First Commute of the year!

[Kimmyt]

For many people like me who aren't die-hard commuters, now is about the time where we finally get to get out there. Share tales from your commute!

~

Did my first commute yesterday. It was longer than usual. Last year I did a bit of commuting (1/week) and would drive into my boyfriend's work with him and then ride from there. The commute from where I live was a bit long for my tastes, not to mention the hills. By decreasing the mileage (and cutting out the big hills) I found it was easier to do it.

Yesterday I had no boyfriend. Well, he's in Colorado, so I had to do something or my commuting goals would get away from me. I'd like to ideally do it 2x a week, but I'll settle for 1.

I parked at the Rock gym, which is a few miles further away from work, but still situated on the trail that the first part of my commute is on. By parking at the rock gym it worked well because I planned on going there after work anyway, so this way my route took me directly to my car where I could keep my gear.

The morning was hot, considering how cold it was previously. I wore a pair of shorts (unpadded, that I could climb in later in the day) and a tank top with my light cycling windbreaker over top. On second thought I should have just used the tank top, because by the first few miles I was sweating.

I was using my Timbuk2 messenger bag which I'd used a few times last year, but for some reason it felt really heavy. I didn't have much in it, except I had brought my whole wallet instead of just a bit of cash and ID.

The ride itself went well. Got started by 6:15 and the first small hill warmed me up. There was hardly anyone on the trail, a few cyclists going in the other direction. My legs were still sore from the hill ride I'd done the night before.

The ride continued, and I felt SLOW. The bag was weighing me down, shifting slightly (I don't remember that problem before, but maybe it was also the fact that it was still early season and my skills were still being dusted off), my legs ached, and I was only 5 miles in!

I made it to the halfway point and still felt slow. The rest of the commute would be slower anyway, due to traffic and more hills. I felt comfortable going through the crowded section of town, and chugged up the neverending hill to work (followed by a slight flat and then THE HILL that leads up to my badge access point at work).

Showered and in work by 7:30 (I arrived at work at 7:00 so I made better time than I thought... approximately 14 mile ride)

I was starving like usual after the ride, but felt great and fresh and awake.

The afternoon ride home was hard too, with a gusty wind that kept trying to blow me over. I found that if I stayed on the drops my bag stayed in place better and I was less of a wind-block. A few people passed me, but I caught back up to one.

Managed to climb for a few hours afterwards, but was noticeably fatigued.

All in all, good start to the season! I'm looking forward to when my commute feels as easy as it did the end of last year!

K.

[Kimmyt]

Also, I brought my camera with me and intended to take pitctures with it. I never did, but I would love to see photos from others Commutes, perhaps we could get a good thread going and everyone could take their cameras into work one day!

K.

[Tri Girl]

Good job, Kimmy! Sounds like a very successful commute!!!
I need to remember to bring my camera (although my ride is only through neighborhoods so there's not much scenery).

[carpaltunnel]

"felt great and fresh and awake. " well put! Exactly describes how I felt.
But gee, 14 miles, you must be in great shape all ready.

I'll try to borrow a camera...mine uses that rolled up stuff you take to Walgreens.
Keep it up - you are a source of motivation to me!

[carpaltunnel]

Kimmie,
I bought what I thought was exactly the right size back pack last weekend and it turned out to be a messenger bag. (I looked at too many of them and confused myself.)
What do you think - shall I take it back? Are you supposed to sling them over one shoulder & hang it down your side or what? Sounds uncomfortable unless I don't know how to carry it. How do you carry yours and how does it compare to a backpack?
Thanks! M

[Kimmyt]

I like the messenger bag style somewhat but actually think I'd like to go back to a backpack. Either that or I might try a lumbar pack, I saw someone commuting with one the other day and it looked comfortable.

If you have a messenger bag you'll want to make sure it has some stabilizer straps on it, otherwise when you change riding position, the bag will shift and can pull you off-balance on your bike. The Timbuk2 I use has a stabilizer strap that goes across my ribs on the opposite side the bag hangs, though usually on the bike I'll shift the weight of the bag to sit on my back.

I generally like having the weight situated on my hips, because I ride a roadbike in so do enjoy getting into the drops to deal with the wind and just to rest. I'm going to check out some lumbar-style hiking packs and see if they'll work.

Otherwise I think I'll get a UL (ultralight) hiking pack with no frame that is made of light material, kind of like this. Ideally I'd just bring my clothes into work the day before, but I never seem to remember to do that....

Hope this helped you out!