Commuting - Day shift,what a bummer.Mileage all gone.

Just when I think about training for my September tour, life turns sour.. It will have like seven 2,000 foot climbs in touring across Nevada. Wanted to train on local mountains, heavy duty this coming spring.
My rotating 12.5 hours shifts causes me to work only like 11-12 days a month, like most of you work 20. This is what keeps my mileage up- with all that free time. Day shift will cause me to loose 1-2 days that I normally would have off per month.
Only way to keep mileage anywhere near my 600-800 per month is to ride at night. At night does a cyclist really ride that intensely.
Told my boss, he might get me killed by making me ride, in lower visibility conditions. Certainly at night, can't get in the number of miles I would during daylight riding. Also, doing steep descents at night- don't know if I like that. Will I be in shape for September.? Not a happy camper. No choice. But it is only for three months, I hope. When back on shift, it will be summer and too hot to do the inland mountains.
Spend the time out on weekends, as I do now,on my week-days off, my wife will not be happy.

CZ, when I got stupidly busy with university last winter, I found myself doing pre-dawn rides in the mountains. It's not so bad. In fact, when the full moon was out, I was able to turn my headlights off altogether on country roads. It really was a lot of fun, and I intend doing it again next winter.

Chris. The few times I have biked at night it was ok. If nights are cool and damp, that detracts. The clear warm night with a full moon was great.
But the day shift problem. Get up at 4 am to be at work at 6 am. Work 10.5 hours and get home at 5:30 pm. Nights are short and have to get up very early. 12.5 hour night shifts are almost physically easier, because you get more days off and fewer days to work.
Ride a couple nights from 6:15 pm to 9:30 and you are past the needed sleep time required to get up at 4 am.
No one in the world works like Americans.?? Something about a carry over from our rural farm days. Wake up with the cows and start work while we should still be enjoying our REM sleep.
Schools on the US often start at 7:30 am. Think Europe its 8-9 am. At least with kids half asleep they are not too rebelious.

I hope you have a good bright headlight if you're going to be coping with steep descents in the nighttime. As long as visibility's good, night riding is pleasant, if it's not in a high-crime area.

I think one of the most noticed objects are the vests with reflecterized strips on them. Often seen worn by motorcyclists. Have to get one of those if I must ride at night. Worst to happen, on day shift commuting to work will be impossible. Can no longer brag about how I save gas. That alone will cut my monthly mileage by about 200 .

Originally posted by cyclezealot
Worst to happen, on day shift commuting to work will be impossible.

How so? Surely getting to and from work by bike takes equally as long, irrespective of when you do it.

So many Americans start work so darn early. Many of us do. Maybe there too. ? To get to work at 6 AM, would have to leave the house at 2:30 AM, not up to that. Then day shift, 10.5 hours. Get home after dark too.
ps- Often think I communicate with cyclists on line at this hour along with cyclists from your hemisphere, because I am a part of the minority still awake and at work in this part of the world.

If you are going to do lots of night-time endurance riding, I would suggest a Dyno-hub lighting system. The S.O.N (from Peter White) is used by Audax riders in the UK for their stupid long rides.
Its powerful and reliable, and wont run out of charge in the middle of a ride. The extra drag is minimal (=1m elevation per mile). Just think of it as a training load.

You can use a battery light as a secondary, for faster sections, and for night-time repairs.