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A day in the life of cycle commuter.
What gets you up in a morning? For me, it’s cycling. Similar to an artist’s blank canvas, I find the commute to work the blank canvas for the day. I can go fast, slow, direct or a longer route…The only constant is that I undoubtedly arrive at work feeling happy and content and ready for the stresses of the day.
For me, the whole process starts at the end of the last ride. I inevitably arrive home feeling tired but on a cycling high after a three mile slog up a steep hill. Amazingly this makes me eager and energetic and I always get my kit into the wash and my clean kit out ready for the next ride. It is always laid out untidily next to my bed.
Please don’t read Kit as anything expensive or specialised. It can be whatever you want it to be. In the beginning I managed with just comfy combat trousers and a t shirt. Over the years I admit this has been slowly replaced with cycling tights and wicking t shirt. Initially my padded bum was always covered with a little skirt or shorts, but I don’t seem to care anymore. Maybe it’s an age thing. Whilst on the topic of clothes, I just pop a work top in my panniers (or backpack) at the same time as I get my cycling gear ready, and always keep a skirt and shoes at work. If you do not intend to cycle everyday then you could it in on the days you don’t cycle.
That’s basically how easy it is to be prepared at least. The only other thing I always do is keep a set of waterproofs with my bike, including trousers and overshoes. As someone famous said, “There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing”.. I also check the weather forecast for the following morning…ok, well sometimes. To say I check it every night is maybe taking it all a little too seriously and more consciously then I could ever do. That said, if icy or severe weather is predicted I may be more inclined to check it out.
So back to the morning! Easy peasy…It’s the same as if I didn’t cycle, only I put my cycling things on and get on my bike instead of work clothes and on a bus/car ect. It really is that easy.
In the spring and Autumn, I often get up earlier and go a longer route to work to see the sunrise and seasonal changes. I take advantage of the many cycle routes and Trans-Pennine Trial routes surrounding the Rotherham Area ( Link to TPT and Rotherham Cycle Map details) Living in Kimberworth and working in Sheffield, I can do the majority of the route off road. Especially taking advantage of the five weirs walk that runs from Meadowhall to Sheffield City centre.
If you wanted to go from Rotherham Town centre then there is the newly surface route along the canal to Meadowhall. I love this route as there is always something new to see. Whether it’s spotting the Kingfishers or saying good morning to the Heron, or seeing the odd fox. I even once saw a dear on the cycle path from Meadowhall to Ecclesfield. And the weirdest ever sight was a rat chasing a snake. Admittedly this was not on the way to work, but it’s too amazing to miss out and it could be on your commute.
In the Winter months, I tend to go shorter routes, but love the clear frosty mornings and following the cycles of the moon and the seeing the stars. Most of the cycle routes are still passable in the dark, although I avoid the unlit areas and opt for the roads. I have to admit in the beginning of my commuting career I was a little daunted by the roads but over the years my confidence has grown. If you are worried about road riding, then there are training schemes that can help (LINK) and as already described, there are plenty of cycle lanes.
When I arrive at work, I am lucky enough to have showering facilities, (but they are not essential unless you ride like a professional.) It doesn’t take too much effort and in my mind it saves my electric…!! But maybe that’s me being a little miserly. However this miserly fact does signpost one of the motivating factors for riding. It saves not only pennies but also pounds. If I said I spent less than £50 on transport to work in the whole of last year (due to ice) would that inspire you too..
I also make a note in my diary of the time and miles each morning and evening. This helps me log any progress in speed. But it also helps me monitor my goal of achieving over 4,000 miles a year. It originally started when I decided to ride the equivalent of the Tour de France. I break it down into the individual stages. Each one usually takes about a week. I know try and do the Giro d’Italia as well. I am currently on stage three, so technically I am winning as it doesn’t start until May!
So in a nutshell, I get up, I go out the door, and then I go whichever route I wish. The shortest route takes 10 minutes more than driving and I get a workout, save money and feel like I get more out of the journey than by motorised transport…Go on, get on you bike and give it a go. !!.
Me and biking.
If, even just 4 or 5 years ago, someone had told to me that I would be taking up cycling in my 60’s, well, I would have been completely lost for words.
After a past that included 30 years of being a heavy smoker, and the fact that since 1995 my days at work were mostly spent behind a desk or a steering wheel, an occasional week end walk was just about the only exercise that came my way.
Some ‘corrective’ surgery on my foot, due to an old motorbike injury, risked me slowing down even more. So finally, at last, I started to think about my future health, and over the following couple of years I began to take up longer walks, usually 10 miles or so, every week.
Then, quite out of the blue, my partner decided to take up cycling and she asked me to help her choose a bike. So, naturally, I got one too!
That was Easter 2011.
When biking to work, a 25 mile return journey, I usually take the ‘Five Weirs Walk’ route through Sheffield, and the canal path to the centre of Rotherham.
This journey itself is a real treat, and one that I doubt that I will ever get bored with, in fact some weekends I will incorporate it into a leisure ride. Otherwise, I might train/bike it out to Hathersage, and then pedal up to Edale, and back again.
This led me to making mini-camping bike trips, which was great practice for a couple of solo charity rides that came along: Hadrian’s Cycleway in 2012 and Rotherham to Rotterdam this year.
Health and well-being? Certainly!
I can do more, and feel fitter now than I was over 20 years ago.
Adventure and fulfilment? Absolutely!
Some really great moments, but cycling, laden with panniers, across Paris from one train station to another, on a busy summer evening, will never be forgotten. Fantastique!
Paul is also a Sheffield Friday Night Rider, and says, “The most fun since I came off my Lambretta in ’67!”
Bike Scheme to help individuals get to work
Good News for Rotherham Cyclists
Sustrans | Join the movement
Coming Soon
1. Raising the profile of the importance
of cycling for health and the environment.
2. Campaigning for the improvement
of existing routes and infrastructures and
the provision of new routes and opportunities
to develop cycling.
3. Educating and informing Rotherham
residents about the benefits of cycling.
4. Supporting existing cycling
programmes to develop.
Watch the video for tips on riding safely
How to Ride Your Bike on a Road With Traffic