Is 'Cycling for Transport' exercise and does it have training value?

Cakewheels

I've just been reading an interesting article by Dr Elaine Mullen from WIT called
Exercise, Weather, Safety, and Public Attitudes: A Qualitative Exploration of Leisure Cyclists’ Views on Cycling for Transport. She interviewed people originally contacted through a larger survey she conducted of participants at the Tour of Waterford in 2009. One of the reasons I'm interested in it is that of the 16 people she interviewed, she says the majority did not view 'Cycling for Transport' as 'proper' exercise at all and that for some the fact that they already cycled for sport was actually a disincentive to cycle for transport.

I'm wondering what the leisure/sports cyclists on boards think of this? Got interested and went looking for this article because on an anecdotal level I've come across a wide range myself, some racing types who commute as a serious segment of their training, other leisure cyclists who have no intention of ever cycling for transport.
So if any volunteers want to answer (and this is just for the sake of an interesting boards discussion and to see if it sparks any ideas that might be worth looking into further).

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?
If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport?
Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB?
Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine?

stecleary

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you? Leisure/Commuter
If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport? After. I bought a bike to help rebuild my knee after surgery
Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Same road bike
Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine? Its a massive part of my "training" I commute just under 100km a week going the quick way in/out of work and can bump it up to 150km if I take the longer more enjoyable route home. Add that to about 100km on the weekend and I'm happy with what I'm doing and feel a little robbed if I miss a day here of there

Hani Kosti

Depends how you look at it... I can be cycling the same distance in 15 or 30 min.
I'm all in while cycling to work (and shared off good few minutes already)

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you? Sport and leisure
If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport? Before
Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Nope, I have nice Road bikes for sportives and MTB (for now) for commute.. soon to change
Road/Hybrid/MTB? Road and MTB
Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine? Absolutely, I spend over 40/day cycling, surely that adds up at the end of the week (defo much stronger legs). Weekend spins and here we go

QueensGael

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?
Commuter cyclist Mon-Fri, leisure cyclist on weekends and holidays, racing cyclist on occasions!
If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport?
I used to cycled for transport when I was a kid, so technically that came first. In adulthood, I started cycling for leisure, and then for transport (about a year afterwards)
Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB?
Town bike for commuting, winter bike for training, racing bike for racing, MTB for MTBing
Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine? Yes, absolutely, it's a great way to get a sneaky 70km in each week

aFlabbyPanda

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?: Commuter, 5 days a week, 15 km each way.
If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport? I was already training for MMA and used spinning bike for cardio fitness. A change in jobs meant that I wouldn't have the same free time available for the cardio sessions so started cycling to work instead.
Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? I've a road bike but don't use it apart from my commute. I've no interest in cycling as a sport or leisure hobby.
Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine? Yes I do. Without it my cardio and overall fitness would not be as high. Also I find I'm not as stressed cycling that being stuck in a car for the same time period due to traffic.

matc66

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you? Commuter only, no leisure or sport. I cycle instead of walking/driving/busing.
If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport? N/A
Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB? N/a
Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine? Treat me as a control, I do absolutely no other exercise whatsoever. My commute varies from 40 - 70k per week. But feel it maintains a baseline level of fitness. I eat whatever I want and don't gain weight.

krafty

Matc66, almost everything you said applies to me. Been a commuter cyclist since 2003. Never cycle for sport or leisure. Up to last year, I did no other exercise, and I'm fond of the local Indian take-away. And the Thai. Last year I started running and the base fitness from cycling really stood to me. More experienced runners in work were able to tell me that I was making good progress for a novice.

Cookie_Monster

loughgill wrote: »

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?

I'm not really sure of the answer to this but, 'serious' I suppose. Strava challenges, 100km+ rides, stupid amounts of climbing, 5h+ rides etc etc

If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport?

before, from when I started secondary school

Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB?

yes/ no. MTB and proper carbon road bike get used interchanably on commute depending on how I feel

Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine?

it's probably too short at the moment to be of real use but it's certainly exercise. 3km on the bike rather than 20m to car and 30m from car is a big difference caloriewise. If they had a shower in work the commute would be longer and become 'proper' exercise too.

