Keefer Madness

Love Bike Commuting

// July 2nd, 2009 // Cycling, Personal Crap

I don’t know what it is about bike commuting, but I love doing it. Today marked the second Thursday in a row that I did the full bike commute from home to work and back again. In the past, I’d been mainly doing a hybrid commute — driving part way and then biking the rest. But doing the commute door to door is so much better. It’s obviously more saddle time, burns more calories, etc., but it’s just a really cool to pull in and out of the garage on my Tarmac Expert, instead of in the 4Runner or Accord.

Bike commuting is a bit different than the rest of the miles I log in the saddle. Typically, the bike commutes mean a bit slower speeds and a lot more turns — especially my commute, which is quite the stair-stepping route to and from. It’s nice to fit that variety into my cycling routine and it’s the only cycling that has a purpose, or at least a destination. Sure, those intervals have a real purpose, but it’s different doing a loop around the lake on 3 minutes and then resting 2 minutes.

I’ve now done the full commute like half a dozen times, and still need a cue sheet to confirm a few of the turns. Without fail, my bike commutes home after work. The mileage is obviously pretty close, as is the elevation. I guess the two big factors that slows down that evening commute home are the increased heat and humidity, plus probably some tiredness/fatigue from a full work day and already cycling in the morning,

The bike commute in is probably some of the safest miles I do on the road. My route is mainly through a lot of neighborhoods between home and work. It’s amazing how few cars I see for most of my commute. Even though I;m on the bike one way between an hour and a half and two hours, I see fewer traffic than most of my normal training rides.

The rides are a great way to kickstart the day and then to wind down the day. It’s not going to ever replace or dominate my training, but it’s a great way to get 50+ miles in on a weekday and a good way to burn fat between the longer saddle time and slightly slower average speed. I’m so glad I found a route that is safe, enjoyable and effective getting me back and forth from work.