For this month’s Loving the Commute I decided to take a moment to talk with a fellow commuter. If you would like to be a part of Loving the Commute, I would love to talk to you, send me an email (aaronthestrong@gmail.com) or reach out to me via twitter (@Aaronthestrong).  John is a good friend and also helping me to start a local Cycling Advocacy group for our town.  Enjoy our little conversation about John’s love of the bike and his commute!

Aaronthestrong: Who is John Fry and what kind of bike do you ride?

John Fry: I’m the father of 2 boys and the husband of the amazing Katie Fry. I like Purdue sports, drinking beers, camping and talking about how to improve the town I live in. I ride a 1994 Trek 850 Mt. Track XC as my commuter – getting around town bike. That’s possibly the world’s longest name for a bike, so it’s nicknamed ‘The Goodwiller’ because I bought it at Goodwill 2 years ago.

ATS: Why did you decide to start riding your bike to work?

JF: Truthfully, it was Twitter.  I follow a few organizations and people who talked about riding to work and I decided to go for it.  I was also looking for a consistent way to stay active, but never could find the time with 2 kids at home.  Riding to and from work seemed to be the easiest way to get exercise during the week.

ATS: What is your favorite part about commuting by bike?

JF: I like the feeling of starting the work day on a bike, it really gets you connected to were you live compared to boxing yourself inside a car.  Luckily, I can take two very different routes to work.  One is 100% on the road, the other is closer to 80% trails.  I can stop and look at the Wabash River, take pictures of Bald Eagles, get attacked by ducks and geese, wave at other walkers and bike commuters.  Or I can race cars over the bridge and mash it up Salisbury Hill if I want.

ATS: What is your least favorite thing about commuting?

JF: Nothing really.  I use to hate the hills, but now I love them. Sometimes I eat too much at lunch and feel too fat to ride a bike, but that’s more of an eating problem than a commuting problem.

ATS: Commuting is just a means of transportation, what kinds of cycling do you like to do outside of commuting?

JF: I love mountain biking.  This past year I competed in the entire DINO Series.  I’m not very good (yet), but it helps keep me dedicated to riding for fitness, instead of just commuting or family rides.  I suggest everyone try at least one bike race in their life, I bet it won’t be your last.

ATS: What is the best piece of advice about commuting you could give to someone thinking about starting to ride their bike to work?

JF: Don’t give yourself any excuses not to go in the morning, get everything ready the night before.  Also, get a rack to carry your stuff.  I never did, but I still plan on it.

ATS: What’s the deal?

John Fry: I know, right?  I’ve got a question for your readers.  I have a slick tire on the front of my commuter and a low tread MTB tire on the back.  One day I was riding and thought “Shouldn’t I switch these around?”  Traction on the front, surface area on the back?

Thanks for joining me, John!  If you are interested in talking to John you can find him on twitter @ElectricElm.  I am always looking for new and exciting stories about commuting so if you have one, don’t hesitate to reach out to me!  Thanks for reading and keep the rubber side down!

- by Aaron Madrid

Here is part 3 of Aaron Madrid’s ‘Century’ series. You can check out the first installment here and the second ‘training’ article here.  Today @AaronMadrid talks about ensuring you have everything ready before the big day and his experiences of his own first 100 mile event. 

Joining the Century Club – Part 3

Now your event is just a week away.  You’ve trained for a while and you are confident that you can do 100 miles.  It’s time to think about the details.  100 miles is not only hard on you, but it’s hard on your bike.  Make sure that your tires and tubes are good to go.  Personally I bought some new tires and tubes to make sure I didn’t have to worry about anything.  Check your chain to make sure it’s not stretched…there is a cheap tool you can use to do this or you can just take it to your local bike shop.  Lastly clean up your cranks and your cassette and apply some new lube to make sure that baby is smooth sailing.  If you are comfortable with it, make any needed adjustments to your derailleur.  I’m a decent enough mechanic to make small adjustments and repairs, but I went ahead and just had my local bike shop do a full tune up on my bike.  If you go the route of the bike shop make sure you give them a couple weeks to get it done just in case. Fortunately my bike shop is awesome and they did it all in just a weekend. I went out a few times before the big ride for some short 20 mile rides, but the day before the big event I stayed off the bike.

