It has been two months since I started riding my bike to work and figured it was time to check in again and assess where things stand.
Progress
It has been a little over two months since I started riding to work. In that time, I have managed 42 rides (one way). Aside from when it rains - which has been a lot - or when I have social engagements after work, I have been consistent in riding. After a few weeks, it pretty much becomes habit and becomes less of an event to ride. In fact over the two months, I have cut 11 minutes off my average time (that is 1/4 of my original time). That also means that it takes me only about 13 minutes longer than if I drove to work. With summer traffic and construction, I suspect that I may be saving even more time.
I have found that during this time, I have been able to ride at higher heart rates and sustain the time spent at a higher rate for longer periods of time. One anomaly that I have noticed is that it tales a lot more effort to get my heart rate up in the morning than in the afternoon. This is despite the fact that my ride to work is a little longer and a little harder and yet some of my fastest rides come in the mornings.
Despite all of the exercise that I am getting, I have been surprised that I have not really lost any weight. I am sure there are some trade-offs of fat for muscle, but I have been disappointed by the lack of progress in this area. It is a goal over the next 60 days to tweak my diet to see better results on this front.
Lessons Learned
There is a lot to be learned in this process, and the gains that I have made in speed have been the result of riding smarter in addition to riding harder.
Maintain Momentum
It is easier to maintain momentum than to gain momentum. Okay, duh, this is the definition of momentum, but it takes some time to realize how pervasive this is in cycling. Getting 240 pounds of man, mike, and gear up to 15 mph is a lot of work on two wheels and human power. It means that you should:
- Go ugly early. It takes a lot of effort to get up to speed, but once you do it is surprisingly easy to maintain. Push hard out of the gate, get out of the saddle and really crank to get as much speed under you as possible. It will be much easier to keep this speed going and you should do what you can to maintain this.
- Get your heart rate up. This initial kick should help in getting your heart rate up, and it is surprising how this can be maintained. I often hit the ceiling with my heart rate and it is seems to affect every part of my ride. I really need to get in a sprint early in the ride to get up above, 140 bpm, 145 bpm, or even 150 bpm. Once I have done so though, it is much much easier later in the ride. A higher heart rate means that you are able to eek out that additional push when you need it.
- Preserve momentum. When riding on the road, you are bound to run into traffic and intersections. Be smart (and safe) when coming to these and try to keep moving. Slow up a bit before an intersection to assess traffic and if you are clear keep going. One of my biggest issues when I first started was stopping at every break in the road and then responding to traffic. That means that I am starting from scratch every time. At the very least, try to stay on your bike so when the break does come you can respond quickly.
These are all pretty tough until you are really comfortable with your route, traffic patterns and simply being on a bike. As long as you stay aware and safe, you should be able to shave a lot of time off in terms of responding faster and maintaining momentum.
Ride early
Traffic and drivers are the toughest thing to manage when on the road, they are an X-Factor that is completely out of your control. One of the easiest things to do in dealing with traffic is to simply avoid it. I have shifted my work hours a half-an-hour so that I get their earlier and leave a little earlier. This means that you avoid both vehicular traffic and foot traffic (I ride on a greenway through Indianapolis that becomes very busy come 5:00 pm).
Be aggressive
This falls in line with much of what I have said above, but it should be re-emphasized. Drivers will do just about anything to keep their own momentum going and given the slightest excuse, they will risk life and limb of the local cyclist to save a few seconds in their day. I mentioned in my previous post that you should let cyclists adjust to you. To take this further, you should aggressively claim space on the road and make them aware of your presence. I do not hesitate to ride to the front of traffic and essentially plant myself in the intersection. That way the cars have to see me and have to let me have at least a portion of the road. Once the light changes, I don't go out of my way to hold up traffic, but I do make it clear that I am going and that the people may need to wait a second or two before going. May not be convenient, but it keeps me from becoming road kill.
Hydrate
I purchased a water bottle, not too long after starting to ride, but not too long after that, I purchased a second one. This second bottle wasn't for my bike, but rater my office. I found that I was a lot less likely to drink while riding (it isn't all that easy if you're pushing hard enough), but was drinking a ton during the day. I scored myself one of these Camelbak bottles
Gear
It wasn't long after I started that I upgraded a few gear items to make my ride a little more comfortable. These included cycling gloves, a new seat, a water bottle and cage. Shortly there after I got some nicer cycling shorts. What I haven't upgraded is my bike. I am sure that I could gain a lot more pace on a modern road bike as opposed to my 15 year-old mountain bike, and I am sure that day will come, but until then, I figure I am getting a better workout on my steel monster. The next addition will likely be some new shoes (mine are as old as the bike) and some rain gear so that I can expand the number of ride-able days.
Benefits
When I started on this exercise, my primary motivators were to get in shape, save money, and do a little for the environment. While I have definitely made some impact in the first two (and hopefully the third), I have been surprised at the additional benefits.
Time in my head
I don't know why there is a difference between driving and riding, but I am definitely able to much more easily escape while riding to work. It gives me a chance to get away and contemplate all sorts of things: work, life, goals, etc. On occasion, I will throw on a podcast and use the ride to learn a little something. It is probably pretty rare that you could get in a good cardio workout and get an education during the same time that you normally would have been sitting in a car stuck in traffic
Traffic
An entirely unexpected benefit is that on many days, I am able to make better time on my bike than if I had been in a car. Summer in Indianapolis means a deluge of road construction and terrible traffic and this year it is all around my office. The maneuverability of my bike and the ability to use trails means that I am able to fly through stagnant traffic and make better time than sitting in a car.
When it's all said and done, I really cherish the days that I get to ride to work. Tracking my rides and vital stats has kept me motivated and keeps me going hard. I am constantly seeking to find more ways to get on my bike and have added a lot of casual rides on the weekend. Sure there are days when I want to grab a beer after work, but that just makes me ride faster. Hopefully, I will continue to make progress and will continue updates here.
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