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Today was the first day commuting on my bike for about 2 months. Weather and early morning work out of town had forced me into the car. But this morning I was back on the bike. It was dark, damp and cold, but I loved every second of my short commute. Because it was dark I went through town today but still enjoyed seeing Lancaster at a slightly slower pace and arriving at work after a quick spin on the bike left me buzzing all morning.
During the lighter months my favourite bit of my commute is the aqueduct over the Lune. The views up and down the river always bring a smile to my face.
So what do you love about you bike commute?
The Tay bridge,I never tire of the views.
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Seeing Goosander and Kingfishers on the canal.
Eating breakfast afterwards.
Morning mist over Barnes Common when it happens.
An eerie bit of calm in an otherwise (sub)urban commute.
All but 400 meters is off road. Mind you this winter I've chosen to run to work on the road rather than take the off road bike route.
Get home and more often than not my 3yr old stands at the window waving and blowing me kisses. That's cool.
Opening the throttle on the twisties on the way home.
Currently none of it. (Longridge to Inglewhite). I go to work in the dark and go home in the dark. It's been raining for the last 3 months and the roads are in a terrible state even if I go the long way round. The occasional glimpse of a Barn Owl or deer can make up for it. I can't wait until the days are a bit longer so I can see the potholes and missing chunks of road as well as piles of scree before I hit them. During the lighter months a detour round Beacon Fell is good for the views :).
Some bits of my commute go along the river Don in Sheffield.
I like the mix of nature and industry, especially as nature is slowly taking back the few abandoned factories.
For me it depends on the time of year. I cross the town moor in Newcastle and then ride along the river. At various points in the year I get to see the sunrise/sunset on these parts and it is very nice.
For me it's the scenery in mid sussex as the sun's coming up and then all the traffic I cruise past in London.
This on my commute from just outside Brighton into Central London. I ride it in the summer when the weather's nice and it sure beats the train.
Passing Hundreds of single occupant cars, every single morning.
Best bit is about 10 minutes from home when the blood is moving properly and I exit the town and start to climb up into the surrounding farm land, right up to when I descend into Crondall 40 minutes later exiting the serenity of farm land and its country lanes.
Bird life along the canals. Heron this morning.
It shouldn't, but overtaking the queuing cars raises a wry smile.
Hearing a colleague complaining that she was struggling for time to get to the gym before she goes into work, whereas I got a 50 minute workout in on the way [i]to[/i] work
Best bit? Leaving work 🙂
As fasthaggis said the views of the Tay Bridge and Estuary.
Not getting stuck in any traffic and getting to the top of the last big hill with mainly downhill all the way to work/home.
The bit where I warm up and my legs stop aching
All of mine is shit. But it's better than being on the train. I live on the south side of Cannock chase which is lovely, but I work in Birmingham so I see precisely none of it, then have to ride through brownhills and into the city centre. Grim.
Getting into the area around Bermondsey knowing that I'll miss the queue for the showers at work and I can back off a bit. That and getting to the front door knowing SouthEastern Tosspot Railways have been done out of another days fare from me.
In the light mornings I often see a few Deer on my ride in.
Sometimes it seems the best bit is getting home in one piece.
Mostly little country lanes so surprise quite a few deer, then a blast through Manor Farm country park alongside the river Hamble. Brilliant in the early morning as you look east over the river at the sunrise. Pity about all the noise from the M27 though.
On the way in there's a 1 mile, slightly downhill section on the outskirts of Brum (around Augustus Road if you know it), I've warmed up by then and can properly open the taps, the road is quiet and it's a treat to ride.
On the way back it's the 7 mile time trial from the top of Hatton Hill to Hockley Heath. It's a bit rolling, dead quiet and a good test of my fitness. There's also the 400m parallel to Cannon Hill Park which I routinely overtake cars on.
Mines crap, I used to like it and might do again when it stops being dark all the time but just now i can't bring myself to get on the bike and haven't for about 3 months. Dark, crap weather, car drivers making me unnecessarily angry. The canal is nice but then i have to get back on the rode so just end up angry again!!
I'm bloody unfit now as well, went out on the MTB for the first time in about 4 months and couldn't ride up hills any more.
I'm sick of this winter. Sorry, your commutes sound good though!! 🙂
When the weather is good and sunrise is at the right time, seeing the sun come up behind St Michael's Mount through the harbour mouth in Penzance never gets boring.