To try and argue it's not exercise comapred to driving to work or sitting on a bus is a bit stupid IMO. It burns lots more calories than you would otherwise and it's just that simple.

Dermot Illogical

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you? Leisure/Commuter
If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport? Before.
Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB? Yes, mostly. In very nice weather I might change from racing bike to single speed.
Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine? Yes. Without the fitness it brings I would struggle with the sport/leisure part.

MB Lacey

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?
I cycle to work and into town in the evenings/wknd, also cycle for fitness/ exploring adventures at the weekend and some evenings.

If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport? Went out on my bike a lot as a child/ teenager, after school/ weekends. I wonder if I hadn't cycled as a child would I have thought of cycling as an option for work? And if I didn't cycle to work would I have bought a road bike and found myself cycling 100k spins. I think cycling as a child was pretty important.

Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB?
I have 3 bikes I use to commute (choice depends on after work plans/ weather) but just the one for longer spins.

Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine?
Definitely, no doubt.

Macy0161

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?
Leisure/ Excercise once or twice a week in evenings, commuter a couple of days a week.

If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport?
After. Started with Leisure (as a child), commute came partly to try and fit in the cycle around the rest of my life.

Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB?
At the moment, it's the same road bike. MTB is on my list when I get a chance to look (done a lesson and really enjoyed it). Have my old 5 speed "racer" which I plan to renovate as my commuter with full mudguards, rack, dynamo hubs etc. You need a fleet, don't you?

Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine?
Yes. It's one of the reasons I do it. I mapmyride, and try to beat or match previous times (and calorie counts!). Probably not doing loads for my endurance if I was interested in racing or sportives, but as a general excercise I believe it adds to my fitness. It's part of my excercise regime along with diet which has seen me lose weight anyway.

Skrynesaver

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?
Use the bike for transport (I live and work on opposite sides of Dublin and have come to realise that the bike is the only sane option) but take it out for a spin most weekends and do the odd sportive, planning to try the WW200 this year

If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport?
Transport first, then tried a couple of sportives on my Hybrid, which, while fun, demonstrated the need for something faster if I was going to go out with the local cyclists at the weekend.

Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB?
I sometimes use the road bike for the commute, if I'm doing the weather is good and I feel like doing the full distance on the bike, but usually I'll use the hybrid for commuting and the road bike for training/sportives

Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine?
Yes, one of the reasons I took it up in the first place was that I was 30Kg overweight, by the time I tackled my first sportive I'd lost about 10Kg and I can get a fairly good workout with a 30K commute each way.

cdaly_

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?
Commuter/leisure
If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport?
Before
Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB?
Just the one bike, does everything from 14km commute to 300k audax with everything on the back.
Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine?
Very much so. I cycle 5 days per week at a decent pace and that's pretty much the extent of my training at times. I'll occasionally extend the commute to 70k but that's fairly rare at present. From that, I'm fit enough to do a non-stop 300k.

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

To try and argue it's not exercise comapred to driving to work or sitting on a bus is a bit stupid IMO. It burns lots more calories than you would otherwise and it's just that simple.

I'm assuming this question is based on the notion that, to be useful, exercise must be more than a slow amble down the road and should raise your heart rate etc.

Cookie_Monster

cdaly_ wrote: »

I'm assuming this question is based on the notion that, to be useful, exercise must be more than a slow amble down the road and should raise your heart rate etc.

even the handiest cycle will raise your heart rate to 120-140.
Driving won't get close to that - well maybe the pure frustration of traffic and idiots might.

DaithiMC

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?

100km + on average per week for leisure/sport. The average goes up/down depending on what time of the year and what events are on.

If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport?

