"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Training Commuters?

Hey, everyone!

If some of you guys are commuters, do you use your commuting routes as training time? If you do, what do you do to push yourself?

I ask this because I tried to use my commute as a training route today by going hard on some sections and relaxing on others. I went hard on some of the slight climbs and areas I have trouble with (Brooklyn Bridge, flat stretches, etc.).

Thanks!

I use to. Now my training is more specific. Sometimes commuting turns into JRA (just riding around). If you can't really focus on the task at hand, it can become useless.

I will however add commutes on my weeks off from racing. A full day's commute for me is 85 miles with over 5000' of climbing. So it can be helpful when I need some endurance rides.

I used my 30 mile one way commute last year to get in base miles. It was enough of a workout to carry laptop, business cloth, lunch etc etc in my paniers with me during the morning and evening commute.

The only thing I was trying to do, better the average speed every new morning.

I have a short commute (6.1 miles), so I can't do too much. I use it mostly to get more SST minutes. I have 10 and 5 minute blocks (depending on lights), and just try to stay near threshold for those.

I also do sprints on the commute sometimes. I am able to get in all six of them. It's a little odd with the backpack, but the PowerTap doesn't seem to care :)

I commute all year. It's about 50miles round trip, typically into a headwind going home. I think the hardest thing I deal with (other than crap weather/equipment issues) is the tendency to always ride as hard and fast as I can rather than trying to have some structure to the rides as they are my main form of training other than racing.

Also, if it has been a tough week of commutes (high winds/consecutive rainy days/that sort of thing) it can negatively impact my racing plans for the weekend. Sunday races suit me best for obvious reasons.

Commuting boosts the weekly hours avg.
To some this is unimportant, but I know every time I trained over 20 hours a week for an extended period, I couldn't help but win, or show at every race.

My commuter bike back then was a cheap little Mt bike that I got 8 easy hours on, to add to the 12-18 normal hours of ''real" training on the race bike. It made the difference between racing good and racing fantastic.

I do. I don't push too hard on the commutes usually. I save that for other rides. It just adds volume, which may be a controversial concept around here.

I commute, but only 10 miles a day, 6 days a week. Usually I do these at complete loser/old lady pace for recovery. I usually will do my training rides leaving from work, though so this cuts out the commute home and makes it into a structured training session.

If the weather blows and I know I'll be on the trainer, I may do a faster commute home and get on the trainer before I cool down, this saves a bit of time.

But basically my commutes are recovery rides.

-L

I commute 1.5-25 miles. I vary the route or intensity based on my goals. Sometimes its just short recovery, other times I'll TT for 14 miles, or do some hill intervals on a rolling route. One route has a stoplight pattern that is good for sprinting... Often I do whatever I'm going to do in the morning and then take the shortest route home in the evening.

My direct route between home and office is about 8 miles, but 3 or 4 days each week I meet a buddy at the bike trail for a training ride. This morning was a LT workout. 31 miles total with a couple of hard super-tempo (sub-sprint?) segments. Tomorrow will probably be an easy day. During the winter I'll ride the fixed gear to work and work on my spin.

When the time changes I will be using my active recovery days to commute on my fixie.

A common commute for me would be to extend the 5 mi. commute into 30 miles rolling terrain on the way in. And then on the way home, I'll do whatever interval makes sense. On KY(kill yourself) days, I'll turn off halfway home to do hill repeats on the LHAR (local hilly-ass road [that's Furman Rd. around here]). On recovery or normal days, maybe some one legged drills or fast spin or something.

I'll start commuting once a week this Friday. 27 miles each way of rolling terrain.

I do. All urban. Stoplight drags are fun, too.

My commute to work includes a lot of gradual climbing with a fast descent, which means the way home is a decent climb with a gradual descent the rest of the way home. It's a great way to keep my climbing legs in shape and do base training, then I add laps around the Rose Bowl on the way home to increase mileage. I'll be adding intervals (sprinting for speed limit signs even though nobody else is racing me) somewhere in there soon.