And getting to the top of Paul Hill in Newlyn is a perverse kind of wonderful, as I know that nothing for the whole of the rest of the day will feel as bad as the last few minutes.
On the way, the bit just after getting out of town after going down the hill past the tip, getting half way back up the other side and turning off onto the country lanes away from cars. If the weather is cold enough for dew/frost and it's a sunny morning, with some stretch of the of imagination reminds me of riding up from Llanllwni to the Gorlich trail.
On the way back, taking any alternative routes that include stretches of off-road, and some of the smaller features of coastal architecture to practice drops/steps etc.
Mine's too bloody long.
Just.
Burnley to Rochdale -
The outbound leg at 6am is all downhill, fast and quiet.
Great twisty roads too.
The return at 7pm is hell, no fun after a tiring day.
Much steeper than you think and bloody relentless. Traffic makes it worse.
Only ride in if I can get Mrs S to pick me up on the way home.
Fasthaggis - great pic and what a view to start/finish the day with.
Looks like most of us have a lovely commute and enjoy it. I really enjoy the time alone on the bike for a brief period at the start and end of the day. It seems like the majority tweak their route to have some fun or take in a more scenic area.
Mine isn't a nice commute: right across Bristol twice a day. After 10 years I'm pretty fed up of it, and all the longer alternatives too.
Not having to pay for petrol, and not having to sit in stationary traffic. These are the only reasons I still do it.
Getting home alive.
Cycling around/across Sheffield is crap and terrifying, I prefer sitting in a stationary car.
Right now, I'm waiting in the car, for my wife. Driving home will take about 35 mins, but nobody will try to kill me.
In summer - extending my commute and realising how close to the city centre you can find nice countryside.
In winter - taking the direct route in the dark and cold and wet and realising that no matter how grim it is, I'd rather be doing that than be sat in a car in a traffic jam.
Cycling along the Clyde from ruggie to the saltmarket. Beats the road and car fumes by quite a distance. I can get a fair old long route from my work to the house if I want 95% traffic free pottering about the canals and kelvingrove etc. It's not the country or the highlands but as a commute/couple of hours after work its pleasant enough.
Right now ye mention it I've no excuse for last years laziness, time to get my fat arse back into it, from tomorrow!
Next week I will be commuting almost entirely on purpose built cycle paths instead of having to deal with traffic. I'm so looking forward to being able to relax and enjoy the view and cruise to work...
Commuted from Worthing to a bit past Turners Hill a few times last year, 90% of it down country lanes. Sunrise on the Fulking road was always lovely. Not proper commuting really though, especially as I always rolled in late and left early!
Best bit of my ride is the scenery as the seasons change. Also the big hill I go up. I have a choice of two Sutton Bank (25%) or White Horse Bank (25%), Good fun going home. I can also take my mtb and ride the Sutton bank trails or play in the woods.
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Some mornings I see an owl flying up the drainage ditches beside the track I ride. I think s/he uses me to flush out breakfast.
Getting into the office after even the crappiest weather ride in and looking at the others in the office grumbling about the traffic and just feeling very very happy as the endorphins do their thing.
I can do a 4.5 mile trip in if I'm in a hurry or a 20 mile massive circle route via the Ridgeway if the weather suits.
They get the A34...
knocking one out in a warm shower after a 5am commute through icy rural lincolnshire
I love the wildlife, especially the different birds I see at different times of the year, the barn owl and king fisher are 2 that I have the pleasure of seeing all year round. The owl, in the winter waits for me on a fence post, until I turn the corner and uses my light to illuminate the dyke along which I ride for just over a mile. This time of year it's the many different species of wild fowl and lapwings and field fares on the fields and flocks of gold finches and long tail tits along the lanes I ride adjacent to the Great Ouse. Last summer I saw what I thought could be a Montagus Harrier so a small pair of binoculars were kept in my rucksack in case I saw it again. About a week later I was able to confirm that it was. Lots of gulls, herons and cormorants. I feel very lucky!!
Mine has no real highlights, but also no real downsides. It isn't long (4 miles each way), but long enough to get my legs spinning, and to allow me to feel smug for not driving.
Being Cardiff, it is just generally nice without any particular standout bits.
