Forty mile Fridays

 

I have set myself another challenge for the year. Ride to the London office as often as possible.

I visit the main office near Oxford Circus once a month. Last year I rode there in October and November. December and January didn't happen; it was too cold and icy. February is done, it was tougher than normal. I think because I haven't ridden much more than ten miles in one go for a while. I've been in the garage on the trainer. 

The roads were busy, even with bike lanes and low traffic sections there were a lot of stops. It's the accelerating away from junctions that takes a toll. I don't know how I'd do it everyday. A few club mates do even through the really bad weather.

I've been tracking my calories and exercise in a new way with a Garmin 935 smartwatch. There is so much tech, you can monitor almost anything.

It's shown me I need to eat more most days. Especially on Saturdays when I have the club rides. Doing forty miles everyday to work would mean a massive increase in food, I'm not sure I could eat enough to cope. I was very tired over the weekend too, maybe a combination of a big mile week and the return to sixty plus mile Saturdays.

My daily requirement without all of those miles is easily covered, in fact it would be very easy to over eat. A sedentary livestyle could see the pounds/kilos pile on.

I save money and it isn't slower than public transport, it's certainly more consistant.

The route except near schools is enjoyable. These roads are full of cars; parents dropping kids off. I'll try to schedule my cycle commute during the holidays.

My laptop and office cloths go in a backpack. It's not waterproof, so that is a concern. I've used carrier bags to wrap my laptop and office cloths so far. It's something I'll need to look at. An alternative could be the saddle bag I bought for bikepacking. It's waterproof; I just wonder if it will fit in the holder securely and not swing about with the computer inside. My back wouldn't get sweaty as it does with my present arrangement.