Cooling down period

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Matthames

Über Member
Location
East Sussex
When arriving by bike, how long do you take to wind down and what would be your winding down procedure at work.

The place I work as a volunteer is 1/4 of a mile up a hill that has an ever increasing gradient, reaching about 10%. So when I reach the top I am all hot and sweaty and need to wind down, freshen up and change my clothes. Normally I am ready for action from between 15-30 mins.
 

Norm

Guest
I spend about 5 minutes riding slowly round the cul de sac if haven't had a cool down at the end of the ride.

Rather than charge up and spending up to 30 minutes winding down, other than the looks of the thing, would it not be quicker and easier to dismount 1/4 mile away and walk the last bit gently. Obviously, this is a guess not knowing the topography of your work place. It might take you 5 minutes longer to get there but could you arrive without being hot and sweaty.
 

snorri

Legendary Member
Matthames said:
So when I reach the top I am all hot and sweaty and need to wind down, freshen up and change my clothes..

Why not just dismount and walk when you hit the hill?. Walk at a relaxed pace up the hill, using this time to unwind and avoiding the discomfort of overheating on the last leg of your trip.
It's not a race.;)

Edit.... Wot Norm said.:ohmy:
 

potsy

Rambler
Location
My Armchair
I take it a bit easier for last mile,then once there get changed,have a tea/coffee and a sit down for 20 mins before start time.Seems to work for me.
 

simongrant

Active Member
My commute in 8 miles each way,i rarely arrive sweaty and every ride is like a time trial for me(can't help it lol).I think the key is proper cycle clothing,heres mine.winter/colder months its bib longs with long sleeve base layer,long sleeve cycling jersey with a cycling jacket and in the warmer/summer months its bib shorts short sleeve base layer and short sleeve jersey 99% i get from prendas.co.uk,awesome gear and fab prices too.

Its the base layers combined with the quick drying jerseys that make all the difference,they regulate your tempreture keeping you warm when its cold and cool when its warm.I still take my time widing down with a brew and a banana,usuially 15-20mins but thats more to relax before work than anything else.

Regards
Simon
 

shippers

Senior Member
Location
Sunny Wakefield
Blast to work as fast as you can with a really hard sprint up the hill at the end, thus arriving earlier at work giving you more time to chill out before you have to be presentable...

Sorry.
 

HJ

Cycling in Scotland
Location
Auld Reekie
Ten minutes stretching, while standing in the bike shed, if anyone give you an odd look just say your physio told you too.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
4 days a week I'm only riding 1.5 miles in anyway. The other day (3 miles), I get into the office, peel off my coat and long sleeved top, collect the mugs, go and make a drink in the kitchen and come back to my desk. That's all the time I need...
 

gaz

Cycle Camera TV
Location
South Croydon
i sit at my desk and start working and do anywhere between 10 and 25 mins of work before i go off for a warmish shower. some guys at my place cool down for over an hour.
 

GrasB

Veteran
Location
Nr Cambridge
After a rather hard ride into work I change into my work shoes then go around the server rooms, grabbing the backup tapes & then putting them in the safe. By the time I've done that, 20min or longer if one of the alarms went off over night, I've cooled down enough to have a warm shower & change into my work clothes.
 

gaz

Cycle Camera TV
Location
South Croydon
GrasB said:
After a rather hard ride into work I change into my work shoes then go around the server rooms, grabbing the backup tapes & then putting them in the safe. By the time I've done that, 20min or longer if one of the alarms went off over night, I've cooled down enough to have a warm shower & change into my work clothes.

If your server rooms are anything like the ones we have at work, then thats an awesome cool down. niiiice and cooooool. :laugh:
 

GrasB

Veteran
Location
Nr Cambridge
Probably not, they're woefully under powered & in summer we resort to turning off compute nodes to try & get the temps low enough. Even in the winter when the temps are held to 20C I'm not in the server rooms that long, it's walking around the site & writing what's on the tape in the log book that takes most of the time.
 

Tynan

Veteran
Location
e4
what gaz said, 30-45-60 minutes working in kit and then amble off to the shower, the girl in the next desk that arrives at ten once politely told me I smell, so 10 is the cut off, I might be there all day in kit otherwise
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
13 miles to the office. Once there log in, quick check of any replies to any work emails I sent from home over/before breakfast, make a good strong coffee in a cafetiere, check what's new on here, drink the coffee, sort my GTD list, go shower and change. Game on.
 

Ashaman42

Über Member
Normally get to work between 8:15-8:30 (I start work at 9) after a 15-18 mile commute. Spend a couple minutes sorting out my clean clothes from my pannier and then a contortionist change in the loos (with a quick babywipe 'shower') before siting and reading a book till I start work.

No complaints about smell and to be honest the few times I've smelt myself I'm as likely to have driven in as cycled. Think our washing machine is on the blink as every once in a while a 'clean' t-shirt will smell once I've worn it for half an hour or so :laugh:
 

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