredspider wrote:

TomIOLondon wrote:

Thanks for the responses guys, some really interesting stuff here.

WarrenG, I sent you an e-mail to what I hope is your correct address (it's the one listed on here for you...)

Not sure if you got it, are you able to call me on 020 7765 1210 or e-mail me at tom.kavanagh1@bbc.co.uk ?


Anyone else have an extreme commuting story they're desperate to share? Some of you are very modest, a lot of these rides sound really impressive!

It might be good to share just how "common" longer bike commutes are (all over the country). As I've learned very much the hard way in the last few years, you are far more capable than you ever imagined you are and most of us are just limited by what we think is possible. Rather than rate commutes as "extreme" a better and more constructive approach would be the "and you could do it too" story. Anybody with reasonable health can do a 30-mile RT commute.

Agreed wholeheartedly. I started with a 14 mile one way commute (caught the train back or in) and very quickly moved on to a 28 mile RT with ease. It's more a mental barrier than anything.

If you are talking 'extreme' commutes you need to look at the nutters out when it's -8C in the Winter (Oh, wait... that's me!)

gingaman

TomIOLondon wrote:

Some of you are very modest, a lot of these rides sound really impressive!

Not really modest, as WarrenG says:

WarrenG wrote:

I wouldn't consider anything less than 35-40 miles each way on a bike as extreme.

I do 25 miles a day, 5 days a week on this:

however it isn't as loaded as that on the way to work!

stuaff

No idea if he's still doing it, as it was reported back in 2008/2009, but one of the regular customers at my LBS used to do his Havant (five miles north of Pompey) to London commute by bike once a week. 72 miles. Both ways. He got his time down to four hours....


:shock:

meanredspider

@gingaman. Any special reason for the bike? You'd probably get an hour a week of your life back on something quicker