Cycling to work Anyone else do it?

[tarantula]

Just started back cycling to work. I used to do thsi before dd but afterwards I got lazy and took the tube for the best part of a year. Anyway Ive started back quite recently.

OMG is it hard work!!! My legs are killing me Monday and Tuesday are normally fine but by Wednesday Im aching and today my legs feel lie jelly . Also by the time I got to work thsi morning I was wetter than a wet thing that had been in a very wet place. I felt like incy wincy.

Someone tell me this is a good idea please. Tell me how fit Ill get and how much money Im saving etc etc. Just at the minute I feel like getting the tube home. .....think I might regret that tho after 5 mins on a crowded tube with lots of wet people.

So come on you mad cyclist and tell me this is a GOOD thing PLEASE

Keep on cycling! When I lived in Denmark I did it all the time, including to and from work - 30km round trip. I had a fantastic figure! Carried on after I had DS and he would sit on a little seat at the back and sing to me, it was so lovely. Had to sell the bike when I moved to Venice but I'm just about to move again and one of the first things on my shopping list is a bicycle. DH moved 4 weeks ago to prepare for the arrival of DS and me and so far the only thing he a bought is a new bike

how far do you have to cycle tarantula?

I was OK when it was just around 1.5 km, but I am now 6km from work, and it is a bit of an effort, around 40 minutes.

I had to do it this morning though as there was a tube strike.

Such a good idea! I have a folding bike to take on the train, but even that short trip is fun and more reliable and cheaper than a bus/tube. Top tip: Tchibo are selling waterproof trousers at the moment, approx £6.99. I got mine online (just put Tchibo into Google) but that has a postage fee (£3 ish) so if you live near one of their shops so much the better. Also they go good quality Gore-tex equivalent jackets every so often.

Friend at work who cycles a much longer way told me it took him about a month to get a good route and 'up' his fitness, but it is so worth it. Is there a shower where you work?

Tarantula, you are brave starting at this time of year. How far do you go?

I take DS to nursery on a bike then go onto work, but it isn't far (2.5 miles tops) so can do the whole thing quite quickly.

Reasons to be cheerful: you'll get there quicker, you will soon (two-three weeks) be fit enough to avoid the jelly legs and after that you'll have more energy. It will help moderate your mood much better than sitting in a crowded stressed out tube train and you will be much more in control (no more sitting in a pool of sweat on a summer's day, waiting for someone to explain why the train hasn't moved for 20 minutes).

Decent waterproofs will help the 'incy wincy' syndrome, but I hope you have a shower at work (or close) because I've never found a set that don't make you smell like old cheese after a while .

Why don't you put the money you are saving aside in a separate pot somewhere and use them for a treat? It won't take long and will give you a real incentive to keep going.

Good luck!

Glad to see Im not the only one cycling.
Im actually cycling quite far (I reckon its about 12 miles) but was very fit before dna did it no problems so I know I just need to keep going and build up my fitness again. Im not hugely unfit at the min just need to build my stamina up I think. It si taking me about an hour/hour and a quarter atm so am hoping to reduce that slowly to about 50 mins.
ATM all the money Im saving will go towards paying off getting the bike fixed and dp's new bike and child seat so no treats just yet but I think once Ive got that sorted Ill put the money aside for a nice (cycling?) holiday next year.
Def need to get waterproofs I think Our office looks like a laundry atm as 3 (out of 5) of us cycle. Cheers for the tip about Tchibo. I think there is a shop in Sutton so Ill nip in there on Sat.
Luckily we do have a shower which is great and as Im in before everyone else in the morning I can change and have a cuppa in peace too which is great as Im the only girl in the office
Will remember what you said about the tube too gizmo as Im cycling up Putney Hill tonight. Itll help keep those legs going.

Well Im off now to face the journey home. The thougth of getting on a train is def nto appealing and as its not actually raining I think itll be ok. Not looking forward to Putney Hill but hey Ill keep thnking positive thoughts like how much money Ill save

Cheers all This IS a good idea (repeat ad infinitum)

So how was it, Tarantula? I used by bike today after a couple of days off and definitely went slower than my best, although I think it was pretty windy too. Is it very wet and weedy to want to wear a scarf and ear muffs? Brrr.

lol No I think ears muffs were def in order today. Last nights cycle home was ok actually once Id got up the hill and ill swear I saw a womble scuttling into the bushes too (could have been a dog mind ).
Wasnt the wind somethig else thsi morning!!
Looking forward to having the weekend off tho. Am feeling much more positive about cycling now and I know itll be great its jsut the first few weeks that are hell.
Legs are still a bit wobbly today and having to loads of running round this morning didnt help either.

did you ahve a few days off on hols Lio or jsut off from the cycling?