Naturally, as a child of the night, I found myself unable to sleep and decided to do a little bike tinkering before bed.  When I finally layed down to try to get some rest, my nerves kicked in.  What if I’m in a big group and someone wrecks?  What if I didn’t put those new tubes and tires on right and I blow a flat in the middle of a steep turn?  What if my chain explodes and cut’s someone next to me open?  What if I rip a hole in my bibs?  What if I just…can’t do it?

When I woke up…I was ready.  The fear was gone, replaced only with focus.  For breakfast I had an 8oz glass of juice, a 12oz iced coffee (Starbucks Vita ftw), and a banana with honey drizzled on top.

We loaded the cars and set off to conquer the day.  Over the couple years since I started riding I had managed to convince a few friends that also happen to work with me to join me in my hobby.  On this particular day 5 friends set out to join me on this quest for greatness, including the founders of the company I work for.  Only two of my friends planned on riding the full century with me, but it was pretty awesome to have all my friends next to me at the start.  Once we got to the event I grabbed a half a bagel and a little single serving peanut butter as well.  I didn’t want to over-eat, but I wanted to make sure I had plenty of calories to get me through the first leg.

THE Event

Our Tour de Cure event took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indy 500.  We were to ride our 100 miles around the massive track.  This was great because it promised no hills, outside of the steep banked turns.  The plan was to stop no more than every 25 miles.  We didn’t want to just finish, we wanted to destroy.  We took the track shortly after the 500 or so riders were given the flag to start riding.  Unfortunately we were a little late for the gun, but not by much.

We rode one lap together as a team to warm up, and then the three of us aiming for the century headed up to the top of the track, where the faster riders were supposed to stay.  Then we kicked it up a notch.  For the past month the three of us had been practicing riding a pace line together on our training rides, and now our training paid off as we fell in to step together and began to mash.  We didn’t push too hard because we knew we had a long day in the saddle ahead of us.  Halfway around our second lap you could probably see the smiles on our faces from a mile away.  We were making good time at around 20 miles per hour and feeling strong.

Then we heard it…at first I thought it was then wind whistling through my ears, then it began to sound more like a swarm of locusts, and suddenly it changed to the thunder of a train as a line of probably 200 riders passed us on our left.  None of us had ever ridden with a group larger than 4 or 5, and this first pass nearly took my breath away.  We all reacted at the same time, as the end of the line came around we all three rose from the saddle and latched on to the big group.  If we weren’t smiling before, we certainly were now.  Shoulder to shoulder with our brothers, we accelerated to 25, gliding along with ease as the draft swallowed us whole.

I had read enough articles to know the majority of the do’s and don’ts of pack riding, but I never imagined what it would feel like to ride in a group like that day. You can feel the power and energy of the group as you ride together.  It is unlike anything I have ever experienced.  Unfortunately I didn’t realize that once you are in the group it becomes a little intimidating to think about dropping out.  At that point in time I felt like I could keep riding forever with that group, but as I looked around I noticed I had managed to drop my teammates.

As soon as I began to think about dropping out to look for my friends, the guy in front of me moved up and I had to accelerate to close the gap.  I rode up to fill the slot and just kept on mashing.  Before I knew it we had already ridden the first 25 miles and I decided to pull out to stop at once of the rest areas to meet up with my team as planned.  I grabbed a banana and filled my water bottles, one with water and one with Powerade (something I learned a little later would be critical).  The rest stops also were stocking Cliff Blocks, so I grabbed a couple packs of those and tossed them in my jersey pockets for later on.

My friends wheeled up still smiling and feeling strong.  They refueled and then we headed out to the track for the next 25 miles.  As we came back out to the track and took up our pace line once more, it didn’t take long before the big group was passing us again.  I couldn’t stop myself, as they passed me I had to accelerate to join them.  I mentioned in a previous post that I wanted to race in the near future, and this seemed to only solidify in my mind, just how much I wanted to.  I felt like I was riding the Tour de France with the pro peloton.

