Will this commute be too exhausting?

Forthcoming in February, our office will be moving to a rural area, to cut cost in fees. That means that my daily commute will increase to about 33 kilometres (20.5 miles) one-way or 66 kilometres (41 miles) round trip. About 28 kilometres of the route is on a light-traffic single carriageway with a speed limit of 80 km/h. It is a straightaway with some rolling hills of about 3 to 6% gradients. My partner, Yin is suggesting that it will be too strenuous for me to ride at least 66 kilometres each day, 5 days per week. Moreover, it will be impossible for me to keep up (motor pace) with her car. How accurate is her assessment?

how often do you ride now? what is your state of health? do you do anything after work?
I know two people who do that. They dont do much else though!!( that involves standing up). They like it and do it rain or shine. I cant keep up with them.

Motorpacing can be pretty dangerous, so I wouldn't do it unless she has experience as a motorpacing driver. And I would never do it during commuter hours.

But other than that, what CG said. Whether it will be too many miles for you depends entirely on how many miles you're doing now, and if it's much less than your future commute, how hard you want to work to get there, and how much extra time you want to spend on your bike. Remember that it'll be more like two completely separate rides of 33k than like one ride of 66k. After four hours' recovery, your body is pretty fresh again.

I ride a similar length commute, so I don't think it's too long, but some days it can be. On those days, can you drive part of the way, or take a bus with your bike, to shorten the length? We call that a hybrid commute (Indigoiis' term).

I have a full 30 mile one way commute that is similar but do not do it every day. I do hybrid commutes - like RR says. I will ride to the bus (5 to 15 miles depending on which bus stop) or ride my mountain bike up through the woods to the bus on old fire roads (8 miles) or drive to the park and ride and ride half way in (15.5 miles.) It depends on the day, the weather, what I did the day before (did I run? Did I mountain bike? Did I ride 60 miles? Am I healthy? Do I have to pick my daughter up?)

I would not force myself to do that kind of mileage every day. Besides being boring after awhile, it's a lot of time to dedicate to the commute. But that's just me. I like the flexibility of varying plans.

I don't get the thing with Yin and motorpacing. You've brought it up in at least one other post. I figure it's a joke, but it keeps coming up. If you clarify that part of your question, the situation will be clearer.

I ride often, and am cycling fit, but I couldn't do it. My commute was 26 miles each way- so 52 total. I did it about 4 times total (once a month). It was just very time consuming. Because of stoplights/traffic, it took me 2.5 hours each way (3 if I had a bad headwind). I didn't have the option for a hybrid commute (no public transportation and driving partway wasn't really an option). 5 hours at a time on my bike was too much time. I was exhausted at the end of the day (refreshed when I got to work, but tired by the time I got home).

I know people do it, but I couldn't. :( Just not in me.
You'll never know until you do it. Try it and see how it works for you. It might be great, it might be not so great. Give it a shot and see. ;)


I just changed jobs and got one 2.5 miles from home. I WILL do that commute every day I'm able. :)

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Originally Posted by tulip

I don't get the thing with Yin and motorpacing. You've brought it up in at least one other post. I figure it's a joke, but it keeps coming up. If you clarify that part of your question, the situation will be clearer.

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Yeah.

http://www.velonews.com/article/11478

I know you aren't in the US, but . . .

I have a similiar commute - 20 miles each way (give or take depending on route). Half my commute is rural country roads (where I live) and half is more urban/suburban. I had grand expectations that when we moved out here, I'd do this commute all the time and eventually work up to doing every day.

Turns out, I don't. It's not really the miles (which one can absolutely adapt to), it's the time. I just can't spare 3+ hours on the bike EVERY DAY.

In addition to the ideas that Indigoiis suggested, I also do a half/half commute. I drive to work with my bike, ride home, ride back the next day and then drive home. This way, I'm only on the bike 1.5 hours per day which is much more manageable.

I think she's certainly right that you would likely not be able to keep up - unless she is willing to drive much more slowly than the speed limit (which can cause a host of other problems).

Odd set of posts....

CA

Where's the "troll patrol" when you need them? ;):D

What happened to Mad Kate's avatar?

Mad Kate if you can't do the commute on your own power, I would not suggest that you motorpace because besides being reckless and dangerous, it's against the law.
I know lots of people who do commutes like that on their own power that is, but they usually don't do it every day.
Thanks Sadie Kate for the link. I never knew what that was called before.

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Originally Posted by tulip

I don't get the thing with Yin and motorpacing. You've brought it up in at least one other post. I figure it's a joke, but it keeps coming up. If you clarify that part of your question, the situation will be clearer.

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Like tulip & others: maybe you're a new mini Jeannie Longo or Lance Armstrong. Show us a pic of yourself and bike. :D

Motorpacing? Unless there are congested car traffic jams along the way and bikes can get on ahead while car drivers sit around? I guess you enjoy concentrating on a car and 'beating' it?

I already cycle 42 kms. daily. It's a route I do daily with a few 4-10% hills...and I'm looking for work..though not on the bike. :D On weekends I do longer distances, that's when I allow myself to play more.

That's enough cycling for me daily during the weekdays. And I'm willing to bet my route is more beautiful than yours, because of the mountains and ocean views I get along the way...since I'm not focusing on a car ..for motorpacing.

In the past, I spent over 3 hrs. daily with real work commuting time-- a blend of cycling, light rapid transit train, bus and then walking 15 min. So I can speak with (pained) feeling of what it means to spend so much time commuting like this for...3 consecutive yrs. I justified it because it was a contract job..to earn money. Looking back, I probably sacrificed abit of my mental health at the time. 2 weekends ago, we cycled this same work-commuting route completely by bike on a Sunday when the traffic wasn't so frantic. Guess what the real round trip distance between home and my old workplace if I had biked it: 102 kms. :D Yup. Since bike commuting trip must avoid some illegal highway areas for bikes, etc.

Set your life priorities properly...and remember your longevity on the road to ride/commute happily and safely daily.

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Originally Posted by mickchick

Where's the "troll patrol" when you need them? ;):D

What happened to Mad Kate's avatar?

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While we wait for Mad Kate to respond to all of us, I just wanted to add here that the 3+ hr. multi-modal transportation daily work commute that I did for 3 years that was crystallized into a real full bike ride, was described here:

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...hlight=bridges

I've done other 100+ kms. in other trips other places, but this ride for myself personally, was laden with abit of emotion.

After reading Susan Otcenas’ suggestion on Personal Safety, I decided not to place a photo of myself as an avatar. Regarding these long silly chases against my partner, Yin’s car, perhaps, I just enjoy doing it. You could think of it as a fixation. We usually use single carriageway with least possible traffic. Anyway, she mostly just leaves me in the dust, but I still enjoy taking a crack at it.