Commuting - My first commute.

I commuted to work for the first time today though it was my day off. My manager asked me why I was at work considering it way my day off and I explained everything to him and he thought it was great. Once I get out my neighborhood it's pretty much a straight shot with a couple of big hills along the way. It's roughly 7.4 miles to work and I averaged about 40 minutes each way with a small rest both times. I expect I will improve that as time goes on. :p I took along some clean shirts, deodorant and Axe body spray to keep at work for when I really begin commuting next week.

The ride home was much smoother as Maryland resurfaced that side of the highway last year. The side I need to get to work is still kinda rough and won't be done until later this year. The weather was 45 & sunny with 9 mph winds. There is a really nice water front rest area about half-way that I will take advantage of daily. :D Hopefully soon I'll get some nice pics of my commute and share them with you guys and gals. This forum has been an outstanding source for me, thank you all for the help you have given the past few weeks. :)

Gratz on a successfull first hurdle :)

Soon you'll be taking a long way home, cause sometimes on a nice sunny day you just dont want to go inside yet.

Good for you!

Excellent!

For a point of reference here is how I improved. I expect you will see similar improvements.
April05- 4 miles took 45 minutes.
March06- 19 miles takes 45mins to 1 hr.

The constant conditioning improves things greatly. As did a new bike (for me).
I am interested to see how I improve when I upgrade from my hybrid to a Cx or Touring bike. *rubs hands gleefully together*

Thanks guys, Jarery there are many fishing holes along the way on each side. Once I get my panniers I may have to place a small rod & and some tackle in it. :)

DataJunkie, I hope I will imrove as much as you did inside of a year that would be nice.

Congratulations on getting started. As everyone has already said, you will see great improvement the more you ride. That certainly seems like a more interesting and enjoyable route than many people have to look forward to.

Whoohoo! Another MD commuter.

I ride Route 40 often, especially since they formally striped and labeled the shoulder as a bike lane. Usually, on the weekend, I'll go from Essex to Havre de Grace, but last Sunday, I rode from Essex to Havre de Grace, then took Route 155 West heading back to Bel Air, MD (155 to 22 to 924 to 24, then back to 40 to Essex).

My route to work is this:

http://tinyurl.com/cuqeb

...about 500 ft of climbing each morning to work. Of course, it's all downhill going home and the prevailing winds usually give me a boost.

Welcome to the Happy Healthy Commuting Muthf*ckers (HHCMF) club. Please feel free to enjoy the self satisfaction associated with polluting less, exercising more and being at least 5x sexier than your sexiest co-worker. Help yourself to as much pie as you can eat.

Always good to hear of another commuter

That's great, and I'm glad your boss thinks so too! Marylanders are a happy, welcoming bunch.

Beats driving anyday, welcome to the club.

Welcome to the commute club. The only reason I look at my watch while commuting is to see if I can slow down or stop. If I were in a hurry, I wouldn't be on a bike.

Next item is to get a camera and post some pictures of your commute.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y130/capejohn/misc/ReedandBarton.jpg

Reed and Barton Silver Company, Taunton Ma.

DataJunkie, I hope I will imrove as much as you did inside of a year that would be nice.

You will. However, I started with a horrible huffy MTB. Thus, my original numbers are a bit slanted to the horrific side. You and your trek may have a more difficult time :)

Starting is the hardest part; it's all down hill from here!



I commuted to work for the first time today though it was my day off. My manager asked me why I was at work considering it way my day off and I explained everything to him and he thought it was great.

Congratulations on your first commute but don't make it a habit to show up at work on your days off. :)



How did your new bike handle?

Thanks all, It felt great to make my 1st commute today. NoRacer, Essex to Havre de Grace? That's one heckava ride, you must be in fantastic shape. Yeah, I do like how they have designated the bike lanes after resurfacing last year. :)

Looty, no worries as I won't be making that a habit. ;) As for the bike it handled great. I made a couple of minor gearing mistakes I will admit to but aside from that I had no complaints. :)

NoRacer, Essex to Havre de Grace? That's one heckava ride, you must be in fantastic shape.

Thanks. I do ok.

If you want to, visit www.baltobikeclub.org (Baltimore Bike Club). They have rides during the week and weekend that you can go on--even if you are not a member.

Thanks for the link NoRacer, I'll most definitely check that out.

:beer:

Congrats,

I have been trying to commute as well, but my work requires a lot of driving sometimes out to clients. I have a client about 10 miles from my house that I have to go to tomorrow so I am considering riding there instead of driving (luckily they have showers). Watch out for the rain.

-D