There is truly no feeling I have ever felt in my life that I could compare those moments with the group to.  It was exhilarating.  Now the group had stepped it up to an average of 30 miles per hour, and I was mashing pretty good to keep up.  I didn’t feel like I was exerting too much energy, but I was certainly having to work to keep it going.  The next 25 miles flew by even faster than the first.  I didn’t stay with the big group the entire time, because eventually they all pulled into a SAG before I was ready.  I pulled back and reformed the team.

One of the greatest moments of the day came after mile 50 when we had headed back to the route.  Our team was still feeling strong so we naturally hopped back into our pace line.  After a couple laps I glanced back to notice we had picked up some other riders.  Our line was now probably around 30 people long and we were doing all the pulling.  It feels amazing to be a part of one of those groups, but it is something all together different to be on the front and realize you are pulling all those riders along.

Unfortunately, around mile 60 the wind began to pick up half the track ended up dropping us right into a nasty headwind.  Our line began to dwindle as we continuously fought the headwind.  We were all clearly starting to tire.  Another note, by mile 65 I was really starting to grow tired of the gel blocks that were keeping me going.  Fortunately the SAGs were also stocking bananas, so I made sure to try to keep a good mix.

The final 25 miles was harder than the first 75 combined.  By then the big group had finished their century already and the track had begun to clear.  I managed to find a few other small lines still mashing hard to finish and took advantage of the group dynamic to ease my burden.  With 15 miles left my legs were beginning to really tire.  I had ridden 85-90 miles a couple times before, but never at a sustained effort like this.  My legs felt like they were on fire.  Standing in the saddle was barely possible, but I was driven on by pure determination.

I think it was at this point that I finally understood what “shut up legs” really meant.  It was all mental power from mile 90 on in.  Then on my last lap, disaster struck…I was on the back of the track in a straight away and my left hamstring locked.  It was the most painful cramp I have ever had in my life.  I had to stop pedaling…I couldn’t even un-clip to stretch my leg.

For a minute I thought I was going to just fall over…I felt true panic for about 1 solid minute.  I breathed deeply and reached down to try to massage the cramp out. The pain subsided just enough for me to pedal my way into the SAG stop.  I really didn’t want to have to stop, but at this point I didn’t feel I had a choice.

Since I began riding hard one of the most amazing things I discovered was the way that you can feel your body using the fuel you are giving it.  When you bonk, you know it’s coming because you feel physically empty right before it happens.  I wasn’t bonked…I still had plenty of energy and determination to carry me to the finish.  However, my body clearly was missing something.

As best I can tell, the heat had increased considerably for the last 25-30 miles of the ride and I think I had allowed myself to dehydrate just enough to cramp. My bottles were empty when I pulled in, but I had told myself I could still finish without another stop.  Obviously I was wrong. I gingerly hopped of the bike and hobbled up to the table.  I grabbed one more banana half and refilled my water bottle.  As soon as I took a few good drinks and ate the banana, I felt the pain subside and my hamstring release its death grip.  It’s an unbelievable feeling to feel your body work like that.  I walked back to my bike and headed back to finish the ride.

I raised my arms and let out a yell of triumph as I crossed the finish line.  I couldn’t believe what I had accomplished.  At that very moment I felt excited enough to try for another 100 miles right then.  Then my stomach growled and I realized that as much fun as that was, it wouldn’t be near as fun as the meal I was going to go have.  I rode back to the starting line to be greeted by my wife and my baby girl.  As if the moment could not have been any sweeter… I held my daughter in my arms and at that very moment felt like I could do anything.  My training and hard work had paid off.

A year and a half, 85 pounds, and a lot of miles later, I had done it.  The feelings I felt that day will be with me for the rest of my life.  Weather your goal is 20, 50, 100, or 200 miles, know that you can do it.  I hope my experiences will be a benefit for you as you plan your goals.

Thanks to Aaron for a set of great articles. Having done a few, a 100 mile event is a superb achievement and getting that first one under your belt just makes you want more!  Keep your eye’s peeled for more from Aaron here at LovingTheBike.com.

