My commute - its about to get real

daddy0

Cheers guys, great tips! Can't wait to get stuck in (particularly as my 7 mile drive in took over an hour this morning).

Koncordski

Inspired by your thread and with some help from the beautiful sunshine this morning i decided to do the full route (28miles) into work. The first time i've done this since last year as i've been getting lazy with the brompton+train combo. Even on my best bike this morning it was tough, legs felt like lead, couldn't get over the nasty super sharp hill nr sevenoaks without hopping off the bike. This is a route i could do no problems at the end of summer last year. The moral of the story is that I need to MTFU, and it's scary how much fitness you lose when you scale down your miles over winter. Go for it, and keep at it or suffer the shame of pushing your bike up the hill. :oops:

pitchshifter

mdgutsell wrote:

good luck

I ride in from st albans 4 days a week (22 - 25 miles each way)

the 1st couple of weeks are pretty tough then you just get used to it :-) and the routes pretty good.

M

Care to share your route? I am moving around there in August and I am struggling to find anything better than the A5 :?

slowbike

Koncordski wrote:

The moral of the story is that I need to MTFU, and it's scary how much fitness you lose when you scale down your miles over winter. Go for it, and keep at it or suffer the shame of pushing your bike up the hill. :oops:

Ah - so glad I've continued to ride whenever sensible ...

So far I've ditched rides because I don't want to get soaked on the journey in, I've had appointments in the evening or I've been knackered from a hard club run the day before ...
To counter that I've taken to extending my ride home to take in another hill ... (should make the club run a bit easier!)
Also - I've put heavy wide tyres on the CX with full mudguards and rack ... it weighs a ton ... and I still have to drag that up the hill ... hopping back onto the carbon road bike at the weekend is bliss!

mdgutsell

The A5 from Hyde park up to Edgeware is a nasty route...

I'm based around holborn and find riding up Holloway road to Highgate then on to the (A1000) from East Finchley to Barnet is the most direct route out of North London, then you have lots of options. The most direct route to St Albans (A1081) or via Shenley (B5378) or Radlet (A5183) but i actually like looping around the back of Potters Bar as its a proper fast road :-)

average time is 90 mins

Sharkyssurfers

Well I currently do Winter months around 54 miles a day, i do have the luxury of having a train journey inbetween to get a breather and fuel, but last summer had done the full commute over 45 miles each way which is doable but also tiring. I think you will have no probs in doing it, just make sure you have some drink with you and a few nibbles if you need that extra burst of energy, I currently keep a load of midget gems in my back pocket and have a few no and again.