Comments on: Spice Up Your Commute

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:39:08 +0000

Mapping Halifax for OpenStreetMap gives me a great reason to find new places to ride around town.

By: www.bodybuildingandexercises.info » Spice Up Your Commute

www.bodybuildingandexercises.info » Spice Up Your Commute — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 19:45:24 +0000

[...] Warren T added an interesting post today on Spice Up Your Commute.Here’s a small reading:The post continues with 10 different workouts to try (Fartlek – hehehe) that you can easily adapt for cycling. I know that the whole reason of your commute is to get to work, but there should be a couple ideas here that might challenge … [...]

By: Joe G.

Joe G. — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 10:25:10 +0000

David,
There is a great resource at http://www.bikely.com where you can draw out your route and view other people’s routes. In my area I’ve found new ways to get places and a new way of long distance training as well!

I only have one bike, so I vary my route. Some days it will be back paths and side streets with no cars so I can take it easy, and then some days it will be the main 4 lane throughway where I’m hunched over trying to keep up with the speeding traffic. Not super effective, I know, but varied nonetheless.

By: Mike Myers

Mike Myers — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 23:32:15 +0000

I don’t know if advice for running workouts is applicable to bike commuting. Bike commuting IS interval training, after all. I have to sprint away from stoplights, hammer on a stretch of road which is pretty dangerous, climb a series of hills(Florida hills, but hills nonetheless), then I end up tootling down a trail. Unfortunately, I can’t take a different route due to traffic and safety, but I don’t find my route getting boring. As a matter of fact, some days it’s sphincter-clenchingly terrifying and exciting!

By: david p.

david p. — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 23:30:36 +0000

i’d like to find a resource where people share their routes…. because i’d like to piggyback off their knowledge.

as it stands right now, i’d kind of like to switch up my route, but i’m also concerned with time. when it’s time to go home, i want to get the hell home. now.

on cicle’s webpage (www.cicle.org)…. they have a resource called back roads LA” where people share their routes, but i’d like to see a lot more up there.

so… c’mon… quit being so greedy with your route and share the goods.

By: Fritz

Fritz — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 19:59:16 +0000

I mix up my routes. And bikes, sometimes. And riding partners.

Regarding the comment that “your body adapts,” this is probably best summarized by Greg LeMond’s statement that “It never gets easier, you just go faster.”

Commuting by bike is decent for maintaining some overall level of fitness, but it’s not that great if you actually want to become a stronger cyclist beyond a base level. To become a strong cyclist, you’ve got to put the miles in and do the interval training.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 19:55:11 +0000

Different routes, different bikes, different commute times. Last week I rode my heavy, heavy commuter bike and I was worn out at the end of the week!

By: nathan

nathan — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 19:28:02 +0000

I like the different bike idea. I am only able to cycle about 2-3 days/ week. Therefore, it seems like it’s always a bit different. Sometimes I go for speed and others I go for a consistent pace that is sustainable over hills, etc. I think it’d be interesting to do a sprint/ jog rotation about every half mile or mile. I think I’ll try it next time.

By: JoelGuelph

JoelGuelph — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:41:33 +0000

Ride different bikes! I mix it up with my dedicated commuter, my road bike, my mtn bike, and if I’m feeling really ambitious, my old freestyle BMX. You definitely use different muscles on the BMX vs. the road bike.