Here is part 2 of Aaron Madrid’s ‘Century’ series. You can check out the first installment here and keep your eyes peeled for further editions.  Today @AaronMadrid talks about training and preparation for your event, both physical and mental and how #30daysofbiking helped motivate him so much!

Joining the Century Club – Part 2

So you have an event picked out, now it’s time to start thinking about training.  I know not everyone is like me, but like I mentioned previously, a support group can really be a valuable asset.  My support group came from four locations.  I discovered this very website where you are reading this article now at the beginning of my cycling journey.  I subscribed to the RSS feed and continue to read every article posted each morning as it drops into my email box.

As you surely know already, the information on this website is both educational and often inspirational.  I am proud to be a part of such a passionate, knowledgeable team and to be able to now contribute my own voice to theirs.

Through Lovingthebike.com I discovered #Bikeschool.  As an active twitter user for quite some time, I originally scoffed at the idea of a tweet-chat.  However, I showed up to my first #Bikeschool early in 2011 and now I attend as often as possible.  Many of the people involved in those Thursday night conversations I speak to on a daily basis.  I have even managed to make quite a few very good friends because of it. The discussions are always fun, informative, and engaging, three things I find very valuable, especially when it comes to motivation.

Through both of these groups I learned about #30daysofbiking. The group that created this social cycling movement is equally as fun and they organize an amazing global event.  The idea is simple, ride your bike every day for 30 days.

I further learned about Team Lovingthebike which was being put together for #30DaysofBiking, so I joined up.  It wasn’t anything major, just an opportunity to socialize your rides with other friends and reach for a specific goal. You can search around this site and Google for lots of information and posts from both this year and last year’s events.  Lastly was the encouragement from my family.

Being a new father, I needed to only look at my daughters face to find the heart to go out and push myself to become better.  Lastly my wife was very supportive and allowed me to ride my bike every day.

Let the Century Training Begin

Now we need to start training.  This is actually pretty easy… just ride your bike.  Every day you possibly can make it happen, get out and ride your bike.  I’m competitive by default, so 30 Days of Biking was perfect motivation for me to get out and ride.  Each night after work I would take 30 minutes to an hour and go ride.  Sometimes it was just up to the store down the street to pick something up, but as long as I was riding I was ok.

If you are just starting to ride don’t worry about anything besides getting on that saddle and going.  The more you ride, the faster and farther you will go.  I remember thinking that 10 miles was incredible, and for a 320 pound nerd who spent most of his life on a couch in front of a television… it was.  Eventually you reach a point where you just feel comfortable on your bike.

It get’s easier and easier, and that is when it’s time to start Googling some of the serious stuff.  Once I felt really good on my bike I decided it was time to take it up a notch.  I started asking more questions in #Bikeschool about technique and form.  I watched videos on YouTube about proper pedaling, and breathing and I got even faster and stronger.  I subscribed to Bicycling magazine, which, while informative, has really just caused me to have bike envy for every bike I see. Don’t get me wrong, I love my bike, but the rides in that magazine are frequently way out of my price range…and beautiful.  At this point I still didn’t have anyone really to ride with and I was too afraid to join our local club for fear of looking like a newbie (sorry, that’s a geek term for someone who is often inexperienced to the point of being laughable).

You have an event chosen, you have a great support group to ask questions and learn from, and you are riding your bike every day.  What else can you do to prepare?  Truthfully… not a lot.  Of course, there are specific things you can do on your rides, like interval training and hill repeats (climbing a steep hill over and over again) but the most important thing for incredibly busy people like us, is to just ride.  A couple of rules of thumb, if you can go out and ride ¾ of the distance you are aiming for, you can do it all.  That extra quarter will come easy from the endorphins and adrenaline on the day of the event.  Another rule of thumb is, make sure you are at least riding your goal distance over the course of the week.  Meaning, if you want to ride a century, make sure you are at least riding 100 miles in a week.  Right now because of my commute to and from work, I ride about 150- 200 miles a week, depending on my weekend ride.  I usually rest on Sunday (it’s important to take a break from hard riding if you can).

