So I've completed my first full calendar month of commuting to work by bicycle.
"How has it been Robert?" you ask.
Well, it's been pretty good actually.
Temperature:
At the start of the month, I was cycling in shorts and short-sleeved jersey. Very quickly discovered I needed an undershirt, especially in the mornings, and also long sleeves, and then a warm shower-proof jacket, and finally, running tights over my shorts. So now I'm in full autumn gear. Even wearing fingerless gloves is a bit on the chilly side, and my feet were cold this morning too. i don't really mind what the temperature is when I'm cycling, just as long as I'm dressed appropriately.
Funnily enough, when it was warmer, I'd get home in the evening feeling parched and drain a can of Fosters lager in about 5 minutes. I kept that up for a few weeks, but lately I'm not that thirsty at all, so I've given the lager up.
Rain:
I've only managed to get properly soaked about 3 or 4 times. I haven't got any mudguards, so if the road is very wet, I get wet anyway from the spray even if it isn't actually raining. I honestly don't mind cycling in the rain. It's just annoying getting my clothes dry again, and putting on damp clothes to cycle home.
Sunshine:
I had to buy some lights for my bike. I leave home at ~6.55am, and by the end of the month, this time is before when the sun comes up. It's not so dark that I can't see where I'm going, but I need to be seen by car drivers. I just have a front and rear light on in blinking mode. I cycle towards the east in the morning, and towards the west in the evening. This is a bit problematic at about 5.30pm at the moment, as I'm going straight into the setting sun and cars behind me are blinded and have difficulty seeing me. In a couple of weeks, this won't be a problem any more - it'll be dark. I will have to buy a proper light I think for the front, as some of my commute is along a country road with no street lighting and quite a few deep potholes.
Wind:
More than hills. More than rain. Cycling into the wind is what I hate most. Prevailing winds seem to be westerlys. So I get a bit of a push to work, and have to struggle home. It would be nicer the other way round I think. My times to work are about 5 minutes faster than those home, though traffic also plays a big part in that difference. (Record for coming in is now just over 43 minutes, done today, 2/10/08)
Route:
I take the same route every day. If I leave at 6:55am, I never get stopped at the level crossing in Datchet. Five minutes later, and I do. So I leave at 6:55am. It's more difficult to leave the office at a set time, so occasionally a train is blocking traffic in Datchet on the way back. If this is the case, then I go round by Eton instead. This adds only about 0.5km to the journey.
My route is mostly flat, only briefly made interesting by a climb over a railway line, and over the M25 and M4 motorways, and in the mornings, up past Windsor Castle. This suits my bike well.
Fitness:
I'm riding my Specialized Langster exclusively now, in fixed gear mode. Having only one gear, and not being able to stop pedalling, is great discipline, and I'm positive that my legs are far stronger now than they have been since Ironman France. I am still easing myself into things, not pushing all out. Even so, my times are generally getting faster and I'm feeling less tired afterwards and recovering more quickly too. In fact, I find the whole experience less tiring than my London commute on the Brompton was. My plan is to continue like this until at least Christmas (that's if my contract gets renewed of course). Ironman Austria is not until July, and there will be plenty of time in the spring to increase my endurance.
An unfortunate side effect seems to be that I feel less interested in other training, especially swimming. I'm only managing about one 30 minute run a week on top of the cycling. Again, I don't think this is a problem at this stage. Once my body is fully used to the commute, I will factor the other exercising into my schedule.
Enjoyment:
Not getting bored yet. Feel very virtuous. On Sundays, even if I've had a ride in the morning on my Ridley, I'm itching for Monday morning so I can get on the Langster again - it's a great bike.
"How has it been Robert?" you ask.
Well, it's been pretty good actually.
Temperature:
At the start of the month, I was cycling in shorts and short-sleeved jersey. Very quickly discovered I needed an undershirt, especially in the mornings, and also long sleeves, and then a warm shower-proof jacket, and finally, running tights over my shorts. So now I'm in full autumn gear. Even wearing fingerless gloves is a bit on the chilly side, and my feet were cold this morning too. i don't really mind what the temperature is when I'm cycling, just as long as I'm dressed appropriately.
Funnily enough, when it was warmer, I'd get home in the evening feeling parched and drain a can of Fosters lager in about 5 minutes. I kept that up for a few weeks, but lately I'm not that thirsty at all, so I've given the lager up.
Rain:
I've only managed to get properly soaked about 3 or 4 times. I haven't got any mudguards, so if the road is very wet, I get wet anyway from the spray even if it isn't actually raining. I honestly don't mind cycling in the rain. It's just annoying getting my clothes dry again, and putting on damp clothes to cycle home.
Sunshine:
I had to buy some lights for my bike. I leave home at ~6.55am, and by the end of the month, this time is before when the sun comes up. It's not so dark that I can't see where I'm going, but I need to be seen by car drivers. I just have a front and rear light on in blinking mode. I cycle towards the east in the morning, and towards the west in the evening. This is a bit problematic at about 5.30pm at the moment, as I'm going straight into the setting sun and cars behind me are blinded and have difficulty seeing me. In a couple of weeks, this won't be a problem any more - it'll be dark. I will have to buy a proper light I think for the front, as some of my commute is along a country road with no street lighting and quite a few deep potholes.
Wind:
More than hills. More than rain. Cycling into the wind is what I hate most. Prevailing winds seem to be westerlys. So I get a bit of a push to work, and have to struggle home. It would be nicer the other way round I think. My times to work are about 5 minutes faster than those home, though traffic also plays a big part in that difference. (Record for coming in is now just over 43 minutes, done today, 2/10/08)
Route:
I take the same route every day. If I leave at 6:55am, I never get stopped at the level crossing in Datchet. Five minutes later, and I do. So I leave at 6:55am. It's more difficult to leave the office at a set time, so occasionally a train is blocking traffic in Datchet on the way back. If this is the case, then I go round by Eton instead. This adds only about 0.5km to the journey.
My route is mostly flat, only briefly made interesting by a climb over a railway line, and over the M25 and M4 motorways, and in the mornings, up past Windsor Castle. This suits my bike well.
Fitness:
I'm riding my Specialized Langster exclusively now, in fixed gear mode. Having only one gear, and not being able to stop pedalling, is great discipline, and I'm positive that my legs are far stronger now than they have been since Ironman France. I am still easing myself into things, not pushing all out. Even so, my times are generally getting faster and I'm feeling less tired afterwards and recovering more quickly too. In fact, I find the whole experience less tiring than my London commute on the Brompton was. My plan is to continue like this until at least Christmas (that's if my contract gets renewed of course). Ironman Austria is not until July, and there will be plenty of time in the spring to increase my endurance.
An unfortunate side effect seems to be that I feel less interested in other training, especially swimming. I'm only managing about one 30 minute run a week on top of the cycling. Again, I don't think this is a problem at this stage. Once my body is fully used to the commute, I will factor the other exercising into my schedule.
Enjoyment:
Not getting bored yet. Feel very virtuous. On Sundays, even if I've had a ride in the morning on my Ridley, I'm itching for Monday morning so I can get on the Langster again - it's a great bike.
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