Before, always had a bike around the place and used it for transport when it was practical.

Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB?

No, fear of having the commuter stolen so its not as valuable a bike as the leisure/sport bike. Also its good to have different experiences, give me something to look forward to on the leisure front.

Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine?

Yes, I wouldn't do it otherwise. It adds, in a week, another 70km+ to the average for leisure above. With longer days I also extend my commute when I can. In addition to physical fitness, it adds a huge amount to stress reduction as I can plan to be home or at work in a much more consistent way than with a car, i.e., the car can take 30-75 mins, the bike ALWAYS takes 20-30 mins.

doozerie

I learned to ride a 2-wheeled bike so that I could commute to secondary school several miles away, I didn't have a bike before that as such (I shared a 3-wheeler with my brothers). I cycled out of necessity and it was a chore to me, not helped by my associating cycling with school, which wasn't my favourite place in the world.

A year or two into secondary school I became friends with a guy who lived twice as far away as my school was. Suddenly cycling became a more positive thing as it allowed me to get to and from my friend's house which I couldn't do by any other means. The two of us started to take an interest in both cycling and bicycles, which opened up a whole new world for me. Bicycles became something fun in themselves, I enjoyed taking them apart and putting them back together again. Cycling itself came to represent freedom to travel where I wanted, when I wanted. I began to go for spins at the weekend just for the fun of doing it, getting away from the boredom of my daily routine, getting away from undesirable aspects of my environment, seeing places I wouldn't otherwise see, basically asserting my own independence I guess.

Sport was never a feature of my childhood but my desire to challenge myself on the bike just grew and grew over time. So while cycling continued to be my sole means of commuting, and travelling to friends' houses, I ventured into doing relatively long-distance events like the Maracycle. As a shy, insecure, weedy little kid it was a bit of revelation to me to find that I could cycle as well as, and sometimes better than, some of those around me that I perceived as athletic, strong, focused, and various other attributes I didn't associate with myself (perhaps not a coincidence that I went to a secondary school where GAA prowess was valued above all else, it seemed to me at the time that nothing counted for more, whether it was academic achievement, being a generally "good" human being, etc. - basically you were either a good GAA player contributing to the reputation of the school, and therefore a god that was allowed to parade around the school pushing the other kids around, or you were a terrible burden to the school, a waste of their time, someone who needed to be beaten down for daring to challenge the status quo when you questioned it ...phew, fuel there for a major rant, but I'll spare you!). Cycling made me feel good, it gave me confidence, and it was fun.

I moved to France for a year after college and there was never any question that my road bike would go with me. While there I shared a house with a guy who came from a hardcore (in the positive sense) cycling family. Cycling remained my means of commuting but I also rode more than ever before at weekends and some evenings, I got fitter and stronger, I grew to love cycling more and more. I inadvertently ended up amongst some serious local racing clubs on a few rides, I participated in "up and overs", I made a pig's ear of it, I got yelled at, I quickly learned to do them properly, the yelling stopped, the relief was huge I got into mountainbiking, I found that the fun aspect eclipsed the fear aspect (my parents were shocked to hear of my riding off-road, they saw all of the dangers, none of the fun, it's a family trait), I threw myself off things, sometimes off the bike itself, I loved it. I came back to Ireland with a well-used road bike, a well-used MTB, and a well-used pair of handbuilt "good" road wheels. The gadget, DIY, and self-sufficent nerds in me were having a ball too.

I tried to join a Dublin road cycling club, and was turned away. Elitism in the sport was still quite strong at the time. I rode with an MTB club every weekend, elitism hadn't taken hold there yet, all of us MTB'ers were looked down upon by many on the road scene so we all had something in common. I was quite capable, my confidence grew. I met some people who had started a small road club, and I joined that too. Weekends became about MTB'ing for hours on one day, road riding for hours on the other. It was tough, and it was fun.