Thanks to Aaron for a great 2nd edition,

Stevie

As promised, we have some brilliantly inspirational stories coming up in a series of posts from the #bikeschool & LovingTheBike.com communities. First up is Part 1 of  ‘Century’ by Aaron Madrid (@Aaronthestrong). Our thanks go out to Aaron for putting a load of effort into his writing, I’m sure you’re going to enjoy what he has to say.

Joining the Century Club- Part 1

This past Saturday I accomplished one of my major cycling goals… I rode a century.  For those that might not be up on the “lingo” a century means 100 miles. Yes, I know…I am awesome.  Forgive me if I sound a bit egotistical, but as I write this it is still only a couple days since the big ride, and I feel like I am pretty much invincible.  Those that have been there will likely understand, and the rest of you can just think I’m egotistical for a bit.  For me it wasn’t just 100 miles that made it such an accomplishment and memorable day, but I’m getting ahead of myself.  I’m writing this for you for two reasons; 1) everyone can and should feel like I did crossing the finish line that day. 2) If I write this out then maybe I will quit talking about it to everyone I know and some of my friends will hang around me again (but probably not).

So you want to ride a century, huh?  Well I have news for you, my friend, you can…and you will.  I would like to first take this time to remind you of who I am. My name is Aaron and I started riding a bike the week I became a father.  I had been talking about needing to get in shape ever since my wife got pregnant. When my daughter was born in February of 2011 I weighed 320 pounds. I started a blog called TheVerbingNoun.Tumblr.com that I don’t keep up much anymore, but if you go to that site and dig you can find my first posts where I talk about how exciting it was to ride my first 10 miles at 12 miles an hour.  Now I weigh 230 pounds and I’m writing to you today to talk about the 100 miles that I just rode at an average speed of 20 miles per hour.  My wife and I both work full time jobs and enjoy all the stresses that come with them as well as being new parents.  I am telling you all of this so that you don’t try to give any excuses as to why you can’t accomplish this, or any other goal.  The first step is just wanting it bad enough.

I know, I know… you are saying “Aaron, that’s all fine and good with the positive thinking, but get real!”  There are some simple things to do to help you along the way.  You know you want to do this, but you don’t want to just go out and ride 100 miles on your own, that’s no fun!  Find an event!  A quick search on Google should provide you with some local or at least close, sponsored rides.  I find that most clubs hold sponsored rides at some point during the year which provides a great opportunity to meet your local club anyways.  Building a support group is truly critical to long term goal accomplishment, in my opinion.  I have recently discovered, with much glee, that many breweries also hold or are affiliated with some truly amazing rides.  Let me tell you this, nothing is better than a delicious craft beer after a long ride!  Ok nothing is more delicious than a craft beer period…but I digress, this isn’t LovingtheBeer (though I would totally write for that site too, Darryl).  Events will provide you with pre-planned routes.  Your route can really make a difference because 100 miles of climbing is a lot different from 100 miles of flat roads. Most of the time these pre-planned routes will contain detailed profiles of the entire route, so take advantage of them!

I chose the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure because their cause is one that is close to my heart.  There are countless charities that offer similar such rides all over the country.  Not only are you given an opportunity to ride, but you can raise money and awareness for a cause you believe in along the way. Taking this approach is a great way to give yourself an extra push, because once you sign up for something like that, it’s not just about you anymore, it’s about something bigger.  Take your time and choose an event that means something to you.  As you have undoubtedly already learned (or will soon as you ride more) mental power and heart are almost as important as physical training.  A ride you truly believe in will only help you focus and dig deep for that extra power. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time before the event.  My training plans will be useless to you if you don’t get out much and you choose a ride that takes place tomorrow.  The nice thing about many of these events is that they often offer multiple routes for various levels or riders.  I actually rode the Tour de Cure in 2011, but only did about 20 miles.  Trying the event last year allowed me to know what I was getting myself into this year and helped me visualize my goal.