I commute ~22 miles roundtrip 3-4 days a week (route can vary) with no stoplights. That constitutes the bulk of my riding most weeks. I have been able to get more 5 day a week commutes of late, but it is tough.

Because almost 9 miles of my 11 mile one way is on a trail that is usually pretty uncluttered, esp. in the morning, it is pretty easy to incorporate various intervals in the workout. If I'm running late, however, it's pretty much a time trial.

My commute of 6.5 miles is quite short. I go at a slow but not crawling pace in the mornings. Returning home, I have recently been alternating (though with no real strategy) between moderate efforts and going almost at threshold.

My commute to work includes a lot of gradual climbing with a fast descent, which means the way home is a decent climb with a gradual descent the rest of the way home. It's a great way to keep my climbing legs in shape and do base training, then I add laps around the Rose Bowl on the way home to increase mileage. I'll be adding intervals (sprinting for speed limit signs even though nobody else is racing me) somewhere in there soon.

Hey, I've seen guys do laps around the rose bowl :D

Hey, I've seen guys do laps around the rose bowl :D
Yeah, I'm trying to talk myself into doing my normal commute with that Rose Bowl training ride towards the end some day. It will make a nice 70 mile day with miles 35-65 being a hammerfest. :eek:

I would... But I've always felt weird training in street clothes.

I would... But I've always felt weird training in street clothes.

I commute in bike clothes. Have a shower at work though...

I commute in bike clothes. Have a shower at work though...

+1 with the added benefit that I get to horrify my students whose paths I happen to cross before making it to the rec center. What has been seen cannot be unseen :D

I commute in bike clothes. Have a shower at work though...
Yep, I drive to work Mon/Wed/Fri to exchange clean and dirty clothes so I can ride in my cycling clothes, wash up, and dress at work.


+1 with the added benefit that I get to horrify my students whose paths I happen to cross before making it to the rec center. What has been seen cannot be unseen :D
I'm a middle school teacher. Some students have choice descriptions of my bright yellow jersey and vest and my tight pants. :D

I do. All urban. Stoplight drags are fun, too.

I love these, too! There is a 1 km stretch with several lights, If I am lucky I catch two or three green lights and can mix it up in traffic @ 30 mph, otherwise I work on start line jumps if I catch the reds. Havn't done them lately...potholes. :eek:

Yep, I drive to work Mon/Wed/Fri to exchange clean and dirty clothes so I can ride in my cycling clothes, wash up, and dress at work.


I'm a middle school teacher. Some students have choice descriptions of my bright yellow jersey and vest and my tight pants. :D

are you lucky enought to have a shower, or do you use babywipes and the handdryer?

I'm secondary, when I commute I have great incentive to arrive very, very early.

I commute 4-5 days a week and manage 2x20's, VO2max, shorter and longer intervals. It's all about being creative and finding the route.

I'm a middle school teacher. Some students have choice descriptions of my bright yellow jersey and vest and my tight pants. :D

I teach at a university. My students vary between the greenies, who appreciate my contribution to cutting carbon emissions, those who cannot look me in the eye after spying me in my grover jersey, those who think my grover jersey is hilarious, and those who find my bike hanging out in my office as nothing but another endearing quirk.

are you lucky enought to have a shower, or do you use babywipes and the handdryer?

I'm secondary, when I commute I have great incentive to arrive very, very early.
I have a sink and soap in my classroom (music) but I might see if the PE teachers will let me use their shower. I do prefer to get there early, but one student sees me and everybody else wants to see proof.

I just tried to do some training during my commute again...

It's a little tough trying to fit it in between New York traffic and traffic lights. I can usually get a decent interval in there, and I use the Brooklyn Bridge as climbing work (climbing it in the big ring, all out).

Sometimes you have to be creative. This morning I dropped off my backpack in my bike locker and I was a bit ahead of schedule for meeting my buddy so I did a couple of "climbs" of the parking garage. One seated in small ring, one standing in the big. Then over to the bike trail for a tempo ride with my buddy. On the way back into town I sprint for lights. The training weenies will probably tell me I need more structure, but you take what you can get.