I tried racing, both on-road and off-road, I was mostly rubbish, I resigned myself to being a non-racing cyclist and just continued to enjoy cycling. I still commuted by bike but that hadn't been a chore for many years by now, cycling was long since associated exclusively with positive things in my mind. I was surrounded by people, and had been for years, that saw cycling as a temporary burden while waiting until they could get their own car and the "freedom" that represented, I was never wired like that, perhaps because I'd already found my freedom on the bike and I reckoned a car would add nothing but potential headaches and expense (money better spent on bike stuff!). Cycling was just part of my daily life, some people found that very odd, for me it was perfectly normal.

In my mid-30's I bought myself a car. It was, and remains, very convenient at times but it was, and remains, entirely secondary to cycling. Cycling is how I get about, it's how I relax, it's how I challenge myself, it's a significant part of who and what I am. Now in my mid-40's I've been doing road racing again for a few years, enjoying it, and am holding my own enough that I am encouraged to do more of it - I am surrounded by people that will always be far better than me, but I'm okay with that, racing is not about somehow proving myself to be somehow better than everyone else (well, not entirely, I am competitive enough for it to be a small factor though) it's about challenging myself and having fun.

Very long and meandering story short-ish:

* What kind of cyclist am I? I honestly can't say, I ride a bike almost every day, not just to get from A to B but also because of the multitude of other physical and psychological benefits it offers. Sometimes I ride my bike faster so I can get to B sooner, sometimes I am surrounded by lots of other people trying to get to B ahead of or alongside me. It's all fun, it's all cycling, I'm just a cyclist.

* Which came first? Transport, I needed a means of getting to and from school. Before long it became about a lot more than transport though, and has remained so ever since.

* Use the same bike? I used to, but as money and circumstances allowed I bought bikes for specific purposes and now have dedicated commute bikes.

* Does transport cycling add to my fitness? Definitely, but much more importantly for me it also adds sanity, relaxation, stress-relief, "freedom", etc.

JOHN_70

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loughgill wrote: »

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?
Leisure/Audax/Commuter
If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport?
Before
Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB?
Just one (entry level) road bike that does it all
Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine?
Yes, it allows me to work my training into my daily routine - I have a 40k each way commute that I do 2-3 days a week.

obriendj

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you? Leisure/Commuter
If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport? I got a bike for commuting and have expanded the short spin into work and now cycle on weekends and take longer routes home.

Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Both

Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine? I believe the commuting cycle has helped my overall cycling

Also I agree with a previous post who says Stress is down due to not have having to deal with traffic in a car or bus.

dave_o_brien

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?

I use my bike for everything. I do the shopping on it, I go to town on it, I ride to work on it, I race on it, I cycle for pleasure, etc.

If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport?

Before. I got a bike to commute, and it kind of gathered momentum.

Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB?

Yes. I mostly commute on a cross bike, but rarely on a track bike if I'm racing track of an evening.

Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine?

Yes. Maybe less these days than when I was less fit, but it still makes up a considerable amount of my overall mileage.

del_boy13

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you? - Leisure / commuter
If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport? - Stopped playing hockey and needed something to keep the fitness up so decided to start cycling again. Many moons ago worked as a postman in a Dublin suburb and used to do some serious miles with heavy loads (strava would have been some crack in the office)
Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB? - Now I have 2 one weekend / evening spins roadie and a hybrid for commuting in and out (roughly 120k per week but like many others usually extend that a bit in the summer months)
Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine? - Massive difference even though I was fit for hockey the regular cycle was hard to start with but after a couple of months I hated having to take the car for any reason. Mental fitness has definitely improved as well from de-stressing before I get home; work is well forgotten by the time I get home.

Lumen

I'll tell you what's exercise, reading Doozerie's posts.

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?
Commuting, racing and occasionally wobbling back from Coppers.

If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport?
After.

Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB?
Yes. Road.

Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine?
Yes, but my commute is atypically long (15km e/w). Most urban commutes are <5km, you wouldn't exactly be race fit on 50km a week.

doozerie

Lumen wrote: »

I'll tell you what's exercise, reading Doozerie's posts.

Consider this post your active recovery interval.

NeedMoreGears

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?

Commute and sport ifs plus training for same at weekends.

If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport?

Transport until mid twenties. Nothing much until mid forties (5k commute to train and back) when I got a decent road bike and started sport ifs. Now commute 40k/day

Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB?

Yes road but with better wheels when not commuting

Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine?

A fair bit. But I prefer to get longer spins in on the weekend as part if the overall training plan (such as it is)

eeeee

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?
-A commuter, leisure and recent track rider. I do 150-200k a week commuting, then track 2 days a week, racing 1 day a week on track, and then 40-100k spins on the weekend depending on the humor.

If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport?
Before. I have used bikes as my main means of transport around Dublin for the last 10 years and don't had a car so the bike is how I get around.

Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB?
Yep, I have all old racers, only 1 functional. :rolleyes: I rent a track bike (Geoffrey) and even though I don't own him I rent him all the time and feels the love for him

Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine?
It doesn't hurt. I have only started doing proper cycling this year (the track stuff) and it has definitely upped my fitness. I don't think my commuting really made me much fitter on it's own, I have being doing 150k a week for years and years now, but I feel a big increase in my cycling fitness since starting the track stuff. Actually I don't think the transport cycling does really add a huge amount to my overall fitness. The swimming and proper cycling add way more.

Lumen wrote: »

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?
Commuting, racing and occasionally wobbling back from Coppers.

Coppers? Oh for shame, *shakes head slowly in judgmental fashion*

I usually cycle into and out of town on nights out. Heels and a mini skirt certainly add to the challenge of the cycle in and out! Actually mini's are fine. Pencil skirts however are a right pain! Maybe a new sport could be invented. A heels and skirt obstacle course. Like cyclocross but instead of steps and the like as obstacles there can be glass on the ground, erratic drunken bodies flopping into your path and taxis cutting across and out in front of you.

Unknown Soldier

loughgill wrote: »

1. What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?
2. If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport?
3. Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB?
4. Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine?

I'm only a newbie of 9 months cycling but....

1. Basic Leisure> Commuter> Leisure & commuter.
2. After.
3. No and yes. I use a hybrid for commuting and cycling in the winter but I have my "Sunday" best which I will use for extended commuting, weather permitting.
4. I was probably around 78-80kg last september and am now 72kg with no change in diet/drinking/smoking. So cycling has made me "fitter" My commute could be about 100km a week but I can make it 2500/300km. My missus reckons my thighs and arse are now made of some sort of concrete compound

The "sports" side of cycling has no interest to me. Age, general fitness and lifestyle wouldn't allow it tbh.

I do really like cycling though

cython

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?
Leisure/Commuter. Sportives and charity cycles are the height of my endeavours to date in leisure.
If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport?
Probably before to an extent in terms of when I started it, but bought the current bike with a view to a leisure cycling endeavour.
Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB?
Yup, only have the one, though the BTW is calling....
Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine?
Definitely. For example today I did a 35-40k commute and in the middle of it played an hour of football. Without commuting the height of my exercise might be 2 games of 5 aside a week, with it it's over 100-120km a week of cycling before any leisure comes into it.

TheNah

What kind of leisure/sport cyclist are you?
Commuting always. Leisure as much as I can.

If you cycle for transport, did that come after or before leisure/sport?
Before.


Do you use the same bike/type of bike for both? Road/Hybrid/MTB?
Hybrid for commuting. Road bike for leisure.

Do you believe transport cycling (e.g. the commute but could be other purposes) adds much to your overall fitness or your training routine?
My commute is c. 10km. I believe it does help with fitness, particularly for sportive and endurance type events. I do not think it really helps race fitness, aerobic fitness or climbing ability.