With the spring racing season upon us, there is a lot of talk about the pros– what it means to be pro, how to look pro, and so on. There are two things that distinguish the professional cyclist. The first is talent, which is a mysterious thing and best left for another discussion. The second thing is that the pros ride every day. This is so simple that we forget its importance. We also forget that it is ours for the taking.
To be a commuter is also to ride every day. To do something every day is to experience it from all sides. Rules are broken, rides are fast, rides are slow, the bike is filthy– and we keeping riding. We ride to get somewhere, and then we ride to get back. We ride without a computer, without matching kit, without a training goal. We ride because it is simply a way to get from A to B. There is no glorious finish line and no support team, yet we share something with the cycling elite: every morning, we wake up, look outside, shrug at the weather, and get on the bike. The gesture is small but when accumulated over years it becomes sublime.
For those who are toying with the idea of commuting, some simple advice: go all in and do it for a full two weeks. At first, it will seem complicated and annoying. The logistics of your work clothes and your bike gear outweigh the enjoyment of the ride. You will think about how much simpler your weekend training rides are without all this stuff to cart around. You will find reasons not to ride – just for today, you will tell yourself. Doing it everyday, however, will breed efficiency, and after two weeks your routine (and the amount of gear) will become streamlined. With a set of habits in place (my wallet goes here, I leave me shoes under my desk, etc), things will seem easier. With enough time, the details of your commute will fade to the background and you will enjoy the ride itself.
Then your bike will not just be your tool to get from A to B, it will be your freedom…just like the weekends, except every day.
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@Jellybean
yes, I think the logic "If I lived further from work i would ride more" can be quite easily solved by lengthening the journey...
Think Jim missed mentioning a few of the Rules that many commuters (non-velominati I hope) seem to follow religiously:
1. Every other commuter must be passed as soon as possible. Extra points for choosing a time to overtake that puts you and/or them in danger.
2. Never, ever let yourself be slowed down by a rider ahead of you. This especially applies if your ride takes you on a dedicated bike path that sees bikes going both ways in close proximity. A nice extension of Rule No. 1 is to move into the other lane to overtake at just the right time so riders heading in the opposite direction have to slow down.
3. If riding on a path also used by walkers and dogs make sure you speed up whenever they are nearby. They always act predictably so higher speed is better.
4. Every day is a new edition of the Commuter World Championships. Only you know the start and finish point of this race but everyone else is your competitor. Beat them all.
5. When on the road, act unpredictably. It keeps car drivers guessing. Make sure you ride in such a way that slows them down and if in doubt, break traffic rules so you get ahead of them. Cars are also Commuter World Championships competitors..
Ah, my apologies, jim. I'm sorry I was mistaken in not recognizing your were the Jim of Keeper fame.
I loved this article.
@ Dan O - woah, the sick sense of satisfaction from commuting. I have been commuting longer than I have been a road cyclist. I got my first road bike to zip to work in Washington, DC, after I realized while staring out the bus window that cyclists had a shorter commute than me. Plus, that they also expended some energy before & after being trapped in an office all day.
It is extremely satisfying when you realize as an afternoon storm kicks up that you have only one way to get home. Well, time to V-up for this commute, you realize. Fun to nearly puke from the exertion of a group ride, but also equally fun to have to leave your nice work clothes in the closet at the office and bike home in boxer briefs.
Nice post Jim and nice photo as well; sums up your post perfectly - the KISS principle - Keep It Simple, Stupid. Something I try to remind myself of....often.
Those excuses you gave as to why one doesn't commute are the same reasons I have given myself for a number of years including traffic, time, logistics of clothes, kit, showers et al, have conveniently allowed me not to commute.
I do try to get on the bike most days, this may just inspire me enough to do it everyday
Ah yes Marcus, the "other" rules. Don't they include those in the box their bikes come in from K-Mart?
I have been commuting for 10 months, 16km each way, I sometimes take a longer route home because I can.
When I can use a car again at the end of May, I think I'll leave it at work and still ride in. I can't face the traffic that I currently fly past every trip. My ride takes about 30 mins and you can't do it that quick in a car most days.
I frequently beat a colleague home at night, as he has to wait for numerous lights. Luckily Adelaide is in the driest state, on the driest continent so I can count the number of wet rides so far, on my fingers and one foot. It gets cold but that's easy to deal with.
The Commuter World Championships is an important part of most days. Epic training scenario trying to catch someone on a straight road, especially if they make it through one set of lights and you don't. All the hard work has to be done again.
I love it.
Stick your cars..........
Great post and great comments. True commuting is such an art form. On any given day there are a million reasons not to do it. Especially if you own a car. I confess to being a fair weather commuter. I mainly use commuting as an excuse to own yet another bike, as well as a slightly less presumptuous kit. I probably average once per week overall, thrice in the spring & fall, and next to naught in the winter & summer. It's so easy if you are in the groove but such a pain in the ass if you are toggling with the auto.
Chapeau to you, Mr. Pro Commuter!
When I moved to SoCal after finishing school, I purposefully lived "far enough" (18km) to get a decent ride every day. My co-workers, except a couple old roadies, thought I was a bit mad. I lived at the top of a 3.2km climb with grade up to 18%. Every day I had to get up that hill. That's where I learned to love The V.
Now, living in Michigan, there are no real climbs and it's only 7km, but I ride every day. I vowed to myself never to let the weather be a reason not to ride. The coldest evening was riding home at midnight at -6F. The most hellacious was two inches of ice covering the road. I was stuck on my only bike (poor bike #1), so 700x23 vs. black ice = 6 crashes over the winter, but you get back on, hope your frame is okay and carry on. I just got bike #2, a nice mutant cross/road bike, so next winter I'll be more prepared.
There is nothing better than getting to work by bicycle. You arrive and the legs are warm, your brain is jiving, and you can justify that pasty sitting in the kitchen up for grabs.
Commuting can indeed be tricky to pull off properly. For me, I work in an office where I need to wear "dress casual" much of the time, so unwrinkled slacks and button-down shirts are a must. I find it easiest to take several days worth of clothes and leave them at the office, that way I can commute without carrying as much stuff.
I usually only commute in the late spring/summer/early fall, when it is light out during my commute hours. My office is in an industrial area with heavy and fast traffic, so I like to avoid riding in the dark or during heavy rain.
In the morning I cheat and take the train part way (about 9 miles of a 12 mile commute), so I arrive at the office without being all sweaty, since we don't have showers. In the evening I change into kit and make the ride home anywhere between 12 - 30 miles, depending on how far I feel like going or if I just want to head straight home.
As much of a pain in the arse as it is, starting the morning with a brisk ride in the cold, and ending a busy (or stressful) day at the office by kicking some ass on a bike in the warm summer air is certainly more fun than driving.
For all the EVERYDAY commuters, how good does it feel knowing you have dished out a big rule 9 before work while all your colleagues are asleep!
@Marcus
You have entered the Cat 6 zone. Taken hereto a more appreciable self-mocking level.
Subways are the boxcar concentrate of the dictum, "Hell is other people." Commuting is sublime release.
Plus, King of the Mountain points are available twice daily at the top of the Manhattan Bridge.