If Commuting were a Olympic sport, what would put you in the Gold Metal round?

I repliedIn summary,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

… Humbly, if Bike Forums ever had a Best Commute Award, I would be a frontrunner...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

… through one of America’s most charming, interesting, and historic metropolises on residential and light commercial roads (and partially on a bikepath in a park)…during all four (pleasant to tolerable) seasons…

Not to brag, but to illustrate the possibilities.

I'll give you a run for your money. Mine is all like this for about six miles then a stretch of road that''s easy to navigate with no stops. Flat, alongside the Creek, cool shade from the forest, lightly traveled in the mornings, and even the forest animals are laid back. I think that the amenable climate puts it over the Boston weather.

It's not "Olympic Gold" however. I'd see that as a 30+ mile commute each way, in challenging weather and obstacle course traffic, taken at consistently high speeds. Ours are way too easy.

I dunno. I rode home yesterday in very dicey conditions--21 km, -10*C temperature. I'd say silver at least.

Something like this:
IMG010.jpg

Here's a video I found if Sagan riding into his car!!

Something like this would do it I think!

You're the best, the best! No one's gonna ever keep ya down...

Noticed Sagan kept his elbows in on that one

Good point wp; maybe the OP was asking for the most challenging commute rather than the easiest, or best. Should there be mileage categories?

How far? And not much traffic it seems.

To top it off, the gold medal round for olympic commuting requires spending 8 hours at a tedious, boring, low paying graveyard shift. To hear the announcer:

"The leading rider has hidden her bike so the boss won't know that she rides, and is ready to enter into hour six of stacking pallets. Will she make it?"

So we should incorporate the nature of the job into the point totals? And will there be male and female categories (for the commute, not the job)?

Twenty km. You want traffic? Here's traffic!!

IMG008.jpg

It could be like a Triathalon: Commuting, working, and a grocery run.

And would there be Summer and Winter events?

I note that there is a shoulder in that photo.

Yes. It's actually a bike lane, but as you can see from the photo it's not ideal for riding under those conditions. I only ride on that stretch of road for about 2 km anyway.

A gold medal.

Like giant slalom, but with semi trucks

Well, Strava has their commuter challenges.

https://www.strava.com/challenges/bike-to-work
https://www.strava.com/challenges/bike-to-work-2017

My longest commute from last year clocked in 200 miles and would have put me on the leaderboard, if it had aligned with the right day.

Note, some of the top riders are simply doing a loop, but others are doing one-way rides.

Have them stop and buy a carton of eggs...

Just ask the checker for a rubber band. Never any problems here.

There's another Jim here on BF, also in the Boston area, who has a 17 mile commute, each way, and he doesn't ride in the worst weather, but close to it.

I stick all my landings and strike a pose.

Well, it's a commute, not an olympic sport. If it were different, it would be different.

So let's assume it was an Olympic sport, then, what are the rules?

Seems to me, anyone who commutes from home to work qualifies. You live where you live, you work where you work, you are who you are. I don't see how extra points can be given for a longer or more difficult commute.

If ever you decide not to go to work because conditions seem unappealing, you are disqualified (I am thus disqualified).

If biking is impossible, I would suggest skiing, skating, or walking, with or without snowshoes, to be acceptable alternatives, but to drive your car, or have a family member take you to work, or Uber, etc, would disqualify you.

I'd think that would identify the finalists. Beyond that, in not sure.

It's a hypothetical, fun what-if. What else do we do here on BF in the middle of February when we're snowed in and can't ride?! Best chain lube again? Sheesh! Let's not poo-poo on every topic because it has no basis in reality.

Distance is a consideration. Elevation, traffic, road conditions, and last, but not least, weather would round out the criteria.

You could arbitrarily assign a numerical value to each based on what you think most challenging. So here, some arbitrary values:

Distance:
0-5 km----->0 points
5-8 km----->1 point
8-13 km---->2 points
13-20 km--->3 points
20-28 km--->4 points
>28 km----->5 points

Elevation:
0-100'----->no points
100-200--->1 point
200-300--->2 points
300-400--->3 ponts
400-500--->4 points
etc, let's say linear increase

Road conditions:
Not sure how we's score this:
Pavement--->no points
Gravel/dirt-->2 points? Or something like this.

Temperature:
>0*C------>no points
0 to -5*C--->1 point
-5 to -10--->2 points
-10 to -15-->3 points
-15 to -20-->4 points
-20 to -25-->5 points

Snow:
Less than 2 cm---->1 point
2-5 cm------------>2 points
5-10 cm----------->4 points
10-15 cm---------->6 points
15-20 cm---------->8 points
> 20 cm----------->10 points

The reason for assigning more points for snow is that it is the one factor that has the biggest impact on how you ride.

So tally up your best score for last week!

Mine from Friday's ride home:3+2+0+3+2=10 points

Why is everything in metric except elevation?

Don't forget, just like the olympics, points need to be deducted for any fall.

Dude, that's the way I roll!