Wednesday is day off and Thurs had a poorly tum so took the bus in case started to feel worse in which case cycling didn't feel the right thing to be doing. All mended now, although am off on hols for two weeks as of tomorrow - yippee!

Very experienced cycling friend said (when asked about cold and wet weather):

"For a cold head you need a Buff. It's a fabric tube, headscarf, beanie, balaclava, you name it. Seems pointless and gimmicky and expensive (about £15?) until you actually use it - and it fits under cycling helmets. Just don't buy a black one (indistinguishable from socks, & I daresay fitting a sock over one's head might be rather alarming).

"For wet, you may need a luminous shell jacket - the best are made by Altura or Endura and cost about £50. Luminous is a definite safety plus, though makes said jacket less than versatile - it won't do for weddings too... And for cold, wet hands, just any old waterproof gloves over your cycling ones.

"For wet, you also need a bit of philosophy. Like, it's only going to be wet on average about once a month that you really, really notice, in London. And rain can be bracing. Being so wet that water is running down the inside of your clothes is rare. Just don't leave wet clothes on radiators lying round the office!"

Clever friend and good advice I think.

I cycle too - but only it's only 3.1 miles in to work. It's not even really far enough to rasie a sweat!

It saves us money as without me cycling, we'd probably need to run two cars. Plus it saves me time, as it only takes just over 15 minutes to cycle, whereas the car journey, especially in the evenings, could be anything up to 45 minutes (traffic jams on the Kingston Bridge). Plus I would have to pay for parking during the day, as they've just extended the Pay & Display requirements beyond beyond Glasgow city centre.

I like to too because since having ds, it's hard to find the time to take exercise - and at least 35 minutes a day is better than nothing! I also reckon it saves us money as I don't need to join a gym to keep me fit. My cycling, plus I've now managed to swquueze in some running, plus a weekly Pilates class is quite enough, methinks!

So, be proud of yourslef that you have started again and it will get better!

It'll keep you young too. My Mum and Dad are off on a cycling trip to Urugay in November - Mum's 65 and Dad will be 69 at Christmas!

PS Last winter was mild enough that I didn't use it, but I bought a silk balaclave for the extra cold days to wear under my helmet. When it's cold I do wear a wee fleece head band, which keeps my ears warm.

lol cheers for the tips Lio. I do need to get a new water proof as my old one which I unearthed from the cupboard is knackered (and its also more of a walking jacket too).
Love the "For wet, you also need a bit of philosophy" I actually like cycling in the rain as long as its on the way home and it stay raining the whole time cos its warmer when its raining and cycling thro puddles is such great fun then you can get home and strip and have a nice hot bath mmmmmmm

lol when you said Kingston Bridge PB I thoguth you must live down the road from me till I saw the bit about Glasgow. Mind you Im sure the traffic is as bad on either one. Hav eto admit it is great to be able to whizz thro all the traffic and know that you are going to get home on time (barring punctures)

The Kingston Bridge is supposed to be the most heavily used bridge in Europe - don't know how true it is, but it is a 5 lane motorway, with very heavy traffic but which usually is at least moving (unlike the M25! ). It's getting on to the motorway/bridge that is the problem!

My cycle is a doodle - it is almost all on side roads/cycle routes and the only busy road I have to corss is just before my office.

I cross the motorway on a cycle/footbridge and look at all the poor souls stuck in their cars.

The only delay I might encounter is if the Clyde is high and they have had to open Bells Bridge to let the wee shuttle ferry through - usually it can go underneath.

When I first started cycling I made myslef not open the curtains until I had got dressed in my cycling gear - otherwise, if it were bad, I might be tempted to go in by car.

I was actually upset when I found out just how close it was - I wanted a longer cycle ride to really get the endorphins going. However, I am not enough of a masochist to deliberately cycle a longer route.