How to get started Cycle Commuting
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by: skipster
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Your never going to wake up one day say I think I’ll ride to work today. nope it aint gonna happen… and if it does, don’t do it! with out the proper preparation and planning it will be a miserable experience that you’ll never want to repeat.
First you prepare yourself. you have to understand what your motivation is. set some reasonable goals. your not going to just start riding every day. at first maybe start with twice a week and work up from there.
Before your first commute:
Prior to your first commute there are several things that you must have worked out.
Training: commuting can be taxing on the body. it’s basically a work out every time you ride. you can’t go from no workouts to working out every day overnite you’ve got to work up to it. make sure your comfortable with the distance and terrain your going to be covering to and from work. if your riding 10 miles to work then your should be able to ride 20 miles non-stop at a decent pace comfortably.
Route: Go out and find your route, this likely will not be the same route that you drive to work. if your town has bike tails it’s a good Idea to try and wok them in where possible. try to choose a route with lower traffic and as flat a possible. my commute has two big hills each way but other than that it’s pretty flat. while picking your route make note of any options you may have. sometimes a road or tail might be closed, this is less of an ordeal in a car but can be a real pisser on a bike. knowing how to detour your route helps a lot when the way is unexpectedly closed.
Time: once you have planned out your route now you need to time it, I recommend riding the route 4 times each way. two time you’ll ride at a nice easy pace. then ride it two times as fast as you can. take the average add about 10 min and thats what you need to plan on for the ride time. make sure you allow your self 15 min or so once you get to work to freshen up. also before the trip home you’ll likely need to change clothes.
Bike: it’s not likely that you’ll use the same bike for commuting as you do for touring. see my article what you need to cycle commute for info on how to set up your bike and what you need to carry. http://cyclingkc.com/?page_id=5
Start Commuting:
Now that your all ready it’s time to get started. here are a few tips I have learned the hard way.
- It’s not a race. I still haven’t gotten over this completely. I find that I am always racing against myself to get to work a lil faster, and if I see another cyclist ahead of me on the way to work… forget about it! I must catch and pass them. which means by the end of the week I and very tired and sore or even god forbid driving the car. try not to fall in to this trap.
- Hydrate and feed! make sure your drinking fluids both on the ride and while at work and no skipping lunch. trust me your gonna work it off.
- Stay reasonable: it’s just not gonna work out that you can ride everyday it’s life accept it.
- Stay positive: some folks who are feeling guilty about driving to work in their SUV’s may give you a hard time. just remember it’s their guilt talking. also if you get up late or just aren’t up to biking in and end up driving in don’t beat your self up over it, it happens accept it.
About the Author
Ralph Shepard is an avid cyclist who commutes to work on his bike an average of three days a week. see his blog at www.cyclingkc.com
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