Crossing Pontcanna fields and the Blackweir bridge can be nice on a beautiful morning, mind...
Monday to Thursday - crossing the Thames on Southwark Bridge escaping the many pedestrians with zero road sense.
Friday - mountain biking home via the Pentlands knowing I've got a weekend at home.
I like the warm sunny summer days when I sneak a few extra miles in on the way back. I can take a very small detour and see some great bits of the peak district.
I like how fit I get, and how it means I can beast many of my mates when on group rides.
Perversely, I also like commuting past standing traffic. I guess it's a bit more dangerous to be around lots of cars, but it's much more satisfying.
As I commuted in on my bike today along deserted roads through the white peak, I didn't love it. I should love it, and I'm sure many people would be jealous. It was cold, wet, tiring, but most of all dark. And slower than when I take the car.
Work from home these days but when I used to commute the best bit was the Thames path between Kew and Hammersmith. More than once I'd stop and sit on the wall to watch the river flow by for a few minutes before carrying on to work. On the days that I was running late and didn't go along the river my favourite bit was Shepherds Bush Green up to Notting Hill, traffic was always a bit manic on that section but I had my lane positioning and timing absolutely nailed after a couple of years of riding it so quite enjoyed it.
The view east of downtown Vancouver with its skyscrapers all lit up by the rising sun, contrasting sharply with the dark forest of Stanley Park in the foreground and the ever magnificent, glacialated Mount Baker soaring into the sky in the distance as I ride into work over Lions Gate Bridge.
Or the snow-capped North Shore mountains directly in front of me as I return home over the same bridge.
(I'm convienently ignoring the stench of the sewage plant directly under the bridge though, and the incessant drizzle with obscures everything for weeks on end at certain times of the year!)
The fact that there is 4m climbing in it on the way to work...
By the time I get to the Tay bridge I can see my office so although the views are great my mind is elsewhere by then. It can also be the worst part of my commute depending on the weather.
I think my favourite part of my commute is just the feeling of being in the great outdoors for an hour or so before and after work. Seeing the occasional fox, deer or owl is often a highlight and having so many route options means that every trip just feels like a mini expedition. Whenever I get on a bike of any kind it feels the same way as it did when I was 5 years old, like I'm free to explore and go wherever I please, even if it was just to the end of the road back then and now just into work. For me it's an invaluable hour for putting things in perspective and appreciating the simple things in life.
This morning it's going to be fun being smug while I get moaned at for riding in the snow, hopefully.
The hot shower when i get there 8.2miles in each direction of people trying to kill me its not fun any more 🙁
I have a stretch between 6 and 12 miles in that I love. Its across a moor heading to the top of Glasgow, when the sun starts to come up on a cold day the mist just hangs over the city. Thats on the way in.
On the way home it's pretty much the same stretch, I get to the top of the city after 8 miles and it's like an escape, the next 6 miles in winter is really quiet and peaceful, its a segregated cycle path so away from the traffic and there aren't that many cars pass anyway. That section really is total escapism.
[quote=sandboy dijo] Last summer I saw what I thought could be a Montagus Harrier so a small pair of binoculars were kept in my rucksack in case I saw it again. About a week later I was able to confirm that it was.
Oh that would be wonderful! for various reasons we didn;t make it over to see the Monatgu's harrier that was seen around the Blacktoft Sands area last summer - hopefully this year though!
i dont commute on the bike any more due to a change of circumstances, nut when i did the best bit was getting in the shower at the end of each journey. 2 showers a day left me feeling as fresh as a daisy!!
The wildlife, bacon roll and the feeling I've already done something I want to before work.
20 miles each way - love it.
None of it. 14miles from Cardiff to East Newport. The shortest route has me rattling in and out of drain covers and dodging big trucks. The scenic route (16 miles) has cars flying passed with little room to spare and at unnerving speeds, also a very lumpy road at the Cardiff end.
That's why i've stopped for now.
My last commute was through woods and nature reserves. Lovely view through the woods onto the Helsinki archipelago. Took ages though, as I'd want to take all the cheeky berrypicker paths.
Best bit, no cars and no cyclists. If there were cyclists, I'd naturally end up racing and break the sweat limit.
Blasting through the untouched powder snow on the fat bike on my Pentlands traverse this morning was frickin' awesome!