Why Cycle Wednesday:LONG Commute Part 2

Or: "How to Lose 11 pounds in 1 day and ride 80 miles with no time."

I finally rode my bike to work for the first time last week, and it's over 40 miles one way.  You can read all about my in-bound trip here.  In this post I'll let you know what I did during the workday to try and recover, some mistakes I made, things I could have done without, what I would have done differently and lessons learned.

And if that's not exciting enough, at least on the way home I took more pics, so there's more to see in this post.

So once I locked up my bike, it was time to hit the showers.  This is a critical part of any bike commute (just ask your podmates).  It's also time to start recovery and prepare for the return trip.  After stretching and getting cleaned up, I had a protein bar and continued to drink as much water as I could - and tried to stay off my legs (thankfully not too difficult in an office environment).  I was surprised that after "just" a 40 mile ride that my legs were so tired - I guess the extra weight of the backpack really affected me after all.

At lunch time, I made my big mistake of the day.  I usually bring some sort of microwave dinner to eat, but I didn't pack my usual lunch (no room) so decided to "treat" myself to lunch at our cafe.  Continuing my "healthy" kick for the day, I decided to have a nice big salad with LOTS of protein - bits of chicken, ham, egg, etc.

Big mistake.

The whole rest of the afternoon my stomache was in knots and, let's just say that one of the things I wish I'd packed was Pepto pills.  And I certainly wasn't looking forward to having to sit on a bike saddle all the way home.

So, dreading the return trip, once I finished my work for the day, I went back to the locker room to change into my cycling clothes.  I had decided much earlier that there was no way I was going to carry the backpack and all that stuff home - I could just pick it up the next day, when I had my truck.  So I left my pack, office clothes, shower stuff, morning bike clothes, etc. in the locker.  All I took with me for the return trip was my usual 40mi ride stuff (pretty much):

Packed for return trip

• Seatbag with flat fixin's
• Garmin & cyclocomputer
• cellphone
• camera
• GUs
• wallet & keys
• iPod (didn't plan on using it, but I didn't want to leave it at work.

I got back to my bike and put on my Garmin - and the mount promptly broke(!).  Argh!  I didn't have any other way to attach it to the bike, so it went into the jersey.  If you check out the ride details, you'll notice the heart rate on the way home was really wacky - I can only guess that the Garmin didn't like being in my pocket.

The ride home started off much harder than the ride in - there was a VERY strong headwind heading south through Hartford (guess that' s why I flew in on the way in...) and it was much more busy traffic-wise.  But I didn't drop my chain at any of the intersections and, other than the wind (and bc I wasn't hauling everything-but-the-kitchen-sink on my back) it felt a lot like a normal ride.

And fortunately, like what often happens in races, once I got on the bike and started riding, my stomach settled down.

If you want to follow along, here's the route.

And here's the profile.

Looks familiar, I know.

Having done the route already that morning, I pretty much knew what to expect on the way home.  The only major question was whether to stop at Pedal Power in Middletown and pick up my replacement rear tire.  I'd gashed my new tire a couple weeks earlier and the replacement finally came in.

I got the tire.  But with all the other stuff I'd stuffed into my jersey, it was a tight fit.  I hoped I wouldn't lose it on the way home . . .

South of Middletown, I got back into beautiful lower-Connecticut-River-valley country.  Here are some scenes from along the way:

Near Haddam

Public library

Same shot from the morning, but without the fog.

On Bokum Road - actually not too far from the end of the ride.

My legs, which had been so tired during the day, perked up for the return trip (thankfully).  I was surprised to discover that I was turning a gear or two bigger than normal.  And, despite the headwind (which calmed down a bit south of Middletown), my average speed homebound was actually higher (but I suppose within the margin of error).

Stats for the evening commute:

• 41.32 miles (took a slightly different route out of Hartford)
• 17.2 average speed
• 2 hrs 24 min riding time
• 1952' of climbing
• 137 bpm average heart rate (identical to the morning.  Weird)

I arrived home tired but happy - and Mrs. Suitcase surprised me by cheering me in from the front porch!  A very good day.

But what would I have done differently?

Most importantly, and as Larry suggested, I would have staged all my junk beforehand.  If you can, take all of your office clothes, shower stuff - basically everything you don't have to carry with you on a normal long-ish ride - and put it in your office/locker at least the day before.

And I definitely would have packed less stuff.  I could probably have done without the iPod (though it was nice in the morning) and the multi-tool (I've never needed it during a ride and dunno what I would have done with it anyway).

I would have gotten much more sleep.  While my adrenaline for the ride certainly kept me from being sleepy during the day, my body was more tired than it should have been.  And that probably kept me from recovering as well as I could have.

Finally, I wouldn't have changed my eating habit so drastically.  I hardly ever have salad for lunch - and if I'm riding like this, you can bet I won't again.

All in all, it was a great experience - something I've wanted to try for a long time and despite the problems, they were all pretty minor so I hope to do this again sometime.

How else can you get in an 80 mile ride and still go to work - and drop 11 pounds (even if it was all in your backpack) in the process, all in the same day?

Comments

[Ol]

A workmate of mine cycles over forty miles each day fairly often and leaves ALL his work kit at work. Which figures.
I just cycled to work today for the first time and had the same backpack problem as you, weighed down with all my kit, especially my pointy office shoes digging in my back... More organisation needed I think!

[Aki]

Congrats on a great round trip!

I'd offer a couple suggestions, other than what you've already learned.

1. I'd carry a chain tool and a pin (if your chain is such a chain). The chain tool can be part of a multi tool if you know it works (i.e. you put a chain on using it). A broken chain will stop you dead in the water with pretty much no way out. And on a ride in to work, that's something you want to be able to fix. After push/pulling a teammate with a broken chain for something like 10 miles, I've rarely been without my chain tool on a ride.

2. You have a blinky tail light? Even if it's just shadows, they really help buy you room/respect from sleep deprived drivers.

Finally, if you keep riding when it's darker out and get a "real" light, get a Nite Rider.
http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.com/2007/05/equipment-powertap-sl.html
The pertinent quote:
"My hesitation to spend a bit more money reminded me of a round of purchases I regret to this day - one of night lights for bikes. Unwilling to ante up the (at that time) $300 or so for a minimum Nite Rider, I ended up buying three other systems, all of which failed, leading me to buy, you guessed it, a Nite Rider."

I have a $150 version, I think it's called a Trail Rat. 6v, burns for a couple hours, nothing fancy. I'm sure they've improved on it since.

I got a helmet mount for it (and the extension cord you need for the same). I've preferred helmet mounts from the beginning. Easy to see around bends, you light what you look at, very bright. Excellent tool for "looking at" a driver (i.e. semi-blinding them). Such drivers are usually extremely aware of your presence, even if you're 100 yards away. I also look back about 3x more frequently than necessary - giving ample warning to drivers approaching me from behind.

I'm struggling to ride an hour each morning so your 80 mile "epic" is very inspirational.

Aki

[suitcaseofcourage]

Great tip about the chain tool. Of all the things to carry, you've persuaded me that this must be on the list.

I have a blinky light for exactly the reason you suggest, but haven't had a headlight. Until now. At least I have one on order - a CatEye HL-EL530. I dunno how it'll work out, but I'll be sure to post a review once I get it!