What do you do to make your daily commute more challenging?

[rugby bloke]

My old physics teacher used to carry a full load of house bricks in his panniers. What a nut case.

Reminds me of my brief teaching career - cycling home with 30 exercise books to be marked that evening. As I didn't know better I used to cram them into a rucksack. Made me slow, wobbly and hot !

 

[mjr]

What do you do to make the commute more challenging?

Nothing. What are you, some sort of masochist?

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Must've had rocks in his head.

Seriously. He also carried the fat end of a broken pool cue around with him, with the broken end tidied up with electrical tape. He used it for hitting desks and occasionally kids. A genuine beserker.

 

[Drago]

Let your tyres down.

Remove your gear cables.

Remove your saddle.

Remove one pedal.

Slacken your stem bolts.

All these tactics will liven up your ride and make it far more challenging.

 

[Dec66]

I ride through South London

Every day is a challenge.

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

The weather is enough of a challenge for me!

 

[Tenacious Sloth]

eventually, even that lost its challenge, so earlier this year (partly because I needed to toughen up the legs a bit more for the European Alps), I introduced standing-up pedaling intervals to my commute, typically on some of the uphill bits, and practised these until I could increase the distance / time that I could remain standing before the legs said "enough".

I like the sound of that one. May have to incorporate this into my commute.

Graham

 

[Bazzer]

Journey home (17 miles) is commonly into the predominantly West winds which visit the UK, so I try to maintain my normal (non wind) speed for as long as possible. Extra miles on the evening journey are irregular, usually because the roads are so busy I just want to get home. Pilates and Tai Chi a couple of nights a week remind my legs that because I am not riding, they can take it easy.

 

[winjim]

We're buying a house at the highest point in the city. I'm also planning to strap a two year old to the bike for part of the journey.

 

[KnackeredBike]

• Overtake lines of stationary traffic without getting beeped at, sworn at

There is a queue for traffic lights several hundred metres long I pass in the mornings which, for tidal reasons, has almost no oncoming traffic.

As I pass in the oncoming lane most people don't react at all.

A kind few move over to the left and get a cheery wave.

There are always one or two who move to the far right of their lane as if willing they could impede me. Normally a BMW or Audi. I always assume they must be working themselves into a furious rage that their very expensive car is being soundly beaten by a very cheap bike.

 

[Drago]

Zombies. Zombies could make a commute more challenging.

 

[winjim]

Zombies. Zombies could make a commute more challenging.

My commute takes me through a university campus.

 

[Truth]

I sometimes do it with a hangover