Cycle Before Work?

jaqian

I'm doing the cycle4life in May and want to build up my exercise level and was thinking of trying to get a cycle in before work (Finglas to Dunboyne and back) and was wondering does anybody else here get a cycle in?

levitronix

you ll be surprised at how and when people train that have familys and work commitments, two days a week midweek i usually train for about 1 -2 hours at 6 30am

Jawgap

Yep - and with the brighter mornings you'll find it easier to get longer spins in by leaving earlier.

marathonic

Yeah, I leave the house at 6.30a.m. for the half hour cycle to work. I'll probably switch the route around so that it's longer when the mornings and/or evenings get longer.

maloner

I've started doing 2 morning cycles a week since Christmas. I do about an hour along the strawberry beds to lucan and back. Hit the road at 7.30 this morning and was plenty bright, if windy.

irishmotorist

Is cycling into work an option? If you live near work you could extend the loop?

Seweryn

irishmotorist wrote: »

Is cycling into work an option? If you live near work you could extend the loop?

Yeah, that was the first thing I thought about. Use your commuting time (that is usually wasted) and cycle to work.

QueensGael

Agree - I get a sneaky 70km in each week by cycling to work. Well worth considering it

RobFowl

QueensGael wrote: »

Agree - I get a sneaky 70km in each week by cycling to work. Well worth considering it

+1 good training and you also get the lovely feeling that you're getting away with something

Lumen

I do 150-250km a week commuting at the moment. My actual commute is only 15km each way, I just add laps of the Phoenix Park when I have time - I just slot in as many as I have time for.

Last year I did 150km a week of fast commuting and dropped the weekend rides due to commitments, and while my endurance was fine (the odd 100+km ride was fine) it didn't help my speed much.

A rule I try (but fail) to stick to is never to spend less than an hour on the bike at a time. Probably 20 minutes of my commute is a complete waste of time, too much traffic and stopping.

G rock

45k this morning, yesterday, and 33k mon and tues before work. granted it was an extended route into work but whatever works!

Seweryn

Lumen wrote: »

A rule I try (but fail) to stick to is never to spend less than an hour on the bike at a time. Probably 20 minutes of my commute is a complete waste of time, too much traffic and stopping.

That is interesting. My commute takes approx 40-50 min depends on the wind and it is 22km each way, which I do 5 days a week, if I have no special commitements at work. I started cycling to work 3-4 months ago and I feel no faster since I started. No improvement made .
Any tips for improving the average speed?

Lumen

Seweryn wrote: »

Any tips for improving the average speed?

On days when you feel up to it, cycle faster until it becomes unpleasant and uncomfortable and keep doing that until you think you're going to die.

Seweryn

Lumen wrote: »

On days when you feel up to it, cycle faster until it becomes unpleasant and uncomfortable and keep doing that until you think you're going to die.

Sounds like a kind of torture, but yeah, I know what you mean.

jaqian

irishmotorist wrote: »

Is cycling into work an option? If you live near work you could extend the loop?

Already do that. I live in Finglas and work on Kildare St, not very far, one way its 7km. Depending on my mood I can extend it to 9km or 15km but want to get more in. Was curious (nosey) as to how many here do a morning run other than commute

Lumen wrote: »

I do 150-250km a week commuting at the moment. My actual commute is only 15km each way, I just add laps of the Phoenix Park when I have time - I just slot in as many as I have time for.

Last year I did 150km a week of fast commuting and dropped the weekend rides due to commitments, and while my endurance was fine (the odd 100+km ride was fine) it didn't help my speed much.

A rule I try (but fail) to stick to is never to spend less than an hour on the bike at a time. Probably 20 minutes of my commute is a complete waste of time, too much traffic and stopping.

I'd do 80km cycling at the moment and another 20km walking. Never thought of doing laps of the Phoenix Park and its good as beside me. Genius

mickredirl

I have just started cycling to work myself in the past two weeks. I do 14km one way in the morning... Takes me about 45 minutes. I have been told that as I get used to it, I will get faster and so on!!! God I hope so...

Seweryn

mickredirl wrote: »

I have just started cycling to work myself in the past two weeks. I do 14km one way in the morning... Takes me about 45 minutes. I have been told that as I get used to it, I will get faster and so on!!! God I hope so...

Sure you will. I am not fit and I have been cycling for only 10 months and it also takes me 45 minutes to get to work, approximately. I live almost 22km from work.

Leroy42

Cycle before work, cycle after work. Screw it, cycle instead of work. Work is just Gods way of ensuring that cyclists take rest time!

levitronix

my cycle home from work after nights now involves 10 min intervals, some sprints and once up stockinglane to the view point when i feel i have a bit left about 35km, spin into work is recovery all the way 21km

blorg

jaqian wrote: »

Already do that. I live in Finglas and work on Kildare St, not very far, one way its 7km. Depending on my mood I can extend it to 9km or 15km but want to get more in. Was curious (nosey) as to how many here do a morning run other than commute

Well you can extend it up to any arbitrary amount, you know. Longest I ever pushed my commute out to was 167km. This involved before work, lunchtime, after work. Middle of summer, obviously.

jaqian

Started cycling to Dunboyne last week before work, 15km from Finglas to Dunboyne and then 19km back to work. Unfortunately only got two trips in before I discovered at the weekend that my rear wheel is buckled... took the tyre off to put a new one on only to discover the tube wouldn't stay in due to the buckle .

Must ring Rothar tomorrow to see if they can fix it. In the meantime back to cycling my much slower mtb. Ah well at least /I'm still cycling

SerialComplaint

irishmotorist wrote: »

Is cycling into work an option? If you live near work you could extend the loop?

Yep, this works for me. I have a 25 minute commute to work, and I extend this by heading up Three Rock 2 or 3 mornings a week. It brings me up to about an hour.