To be honest, many of my favorite summer workouts are done while biking either to or from work. I like the feeling of “hacking” my day by saving some gas, saving the time otherwise spent in a car, and getting a workout all at the same time. Of course, there are a few key things that make a commuting workout viable, but if you can get them in place, it’s a killer system. Here are my top points:
1: You need a “standard” route. Even if you only use it a fraction of the time, having a good default route removes one barrier to commuting by bike, and I guarantee it’ll result in you biking more often. A good biking route will likely be different than the way you drive, so it’s worth taking some time to explore the available roads, paths, and connectivity features. I would much rather ride 10 miles on quiet roads with safe intersections than suffer through 5 miles of dodging potholes and checking over my shoulder for approaching cars.
2: Consider the distance. The length of your “standard” commute may affect how it fits in with your other rides and the rest of your life. For example, I live about 7-8 miles from where I work. So, my typical system is to ride nice and easy along my standard route going one direction and add some distance the opposite way to build in a workout. However, when I worked further from home my standard route took a solid hour, so I’d often leave my car at work overnight so I could ride home one evening and back to work the next morning. When only riding one-way, it was then relatively simple to tweak my route as needed to allow time for whatever workout I’d like to fit in.
3: Minimize what you carry. Commuting with a bag on your bike or body isn’t a huge deal, but every pound counts. I can say from experience that when I switched from a 7lb to a 3lb computer, I suddenly found myself riding to work a lot more often. So, take stock of what resources you have and take advantage of them! I’m lucky enough to work somewhere with showers, so I store a towel and an extra pair of shoes at work, so I don’t have to pack or carry those items back and forth.
With these main topics addressed, you can free up mental space to focus on getting a good workout and enjoying the summer air!
Thank you to our 2023 Iceman Ambassador Martin Harris @uncle.martin