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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fantastic post, i'm about to finish uni, and i really hope that i'll live far enough from work(if i get a job in this god forsaken market) to commute for exactly this reason, i want the training, the legs need to be slapped into recovering faster
Awesomeness, Jim! Great guest article and very cool.
I like to think I'm a hybrid. No, not one of those awful contraptions that pass for bicycles these days, for some, but a hybrid cyclist. I'm a commuter, from around town, to out to meet friends, and to work. But I also pull my kit on and get out on my race bicycles most days as well. On the weekend I look the PRO part. I enjoy it. I ride every day, in all weather, both to work and around town, and also, just about every day I do a training ride. I sometimes feel like an outcast, especially when I ride to the weekend group rides and most others pull up in very expensive cars with their machine strapped to the top. That's a cyclist?
I know everyone isn't able, but I've lived without a car for quite a few years now. It is great. Plus, the debate is an easy win for me: my numerous bicycles still cost far less than your automobile.
Cool article, and the fact that the Keepers felt it was fit to publish just shows how varied the Velominati can be; we're like Super Heroes - commuter bikes during the day, race rigs by evening!
@Ron
Though I can understand that it would be easy to overlook, allow me to remind you that Jim is a Keeper. Yes, he doesn't surface very often to share his thoughts, but when he does, aint it grand? The guy rides like the dickens too.
Nice article Jim. Glad to hear from you.
@Sam, @Ron
Totally hear y'all about commuting. It's been an ambition of mine since moving here, buy hasn't happened for the very reasons Jim describes.
My commute is 45 km each way with a pretty awesome climb to boot; if I was doing that daily - or even every few days, I would be in fantastic shape and much less fat.
The perpetual gearhead that I am, I even have the lights, the bag, the bike - everything I need, even the intention, but it's only materialized a few times.
@Jim, I think I'm gonna take this manefesto as my inspiration to really start. Awesome post.
My problem is that it only takes me about ten minutes to get to work by bike so it ain't really worth it unless I'm riding after work.
Some serious cyclists tend to dismiss commuting as being Fred or not really training. They couldn't be more wrong. As Jim points out, it gets you on the bike daily - or almost daily - even commuting just a few days a week rocks. It becomes almost like it's own sport - dealing with the weather, logistics, what bike to use, how to carry stuff.
Time and money wise, it makes an insane amount of sense. I commute almost daily, but slack off from November though February (some years more then others), even so - mileage wise per year, put more miles on my bike(s) then my car. Being family guy, there's no way I'd get that kind of riding time without commuting. My commute is 34 miles round trip, with a nice climb to get home. There's also a sick sense of satisfaction knowing you have to ride home, no matter what. Well, that's one of my personal rules anyway. All good clean, and sometimes loopy fun.
I'm no hero, anyone with an interest in riding bikes can pull it off. I'd assume that's about 99.9% of people who frequent this (great) blog. Try it two days a week to start. Eventually you'll increase the days per week and start hating the days you drive. At that point, you're officially hooked - welcome to the club.
Use your best bike on nice days. Look pro if you wish. Use a messenger bag to haul stuff and keep the bike looking uncluttered. You always wanted a cyclocross bike? Commuting will justify it - just add fenders and use for rainy commutes. With all the summer commuting miles under your (shrinking belt), remove fenders and actually race 'cross in the fall. It easy to justify bike goodies when used for transportation. If you don't dig using your best bike to commute, use anything - old school road bike, mountain bike with slicks - whatever.
Work out a system - carry clothes, leave clothes at work. Shower at work, shower at home before you leave - whatever works for you. It's not hard to figure out. Once you get in a groove with a routine, it's gets easy and just part of your normal day. I can't sell it enough.
Well said, Jim!
My commute is only 15minutes but they are 15 minutes very well spent on my black single speed!
Heck yeah! The only way I get in enough miles to keep me happy is the commute. And it can be flat, sprinting in traffic and fighting cars, or hilly, long, and no cars (except for the gravel trucks, alas).
I've always thought about commuting as well but never have. I even have the perfect cyclocross bike for it. We are currently looking for a house in San Antonio and I'll have to add the "commuting-via-bike" variable into the house hunting equation and see what comes up! Super article. Really enjoyed reading it.
@Cyclops- the quick way to work gets you there in 10 min.
i have a 20 min commute that i drag over hills and through parks along rivers and then into the city. it usually takes an hour... but i always have the option of doing the short one for days i'm running late.