Lunch Time Ride

Brad123

I been thinking about going for a hard ride at lunch time. I got 30 minutes for lunch. Well will get away with a bit more time. I commute between 10 - 15 miles to work and 2 miles home.
Do you think it would be a waist of time?
Just want to get as fit and fast as i can be.

Brad123

Ok so this is 1 of my rides to work http://www.strava.com/activities/125948413 (just to give you and idea). What i was hoping to do is 8 - 10 miles in my lunch time.
Have been think of racing. Got a 100 miler in July. 75 miler next month.
So that is why i was wandering if a lunch time ride will help or just be a wast of time.
O can't do a long ride after work as have to get home and help with the kids/cook................

ianbar

if its the only time you can get some extra miles in then crack on! cycling requires a lot of time and you some time have to ride when you can! i would have thought it be good to try and make it a longer ride home if possible but obviously life gets in the way :-p

markhewitt1978

Brad123 wrote:

I been thinking about going for a hard ride at lunch time. I got 30 minutes for lunch. Well will get away with a bit more time. I commute between 10 - 15 miles to work and 2 miles home.
Do you think it would be a waist of time?
Just want to get as fit and fast as i can be.

30 minutes is not long, you're going to have to maximise that time and be straight on your bike and be riding until the last second. But it's not a waste of time at all, if you're riding hard during that time it's certainly going to be way better than sitting at your desk.

I've tried for a while at work to organise going out for a ride at luchtime, I've got 1 hour for lunch but would want to use 5 minutes before to get changed and 10 minutes after for a towel down so I'm down to 45 minutes; but I haven't found anywhere secure to keep my bike at work, so haven't been able to make it work.

imposter2.0

You will struggle to get any real benefit out of a 30 minute session, tbh, unless you ride it as a tabata or similar, as you will need to warm up/down. If you only have 30mins for lunch anyway, surely you will be hard pushed to actually get a full 30 minutes of bike time?

Need to ask - if your commute to work is 10-15 miles (seems pretty imprecise) - how come your ride home is only 2 miles? I would be inclined to make the ride home longer and use that time for some quality training instead.

ianbar

i suppose if you could find some space could you do a little circuit? squats, lunges etc? just thinking of ways to use the time effectively for you.

Brad123

I only stay 2 miles form work take the scenic route to work. Started to make the ride longer going home and the wife was not to impressed need I say more….
I've got enough time before and afterward lunch to get change. Don’t work in a offices so should get away with a few minutes how and their.
Also do longer rides on week ends 30 - 60 miles depends on time I have.

slowbike

Brad123 wrote:

I only stay 2 miles form work take the scenic route to work. Started to make the ride longer going home and the wife was not to impressed need I say more….

Hmm ... if she's not impressed now - how impressed is she going to be if you go off racing? If she's not behind you (and not with a frying pan) with that then I'd have to question your reasoning.

Of course, that's nothing to do with how you spend your lunchtime - but 30 minutes isn't long - most of that will be warm up/down time and perhaps a couple of intervals inbetween ...

markhewitt1978

Of course there's that thing at work where they are going to require you to work an hour later every day, such a shame....

dilatory

I'd drag the commute out. On a nice day my 2 mile journey home is 35 miles long. If it's not so nice I cut it anywhere between 15 and 25. I'm sure you could squeeze out a 2 hour after work ride a couple of times a week? I'm lucky enough to be able to leave a bunch of stuff in work (pop in the car at weekend).