40 mile commute...

[patheticshark]

Starting a new job in a couple of weeks and will be riding 40 miles every morning... any tips from people with hefty commutes on fuel/motivation/avoiding exhausation generally?

(my motivation will primarily be not getting fired as getting the train would be a fortune and take nearly as long. I will be getting the train home each day though, cos it's considerably cheaper in the afternoon as I have a young person's railcard.)

 

[thomas]

is that 40 miles one way? Not 20 miles there, 20 back?

 

[patheticshark]

40 miles one way.

 

[Chamfus Flange]

How much kit do you have to take? I occasionally commute 80 miles in a day but with several texts in the paniers, so by the end of it I've had it. I certainly would not want to have to do it the next day again.

 

[ianrauk]

bloody hell mate thats a lot for a single commute.
How many times a week are you planning at doing this?
It will take you a good couple and half hours each way at an average speed of 14mph.

It's a lot to ask doing that every day and back again. Both in time and effort.
But good on you if you do.

 

[patheticshark]

How much kit do you have to take? I occasionally commute 80 miles in a day but with several texts in the paniers, so by the end of it I've had it. I certainly would not want to have to do it the next day again.

Nothing hefty. Lock, tools, change of clothes, lightweight towel - should fit in a saddlebag.

I'll be doing it fixed.

 

[patheticshark]

bloody hell mate thats a lot for a single commute.
How many times a week are you planning at doing this?
It will take you a good couple and half hours each way at an average speed of 14mph.

It's a lot to ask doing that every day and back again. Both in time and effort.
But good on you if you do.

I'll be doing it every day but only one way - I'll be getting the train in the evenings. (so 40 miles in the morning and then like 5 miles from the station in the evening)

I have tried the route out, it took me 2hrs 15 and that included a bit of getting lost so hopefully it'll be a few minutes quicker than that.

 

[thomas]

I'd rather you than me . My old commutes have been 15/13 miles, which was more than enough!!

Hope you have showers at work.

 

[MacB]

45 miles a day, 5 days a week should be fine but, as it's 40 in one hit you may have to look at food intake. I commuted 20 miles each way and didn't need to breakfast first in the morning. But I would flag after 30 miles without food and fluid intake.

Personally I've set my commuting limit at 30 miles each way and not sure I could do that for 5 days. I base the 30 on what I can do without bonking and also keeping it to a 2 hour trip.

If I was to choose an ideal commute then I'd say 15-18 miles each way would be it. Gives you a good work out but not far enough to be demoralising in bad weather.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

45 miles a day, 5 days a week should be fine but, as it's 40 in one hit you may have to look at food intake. I commuted 20 miles each way and didn't need to breakfast first in the morning. But I would flag after 30 miles without food and fluid intake.

Personally I've set my commuting limit at 30 miles each way and not sure I could do that for 5 days. I base the 30 on what I can do without bonking and also keeping it to a 2 hour trip.

If I was to choose an ideal commute then I'd say 15-18 miles each way would be it. Gives you a good work out but not far enough to be demoralising in bad weather.[/QUOTE]


glad you say that, my commute starting in march will be 20 miles. i'm looking forward to it.

 

[Greenbank]

If you can't do it already, it shouldn't take long to work up to doing 40 miles every morning even on an empty stomach. When I first started doing longer distances I could only do 30 miles or so before I ran out of energy. I can now do the first 150km of a ride without eating anything (although at an 23kph average not 30kph). A well trained fat metabolism is very useful. I don't like eating early in the morning, I prefer to take some sandwiches and eat them whilst riding once I've been moving for an hour or so.

But, even if you get to this point, always carry some food with you in case you run out of energy. A couple of bananas, pieces of flapjack or energy bars. And know where you can get more food/water en route should you start to suffer.

Expect to be very hungry come lunch time, and don't over compensate with the food.

Also, it'll be a while of doing it before you don't feel like you've got heavy legs on a Friday. An expensive train fare will be a good motivational factor.

 

[garrilla]

Nothing hefty. Lock, tools, change of clothes, lightweight towel - should fit in a saddlebag.

I'll be doing it fixed.

 

[patheticshark]

Expect to be very hungry come lunch time, and don't over compensate with the food.

This is actually what I'm most concerned about (which sounds a bit strange considering how much exercise I'll be doing!). I'm considering getting a HRM so I can keep tabs on how many calories I'm actually expending and make sure I don't end up eating way more. I tend to put on weight when I'm touring or whatever cos I get such a huge appetite and I worry about running out of energy.

I'm fine eating early in the morning so I should be OK on toast or porridge or whatever before I leave and maybe taking a couple of bananas for the journey. It's difficult to predict... normally I'd be absolutely fine doing 40 miles without a food break, but that's on one-off rides, not every day. I'll have to see how it goes with that one.

I think the getting up at 5.30am's going to take some getting used to as well...

thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[fossyant]

40 miles before 9.00 am will be hard work......

I did a 30 miler / 60 mile return test, before jacking my last job...for a while - out of the house over 12 hours.............not good...

I've done a 20 mile each way, with a full racing weekend....it's hard...didn't manage a full week of 40 mile returns...... - that was when I was young.....

It's a tall order....... if you are OK with early nights, not much booze, then you'll do it...

 

[ttcycle]

Welcome back Pshark - that's one hefty commute - it would be worth bringing some form of food either liquid in a drink or banana/flapjack combo. Did you manage to get the rides sorted out in the end?