First week on the bike

[Martinm]

Don't know if this is the right place to post this but here goes...

Bought a hybrid to commute to University and back to save on the bus fare and to attempt to lose some blubber.

Went on bikehike.co.uk to find out the milage and was suprised to find out it was 4.9 miles each way with an overall ascent of 620 ft. from University to home.

An itinary of the week:

Monday: Left home 09:05, arrived at University 09:35 hot and panting after not thinking route through but got there. Mate who's exceedingly healthy who wanted to build my confidence on the road rode home with me giving moral support (that's what he called it, I call it p****ng yourself laughing). Left University 15:10, arrived home 16:05 after numerous stops for breath/water and chain slipping off uphill trying to get 1st.

Tuesday: Left home 08:10, arrived University 08:30. Slight change to route, hit a hill within sight of Uni and have to stop to breathe and stop legs wobbling. Have shower, enjoy smelling nice all day unlike Monday. Leave University 14:15, arrive home 14:55. Felt better than yesterday but still stopped three times for breath.

Wednesday: Drove c*r due to work, couldn't carry paddling kit and Uni kit in one rucksack... sorry

Thursday: Left home 09:00, arrived at University 09:15 still another route change and almost had altercation with dippy woman in large Merc who seemed to be colour blind to flourescent green. I was peddling up slight hill with cars parked either side, room down middle for one car, she came round corner and didn't bother slowing down until I'd stopped with the bike at an angle she couldn't get past. She left me just enough room to scoot past where I tipped my helmet and smiled. Leave University 17:55, arrive home 18:30, two stops but made the two nemisis hills that I'd had to stop on in one go, BIG smiles.

Friday: Left home 09:10, arrive University 09:30. Stopped to help push motorist with no clutch to side of the road. Another route change but this could be the one, no hill at the end
Wife phoned at 15:30 said she's in town and would I like a lift home.............. I'm really really sorry but in a moment of weakness I said yes and sat in warm comfort instead of breathing out of my backside for the journey home.

Well that's it, one week down many more to go.

Thanks for reading, safe journeys.

Martin

 

[HovR]

Sounds like an eventful week! Nothing better to wake you up in the morning than to work up a good sweat.

 

[Easytigers]

Well done mate. It does get easier! Nothing wrong with a lift every now and again

 

[Panter]

Top effort, well done

As above, it will get easier, you'll soon be doing that distance in no time at all. Fitter, and with more cash in your pocket (to spend on more bike stuff as the addiction takes hold

)

 

[GlasgowGaryH]

It wont be long until you will be sitting at home reading posts like this with a smug grin on your face remembering how hard it was on first days of commuting. Well done

 

[2wd]

It wont be long until you will be sitting at home reading posts like this with a smug grin on your face remembering how hard it was on first days of commuting. Well done

As I scolled down to your post, I found I already had the smug grin remembering the first few weeks

Keep it up Martinm

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

Brilliant. Well done and keep it up. It's not that long ago that I thought 8 miles was a bike ride and bemoaned the fact that I "live in a hilly area". Now I realize that my journey is really pretty flat and 25 miles is just a daily commute!

 

[junglegusset]

Good effort, it's amazing how soon you get used to the distances and start taking detours on the way home because you don't want to get off the bike. Keep it up, cycle commuting is the future. Nice to hear there's another paddler on here as well.

 

[Martinm]

Thanks for the encouragement guys, I'm still suprised at how much time came off the run home.
Feeling smug already, when I go past a queue of traffic at the choke point just up the road from my house

After reading some of the horror stories on here and seeing a couple of vids I was feeling the fear but after this week it's good to know the vast majority of drivers are courteous and mindful of the fact that I'm a lot softer than they are. I know how it feels to be continuously overtaken on the inside by a cyclist only for them to just plod along in the middle of the lane when the traffic starts moving again, I've made a point of sticking to cycle lanes as much as possible and when in the flow give it the beans and that a wave/nod/smile when a courtesy is shown goes a long way.

ATB

Martin

 

[Martinm]

Nice to hear there's another paddler on here as well.

What do you paddle Junglegusset?

 

[Hip Priest]

Well done Martinm. The first couple of weeks are the hardest. I was in your shoes back in May, doing a similar length commute. This morning I rode 35 miles for fun. Just keep riding!

 

[BrumJim]

On the negative side, you'll never improve so fast again.

On the positive side, you will never suffer like you have suffered this week. You'll start gloating when the times start dropping further, when you make it in, and others are late/missing. You'll start to notice the money saved, and how strange driving a car seems.

Well done. Here's to next week.

 

[BlackPanther]

Keep it up. It not only gets easier, it becomes no effort at all!

I'm just coming to the end of my 2nd year commuting. I started off doing the trip twice a week. In the second month I did 4 out of 5. By the third month I started doing my first full weeks. Now I don't even think about it, I just cycle every day rain or shine. I'm now looking forward to hitting the 10,000 mile which should happen mid February 2012!

My reward (I'll have saved around £3,500) will be a new Specialized Allez or Secteur comp.

 

[trampyjoe]

I'm 3 months in and my commute is just shy of 5 miles to uni. The first week i made it in 1 hour, the same as walking, now I'm managing 20 minutes and all but one of my nemisis hills has been defeated.
Who knows, I may even be able to beat that last hill one day (only see it once a week when I change my route to avoid a dodgy park in the dark).