Changing your route

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jonny jeez

Legendary Member
For a change (and as as a small celebration) I chose to change my route home last night. I ride in a fair bit with a friend who's pace pretty much matches mine crank for crank. He is a lot fitter than I and can pull up the hills much faster.

As a result he rides a more "hilly" route home that I find intimidating and as such I don't join him on the home run.

However last night I decided to have a go... and had the most wonderful ride.

It felt less like a trip home and more like a weekend ride out, as it was a total departure from my "run of the mill journey".

totally broke up the ride.

The new sights and sounds were fleeting and fast, two abreast through deserted Kensington mews (chatting along the way), sunsets over the Thames at Albert bridge, long shadows casting off our backs as we climbed atop Crystal palace, big swoops down towards south norwood past all the standing traffic.

Could easily have ridden on for a few more miles and turned up at home feeling fantastic.

So, if you are struggling with the day to day repetition of your commute (no matter how long or short) perhaps take a night when the weather looks fine, ignore your eta, allow yourself all evening if it needs, pick a totally different way home...and just ride!

Really helps to remind you that cycling is an enjoyment not just a means of travel to work.
 

BentMikey

Rider of Seolferwulf
Location
South London
My Crystal Palace route seems far worse than Bromley Hill, but it actually has only 30m more climbing on the whole round trip, as compared with 530m for the A21/Bromley Hill version. Surprising eh?
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
My Crystal Palace route seems far worse than Bromley Hill, but it actually has only 30m more climbing on the whole round trip, as compared with 530m for the A21/Bromley Hill version. Surprising eh?


But isn't CP steeper then Bromley Hill?
 
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jonny jeez

jonny jeez

Legendary Member
But isn't CP steeper then Bromley Hill?

Yeah...what was i thinking!!.

amazed at how we flew up. I have to admit we took a slightly round the houses route up the Gypsy hill side but it was a long gradual hill with steep parts that seemed pretty effortless to both of us last night.

very odd.

(its the start of my hill training campaign, really let myself down at the weekend on a club ride 'cause of my aversion to hills)
 

BSRU

A Human Being
Location
Swindon
Since the lighter mornings/late afternoon are upon us I have started to divert out into the countryside.
Far more enjoyable than riding in town, better scenery, drivers seem more patient, no need to worry about pedestrians, very few places where I need to stop, i.e. few traffic lights/junctions.
Also there are some reasonable climbs out in the countryside.
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Makes a big difference - I'll be doing my long route home again a few times a week soon. Sights include riding past the end of Manchester Airport Runway, down some nice twisty lanes, and some less busy main roads in the countryside, then up a 1-2 mile 5% drag on the fixed (flaming hard work). Avoids all town centres and just skirts a few villages.
 

Moodyman

Legendary Member
I have 3 or 4 equal length routes, but I found that I defaulted to the favourite for about 3 years.

Last year I started riding different routes on different days. Mixing it up has removed the monotony and made the commutes more enjoyable.
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
I have 3 or 4 equal length routes, but I found that I defaulted to the favourite for about 3 years.

Last year I started riding different routes on different days. Mixing it up has removed the monotony and made the commutes more enjoyable.

Especially now we are coming into the Spring/Summer/Warmer months.
 

BentMikey

Rider of Seolferwulf
Location
South London
But isn't CP steeper then Bromley Hill?

Sure, but the amount of climbing is almost the same. Steeper in one bit means flatter in other bits is all.
 

Moodyman

Legendary Member
Sure, but the amount of climbing is almost the same. Steeper in one bit means flatter in other bits is all.

I've come to like hills in a perverse way.

There's a certain pleasure derived from suffering and defeating a killer hill.
 

Kiwiavenger

im a little tea pot
i vary my route into work, rarely vary the ride home other than a 5 mile blast up church road (pretty much all uphill so really gets the legs going) but i have about 5-6 differnt routes in depending on the time i want to get up and vary from 25 minutes to 2 hours!
 

gaz

Cycle Camera TV
Location
South Croydon
I do little changes to my commute most days. Deffinetly makes it more intresting and having a city commute means that there are endless options.
 

ohnovino

Large Member
Location
Liverpool
I don't think I've ever taken the same route on consecutive days. That's partly to keep things interesting, but mostly because I keep searching for the perfect route. You know the one: no right turns; priority at every junction; no pinch points; smooth road surface. I'm sure it exists, it's just a matter of time until I find it :thumbsup:
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
Never ride in exactly the same way two days running, never ride home the reverse of the route in, never ride home the same way two days running. Obviously some bits at the ends are common to all my 'normal' routes. And yes I have become superstitious about it.

and once the clocks go back.... welcome to the world of going home the long way.

Variety is a type of spice. Or something.
 
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