Look out for the next part of Aaron’s write up coming soon. Leave any comment’s you have for Aaron below or catch him over on Twitter – @Aaronthestrong

Stevie

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Loving the Commute Series

by Aaron Madrid

I have a secret to tell… I want to be a racer.  In fact, this fall I plan on competing in my first race at the Mass Ave Crit in Indianapolis.  I have some friends that are coaches, and hope to take advantage of their services some day, but until then I am resolved to search the internet for tips and tricks.  The biggest challenge for my training has been finding the time to get in the rides I believe are needed to improve my riding.  That’s when it occurred to me that I can just train on my commutes!

Unlike many commuters I speak to, I don’t have the benefit of a long trail that takes me to work.  Most of my route, especially if I wish to make it work on time, requires me to share the road with the 4 wheelers of my fair city.  However, that has leant itself well to my training plan.  One thing I have noticed is a common suggestion for most training plans, regardless of your end goal, is the ever painful interval. In truth, intervals are actually much easier on my commute than on most of my other rides.  Thanks to stop signs and lights, I frequently have the opportunity to sprint my legs off for a good distance before sitting again.

There is nothing I love more than pulling up to a stop light next to a moped, and then pouring my soul into the pedals as I sprint passed the driver when the light changes.  Of course, I don’t always win, but it’s a blast to try.  When I cross through town I try my hardest to stay out of the saddle from light to light so I am working on my endurance and power at the same time.  Obviously intervals require short breaks in-between bursts of work, but I find the lights usually comply well with my need to sit. The important thing to always remember is to stay aware. I have discussed at length the dangers of commuting.  Adding these intervals and a bit of focused training can actually create more danger for you if you aren’t careful and still obey the laws of the road. I’m not sure if it’s the look of anguish on my face or the sweat pouring from my brow, but I find when I am killing myself down a bike lane, drivers tend to feel my pain and give me a bit of a break.

Another thing I like to try to do is climb every hill I can find on the way to work.  I used to avoid the big nasties, but now I seek them out. Sometimes I will even take a longer route to work, just so I can test my legs on a big hill.  If you can tell your legs to shut up first thing in the morning as you climb, you can beat them every time.  Climbing is a great way to improve power and endurance as well, and has worked wonders for my riding.  It’s a short ride in for me, but adding hills ensures I need the morning shower.

Handling skills have to be top notch if you plan to commute by bike.  You never know when you will have to slam the brakes or dodge a sudden pothole that seems to have opened up from nowhere in front of you.  Your reaction time can only improve as you focus on your surroundings and your intervals.  I have even learned the art of the bunny hop, though I have yet to use it for more than the occasional curb hop.

The final hidden benefit of training to race during a commute is all about the mental anguish.  As I mentioned, I have yet to compete, myself, but one thing I always hear the pros say is just how mentally exhausting racing is.  Commuting can be pretty darn mentally exhausting as well.  In fact, I like to think that the constant battle I wage with traffic on a commute is great preparation for the peloton ahead of me.  If you can ride a few feet from a speeding car or truck, you can ride closer to another cyclist, no problem.  Some people might say that pretending the car in front of me is my lead out at the Tour de France, might be an indication that my mental prowess is actually doing the opposite of improving, but I tend to disagree.  Be safe, keep a good head, and ride hard.

We’re back with another segment in our “Loving the Commute” series by my man, Aaron Madrid. Commuting by bike is such a great segment of the cycling industry and we’re so happy with the response we’ve been getting from all of you so far in editions 1 through 4.  I’m pleased to announce that both Aaron and the Loving the Commute series are now a regular part of our website.  Welcome to Aaron as an official teammate of Loving the Bike.

Planning for the Smart Commute

by Aaron Madrid

Planning ahead can be one of the best solutions to the most problems with commuting by bike. Planning your leave time, how to carry all your gear, and which route to take, are things that a commuter will find they constantly think about. It seems arbitrary, until you head out 5 minutes later than you should have and discover that this is the same time everyone in your city turns down your road, or you feel that first few drops of rain and remember only too late that your trendy looking messenger bag isn’t waterproof. Commuting can be intimidating, but smart planning can be the difference between an easy, enjoyable ride, and the end of your bike commuting career.

I split my planning into several phases, depending on a variety of factors which I will cover now.

Phase 1: The Right Route

I live in a fairly densely populated area, on a busy street. There is a bus stop just a few houses down from mine. (One lesson I learned quickly riding through town…stay away from busses.) The bus runs every half an hour. I can take a 10 mile route through the country and up a few steep hills and face less traffic, or I can travel through downtown, then through a major college campus, then out a busy highway for 6 miles. If I wake up early enough, I will take the 10 mile route, though more often than not… I do not wake up early enough. That means sharing the roads with a large variety of motorists as they travel into downtown and onto campus for work. Once on campus, I can either stick to the main roads and get honked at by people running late to work, or take a few back roads and risk getting hit by sleepy students. I usually choose this part of the route on the fly depending on current traffic. Most of the time I take the back roads to climb a couple of my favorite steep hills. Thinking about all of this ahead of time allows me to know that it takes 13 minutes to get from my house to the top of that favorite hill and normally only another 5-10 to make it the rest of the way to work. If I take the route that results in my being honked at repeatedly, I can shave 3-5 minutes from my total time thanks to shorter hills. My path of choice is more often than not, directly proportionate to the amount of coffee I have had prior to getting on the bike.

Phase 2: The Right Time

That’s right; you have a choice over when you leave your house. I know it seems shocking to think that you might be able to leave for work at a time which would put you at your desk before the exact time when you are supposed to be there. Its ok, I promise you won’t get a write-up. I determined that leaving at 7:30am will put me at a stoplight on the route of all the busses leaving their depot for their daily routes at precisely the same time as them. Leaving at 7:40am put’s me passing a high school as they are unloading their busses halfway through my route. Leaving my house at 7:50am results in lots and lots of honking as 4-wheelers speed to work to try to beat the clock for their 8:00am jobs and avoid the lashings they will surely take. If I leave work at 7:55am to 8:00am, the roads are virtually empty. It is truly amazing how traffic that I know was there just 10 minutes ago, has seemingly vanished. Take a guess when I leave for work?

Phase 3: Gear for your Gear

There comes a time in a commuters’ life when you stop and say, “How am I going to get all this stuff, from here, to there…on my bike?” In fact, it’s a question that has some of the most power for stopping your commute in its tracks if you aren’t prepared. For the first time in my life, I lay out my next day’s gear, before I go to bed. No, I am not concerned that my jersey match my shoes, I am however, concerned that I don’t have to sit in my desk in my cycling clothes all day. There are two main schools of thought when it comes to bringing your gear with you, the backpack/messenger bag, and the pannier. On a “full bag” day I might bring a change of shoes, lunch, a laptop and associated wires, pants, and probably a shirt or two. All that stuff gets heavy, and bulky in a backpack, especially when you are using a Hydrapak Jolla which carries a “camel-bak” style water bottle in it as well. I love my Jolla, but that much gear is a little much. A full bag day calls for panniers. Many bikes come with attachments to help secure a rack to the rear of your bike. Then you just need to acquire some “saddle bags”, or “panniers”.   You can find panniers that are trendier and brightly colored, or as nice as your Uncle Sam’s briefcase. Either way, panniers are the way to go when you start to get more than 10 pounds or so in a backpack. While the Jolla and similar bags do a great job of keeping the water out, they don’t hold all that gear well, and they get heavy. Try climbing hills with straps cutting into your shoulders. In addition to the obvious, adding extra weight on your back tends to make your back sweat more, even if you don’t normally get too much of a sweat worked up on your ride in. If it’s just your iPad and a change of clothes, the Jolla is the way to go. Not only does it securely hold everything, it also holds plenty of water in an isolated compartment that ensures no accidents happen, and you don’t get dehydrated on those hot summer mornings and evenings.

You see the point, it’s all about planning. If you are about to give up your car for the commute, before you do take a couple of days to notice the traffic patterns at different times during your commute. The night before your ride, think about what you have to bring with you, maybe even pack your bags prior to going to bed. In addition to being properly prepared, it also gives you the opportunity to roll out of bed and onto the bike with fewer steps in between.

Be safe, stop at the stop signs, and have fun! See you on the roads.